Employer’s struggling to hire staff

An article in the Telegraph this week was discussing the ineffective work that A4E (the private firm that the Government pay to get people back into work) and the Jobcentre Plus are doing in helping the companies that actually are recruiting find suitable candidates.

It was reported, Richard Cook, director of London-based Champion Communications, said he had two vacancies and had approached A4E for help but had been left disillusioned by the experience.

His digital media and technology PR business had junior work experience roles and also a position for a senior consultant available. He decided to try A4E in London's West End.

"I went in and they were surprised to see me. They were not geared up for that sort of inquiry," he said.

An A4E manager did offer to help but was "completely unprepared", said Mr. Cook. He said he was asked whether he was open to employing non-graduates, whether he was offering any on-the-job training and the salary range. But he was never asked what his business did.

"He does not know to this day that we are a PR company or that we focus on technology and media branding, which are fundamental questions to ask," Mr. Cook said. "It did not stand up to the commitment that this organisation has in getting people back into work."

Mr. Cook said that two days later he received a call from the manager, who asked whether a former member of the BBC's production staff would be suitable for the senior consultant's role.

"I said no," said Mr. Cook," and then he asked whether the person would be suitable for the work experience."
Mr. Cook's experience echoes a recent survey of 2,500 firms by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), which found that 34% saw Jobcentre Plus, the publicly-owned work agency, as "ineffective" or "very ineffective".

The FSB said that too many members had felt let down by the Jobcentre, with slow response times putting businesses off. "We also find staff are not trained in looking after the self-employed and the small business," said the FSB's Stephen Alambritis.

Not a very positive article considering we are in a recession at the moment and there are considerably less employers looking for staff. I was never really a fan of A4E before anyway as I have written about before in one of my blogs after the Channel Four shows aired about the company but I am surprised that even the Jobcentre has faced such criticism (maybe not too surprised).

If the Jobcentre isn’t even helping people get back into work or helping companies find suitable candidates then what chances have we as a nation got of reducing unemployment rates or meeting these so-called targets Mr. Brown has talked about?

I also read that A4E have been organising ‘Jobseeker Information Roadshows’ and ‘3D pavement drawings of local industry icons’ to promote their services (check one out here, it looks good: http://www.flickr.com/photos/a4eworks/3969235727/in/photostream/) to promote their services which all sounds very impressive but I love one, of only two comments below the article that appears on the Drum online talking about this circus, it simply says: “how many people got jobs?” Hmm... I’m sure we’ll never know but they do like to boast about the number of people that turned up!

Anyway, without dwelling too much on the negative, it looks like relying on A4E or Jobcentre Plus to help find a suitable job is not a great idea. Instead, in times like these, be creative, network, contact companies that aren’t advertising and show you’re interest – you never know they may remember you when a position does come up.

Is Working with Family Members a Good Idea?

“Don’t Look Back in Anger, I Heard You Say”, don’t worry I’m not going to write all the lyrics but I am singing away to myself as I write. When I was reading about the Oasis spilt it got me thinking about the possible stress and added problems that arise when you work with family members.

Noel Gallagher has said intolerable "violent and verbal intimidation" and a "lack of support" from management and bandmates forced him to quit Oasis the BBC reported.

In a statement, on his blog at Oasisinet.com, he said: "The details are not important and of too great a number to list."

He went on to thank fans after his decision to leave Oasis brought an "amazing" 18 years to an end.
Noel left after relations with brother and band mate Liam hit an all-time low.

Oasis was named the UK’s most successful act of the 1990's by the Guinness Book of World Records and right up to this day have a huge following.

It’s sad and I know that I would have liked to see them continue as they are an amazing group of musicians; I’ve seen them live only once but grew up blasting their music. Obviously the inns and outs will never fully be public and it seems there wasn’t one incident that resulted in the split but the much publicised feuding Gallagher brothers seem to no longer be able to work together.

It’s a shame and unlikely that they are going to be close again according to the media but the question is, is it just too much pressure to work with family?

I honestly don’t know having never really been in that situation but I do know that it’s hard to be with any family member for long periods of time and can imagine that in the music industry that problem is magnified ten fold with long periods of time being spent travelling, touring or being trapped in studios.

Whilst doing some research online I read an article about an American woman who worked with her husband and described the trials and tribulations they had encountered as partners in their family firm. I know that it’s slightly different working with a spouse and a sibling but all the same boundaries and issues can arise in the workplace when you have someone who is close to you personally working along side you.

First and foremost, each family member must have clearly defined roles so that there is never room for blaming the other for not doing something. Respect and professionalism are also very important when at work as although in the house shouting or moaning about something not being done may be common practice – in a workplace with other colleagues it can frustrate or belittle the other person and blow up a tiny disagreement into a feud like the Oasis spilt has become.

This would mean, if you have a meeting with one another, show up. If you have a deadline or target, then deliver and that should alleviate some of the pressure. Also important, be prepared to deal with the consequences of not delivering and on the other side of things, be prepared to follow the same procedures with family members as you would if another employee did the same thing.

I think most importantly there do have to be boundaries where a decision is made not to talk about work when you are not there as if lines of communication become tangled then it’s hard to recover as the Gallagher brother’s situation has shown.

Does anyone out there have their own opinion or experience they can share?

How NOT to be part of the unemployment statistics during the recession…?

In the news today I read:

“The number of Britons out of work increased by 281,000 in the three months
to the end of May, the most for a quarter since records began in 1971”.

This is certainly worrying and everyday I hear of more and more people hit by the recession and its effects. From the people I’ve spoken to the story seems to be similar. They are sending out so many CV’s and applications that they are beginning to lose count and only seem to hear back from a small number even to say “Sorry you are unsuccessful…” which is obviously making a lot of people apprehensive about applying for more and it’s a vicious cycle.

I personally think that one of the most successful ways to get a job during tough times is to make yourself stand out. That doesn’t have to involve standing with a huge “HIRE ME” sign outside companies you want to work for but perhaps thinking about ways that you can communicate to these companies in a way that stands out from all the other bland CV’s they receive everyday.

Networking with recruiters through sites such as the Hirer Network or speaking to people you know and finding out if there is anyone they know that may be able to advise you on the best way to get your ‘foot in the door’ is always going to be more effective than an email or letter you send out to lots of companies.

To be more specific, if you focus your efforts on companies in growth industries where your skills are suited, and if you emphasise your ability to have an immediate impact on prospective employers' bottom lines, you'll be more likely to succeed no matter how bad the economy.

So apathy aside, if you really want to get a job there are jobs out there – get them.