Marketing & PR, Digital and Technology Blogs

​The coronavirus and Covid-19 pandemic have changed countless aspects of all of our lives. One major area that’s been impacted? Jobs and careers. The way we work has radically changed over the past year and a half or so. As governments around the world implemented lockdowns, social distancing measures and social distancing guidelines in a bid to slow the spread of the virus, those who could work from home began to work from home. Sure, vaccines may be being rolled out now and a return to life as we knew it could be on the horizon in many ways. But many workers’ eyes have been opened to modes of working that offer them plenty of benefits and are becoming reluctant to head back to strict, in-office, nine to five positions. So, what does this mean for recruitment? Let’s take a moment to delve further into the matter. Employer Struggles Right now, news articles are stating that there’s a significant shortage of candidates for positions right now. While it may be true that few people are actively applying for advertised roles, it’s by no means true that there’s a shortage of workers. The workers are out there - they’re just being more specific in their job search and are looking for more specific things from a contract than they might have in the past. Unfortunately, free fruit or beanbag seating in break rooms isn’t quite going to cut it anymore when it comes to recruiting the best candidates out there. There are a number of steps you can take to get candidates on board, but for now, let’s focus on flexible working. What Do Candidates Want? So, what are candidates looking for when we talk about flexible working? Well, when it comes down to it, there’s no one right answer. Different candidates have had different options on offer over the past year and a half and different options have proven popular with different workers. Flexible working, put simply, is a mode of working that offers more flexibility than what we may be traditionally used to. Some examples of flexible working include: ● Flexible working hours - candidates may be able to choose what hours they work each week. While they will still need to fulfill their contracted hours, they can choose when they get to complete these. This offers a better work-life balance, as employees can fit in tasks and chores from their personal life around their work. For example, they might start late to drop their children to school and work a couple of hours in the evening to make up for it. Another employee may take a couple of hours out at midday to attend a medical appointment and may make up for it the following morning. ● Remote work - after working from home for months now, many people have grown to love the working situation. People have noted that they prefer cutting out the cost and time entailed in commuting. Many are enjoying not having to find parking in the mornings. Many prefer working from their own home so they can use their own facilities, such as toilets, which they know will be clean and proper. Working from home can prove cheaper and more comfortable for a whole lot of people. Struggles You Could Face If You Aren’t Flexible There are a number of struggles that you could face if you refuse to be flexible with your employee’s work. The first is struggles recruiting in the first place. If you’re trying to get new candidates on board, you may find that many candidates are looking for flexible contracts, flexible working hours or remote work, so won’t consider your position at all, or will drop out of the recruitment process at the point that they realise your work isn’t flexible. Another potential issue is that current employees will decide to up and leave, working elsewhere that will offer them more flexible work. At the end of the day, many employers out there are shifting to flexible working models, so if you fall behind the crowd, you could lose out when it comes to your own staff. Another potential issue that staff remaining will be dissatisfied, have lower morale and even lower productivity levels. Implementing Flexible Working Options As you can see, flexible working is pretty much paramount right now. So, it’s time to implement some flxible working options into your contracts and general operations. The key to success here is being very clear in what you’re offering before offering it. This can set boundaries, rules and guidelines that can be passed on to employees to ensure that they are still performing well while working flexibly. Set clear KPIs and detail exact numbers of hours per week that you expect your employees to work in total. The more clear everyone is on what they can and can’t do, the better this whole situation will work for everyone. Advertise Your Flexibility There’s no point being flexible and keeping it quiet. Instead, make sure that you advertise your flexibility and let people know what options your business is offering. This will make you and your job adverts more appealing, bringing in more potential candidates. You want to make sure that you are visibly flexible if you’re going to be offering this benefit. Benefits that you’re offering your potential candidates should be listed early on in your job ad. You may also want to survey current staff about what is and isn’t working with them to ensure that you’re doing things right. As you can see, a lot has changed recently and you’re going to have to make sure that you keep up with these changes to keep your current staff happy and to recruit new team members who could prove to be beneficial members to your team. Hopefully, some of the above information will help you to get the ball rolling. What’s most important is that you don’t bury your head in the sand. With so many employers offering flexibility, you really will begin to miss out if you remain stubborn in old ways. ​

