#Derbyshire Archives - Astute Financial

After 12 years in business, Astute Recruitment Ltd has become one of the premier accountancy recruitment businesses in the East Midlands. We’re also the only East Midlands recruitment expert to have secured over 15 business awards as finalists or winners. You can see some of the awards our team and Directors have received clicking on the following link www.astuterecruitment.com/about-us/awards/

So, we were thrilled for the Derbyshire Life magazine to contact us and ask us if we would like to be included in their special 90th edition in their feature on award winning businesses in Derby!

Great for Astute Recruitment Ltd to be featured in this very special 90th edition of Derbyshire Life

Why have we strived to secure business awards?

Over to one of our MDs – Mary Maguire – who does all our award entries herself, and manages all Astute’s marketing and social media.

“The biggest hurdle setting up a business and brand is getting that brand and what it stands for ‘out there’. Being able to showcase multiple business awards is a brilliant way to show your target audience that you are a recognised expert in your field. It flags to potential clients that they can have total confidence in using your services.

Winning business awards also builds trust for potential staff who may be researching local businesses to see whether they would like to work for that company too. So, from an Employer branding point of view, success in winning awards is key.

As most people recognise, there is a talent shortage of workers skilled in several business sectors currently, from finance and accountancy professionals to skilled IT software developers to drivers, healthcare specialists, hospitality workers and so many more.

So, What better way to help your business and team attract the very best staff than to demonstrate credibility from successful business awards! You could be flagging your company to potential clients, but also raising your company’s profile to potential staff of the future as a credible potential employer!”

For Astute Recruitment Ltd, this means that our current and potential clients can see that we’re a thoroughly professional business and are acknowledged experts in our field. Our awards have also been an additional attraction in our recruitment strategy to appeal to the very best potential recruitment staff wanting to develop their careers and also to experienced recruitment professionals seeking to utilise their knowledge and relationships in a really professional but friendly, fun environment!

Business awards are awarded by impartial business organisations. For different organisations, this means targeting specific awards relevant to your industry.

Sarah Stevenson, our MD of Astute Recruitment Ltd with Dominic Heale, after being presented with the IoD’s prestigious Director of the Year Award – Small SME Business

How to start winning awards for your business?

While Mary has been hugely successful in writing awards entries for Astute Recruitment Ltd over the years, this is not something that every business owner has the natural flair or time for.

Instead, there are ‘go to’ experts who will be able to understand your company, and successfully craft an award-winning application for you. One such expert in crafting winning words for an array of businesses is the Founder of Derby’s ‘Ask the Chameleon’ – Rachel Hayward.

Rachel herself has had a tremendous 12 months in winning several business awards including: Female Entrepreneur of the Year, by East Midlands Chamber of Commerce (EMCC) and Derbyshire Live Business Awards in the Professional Services category.

Business Owner Rachel Hayward and some of her business awards in 2021

We asked Rachel to sum up why Business Awards should be a critical part of every company’s marketing and branding strategy. Over to Rachel!

“Awards really do confirm your place in the marketplace. They help in the buying decision and are hugely motivational for your staff team as well as yourself. Running a business is challenging and to be judged as excellent by your peers is extremely rewarding.

The key is often choosing the right category for you and your business. Certain categories will be hugely competitive, so consider other areas in your business that you shine. Maybe you have an excellent apprentice or can demonstrate consistently high levels of customer service? Maybe you go the extra mile as an employer, or you are a third-generation family business? With over 3,500 awards at any one time, there really is an award and category for everyone. “

“My top tips are:

Do your research, look at your competitors and peers, even those businesses/entrepreneurs who inspire you. What awards have they won?
Do you fit the criteria, can you prove it (you will always need factual information to demonstrate success)
Give yourself plenty of time to create those winning words.
Don’t wait for a secret nominator – many award organisers fully expect you to write your own application.

