Seriously Connected

Apologies that there has been no recent content, time for an update. In October last year I was approached to work with a new client to fill a Head of Recruitment role and ended up doing some recruiting on an exclusive basis, in order to avoid any conflict I stopped taking new recruitment assignments. Fast forward a bit and I agreed to work for them as the new recruitment Manager. I spent December "tidying" my own business up - something that continues and is almost complete.... I started officially with Optical Express in January 2018, hence the rec to rec business is now formally closed. A massive thank you to all clients, candidates and friends who supported me when I launched and throughout last year. The journey was interesting and I feel I have made the right decision to move back into a role that allows me to recruit for a wide variety of roles UK wide.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-417373 00

For all you jokers out there, do you know when you've gone too far? http://bit.ly/2y6VGEf

Met with a client the other week, he mentioned he would NEVER meet anyone for business in a coffee shop as there is a lack of privacy and would certainly never ask any of his staff to conduct a job interview in one.
Hotels would be fine where there are private areas. Given a lot of people are mobile and the use of coffee shops seems to be the "norm" eg I see a few recruitment businesses confirm they regularly meet candidates in a coffee shop (I have done it myself for more informal/update meetings).
Is it acceptable or does it disadvantage a candidate ?

Followed an interesting post on LinkedIn yesterday, it was all about how bad the courier industry was (or currier as the poster put it - resulting in many a curry joke), what made it interesting was the bashing the courier industry took - money grabbers, unprofessional, uncaring and the best bit? not a recruiter bashing comment in sight - made a refreshing change and it proves the point that people just love to put people down in EVERY industry.

GDPR is coming folks, some are burying their heads in the sand, others think it will not affect them.
If you are a recruiter you WILL be affected.
If you are a candidate you WILL have more control over your personal data.

A little bit of light relief. Having been in recruitment for 3 decades I have numerous stories to tell, in fact I may just get around to writing that book I keep promising. From meeting Prince Charles and doing a sort of curtsy bow bob thing to being driven through London by James Caan (trust me being squashed in the back of what is really a 2 seater, hood down and rain stinging my eyes was not good at all) to providing a scarecrow for a client. Oh and being sworn at by Ruby... Wax.
However one event really sticks in my mind.
Client – “Tom, John (driver) never showed for his shift last night” Me – “oh, why didn’t you call and let me know” Client – “Supervisor did the run as warehouse was quiet” Me – “Let me call John”
Me to John – “John, what happened that you did not turn up last night” John “erh I did, completed the 2 runs as normal”
Me to the client - “John was there last night, just called him” Client – “he wasn’t, clock card has not been punched” (it was a few years ago)
Me to John – “John, client is adamant you did not show” John - “honest Tom, I was there”
Now this went back and forth a few times with the client insisting the driver had not shown and the driver adamant he had been on shift.
John called me at 2pm that afternoon John - “Tom, sorry to have messed you about, client is right I was not there” Me -”really, you insisted you had been there, why did you keep telling me you had been on shift?” John “, I actually dreamt I was at work, when you called this morning I genuinely believed I had been at work but I slept right through until you woke me up”
That’s right, due to working weird shifts and no proper sleep pattern (as was the case in the “old” days) John had slept through to the next day.
Client did see the funny side and used to rib me about it for years to come.
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I posted the below image on my personal page and have had great comments from loads of people, a lot of them recruiters, so I thought I would share on my business page as I have mainly recruiters on here. Some of you may know 1 or more of the people below. We all started in the same recruitment agency in Glasgow over 30 years ago and have kept in touch over the years.

Most of my business comes from referrals and personal recommendation, always nice when someone take the trouble to email you.
September was busy, offers and starts (in what is generally a quiet month), October is the start of a generally busy 2 months in recruitment, still loads of great roles.
Call me for a chat 07960 354441
... "I highly recommend Tom. He took the time to understand what I was looking for. He was always available to speak to and responds and acts very quickly.
He came back with some companies that would very specifically fit my needs and also gave good information on them and the sort of values that they stood for.
All of the interviews were dealt with by Tom; he provided all of the information quickly and very professionally.
Feedback was quick and very constructive.
I highly recommend Tom as a recruiter and would have no reservations about using his services in the future"
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Recruiters, looking for a trusted and honest partner to secure your next role? “I can’t thank Tom enough for the hard work and effort he put in to find my ideal job. He really listened to what I was looking for and understood what types of companies would best suit the skills and experience I had to offer. Tom always kept in regular contact with me whether it be via email or telephone and always made a point of finding out how my interviews went very quickly afterwards. ...Throughout my experience working with Tom I had the confidence that he was only putting me forward for companies that he felt I would enjoy working for and where I would fit in well, he was very open and honest if he felt something wasn’t quite right for me which I was very thankful for. In summary, if an opportunity arises to work with Tom there should be no hesitation, all the information you could need is provided from start to finish and he always makes a point of going that extra mile!”
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Great Crowdcast session with Sean Anderson from Hoxo Media and Cameron McLennan from Firefish on Why Your Recruitment Agency Brand Matters

Telephone interviews, what's your take as a recruiter for a tele interview as a first step in the process? Recently I have had 2 clients refuse to do it (1 candidate is overseas and returning to the UK, the 2nd is in England), both clients admitted they seemed a good fit but will only ever interview face to face and would not budge on a telephone or video interview as a first step.

Quite a few new roles, my clients are busy/expanding, be part of their success,
http://seriouslyconnected.co/jobs/recruit ment-consultant

New roles, market is still busy, plenty of opportunities but don't get left behind.
http://seriouslyconnected.co/jobs/recruit ment-consultant-7

Following on from a busy (and successful) August. September has started the same way with offers made and accepted and new roles taken. I am keen to speak with experienced recruitment consultants for roles in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire. Temp and perm desks across most sectors, particularly Industrial/Driving, Construction (trades) and Office Services as well as more specialised consultants for Accountancy/Finance, Engineering and Technical
... Holidays are largely over and September is generally the busiest month of the year for new jobs.
Don't get left behind, get in touch with me today to talk about opportunities.
tomwaddell@seriouslyconnected.co 07960 354441 The Recruiters' Recruiter
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