Whether you’re actively recruiting or not, chances are, you’ve seen a fair few articles over the past few weeks regarding a severe shortage of job candidates across the UK. The London Economic headlines “British employers facing most severe shortage of job candidates on record”, while Reuters leads with “UK employers face worst shortage of job candidates on record”. In studies, the British Chambers of Commerce found that 70% of 5,700 companies surveyed had struggled to hire staff in the three months leading up to June of this year - and it’s pretty safe to say that these numbers don’t seem to have switched much since. It’s relatively unsurprising that there are countless more articles focusing around this subject and it’s not all too surprising that everyone from small businesses to major corporations are beginning to ask how this has come about. Now, there are obvious culprits. The pandemic has seen major changes in businesses and their operations around the world, with major shifts for many companies, ranging from company collapse, to redundancy to downsizing to switches to remote work. Brexit has also resulted in changes regarding employment. Amongst all of this speculation, many are failing to see that there isn’t necessarily a shortage of workers at all. Here’s some more information on the subject to help you understand what’s actually going on here. Is There Actually a Candidate Shortage? ​When it comes down to it, the simple answer to this question is no. The UK has more than enough individuals to fill the positions on offer. No matter what position you’re advertising, chances are, there is someone out there who would be wholly suitable. So what is it that’s causing people to not apply for jobs or to turn down jobs that they have been offered? ​Why Companies are Struggling to Hire ​There are a number of reasons that companies are struggling to hire right now. For the moment, let’s take a look at some of the most common reasons being offered by individuals in the job market. ​More Choice ​Over time, we are gaining more choice about the jobs that we apply for. More jobs are constantly emerging, with new roles, new industries and new fields of specialism cropping up for people to choose from. You may find that individuals who would have previously applied as candidates have retrained and are looking for work in alternate roles or fields. Throughout the pandemic, many people retrained and are now occupying completely different roles to those they may have held a couple of years ago. On top of this, many individuals realised that they could freelance during the pandemic. Freelancing comes hand in hand with a number of perks, including a lot more freedom. ​Caution in Switching Jobs ​Many people are now cautious about switching jobs, instead favouring staying in their own positions to hold onto a sense of security and benefits that are earned over time, such as sick pay. Rather than letting go of what they know, they want to stick with a company who has supported them throughout the pandemic and that has proven that it can persevere and maintain itself through unprecedented times and circumstances. Often, these individuals find that other companies aren’t offering enough for them to walk away from something that’s already pretty good. ​Salary Expectations ​If you’re finding that nobody is applying for your job, you may want to question whether you are paying enough. Many companies are stuck in the habit of paying the same as they have for years. With the price of living constantly rising, and other companies out there offering better pay, you may find the candidates you want have higher salary expectations that you’ll need to meet. If you’re advertising a role for less than a similar role that requires the same amount of expertise and effort, you can almost guarantee that candidates are going to choose the other company over yours - it only makes sense. ​What Can You Do? ​So, what can you do to get employees on board? Well, the answer is to provide them with a role, contract and working environment that they’re going to want to take. Nobody wants to work for less than they need to get by. Nobody is going to accept a low salary when there’s a higher one somewhere else. Nobody’s going to choose unsociable working hours if there are sociable ones available. Nobody’s going to settle for a company that treats them badly when there are so many that will treat them well. The long and short of it is that you have to offer your employees something competitive and desirable. The recruitment process has changed and it’s not all about what an employee can offer an employer anymore. It needs to be a healthy, two way relationship that is benefitting both individuals and that both individuals are benefitting from. So, take a look at your contracts and make sure they’re up to scratch. Consider flexible or remote working options if the role allows. Offer a competitive salary. Offer perks. All in all, be a good employer. Hopefully, some of the information above will help to give you clearer insight into the job market right now. If you’ve been struggling to find the right candidate, or if it’s taking you a long time, some of the tips and tricks should work and get a new recruit on board before you realise it! ​

It’s the age old question which exists not just in the world of marketing recruitment and job vacancies, but in industries across the commercial and public sector. When availability rises and the number of vacancies on the market increases, should wages and expectations rise to match it? While most markets can treat a rise in demand as an appropriate cause to increase prices, the job market is a little different - particularly in light of the pandemic and the impact that furlough had on so many job roles and recruitment sectors. After all, it’s easy to think that any job is better than the furlough so many UK workers faced - and so there should be no need to increase wages as well. In this article we take a closer look at availability across the UK marketing recruitment market in particular and consider whether employers are (and should be) increasing wages in order to entice the greatest talent into their team. Where has the rise in vacancies come from? Marketing recruitment is an interesting sector to work in, because at its very core, marketeers will always be required both as part of in-company teams and in privatised roles and organisations. Marketing professionals are the glue that hold many companies together and as such, the rise in marketing recruitment is something that has never particularly slowed - particularly with the implementation of new technology and the growing need for digitally competent professionals across the sector. However, the pandemic and the introduction of the furlough scheme saw a lot of employees leaving the office and being forced to spend time at home away from work - and that has caused a shift in the very way that employees respond to work commitments and flexibility. Employees want more flexibility - and when they don’t get it, they are leaving their roles in the search for new roles - leaving vacancies open and instead seeking out those companies who are most receptive to the increase in demand for flexibility. In the first week of August, there were 1.7 million active job ads in the UK alone - not just in marketing but across the board. The problem that companies are facing is that these roles are varied and include both low skill roles and professional roles - but companies aren’t always willing to do what they have to do to attract the right people. And, with so many alternative roles and options open on the market right now, those who don’t offer enough in wages and benefits will find that the best talent simply applies for roles somewhere else (often at a competitor company or organisation). Should wages be increased to match the increase