Kelly, Author at Astute Financial

Exclusive Mental Resilience In The Workplace Business Breakfast Hosted By Astute Recruitment With John Dabrowski

Astute Recruitment are delighted to announce our next exclusive quarterly business breakfast event will take place on February 15th 2018. We have managed to secure a fantastic international guest speaker, published author and business coach – John Dabrowski!

· Have you ever felt that pressure of work is getting too much?

· Do you wish you could relax more and feel less stressed?

· Are there times when you get stuck in a negative mindset?

· Could you and your team benefit from techniques to maintain a positive mindset?

· Would you and your team like to be inspired and energised at work?

If the answer to any of the above is yes…then this event is for you! You will hear from John about the key strategies to improve your own mindset and that of your team in this powerful workshop.

John has spent over 30 years in the business world, putting him in a unique position to deal with contemporary business challenges. His vast mix of experience, accomplished ability to make personal growth simple, delivered with his infectious enthusiasm and energy, has inspired audiences, and made him a most highly regarded and sought after expert in all aspects of mental resilience.

Photo of John Dabrowski
Mental Resilience Expert
International Speaker
Published Author

http://www.jdmindcoach.com/

Programme: –

7:30          Registration, complimentary tea/ coffee and           Complimentary breakfast
7:45          Introduction
7:50          John Dabrowski
8:45          Opportunity for Q & A / Networking
9:00          Close

Free car parking is available and if you have any special dietary requirements please contact Mary Maguire – [email protected]

Please let us know if the breakfast event could be of interest and one of our team can forward you a complimentary and exclusive invitation to attend with details to confirm your place. This event is strictly by invitation only and there are only a few places so ensure you don’t miss out and contact Mary Maguire, Managing Director on 01332 346 100 or by email [email protected] for more information.

Do let us know if you would be interested in hearing about other events… and if you would like to subscribe to our monthly newsletter where we will announce other events and topical career and business articles, videos and more!

With Christmas round the corner and the realisation that another year is over, families will be getting together recounting the year gone by and looking ahead to 2018. Christmas also affords some time to reflect on aspirations – personally and professionally. Many try and quit bad habits. A lot vow to keep attending that expensive gym beyond the first week of January! (Guilty!)

The holidays are a prime time for a lot of people to take stock of their lives and often their careers. How many of us are truly 100% happy in our job? Maybe that promised payrise hasn’t materialised AGAIN.. Or maybe the promise of flexible working has been pushed to one side too many times. Perhaps the realisation that actually promotion opportunities won’t be around the corner as you were told on interview? A lot of us spend more time at work than with our children, husbands and wives. Surely we deserve to be happy? Surely everyone deserves to work in a business where their emotional wellbeing and personal development count and not just profits?

If you find yourself pondering any of the above the team here at Astute would be delighted to offer some impartial and completely confidential support and advice. Often it is not just about changing job but actually communication and letting your supervisor/ Finance Director/ Managing Director know you are unhappy? The examples above are genuine cited from many an accountant, credit controller, administrator and more as frustrations.

Sometimes no matter what you do or say – the situation doesn’t change and you are left in a position where you are feeling frustrated and unappreciated. If that’s the case, its great to reach out and speak to a third party who will be able to give you some impartial and constructive advice- Particularly if you have been in one job for a long time.

So – this Christmas – enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, embrace the warmth of loved ones, but also take a moment to think about your own goals and aspirations for the forthcoming 12 months. Then come January – reach out and do something positive to make 2018 a truly memorable year for you and your families.

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Some really interesting statistics and analysis came to light following a survey concluded by CIMA at the end of January 2017. More than half (55%) of the qualified accountants who responded, cited flexibility and a greater work-life balance as their biggest motivations when looking for and considering a new job. This is a big increase from the 37% in 2015 according to research by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).

The 2016 salary survey conducted by CIMA utilised 3,460 student accountants, CIMA members and 4,467 qualified CIMA members. This report established that 52% of qualified accountants who responded were motivated by financial rewards alone.

Other key takeaways: –

42% of qualified accountant respondents cite a good working environment as their main motivator.
More than half (53%) of student accountant respondents are influenced by financial rewards when considering a new role.
36% of student accountants responded that they are motivated by a good working environment when considering a new role.

