Overview: 

Our inaugural ‘Hiring Happenings’ podcast sees host Angela Cripps discuss what is currently happening in UK politics and how this relates to the recruitment industry with guests Kate Shoesmith and Gordon Webb. 

They get into elections, local government, industry influences, purdah, Labour’s proposal of the ‘single status of worker’ and how you can use these discussions with your customers.  

Guests:  

Kate Shoesmith, Deputy Chief Executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation 

Gordon Webb, Director of Sales, Firefish Software  

0 m 15 s: Welcome 

1 m 37 s: Introduction to Kate Shoesmith and the REC 

4 m 14 s: Introduction to Gordon Webb and Firefish 

8 m 05 s: Insight into the 4 different governments that make up the UK 

12 m 15 s: Relationship building between recruiters and politicians  

16 m 43 s: The next UK general election  

18 m 43 s: The 2024 REC manifesto for growth 

23 m 40 s: Labour’s proposal of a ‘single status of worker’ & banning ‘Zero-hours contracts’ 

25 m 44 s: “No one wants to be a temp!” 

29 m 15 s: Purdah impact 

34 m 44 s: Gross domestic product discussion (GDP) 

38 m 40 s: Encouraging growth for UK businesses 

Links: 

The Future of the Recruitment Industry Report: 2024 

https://content.firefishsoftware.com/future-recruitment-industry-2024/future-of-the-recruitment-industry-2024 

The 2024 REC manifesto for growth  

https://www.rec.uk.com/our-view/policy-and-campaigns/rec-manifesto-growth 

Recruiting Gym 

https://recruitinggym.com/ 

Recruiting Gym Online Training platform 

https://train.recruitinggym.com/ 

Where to find us: 

LinkedIn: Recruiting Gym

Recruitment & Employment Confederation

Firefish Software 

Angela Cripps 

Kate Shoesmith 

Gordon Webb 

Twitter  @RecruitingGym 

Threads @RecruitingGym 

Instagram  @RecruitingGym 

Facebook  @RecruitingGym 

TikTok @RecruitingGym 

For a transcript of this episode, please email [email protected] 

Questions discussed in this session: -

1. What's the difference between a job ad and a job description and why does it matter? (Rowena)

2. What impact does providing a better candidate experience have? (Justin)

3. What practical steps can I take myself to improve my website? (Robert)

4. What impact are the new Google rules about sending bulk mail likely to have on smaller companies? (Rowena) 

5. Hiring Managers are sometimes their own worst enemy. How can I get the HM to work with me and not against me? (Justin) 

6. We've all been told how AI will change our industry, but I've seen some right howlers recently. Can the coaches share any AI 'fails' they've seen, so we can call them out? (Robert)

Questions discussed in this session: -

1. Given the competitive nature of the recruitment sector, how can share option schemes help in not just retaining, but also attracting top talent to a firm?

2. What employee data should I be monitoring to spot any red flags early? 

3. How can I work out what it is that I do want to do and find a job with the right people? 

4. What advice would you give to recruitment business owners who are considering setting up a share option scheme but are unsure about where to start or how to structure it? 

5. How are recruitment businesses using AI to analyse data?

6. When is the best time (and how much) to allocate training/coaching during the week?  

Questions discussed in this session: -

1.  What are consultants with stand-out Customer Experience doing differently?

2.  Where do you start when you think you need to replace a system?

3. Do you love your job, really?

4. how do you keep a positive mindset?

5. What's your top tip for gaining a new client?

6. How do you keep a positive mindset?

We’re at a pivotal moment for recruitment leadership; the tight labour market and job seeker expectations soaring, the ongoing struggle to retain talent, and the ever-increasing pace of technological advances in automation. These disruptive times call for us to chart a new vision for leadership, with foresight, heart, and humanity at the helm. We’ll explore this idea further in our conversation today.

3 key takeaways attendees will achieve:

Alan is a recruitment trainer of 25 years+, who develops people in the recruitment industry from rookies to management. Over 11,500 people in recruitment have benefited from his training providing the skills needed to build successful desks, businesses and manage people/teams teams effectively. 

His client reach extends to 17 countries, covering a wide variety of market specialisations and levels of recruitment. Some of the people he's trained as 'rookie' consultants are now successful business owners and also  clients.

Denise's passion lies in igniting business and personal growth for business owners and senior Leaders. Whilst many coaches focus on personal development, she values the importance of aligning your personal and professional goals - as a Mum to 2 girls and a Nana to 2 fab grandchildren life balance has been core for her own happiness and career success.

Her strategies and insights are geared towards maximising both your business and team potential - and having fun whilst growing your business and career!

Kate works with agencies who are struggling to find experienced talent and want to hire trainees to help grow their business. 

She is here to help you recruit the right people for the job, train them effectively and grow them into high performing consultants who develop through your business and bring a ROI.
Kate also does a lot of work with business owners and managers who want to get more out of their teams, but don't know how. As a DISC Licensed Trainer and Coach, she helps you understand your team in minutes instead of months, enabling you to improve employee engagement, enhance communication and tap into the strengths of each individual.

The questions for today's session are:

1. We've just renewed our commission structure and although it's been a very good couple of years, consultants are still concerned that 'stuff happens' in life that could impact this. can you give some practical advice, please?

2. Why does financial education and wellbeing need to be considered and taken so seriously in the recruitment industry?

3. How can I convince a client that exclusivity is beneficial for them?

4. I'm putting more effort into my social media posts and enjoying it, but not getting a lot of traction. Any help or tips are gratefully received.

5. How do we find our USP as an agency? Aren't recruitment agencies all the same?

6. How can I get more people to respond to my messages?

The questions for our coaches are in:
1. The four day week: is it a fad or here to stay?

2. I love training others and as a manager, it's my favourite part of the job. What do I need to think about if I'm going to do it as a full-time job, please?

3. I'm looking to create a new commission structure to reward our team on new business generated. Any good ideas?

4. My job adverts are feeling really stale now and I know I should make them look better. Any help would be great!

5. We took our foot off the gas a bit with some management practices when the market was booming. Now we're back in a more normal market, how do you (or even should you) reintroduce that level of management without it being perceived negatively?

6. How can I make my CV stand out? I’m applying and not getting anywhere.