in job roles? With so many active job ads on the market right now, finding a way to stand out and attract the right candidates is tough. Marketing recruitment firms are finding that a focus on benefits and flexible working can draw people into these high profile financial roles, using the office environment benefits more than ever before to create a sense of belonging and teamwork. But the fact remains that companies are still not offering enough in the way of cold hard cash - instead looking for the softer sell with benefits and the focus on wellbeing. And while this has certainly become a growing trend and something that applicants look for in new roles and companies to work for, financial benefit has not lost its top spot in priority. And that’s not all. The rise in vacancies can also be attributed to the rising need for technology and digital skills in adapting to the so-called ‘new normal’ - something which has impacted every industry in one way or another and forced many to find new and innovative ways of reaching their target market. One such industry is the marketing industry which now relies more than ever before on the use of personable and engaging social media profiles to continue to attract and appear relatable to an increasingly digital audience. What this means is that industries are advertising for new roles beyond their usual remit - and candidates with the right skills to meet those needs have become flooded with endless options from a wide range of companies who need their skillset. So, should companies be increasing wages to find and entice the right candidates? Should companies be increasing their wages across the board? There’s an argument for rewarding loyalty, and there’s also an argument for attracting the right talent and respecting the high level of professionalism that you are looking for in candidates. Both of these arguments dive into the side which supports higher wages, with companies using financial benefit as a way of rewarding those who worked through the pandemic and remained loyal throughout, and as a way of providing a competitive salary to new candidates who provide the skills they need. There are also companies out there who are offering different kinds of benefits as a way of standing out, tapping into the ever-increasing focus on wellbeing and the work life balance that so many UK workers are now looking for. While this works to an extent and can help a company stand out, the fact remains that a final decision will often come down to the finances rather than the working from home and in-office entertainment opportunities. The Takeaway The job market is recovering across all industries, with the reopening of hospitality and other industries serving to put more vacancies on the market than we have seen for a long time. But with this increase in job vacancies there comes a need to change the way we attract the right talent - with the pandemic and the easing of furlough proving how important it is to offer competitive salaries for companies who hope to hire the right level people to support their company reopening and growth. It is no longer enough to throw a job vacancy out there and hope that the right talent will fall into your lap. Whether you are looking for marketing recruitment or something in hospitality, wage is something that needs to be taken seriously and matched to the rise in market vacancies. If not, your applicants will simply go elsewhere.   Write something here...

If the pandemic and potential furlough left you questioning whether or not you are really happy and satisfied in your job, then you’re not alone. In fact, a study by Microsoft and shared on LinkedIn states that around 40% feel exactly the same and are considering leaving their jobs to start afresh. But what does that look like? Is it really that easy to simply quit one job and try something new - or is it better to have a plan in place before you hand in your notice? In this piece we will be uncovering some of the red flags to look out for if you’re considering quitting your job, and what you should have in place before making the big move. The Pandemic Effect It has been reported that people who are happy at work are 12% more productive; they produce 37% greater sales, and they take 10x fewer sick days than those who are unhappy at work. Now, this isn’t new information. There have always been - and there always will be - people who are dissatisfied in the workplace and who have landed in a career or a job role that doesn’t make them happy. But the pandemic has served to make this dissatisfaction more obvious by giving many workers a taste of what it’s like to work from home, to try new things, and even to live under the furlough umbrella for a period of time. As such, people are quitting their jobs and starting afresh - and its got LinkedIn all riled up in its dissection of the business world and why so many people have suddenly had a change of heart around their working situation and how they want to spend their time. Is there ever a good time to quit? First thing’s first, quitting your job is a big life change - not only impacting your income levels but also your daily routine and motivation to get up and about every day. Lots of people hand in their notice and quit because they think it will be better for their life balance, but soon find that the lack of a routine makes everyday tasks more challenging and removes a sense of belonging. Some of the other challenges and red flags that are associated with quitting your job - and should be carefully thought out before making such a drastic move - include: Future opportunities. If you are quitting with no new job lined up, how will the absence of employment look on your CV It may seem like a change in job will give you the satisfaction you need, but far too often we fall into the “grass is always greener” trap and believe that a change will be what we need - when sometimes it’s not The problems you experienced in your old job might be industry wide rather than limited to that company. Moving or quitting may leave you worse off than you were before. If you quit, the problems you faced will still be there for the next person who joins the company. However, if you stay to discuss and help iron out those challenges, you could help the company to become better both for you and future employees. What other options are there? An obvious suggestion is to only quit when you have something else lined up - whether it be a new job or a new life challenge that is going to continue to motivate and keep you active on a daily basis. For some this could be travelling, for others it could be a complete shift in lifestyle or a move to somewhere new and exciting. Whatever it is, quitting once you have a future plan in place in one way to ensure that you are making a decision which will have a positive impact rather than leading to more challenges. Another suggestion is to work on building your existing job into something that makes you happy - rather than quitting altogether. This could mean a shift in your responsibilities or moving into a different department or area of focus - but whatever it is, small changes can often have a much bigger impact and can enable you to feel more comfortable and satisfied without losing any consistency in your income or routine. And then there’s the most obvious solution - if there’s something you don’t like, change it. There are instances where this may not be possible and they garner their own individual conversations and decisions, however for the most part companies are now more flexible and amenable than ever before to hybrid working and remote working and are likely to do what they can to retain existing employees. Airing your concerns is often the best course of action for genuine and positive change.  