Here at Astute we feel that it is increasingly likely that finance professionals and their employers will place increasing significance on being able to participate in and offer flexible working hours outside the 9 – 5. Attracting and retaining talented staff is always key. In an increasingly competitive market, employers slow to adopt new, fresh flexible benefits could be missing out on hiring the best talent for their teams.

However what the research also indicates is the greater importance on career development rather than flexible benefits by CIMA Students. Their focus remains seeking career building opportunities offering the best and widest experience. In contrast the more experienced hire seems to be saying they need an employer who can flex around their personal and private commitments (e.g. childcare, elderly relatives etc.).

Mental Health – The 3 most important things you need to know.

May 2017 is Mental Health Month. Everyone from Prince Harry to Brad Pitt have commented on this but so have a lot of ordinary people like you and I. For years, this whole topic has been a silent taboo. Hardly anyone has dared to raise this, let alone admit to suffering from mental exhaustion or emotional problems lest they be ostracised by their fellow workers, bosses or even closest family and partners.

This is all changing now and it has become a signature topic that has captured the attention of the masses at long last.

What are the top 3 things to know about this?

1/ Recognise the signs. Are you finding it hard to sleep? Do you find it hard to focus and concentrate on one task at a time? Is your appetite affected?

2/ Admit that you need help. Accept that this is not a sign of weakness but the first step to making you strong again.

3/ Seek different types of help until you find the one that works for YOU.

There is not ‘a one size fits all’ cure. Everybody is different. I know from personal experience that while therapists and psychologists are the first people we are directed towards, for me, it was more about allowing myself to explore other avenues. Allowing myself the time to pause and reflect. Most importantly of all – allowing myself to accept that recovery from any type of mental and emotional stress is a ladder that you have to climb. One small step at a time with people that you totally trust to confide in.

This is an issue that is so important for everyone. SME business owners, Entrepreneurs, office workers, finance professionals, the mother, the uncle, the sister or brother. Each and every one of us, in every sector and walk of life knows someone directly or indirectly affected by mental health issues whether we care to admit or not. This is something I’ll be covering again soon from the perspectives of employers and their staff to highlight how everyone can work together and ensure that the momentum built up isn’t allowed to fade away again.

In the meantime, if you or someone you know is in emotional distress – remember the three points above: –

Recognition

Admission

Seek help.

If this issue resonates with you – whether you are looking for work, an employee or a business owner, please let me know your comments to help me post more relevant articles on this really important subject.

I watched a great documentary last night that followed Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko. They’ll be squaring up to face one another this Saturday night. Youth vs experience.

Whist I personally don’t place boxing in my top ten of sports, watching how Anthony came from humble beginnings, pulling away from the rough side of the tracks to embrace the rigours of sport and become so successful is really inspiring.

It was also brilliant to witness the impact and importance of having a great team around you. To inspire, laugh, encourage and support Anthony on his journey. He had a couple of great friends to lighten the mood pre-match and keep him from losing valuable adrenalin by keeping him relaxed. He also had trainers and physios to help keep him at his physical best while undergoing intensive training at ‘boot camp’. This made me think about the importance to all of us of having a great team around us to enable us to perform at our best.

Anthony’s first mentor was a key constant in his young life, pulling him in a new and better direction away from trouble with the police. At the end of the program Anthony showed just how amazingly grateful he was for this initial guidance by buying his early mentor a brand new sports car! It was one of the most heart-warming and genuine acts of gratitude I’ve seen. Especially as the whole thing was a complete surprise!

The boxing contest where Anthony and Wladimir will be fighting to win the 2017 IBF heavyweight world title sees the 41 year old Klitschko in his 29th world title fight against the 27 year old champion who is looking to defend his title in what will only be his 19th fight as a professional. If successful Anthony will win the WBA belt if he defeats Klitschko which has been his ultimate goal since he started boxing.

This match of ‘Youth vs Experience’ made me think of the challenges employers and candidates face. In an ever-tightening pool of talent, trying to secure the best employee is a constantly critical business challenge. Equally, it is really hard for candidates to secure the very best opportunities when they are up against more experienced professionals.

However, are some of us business owners missing a trick?

