News & Views Archives - Page 9 of 11

This year we were approached to see if we would like to have a local school’s student for a weeks work experience. We feel passionate about giving young people a chance and would always encourage any businesses to give a young person the opportunity to gain valuable work experience. The impression of work life they will gain and the confidence to know what to expect in a typical working office will be invaluable for when they look to enter the employment market.

Over the last ten years we have had several apprentices join the team and develop. Sometimes going on to become permanent salaried staff, so it was our pleasure to have John Gravenor with us for a week. He put together the following words describing what he learnt about recruitment during his time with us and thought we would share this. Thank you Jon!

What have I learnt about recruitment consultants?

One of the main things I have learnt about recruitment consultants is that a recruitment consultant doesn’t just help a person look for a job, they help a person find the best job possible for them, that they would be happy to work at as well as try and find the company the best possible candidate for the job. So, in summary it’s a balancing act of trying to find the best candidate for a business but also finding the best job for the candidate. I also learnt that a recruitment consultant doesn’t only help people looking for jobs between £15,000 to £30,000, they also help people that are looking for £100,000 and up. I was lucky enough to be allowed to sit in a meeting between Vijay and a very experienced man looking for £120,000 plus which goes to show that no matter how experienced a person is, everyone could always use a hand to make themselves seem more employable.

What have I learnt about Astute in particular?

Astute is much more focused on quality over quantity. Astute makes sure that a candidate is not only right for the job but also fully prepared for the interview and anything that could come after. Astute is in constant contact with the Candidate to check up on progress and make sure they are still happy with the job. Even after a candidate has secured a job, Astute continues to keep in contact with a candidate make sure everything is okay and the candidate is happy with the position they have.

What about the people at astute?

The people at Astute are very kind and inviting not only to me and each other but also candidates and companies. They are more compassionate than many of the other recruitment consultants as they spend time to get to know their candidate to ensure that they are completely happy with everything. Everyone at Astute is completely willing to go the extra step to make sure candidates are happy, which is something very rare in the bigger recruitment companies. The people at Astute are always motivated and willing to help at any point and they even try to help other people with their own money by holding charity events to help others even more. The people at Astute are also well rewarded for their work by Mary and Sarah with trips to F1 and other rewards.

Overall, I had a wonderful time at Astute Recruitment and will be sad to leave but will come back to do even more work experience if I am allowed

Jon Gravenor

Why Awards Can Make You Win Big Press Article Written By Mary Maguire MD Astute Recruitment Ltd

Mary Maguire, Managing Director at award-winning Chamber Member Astute Recruitment, assesses how business can improve their chances of award success – and what winning can do for your business. This article was featured in the EMC’s Business Magazine.

Let’s go back to March 2014. I was a new business owner who had tried entering awards for the first time. I wasn’t consistent. I wasn’t disciplines. I did not have a strategy or plan. However, this changed the following year when I was encouraged to re-think my approach.

Scroll forward to 2018. It has been an amazing four years with awards successes from the IoD, ICAEW and the Chamber’s own Business Awards in 2011, 2015 and 2017. At the end of 2017, we won a couple of prestigious global awards too.

Entering and winning awards has introduced the company to a bigger audience, gaining credibility and new business in the process. Our company is now more appealing to potential hire. We have achieved a record year of turnover, secured record amounts of new clients and hire two new, experienced recruitment experts into our team.

I recently talked to fellow Chamber member Owen Conti, Founder of Code 56. Owen recently won Marketing Derby’s Rising Star Business Award 2018, and I asked Owen what winning the award meant to his business in real terms.

He said: “To be recognised as the winner means experienced business professionals have heard and trusted our story. You can’t buy that kind of third party trust that this panel of business leaders have given to me and my Business.”

“People are already taking us more seriously. For example, contracts I have built up over the past year have come back with requests for how we can help develop their business strategies using the latest technology. “

“My audience reach has increased on social media which in turn has driven increased enquiries and new business. This award acted as a catalyst in inspiring confidence for other businesses to use my company, so if you have recently started your own business, entering awards is an accelerated pathway to increased awareness of your brand and what you stand for.”

The institute of Sales & Marketing Management discovered more than 70% of consumers are influenced by awards when buying products and services, so unlock this potential for your business.”

So, what are you waiting for? Enter your business for an award. You have nothing to lose and may just win a lot more than a trophy.

Four Key Steps to Successful Awards Entries

Recognise what makes your company successful.
Select the right awards to enter. Local awards recognising local businesses are the best way to start. Make sure the awards you choose have categories that play to your strengths.
Read and then answer the questions – not what you think they want to hear. Be clear, concise and passionate. Judges are not looking for the next poet laureate but love to hear your passion and enthusiasm come across.
Leave enough time. Awards take a lot of time to complete. There are often word limits and specific financial information you will need to provide from your annual accounts. This all takes Time.

What keeps financial controllers awake at night and 4 brilliant tips for aspiring FCs

Here at Astute Recruitment, we recognise that the aspiring FC’s of tomorrow want to learn what key challenges they will face taking the next step in their career. So, we’ve taken the time to signpost the 5 main challenges Financial Controllers Face and key tips on how you can gain experience to step up to an FC role.

According to research conducted by EY, the number one cause of sleepless nights is recruiting the right finance staff for your team and succession planning.

TIP: If you are an aspiring Financial Controller, any exposure to the recruitment process will be invaluable, whether liaising with recruitment consultancies, crafting clear and accurate job descriptions or mastering interview techniques for potential staff. Put yourself forward and offer to help in any way you can.

2. Keeping abreast of new accounting treatments, changes to IFRS and revenue recognition.

For the aspiring FC, if you can demonstrate how you have maintained great current knowledge of all the latest developments in financial and management accounting, you will be positioning yourself ahead of a lot of other job applicants or in your chase of a promotion. Offer to alleviate workloads from your Financial Controller and gain excellent experience to add value to your CV at the same time.