The Takeaway The fact is that work takes up a large chunk of our lives, and so feeling satisfied in the workplace is key to overall wellbeing and happiness. We have already shown how productivity and effectiveness is impacted by happiness, and so it follows that if you feel dissatisfied in your job you might well feel like quitting and moving on is the only thing to do. However, quitting with no clear action plan can in fact lead to more challenges than you might expect - not only in finding a new job but in facing and overcoming difficulties which could follow you into a new role. Instead of quitting, consider some of the other options available to you, including changing the role you are in, the way you interact and work within that role, or simply lining up something new before you hand in your notice.    

For whatever reason, you’ve handed in your notice and have been invited to attend an exit interview. It could be with your boss, it could be with HR, it could even be with both.Are you accepting the invitation or politely declining?Exit interviews are becoming more and more common across countless areas of business, with a recent LinkedIn discussion jumping into the debate and asking professionals in all industries whether an exit interview can ever be truly beneficial. The results from the discussion are varied and take insome interesting opinions and thoughts - and this blog is going to dive right into the heart of some ofthem.The AdvantagesIt can be easy, in this kind of discussion, to forget that in many cases people are resigning on good terms and have very little in the way of negative comments to share about their role and their employer. In these instances, where an employee is progressing with their career or leaving a jobbecause of a change in situation or location, an exit interview can present a multitude of opportunities to discuss what worked and what didn’t work in their role; with the outgoing individual able to share their thoughts in an unbiased way and perhaps give some advice for an incoming employee taking over their role.Then we have those who are leaving following some issues but are still able to hand over constructive feedback and ideas for the ongoing development of the team and business they are leaving - whether or not the business really wants to hear them or plans to take their thoughts on board.The long and short of it is that those instances where an exit interview is an advantage come when a lack of emotion is brought to the interview - and when the discussion is fuelled by unprovoked honesty and positivity.The NegativesUnfortunately, exit interviews do not always go that way - and in many cases can become an outlet for the leaving employees to share their woes and issues experienced during their time with a company.The question that remains is this: does it actually do the outgoing employee any favours to air their grievances, or would they be better keeping quiet?Again, it comes down to the delivery and progression of the interview from both parties. A lack of emotive discussion can create a constructive back and forth where both parties are able to discuss and work through any problems, in a way that could benefit both sides in the future. However, whenemotion gets involved, or if the outgoing employee has particularly strong feelings about the way they were treated or the work of the organisation, then exit interviews can quickly go from constructive to dangerous, especially in the case of the leaving employee.Some of the problems that can face an employee who passionately airs their grievances in an exit interview include: The employer withholding a reference. This can be damaging for future applications as it can raise questions with future employers about why the employee has no reference. Damage to the employee’s professional reputation. No business wants to hire someone who has a problem with authority or is unable to get on with colleagues, and unfortunately a negative exit interview and reports of issues can follow you around - particularly if you stay within the same niche field or industry. A lack of change. No matter how passionate the outgoing employee is about a certain issue they came across during their time, there is no guarantee that their words will create any chance, and so they might be putting their future career in jeopardy for no other reason than to unload and air their issues.Too Little Too Late?There is a definite argument for the simple idea that an exit interview is too little too late - for both sides. This leads us to question whether or not there is really any point to exit interviews, as there is nothing that the employer can do to make the employee stay at this late stage, and there is no action to be taken to fix the issues aired by the employee that they will actually benefit from.So, why do we have exit interviews at all?Different industries and different organisations have their own reasons - and for those leaving on a positive note it can be an opportunity to secure ongoing engagement and a long term working relationship that could benefit both parties in the future. But if the outgoing employee has little inthe way of positive notes to share, the exit interview could well be considered a disaster waiting to happen.On the whole, the takeaway is this. If you have issues to raise, do so with the relevant team members and in confidence - but be careful what you say and who you say it to. If there’s a chance that speaking out could harm your reputation and future career opportunities and you are leavinganyway, there may in fact be no point in speaking out at this late stage.And in the words of one Team Leader and Strategist who partook in the LinkedIn discussion: “Employment is an exchange of skills and work for money. We wrap it in layers of emotive reasoning and social interaction but fundamentally it’s just business. Never forget that in any exit interview.