Over the last 25 years I’ve benchmarked providing business owners and hiring managers with a shortlist that embraces up and coming talent, people who are the exact match and more experienced options with extra skills than the client was initially seeking but who may be more costly. I always encourage employers to think about the hire they are looking to make. Are they looking for someone with the energy and potential to grow with their business or actually do they need someone who will be a credible more senior option to ‘hit the ground running.’

One of the most important aspects is the person themselves. I’ve come across and placed a number of candidates overlooked in the market by my fellow recruitment professionals as being ‘too experienced’. They are the lost and neglected candidates who don’t fit the first time mover from big 4 or high flying graduate profile that a lot of employers and recruiters generally seem to focus on.

If a more experienced candidate has the guile, desire and deft ability to still listen, learn and change to respect the processes of new employers – this is the sort of person who can always compete and win against a less experienced hire. The life skills and experience they will have combined with the attitude to learn and think fast will always mean that they make my shortlist.

Equally – less experienced candidates struggle to get the opportunity from a recruitment consultant to even get their CV in front of a company boss if they don’t have the exacting systems or qualifications set down on a standard job description.

Again it is all down to attitude, passion and desire to learn.

So – Youth vs experience? Don’t overlook either option – the ‘best fit’ option isn’t always the RIGHT option. Take a chance and consider potential staff who are over qualified AND underqualified. As a person – their character, work ethic and personality can be a winning formula that the most suitably qualified person can never compete against.

My team here are hosting our next business breakfast event on 21st July 2017 which will be on “What you need to know to scale up your business for financial success”. One of the critical four areas our guest speaker will be covering in this powerful workshop will be how to attract and retain the right talent in your team. To find out more please click HERE.

How to scale up your business for financial success

Bring your leadership team for Astute Recruitment’s powerful breakfast workshop focusing on the Four priorities that you need to master to successfully grow your business.
Neale Lewis is an international coach and acknowledged expert in helping SME businesses and start-ups put in place the key strategies for growth.

Join us at 7.30am Friday 21st July 2017 at the Dave Mackay Suite, Pride Park Stadium, Pride Park, Derby, DE24 8XL. You will learn from Neale the tools to overcome the four critical issues facing every business: –

Attracting and keeping the right PEOPLE
Creation of a truly differentiated STRATEGY
Driving flawless EXECUTION
Having plenty of CASH to weather the storms

You will also learn about the key strategies you need to adopt in your business and team including: –

ALIGNMENT – How to get faster results with less effort by developing organisational clarity and accountability
ACCELERATE – How to develop a strategic advantage over your competitors and position your brand as a market leader
ADVANCE – See your company’s reputation and revenues soar as employees fulfil 100% of all promises

Neale is owner and director of Neale Lewis Associates whose services are specifically designed to help growth minded entrepreneurs, companies and business professionals achieve their potential. His team recognise the challenges that come from developing a company from the ‘Start Up’ to ‘Scale Up’ phase helping to achieve clarity on the numbers right through to developing a powerful business growth strategy.

This is the fourth business breakfast event hosted by Astute Recruitment and follows on from the great successes of our first event “Strategies to win in business with Neil Back MBE”. and two subsequent breakfasts on “Emotional Intelligence for Business Success with Lisa Spencer-Arnell”

Neale Lewis ★ Scale Up Expert ★ High Growth Business Coach ★ Leadership Trainer ★ Strategic Planning Consultant ★ Keynote Speaker

Programme:

7:30 Registration, complimentary tea / coffee and breakfast

7:45 Introduction

7:50 Neale Lewis

8:45 Opportunity for Q & A/ Networking

9:00 Close

Free car parking is available and if you have any special dietary requirements please contact Mary Maguire – [email protected]

This event is strictly by invitation only. To find out more please contact the team at Astute on 01332 346 100.

What is the most important advice you could give your younger self?

What is the most important advice you could tell your younger self?

I was asked this very question by Nottingham Trent Business School students recently whilst advising on mock assessments. At first my mind went blank. Then a string of typical “management speak” phrases leapt to mind.

No Good!

Then the memory hit me. That’s it! I realised that actually the most important thing I could tell my younger self is to have CONFIDENCE!

Yep – to believe in yourself. That simple.