3. Implementing changes/ Change management

Many of our client’s state “change management” as key criteria for potential job applicants to Financial Controller opportunities. Finance Directors, CFO’s and senior Financial Controllers have ever increasing remits, not just across Finance but also embracing Operations, HR, IT, Procurement and Production.

If you can spot areas you can offer to help them- suggest projects to improve financial processes, or to clarify and create ever quicker, concise management information, you will achieve 2 things:
You will be able to demonstrate to an existing or future employer how you have made a tangible difference benefitting the business.
You will have proven experience of taking initiative and of you specifically suggesting solutions that have worked.
In essence, you will have positioned yourself as a more credible applicant, proven to go the extra mile and someone who can deliver defined improvements to a business’ operation!

A common failing cited by clients of unsuccessful applicants for FC and other positions is that the candidate was great – personable, knowledgeable and suitably experienced BUT– When asked to provide examples of how they have made a difference – candidates have described how they have been part of a team who have done a/b/c but failed to demonstrate how they have personally taken ownership and made a difference themselves. You need to sell yourself and promote your achievements clearly, concisely and be able to demonstrate the benefits to finance and for the business as a whole of what you did. Practice telling your story so your words can flow in the heat of an interview situation.

4. Less margin for error yet no increased leeway for reporting deadlines to be achieved.

Finance Directors are increasingly spending more time on investor relations, more time on corporate governance and yet are still expected to devote the same energy and time ‘on the business’. As a result, more FD’s are increasingly willing to push more work onto their Financial Controllers.
In an article for E&Y, a senior Financial Controller for a well-known manufacturer said that “the difference between the CFO and the FC is that the FC is more like the financial operating officer. They make sure that there are no surprises in the balance sheet and that the audits are clean. The CFO/ FD keeps on top of the numbers, but they have a big external focus in the positioning of the company with investors”

How can this help an aspiring Financial Controller? Offer your help to assist your FC with their traditional duties while they may be given extra workloads cascaded down from their own boss. Always remember – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!

Everyone had a great time at our business breakfast on Mental Resilience. Our guest speaker, John Dabrowski, did an amazing presentation explaining the importance of mental and physical wellbeing professionally and personally to each and every one of us.

Some key takeaways: –

We all need to take the time to develop our self-belief and sense of self-worth. It is these that give us the confidence to perform to our maximum potential at work or in our personal lives.

It is crucial to pro-actively train ourselves to look for the positives when adversity hits. Easier said than done, but John demonstrated some great techniques we can all implement as part of our daily routines to make these changes become an important habit and vital life skill.

John also talked about the importance of visualisation. When you have a challenge to overcome, be it a difficult meeting, a new responsibility at work or where you have to present to a team for the first time, John talked about the power of visualising yourself succeeding. You need to close your eyes and in your mind picture the ‘challenge’ and picture yourself successfully doing it. This is incredibly powerful and triggers synapses in your brain which automatically kick into gear when you physically attempt to do the ‘challenge’ to help you.

John went on to give some brilliant examples of sportsmen and sportswomen who have achieved the absolute pinnacle in their disciplines. From an early age they had a goal, visualised themselves being successful and then had the focus to singularly pursue their dream. The ability to focus is actually key in developing mental resilience and John spoke in depth about this.

Mental resilience also means being able to bounce back from physical as well as mental adversity. John encouraged us to seek out the positives regardless of the situation… there is always some positive that we can take – it’s just that sometimes it is easier to do this than others.

Another key area are Comfort zones. – it is only when we challenge ourselves to move outside our comfort zones that we can truly grow our inner self-belief and ultimately grow our confidence levels. So when you are given a new task which stretches your abilities and makes you nervous, if you complete this – the completion of that task will instil a new aura of confidence so that eventually this challenge will become a natural part of you which you can confidently execute. Then you can move onto the next challenge!

There were many other things that John mentioned and these are explored in depth in his book “Off The Wall – How to develop world class mental resilience”. Click HERE to go to John’s website at JD Mindcoach

So – thank you to John, our team at Astute and of course our guests who came and made the event a really memorable and potentially life changing experience!

Some photos of the event:

John-Dabrowski-Giving-one-of-his-books-to-winner-at-Astute-Recruitments-Mental-Resilience-Workshop

John Dabrowski sharing a great video clip of a famous basketball player at Astute Recriutment Ltd Business Breakfast on Mental Resilience

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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Last week I had the opportunity to meet a pretty amazing individual (though he would be the last person to acknowledge this!). Successful businessman, David Ryley, had an idea for a great new charity in 2015 called the 1% Matters Fund.

It provides small grants to local community projects who are helping young people, the elderly, those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia, vulnerable people or those suffering mental health issues. This type of organisation really appeals to me as it works in a philanthropic way for businesses and individuals to ‘give back’ to those less fortunate in a really constructive and practical way that really makes a difference. I will be posting an article covering mental health in the work place soon so this type of charity really strikes a chord with me.

David Ryley, Chief Executive Officer of successful local business, Ryley Wealth Management (a St. James’s Place Partner Practice) decided to start a fund with 1% of his profits to support local charities in Nottingham. A second business leader, Mark Goldby, CEO of SMS Electronics Ltd, quickly saw the potential and was the first to offer his support. David Ryley created a charitable fund with the aim of growing it to build a permanent legacy for the people of Nottingham.

As government and council grants to local charities are facing constant pressure, the team at 1% Matters want to do all they can to help. To find out more information about this amazing charity and for an opportunity to make a donation please click on the following link. http://www.nottscf.org.uk/one-percent-matters-fund/

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.

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.

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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.