When you enter into a transaction with a business, you very rarely consider any communication beyond what’s necessary; nor do you put much thought into forming a working relationship off the back of that transaction or purchase. Once the job is done, boxes are ticked and both parties proceed on their own path. You might be asking what this has to do with recruitment. After all, short of paying for a job advert or vacancy listing, the recruitment process is far more complex than a standard transaction, right? Perhaps not. In fact, we would argue that the UK recruitment market is the most transactional recruitment market in the world, with clients continually choosing to share the load of their vacancies across as many recruiting agencies as possible in an effort to offload the work and get the job done quickly and efficiently. What this means is that vacancies are being filled by recruiters who don’t know the company well, who can’t vouch for the working environment or culture when the candidate asks, and who frankly feel undervalued by a client who simply won’t suck it up and commit to a productive partnership. It’s like a Tinder date gone very wrong, but they keep coming back for more. What does the transactional nature of recruitment mean for clients? If you went on a bad Tinder date and they made you feel like a transaction or just another person on their list of dates, you would probably tell all your friends and that other individual would gain a poor reputation among your networks. And recruitment partnerships work in much the same way - with clients increasingly gaining a poor reputation for making the following mistakes. For one thing, by not committing to a working partnership with one or two select recruiters, they operate only on the very surface of what can be achieved with a stable partnership. Vacancies are filled but recruiters are made to feel like they are being pitted against a wide selection of other agencies in the field, with the client simply going for the recruiter who works fastest and gets the quickest results. This is not the way to build up a reliable or productive recruitment process, and it’s certainly not the way to ensure that every position is filled by the optimum candidate. For another thing, these same clients are often driven by price - and will drop a recruiting partner at the click of a button if they can find a cheaper alternative somewhere else. As you will likely appreciate, appearing cheap is not an attractive trait. And then you come to the concept of time and wasted effort, which over time leads to a very poor experience for the recruiter and a very negative review for the client. As a recruiter, there is nothing worse than channelling resources, time, and effort into advertising a vacancy and going through applications, only to be pulled from the job by the client when they find another recruiter to have acted faster or on a lesser budget. And it doesn’t end there. The damage that the transactional market is doing to recruiters We’ve already covered the frustrations caused by clients who treat recruitment like a transaction rather than the potential for a growing partnership that benefits both parties. But the important thing to recognise is not the mere frustration that is caused by this behaviour, but rather the way in which a transactional recruitment process damages the reputation of the hiring company and thus stands in the way of recruiters wanting to work with them. By treating recruiting agencies like a carousel of potential hiring parties rather than building a fruitful partnership and understanding between the two, there lies a lack of the basic employment information that is increasingly demanded by the candidates themselves. While a productive working relationship and partnership between a client and recruitment agency leads to effective, cohesive, and productive placements, if the recruiter is only used because they are cheapest or quickest, they won’t have built that same repertoire and so won’t be able to answer the candidate questions on culture and working style. So, it is fair to assume that a transactional recruitment process leads to: A poor reputation on the part of the hiring client, showing them as non-committal and thus pushing recruiting agencies away An increasingly challenging working environment for those recruiters who do work with the client, as they are pitted against each other with some clients hiring up to 10 different agencies at a time Little cohesion between the recruiting agency and the end client, making placement much more difficult Why a Partnership is the best solution A recruiting partnership not only saves face and the reputation of both the client and the recruitment agency, but it also ensures that the best candidates are placed in the best roles every time. It guarantees a high level and efficient process for both parties, marks an adequate level of respect on both sides, and increases relations across the business industry. For clients operating across a couple of different industries or working types, partnership with a couple of long term recruiting partners will ensure that you have a finger in all the relevant So, the next time you come across a client looking to pick up your services as their recruitment solution, pitch the idea of a working and long term partnership. It will certainly save everyone some hassle.