Make 2022 your year to gain your first award success”

We completely agree with Rachel! Its great to hear from Rachel being an award winning expert on winning business awards for her clients! Her insights and tips are really useful. You can contact Rachel at her business, Ask The Chameleon on her website askthechameleon.co.uk/about/

For our own team at Astute Recruitment Ltd, from the ICAEW’s award of Best East Midlands SME Business, to the IoD’s Small Business Director of the Year award, our awards have pride of place in our new office in Derby’s Cardinal Square and on our website!

What our business awards mean to us at Astute!

Business awards reward exceptional business success, ultimately building trust to use your company. Awards inspire confidence to our clients, candidates and potential staff of the future, as we continue to grow, that Astute’s team are unrivalled leaders in financial recruitment.

Sarah Stevenson and Mary Maguire receiving their award for Best East Midlands SME Business by the ICAEW for Astute Recruitment Ltd

We want to bring our business to the attention of new audiences to truly stand out, and for us, securing business awards

really is the best way to cement our reputation as the ‘go to company’ in our sector, Financial Recruitment.

So, be ‘Astute’ and give your marketing strategy a ‘reboot’.

Strive for awards to boost

your business to the next level!

Article by Mary Maguire, MD Astute Recruitment Ltd

IMPORTANTLY: BE CHOOSY!

CHOOSE YOUR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY CAREFULLY!

Recruitment consultants all offer varied services for candidates; they can vary in the way they interact with their candidates, the type of clients they focus on, the geographies they cover and of course the specialisms they focus on. Look at the website, have they any accreditations? Have they won any business awards? What are their testimonials like from candidates and clients they have worked with? How string are their reviews on Google? Check them out on LinkedIn.

A really professional recruitment consultancy will have positive testimonials, great reviews on Google, and super testimonials.

We do! A bit biased but we like to shout about what we do well.

Check out our 5* reviews from happy candidates and clients HERE.

To look at some of our candidate testimonials HERE

See what our client’s have to say about us HERE.

client range and career markets. Make sure you pick an agency that is compatible with you.

Remember it’s a partnership- both you and the consultant need to work together pro actively in order to reach the ultimate goal of securing you a new job. The measure of a good relationship is remembrance and re-occurrence over time; At Signet Resources we have had candidates contact us who we helped over a decade ago!

Here are a few words from our consultants….

‘It’s all about the partnership- It’s a two way thing’

‘The best candidate relationships I have developed start with Honesty right from the beginning with expectancies set from both sides.’

‘Keep open and direct lines of communication in order to develop honest and collaborative partnerships with each individual candidate.’

Here we have listed some key tips to help you develop and manage a really good relationship with your recruitment consultant.

Be CLEAR:-

About the specific job you want.
The areas you want to work in and contact relevant sector recruitment agencies accordingly.
Is career progression important to you? Tell the consultant!
What are the most important things you are looking for in the next job?
What are the best channels for quick communication with you throughout the recruitment process (texts/ emails/ WhatsApp)?
What minimum notice must you give?
Your availability for interview.
What areas do you need help with? (Interviews? Offer Management? CVs?).
How flexible can you be for meeting up/ online chat/ calls?
When is the best time to contact you about job opportunities?

Agreeing the above, will confer to the recruitment consultant that you are seriously looking for a new position and that you are ready to be fully active on the job market.

If you can show you are serious about looking for a job the recruitment consultant will take YOUR application seriously.

A consultant needs to know what you want. If you need advice/ help support be clear on this.

Remember recruitment consultants WANT to find you a job but they are not mind readers.

Be REALISTIC:-

Salary expectations:- If you are a part qualified accountant you are not going to command as much salary as a fully qualified accountant. Yes – salaries are creeping up but be realistic!
Have a reasonable timeline to secure a new job.
Time Management: Interviews and preparation for interviews take time. Make sure you have built in time for the next few weeks to attend interviews, take calls and research companies pre-interview. If you are about to enter the busiest point of the year work wise, (year end anyone?) then now is not the time to also squeeze interviews in. The quality of interview you give could be compromised. Instead allocate a month when you know attending interviews/ do an online MS Teams or Zoom recruitment call will be easier for you!
Hours:- Can you do overtime on a regular basis if that’s key? Or do you need to be home by 5pm/ 6pm for dependants etc. Be upfront with the consultant on this and they can work with you to flag the most relevant opportunities with the right mix of flexible benefits.