Like most kids and teenagers, I was wracked with self-doubt. Am I going to get the right grades? Complete that coursework to deadline? (um… actually do the coursework!). Can I take a sickie from my dead end first job to go to an interview for my then dream job?

Of course – I don’t have a TARDIS like Doctor Who. I’m lucky to have a car that gets me from A to B on time let alone go back in time!

So – who gave my younger self confidence? For the job interview it was my Mum. She simply looked at me, all suited and booted with self-doubt oozing from every pore and just said “What have you got to lose Mary? If you go and it doesn’t work you still have a job. If you go and it goes well – you’ll have a great new job!”

And that was that really. Thank you Mum. She gave my younger self the confidence to do something different and take a chance.

I got that job and it was the best feeling – I still to this day remember walking out of the offices in Hampton Wick with the sun streaming down bouncing off the Thames and the sky that perfect cornflower blue of summer. I recall thinking “now Mary – you have to walk to the end of the road and turn right before squealing or jumping!” And that’s exactly what I did. I squealed in pure and simple delight as soon as I turned that corner in the road.

This is a true story – so if you were walking near Hampton Court bridge 25 odd years ago and recall a smartly dressed girl in red jumping up and down laughing – that was me!

I told the students this story and thought I’d share this with you.

So – believe in yourself.

You’ll be amazed what you can achieve with a bit of confidence!

Our Managing Director, Sarah Stevenson, was delighted to be asked to feature as one of the “Leading Ladies” in the latest issue of Derbyshire Life. The popular local magazine ran a feature highlighting the leading ladies in the region highlighting how Derbyshire women mean business! In the article they turned the spotlight on some of the county’s most successful businesswomen – and discover what makes them tick. The article featured several influential women in business across the Derbyshire region including Sarah!

From the article….

Sarah Stevenson, Managing Director and Founder of Astute Recruitment

SARAH STEVENSON

Managing Director

Astute Recruitment

Sarah is one of the founders of Astute Recruitment and has built an unrivalled reputation placing candidates in this market since 1997. Recent winner of the East Midland’s ‘Institute of Directors’ Director of the Year award and the Derbyshire Times’ Entrepreneur of the Year award.

What was your first job?

“Working in a bar! I must have been destined to work with people even back then.”

What is the best part of your current job?

“Getting a job offer for someone after all these years and knowing I have personally made a difference to the person. I still get a buzz when a candidate tells me they are thrilled! It is even more special when they have been looking for a while and its because my team or I have gone the extra mile for them.”

Whats your best piece of business advice?

“Never give up and surround yourself with people who have different talents to you.”

If you could change one thing, what would it be?

“Not to be so impatient!”

If you could go back and tell your 13 year old self something, what would it be?

“Patience is honestly a virtue!”

How do you unwind?

“Unwinding with my beautiful horses. I compete at shows in the Ridden Hunter class and whether competing or just taking them out by myself – its the closest thing to perfection and totally relaxes me after a hard day at work!”

A brand new networking group – Derby’s Finest – aiming to celebrate and support women who make a positive contribution to the city – was officially launched with a great event at Derby College’s Engine Shed restaurant at the Roundhouse in Pride Park.

This new group has been set up by Claire Twells from Smith Partnership, Bev Crighton from the University of Derby and Amanda Strong from Mercia Image Print in Little Eaton. Fifty women from a wide range of businesses and organisations attended the launch event to hear about plans for future events and about the chosen charity of the year – Prostate Cancer UK. This first event raised nearly £300 for the charity and the target is to grow this to thousands over the coming year.

Sarah-Louise Wykes and Mary Maguire went along as guests and look forward to supporting Derby’s Finest with their future events!

All of the team here at Astute are keeping our fingers crossed for Sarah-Louise Wykes. She is one of the very deserving finalists in the category for Best Female Employee. The awards evening is being hosted at the prestigious Colwick Hall Hotel in Nottingham to celebrate business women across the East Midlands region. We are taking the team and of course Sarah-Louise to enjoy what should be a fantastic night. It’s brilliant for Sarah-Louise to have been shortlisted for this category and while we are keeping our fingers crossed for her, we wish all the finalists the very best of luck.

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

Helen Pinegar

16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

Lisa Leigh

11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.