The return to the office was always going to spark some conversation and controversy - and it seems that the main argument right now is around legality and the legal right of UK workers to work from home. At one point, it seemed as though a genuine legislation might be brought into force which gave workers the right to work from home, however all legal talk has now been scrapped in favour of guidelines and good, British, old-fashioned debate.In this blog we will consider both sides of the argument, tapping into the benefits and drawbacks of working from home both from an employee and an employer point of view.Where the debate came fromFor the past year or so, LinkedIn has been full of polls and opinion pieces shared by industry professionals around the world and across every area of business, asking for thoughts on the concept of working from home and whether people like it or not. While some revel in the freedom and the ability to spend more time with family and creating more of a work-life balance, others have been fighting the office fight for months.The latest debate has been sparked by the UK government who, on 17th June 2921, were reported by the Guardian as considering a legislation that allows workers to request working from home as part of their contract. This would mean that flexible working was a viable option for anyone who could logistically and safely work away from the office, though the talk around this becoming a legal right has already been scrapped in early conversations.But does the lack of a legal standpoint mean that employers can simply bypass and ignore the legislation?In short, the argument remains that businesses should have the final say over who can and cannot work from home - and that this can never become a legal case because every business works and operates in a different way. What works for one may not work for another, as discussed by the Confederation of British Industry who stated that “The default must remain that businesses control where work is done. While they will need to talk with workers about this, accommodate flexibility where they can and explain these decisions, it can’t be unduly onerous to do so […]”.The ‘right to request’ - what does it mean?The ‘right to request’ essentially gives employees and workers the right to request more workplace flexibility either as part of their contract or as we navigate the new world of work post-pandemic. Crucially, this request should be met with a thorough exploration of the possibility of the request being granted, with businesses accommodating flexibility wherever possible to safeguard workers’ rights.What LinkedIn is sayingWhen you want to capture a wide-angle view on a certain issue or point of contention, turn to LinkedIn. The hub and social media platform chosen by professionals on every level and across every industry, LinkedIn has indeed risen to this debate to share its views, with professionals offering various viewpoints from different sides of the argument.For the most part, it seems that workers are happy to proceed on a case of flexibility rather than legality, with workplaces encouraging their workers to operate both within and outside of the office as suits both them and the company. Crucially, this leans on the idea of balance and creating a workplace which is understanding of individual needs.Another area of focus considered by many is how working from home will impact the workplace protection and right to safe working conditions - with businesses unable to hold the same amount of control over the working conditions of someone at home. This would change the way a lot of businesses operate in terms of their benefits and safety policies, again arguing for the idea of businesses being as flexible as possible but without a legal need to meet these requests.Other arguments which must be considered include the ability of employers to monitor progress and employee wellbeing from home, provide adequate support, and deliver the same results as might be seen when working within an office environment. The crux of the matter is that a decision cannot be reached to support a work-life balance if this means that the work being done loses productivity and efficiency - something that employers and business owners must assess in detail before reaching a decision on how their own organisation can proceed.The TakeawayWorking from home and the home-working / office-working debate has been active for almost a year, with businesses more focussed than ever before on giving employees the flexibility they want in order to retain staff, while still ensuring that work is done properly and under the same level of productivity.For the most part, the concept of a working from legislation has been met with caution and a belief that individual businesses should be able to design their own working from home policies based on their operational style and the responsibilities of workers. Productivity and logistics must be factored into this kind of conversation, with workers and employers needing to work together to reach the kind of arrangement that suits both parties. 

Known throughout the industry as the ‘7 P’s’, these Golden Rules of marketing are identified as key tactics which can be used in any order of assembly in order to draw the target customer towards the end product – and ensure they don’t drop out along the way.     With a cross-channel strategy now forming one of the most fundamental parts of the marketing plan for any business or brand, marketing recruiters are more focussed than ever on searching for candidates who understand what the 7 P’s are and how they can be executed to their full extent in the modern market.     Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at what the 7 P’s are and how they come together to create an effective end-to-end plan for businesses across a multitude of industries.    Product As any marketing recruiter will be able to tell you, knowing a product isn’t just a case of reeling off its key features. Marketing a product means understanding how that product solves a problem and using that problem-solving advantage as the first and most crucial sticking point for the customer.    For candidates interested in the world of marketing, product is closely linked with research and development, with a successful marketing recruit getting to know the product through the perspective of the end customer. Once you see what they see, you are far better able to communicate with them about what the benefits of your product in their lives.     Price The pricing strategy is a huge part of the marketing process, considering how the total cost impacts the customer’s willingness to buy the product, and identifying value stacks and other techniques which can enhance the perceived value of the product in relation to its price.    It’s important to note that price doesn’t just refer to the end cost of the product for the customer – it also takes into account the production cost, profit margins, overheads, and even the payment methods associated with the business or brand. All of these are areas that fall on marketing to communicate.   