Be RELIABLE:-

Keep in touch/ Regular Communication:- Return all calls/ messages /emails promptly.
Follow instructions!
Be punctual for interviews/ agreed meetings;
Provide feedback as agreed;

If you can be CLEAR, REALISTIC, and RELIABLE, congratulations! You will be a sought after candidate to any recruitment consultant and you can look forward to securing a new role soon!

BACK TO BLOGS

I would love to hear your views on this as it is consistently one of the top 3 issues senior and junior accountants have raised whilst looking for new job. If you have enjoyed this post please click here to view other posts on our website.

Good Recruiters are like swans. Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the way our legs are kicking madly under the water! Clients do need to realise that there is a lot of work that proper professional recruiters do behind the scenes though!

Take client 1. Long-standing, and currently we are on an exclusive recruitment campaign to hire two permanent qualified accountants and appoint for a 12 month maternity leave Qualified Accountancy role for them. Open, regular dialogue with the hiring line managers as to our headhunting progress, ongoing guidance on the salary budget, and whether the annual salary for the roles is accurate market rate to entice the ideal profile of the candidate.

This strategy of clear communication and collaborative recruitment partnership means that we can achieve near 100% CV sent to interview requested ratio.

The client knows that for every single applicant forwarded to them, our team will have already contacted and reached out to many, many more potential candidates that did not make the grade. When headhunting, we will investigate if they are looking for a role, and challenge the candidates on their aspirations, technical financial skillset for these particular finance roles and ‘team fit’ to see if they align with our client’s employee value proposition and ethics.

Our client knows that one CV in their inbox could have meant many man hours in the background, skilfully interviewing and deep diving into potential candidates’ skills, experience, and career/ life aspirations.

The result? A seamless process whereby quality interviews take place, with smooth, transparent communication and honest, constructive feedback the whole way through.

Our client benefits from one agency acting as a true ambassador for their brilliant finance teams, with a justified expectation of quality not quantity of applicant.

Our candidates benefit from a targeted search that takes their aspirations AND their accountancy skills into account.

This is a recruitment partnership that has lasted many years.

Client 2/

A qualified accountant with specific industry sector background and key system skills was urgently required. Our client needed an incredibly quick turnaround and wanted to conduct interviews and ideally offer a suitable candidate within a week. The job was taken at 2pm on a Friday.

The consultant worked hard.

Very hard.

Conversations were had with over 100 potential candidates – most calls lasting 20 minutes, up to an hour.

The result? 4 x CVs were in our client’s inbox for Monday morning.

All were interviewed, one person was offered the role straight away with just a few days.

Scroll forward.

A friendly phone call to follow up as our bill was unpaid.

Why?

Our candidate was still in post – and very happy in the role. His boss was equally happy.

The reason for the bill not being was that they did not believe that we had ‘worked hard enough on the role. They felt that just a couple of quick calls were made and that was it so expected a reduction in our fee as a result. They had not realised all the man-hours and dedicated time sourcing and speaking to potential candidates behind the scenes.

This is why Good Recruiters are like swans.

Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the hard work going on beneath the surface.

They should understand that there is a lot of work going on out of sight, to make that process seamless and smooth.

Good employees are also S.W.A.N.s too!

The SWAN formula is an acronym created by an executive recruiter, John Swan, and is a very useful tool to improve candidate selection processes.

Four Simple Letters: S. W. A. N.

SMART. Always look to recruit intelligent, smart people into your business/ team. But how can you measure the intelligence of a candidate? The answer is simple. Questions! Intelligent people tend to be more curious than average people.

Successful people are smart, especially when it comes to the skills and competencies required for their specific job. This is what Jim Collins meant in his business classic, Good to Great, when he wrote about “getting the right people in the right seats on the bus.” People who have a gift for their particular job tend to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and are far more productive.

WORKS HARD. When recruiting, look for people who are willing to work hard and who have backgrounds and achievements that show how they have gone the extra mile and exceeded expectations. As we emerge from the pandemic, employers need staff who don’t just work lots of hours. Instead they want employees who can work smarter and handle their workloads to deadlines. The years of presenteeism are fading away and rightly so.

People who actually want to “work hard” are more successful at their jobs. The basic rule is that “people don’t change.” A person who is unaccustomed to hard work is not suddenly going to transform under your supervision.

AMBITION. An excellent candidate is someone who wants to move ahead in life. Ambitious people are willing and eager to take additional training; they are already reading and studying and seeking opportunities to grow, both personally and professionally. They value continuous improvement and genuinely want to be the very best they can be.

This is not about only selecting candidates who want to be the FD of a Plc. It is the ambition to be the best at whatever level they are working at and the willingness to learn/ read/ train to become the best.

Candidates should be “ambitious” and able to demonstrate to you why they want this particular job.

We love this quote by Steve Miles, Vice Chairman of Heidrick & Struggles; “Don’t seek a flame-chaser, find people who are anxious to be effective and ambitious about this assignment, not some future promotion or benefit. They have to live for today in that job, not chase the flame of future possibilities.”

NICE. The likability of the candidate is a critical factor. Where this quality was once mainly prized in customer service/ public facing jobs, being ‘kind’ is a highly valued strength in people applying for all levels of employment and professions. Whether in finance, accountancy, or other professions, employers are looking for people who they can work with and who can share and believe in their team values, and who they like. Team fit is one of the most consistently important attributes that our clients are looking for.

When we say “nice,” we mean people who are cheerful, positive, easy to get along with, and supportive of others. They fit within the culture of your organisation. Their beliefs are in alignment with your values and the customers your organisation serves.

In the final analysis, your ability to pick the right people for your team is the key to motivation. You cannot hire the wrong people and then expect to motivate them to be excellent performers for your team. You need to look hard for your ‘A’ players, or use an ‘astute’ recruitment expert who can do a thorough search for you!

The saying, ‘measure twice, cut once’ is particularly true in the world of recruitment.

Other blogs you may be interested in: –

Candidate Blogs

Do you know what time it is on you’re your career clock? Hints and tips to keep your career on track!
From Abacus to Ai, why a career in accountancy is a great career choice!
What does it take to be a great Financial Director?

Client Blogs

Why its OK to talk about mental health at work. We discuss a new, free initiative available to East Midlands businesses
Why recruiting the right people at the right time is key for business success
Why good recruiters are like swans / How to hire the right candidate for your business!

If you would like to discuss anything regarding this article or any of our other articles, please email [email protected]

Recruitment is a funny old game.

No two days are ever the same!

From arranging interviews, and sourcing jobs,

To building confidence, coaxing pre-interview nerves to stop!

Earlier today, a young chap called back

Relaying his interview feedback

He’s really keen and thanked me for the interview prep

He really wants our job and hopes he gets to the next step!

Then a qualified temp role to recruit, we needed CVs!

Onto the phones to drum up great interviewees 😊

A few calls later, we have a stellar candidate

Our client loved the profile, ‘Can they start on Monday around 8?

Then its onto reference checks,

Its important to ensure our candidate’s skills meet our client’s specs

Now to cover for a dear colleague whose very ill,

Ensuring continuity for their clients with their jobs we’re trying to fill.

Everyone is lovely and wishes our colleague all the best

So they can return soon, after having lots of rest (heart emoji)

Now its near home time for us in the office, the rest are WFH

Some are on annual leave, having a well deserved break from the phone!