Promotion Contrary to popular belief, this does not refer to the offers and discount promotions that businesses engage in – all of those areas fall under Price. Promotion is in fact all the promotional and advertising work you do to get the product out there and in front of its target audience – largely referring to the basics of marketing and the area of the sale most synonymous with marketing tactics.   If you’re interested in the field of marketing, promotional activities will be something you should be familiar with – with businesses and industries all employing their own methods as per the temperature of their audience.    Place Where are your customers? Where will they be when they decide they need your product? How will they access your product?   These are all questions which fall under the placement section of marketing, with marketing recruiters often being asked by clients to find candidates who think outside the box and can deliver innovative ideas that will help their products and services stand out from the competition.    Spoiler alert: It’s no longer enough to simply showcase a product at an event. Brands need to be increasingly different in their approach if they want to continue to generate interest and start conversations.    People Not the audience but the team. This is one of the most important elements in the marketing recruitment field because it refers directly to the people that we as recruiters bring on board to different businesses – creating the team that bring the product and its messages to life.    This has as much to do with branding as it has to do with the quality of a product, with customer service and experiences playing into the importance of the people behind the business.    Process Process carries on well from the people who make it all happen – referring directly to the ways in which they make various activities come to life. Processes can be anything from the interaction a customer has online, to their journey through the marketing sales funnel, all the way through to delivery of the product and their after-purchase experience.    Marketing, particularly in a cross-channel world, is all about creating seamless and joined up experiences where the same messages are spread across a multitude of touchpoints. In this case, it is the way that these messages tie in with the processes that ensures a high marketing presence.    Physical Evidence And finally, to Physical Evidence, which considers the role that marketing plays in bringing the physical experience of a brand or business to life. This could be a store or a poster, packaging, branding, or even a short video. All of these physical expressions of a brand or product can be a make or break for potential buyers, particularly when they are given better insight into the brand culture and the personalities behind the products.    There is a reason why more clients than ever are coming to marketing recruiters looking for candidates with experience in live stream, social and engaging content creation – because more and more customers are turning to brands who they can resonate with online and who go above and beyond to reach out and share their brand values.    The Takeaway If marketing is a field that you are interested in, the 7 P’s introduce a handful of the golden rules which create an overarching and seamless marketing strategy. While any one of these 7 P’s can become your speciality, as a marketing professional it pays to have an in depth understanding of how these areas work together and deliver a high quality and consistent level of messaging across the different channels and touchpoints experienced by the customer.    Remember, the more touchpoints your customer has to go through to reach the buy page, the more likely they are to drop out. Your job as a marketing professional is to continue to communicate the benefits of the product – so much so that they decide by the end that they cannot live without it.

​Marketing recruitmentis a minefield of opportunity, and with marketing expanding into so many areas and different skillsets, the number of roles out there waiting to be filled is at an all-time high. Particularly for those candidates who boast technology and digital know-how and experience, marketing can open up a load of career doors – and can place them in roles where their skills are not only desired but highly sought after. So, for those with the skills required to go far in their career, where should they go?Are their talents best placed in a marketing agency working with a multitude of businesses and improving operations for a wider scale of projects, or is it better to channel all that knowledge and energy into boosting the business messaging and marketing of a single organisation?The advantages of working with a marketing agencyWhenever a company or organisation reaches out to a marketing agency, the implication is that they know they need to up their game in order to continue to grow and expand. With marketing branching out into more areas than ever before, and with technology playing such a big part in the growth of digital marketing in particular, the opportunities for those working within these marketing agencies is huge – both in the scope of work they get to be involved in and complete, and in the variety of tools and processes they get the chance to work with. Another great advantage of working with a marketing agency is the daily immersion within the world of marketing – which often means that as a marketer, you are exposed to the latest trends and the most exciting new projects on the market. Surrounding yourself with other top level marketers, albeit with different skillsets and specialisms, means that you have the chance to learn and work surrounded by the best – which can present a real boost for candidates looking to further their development and growth in a certain industry or area of marketing. Some other advantages heralded by marketing agency marketers includeThe constant exposure to networking, with colleagues often becoming future contacts and networking opportunities.A creative environment. Environment and work culture is becoming more and more important for candidates, with marketing agencies renowned for being some of the most fast-paced and creative workspaces out there. If you thrive on working hard and working fast, a marketing agency is a place where you could thrive. Of course, as with any job role, there are challenges that arise with working for an agency. For one thing, workloads can be inconsistent, and a candidate may find themselves placed on a series of less interesting projects while seeing those around them placed on exciting and innovative tasks. When you work for an agency, you have no control over the clients you end up working with – instead, you are brought in as an expert and become the product that a client business “buys”; placed on a series of client projects depending on your specific skillset and knowledge. Why working within a single organisation can be better for some candidatesFor those who want to pursue a career in marketing but don’t get put onto an agency role, the alternative step is to land a role within the marketing team of a specific organisation or company. While this removes the diversity of work and variety of opportunities you get from surrounding yourself with likeminded people, what it does do is give you a single business or project which you can really get your teeth into and commit to completely. Those who work in the marketing team of a distinct organisation tend to find that the single-business approach helps them focus and really immerse themselves in every corner of the business offering, making them able to deliver efficient and effective messages at the click of a button. All this comes because they have the chance to become an integral part of the business and get to know the target audience inside out. Another reason why candidates often prefer to look for jobs in specific companies and organisations, is that they have tried working for agencies in the past and found it didn’t work out. This tends to relate closely with a broken down working culture between the agency and the candidate, but from a marketing recruitment angle can damage the candidates view of all marketing agencies relating to future job roles.Some other angles which lean towards marketing teams rather than agencies, include the ease of communication within a single organisational team, and the transition of messages between different touchpoints of the business. Both of these advantages touch on the huge importance of marketing in ensuring that every touchpoint of the business is working together, and from a marketer’s point of view it can be much easier to work from within the team itself in order to get the information they need when they need it, without going through various communication channels. To turn the tables, while working in a team presents a specific goal and is ideal for those looking to get their teeth into something they can really build and grow over time, working within a marketing team does remove the variety of the role – with candidates typically leaving internal roles much quicker than if they had taken on a role at an agency.The TakeawayAs a marketing recruitment agency, recruiting for in-house teams and agencies requires an understanding of the candidate’s priorities and work-life preferences, as well as a distinct exploration of the job role and work involved. Choosing between the two is a personal decision that should be led by the candidate, based on their goals as a marketing professional and where and how they see their career progressing. ​

The art of Negotiation It takes a lot of guts to chase a pay rise, whether it means a simple chat with your Boss or something more formal like an internal meeting or a letter to HR. With that said, how do you know when it’s time to ask for a pay rise, and when it’s simply time to find a new job instead? And can the two ever merge together successfully?  Have you ever searched for a new job, or even filled in a full application and sent it off, in the heat of the moment because you’re irritated by something at work – or because you feel that your commitment isn’t being rewarded? The same is true for those who have asked for a pay rise and been told there isn’t the budget for it, or it’s not the right time – with more and more employees reaching for the “I’m leaving” tactic in the hopes that it might elicit a more open response to their pay rise request from an existing Boss.  The question we are posing is this: is it right to use a potential new job as leverage to ask for a pay rise, and can it ever really result in a successful continuation of an existing role without damaging internal relations? The act of using a new job to earn a pay rise – how does it work? The idea of using a new job as leverage to earn a pay rise, is built on the hope that when you go to hand in your notice or hint towards a new job, your existing Boss will do everything in their power to entice you to stay. There are many employees out there who boast excellent working relationships with their Boss, some even extending into friendships – but is the assurance ever strong enough to guarantee that the tactic will go down well?  In most cases, the grass is NOT always greener. Applying for a new job on a whim is rarely a step towards the freedom you crave, instead simply leading you sideways into a similar role where the same frustrations will arise a few months down the line when you realise that perhaps your old job wasn’t so bad after all.  Now, we’re not saying that using a new job for a pay rise is always a bad idea, but it rarely invites the open-armed and warm reception that employees dream about when they picture the conversation with their Boss or with HR.  What are the risks? One of the major risks that can result from using the threat of leaving as leverage for a pay rise is that it can create a new foundation of mistrust, whereby you get what you want financially but, in the meantime, can lose the trust and sometimes the respect of superiors and peers in the workplace.  Look at it this way. If a friend of yours threatened to cut you out unless you did something for them, would you still view them in the same way? Using a new job as leverage to earn a pay rise is essentially a threat which tells your Boss that you are willing to walk away from the role unless they agree to pay you more money. It shows a lack of loyalty and a distinct lack of respect for your Boss and their decisions. Far from showing initiative, in many cases this can ultimately be viewed as an aggressive move which creates a significant lack of respect in the future. This begs the further question, is it really worth continuing to work somewhere for a little extra money, once those damaged relationships are set in stone? And what if it goes wrong completely? The other key risk associated with this negotiation tactic is that it might get thrown back in your face, with your Boss suggesting that you do leave and head to that new role after all. You need to be prepared to walk away should your tactic backfire.   Is there a better way of negotiating? In short, yes – with the following ideas creating significantly better results than the simple act of using a new job as a way of threatening your workplace into giving you more money.  The first and most obvious action to take, especially if you have asked for a promotion or a pay rise and been told no, is to ask for feedback and ascertain if it’s budgetary and financial restrictions saying no, or if it’s more to do with your job role and performance. Find out what you can do to earn the pay rise you are asking for and showcase that you are willing to do the work in order to earn what you want – rather than simply trying to cut corners and get it through the threat of leaving.  Another option is to be open with your Boss or with an internal HR representative, sharing your frustrations and outlining why you feel that your current salary is not sufficiently rewarding you for your work and commitment to the business. It may be a case than an internal review can provide more insight into why a pay rise is not being awarded, and it can at least make you feel better with regards to taking action and standing up for yourself.  And then you have the solution which allows you to benefit from the best of both worlds; lining up a new job which you would be happy to step into, approaching your boss with a simple resignation rather than the implication that you would stay if there was more money on offer. This removes the careless and mindless emphasis on threat, and instead acts as a straight move which you would be happy to make – and if your Boss comes back with a counter-offer, then that’s something you can consider depending on what’s best for you.