Whether you’re a trainee recruiter, or a managing consultant

Recruitment is a helter-skelter, helping those needing a new move to those made redundant.

The ability to help guide those starting their finance careers

As well as to help FD’s and CFOs recruit amongst their peers

So if you’re looking for a brilliant new accountancy recruiter

Call our amazing, happy team – we really are ‘astuter’ 😊

With flexible working, and happy team vibe,

Your career in our family will really develop and thrive!

We are a multi-award winning and rapidly growing accountancy recruitment consultancy. We are recruiting for several opportunities, from Trainee Consultants to experienced Senior Consultants and Managers.

If you are looking for a genuinely original, caring, and fun team, who value integrity and honesty above all else, pop an email to Mary Maguire or Sarah Stevenson.

They will be delighted to arrange a confidential time to talk to you about what we can offer.

Remember: –

If you need to recruit

Call our team at Astute!

“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.”

A great quote by FD Roosevelt. We feel that the same applies to accountants.

It’s through the turbulent times though that we learn, in life and at work. When things don’t go quite as planned, we have an opportunity to learn, to become a better sailor – or, in the case of our clients, become a better business, and our candidates – to become better accountants.

Enjoy the smooth sailing when the seas are calm. But when the surf swells and storms brew, remember: that experience brings the ability to cope with headwinds.

The same is true of accountants and all finance professionals. From credit controllers who can free up much needed cashflow by reducing outstanding debtors to a strong Finance Director or Financial Controller who can win that key tender or negotiate better rates with that new tender. Hard experiences teach finance professionals how to cope in difficult situations.

Our Astute seafaring ode to accountants everywhere: –

What is a business, without an accountant at the tiller?

Assessing performance, the greatest biller?

Forecasting growth, future success,

How to improve profits, stakeholders to impress!

Through recession, through growth, the bad and the good,

None can enlighten like a great accountant could.

Through the choppy waters of business life,

A strong accountant can solve financial woes and strife.

A seasoned finance professional,

Can bring a steady hand and deliver the exceptional.

Financial accountants; “How much are we owed?”

Payrollers processing pay for those furloughed.

Credit controllers to keep debtors down,

Managing relationships with a smile not a frown.

Part Qualified and Finalists, improving analysis,

Working hard to avoid performance paralysis.

Accountants in the office or WFH,

Rest assured, their value alone,

Will see your business thrive and grow.

So #BeAstute, use the finance recruitment firm ‘in the know!’

Contact our team ‘in the know’ for your career development or to source an experienced accountant in your finance team: –

Why good interview feedback really matters

Our team been working exclusively with a long-standing client to recruit an Assistant Management Accountant. Ideally someone with bright enquiring mind, keen to learn with an accounting and finance degree. Some experience in a finance role would be ideal. After shortlisting down from 18 candidates to the best five, the CVs went across and our client interviewed all five this week.

The good news is that three have been selected to undertake some online testing and have a second interview in a few days.

The bad news is that two candidates are not being progressed.

The client and Astute were able to discuss detailed, constructive feedback for each candidate including some tips for the future.

We fed back to one of the candidates not being progressed and wanted to share what the feedback was including some constructive tips for them in answering unplanned questions and focussing their answers.

“…while its bad news I’ve not got a second interview – it’s great to get positive rounded feedback after the first interview. I can use this experience and feedback to help me prepare and perform better in future interviews, and hopefully get a second interview next time! Thanks for letting me know and taking the time to ring me.”

He has been impressed with the process at Astute Recruitment Ltd, and thanked us for taking the time to call him and pass on the feedback.

If someone has taken the time to attend an interview – they deserve at the very least to get some constructive post- interview feedback. That feedback may just help them secure a second interview and a job offer next time.

“It’s not just learning how to prepare for an interview that counts.

It’s also learning how to perform in an interview. That takes time, practice, and crucially, feedback!”

This is why our team at Astute Recruitment encourages a collaborative relationship with our clients throughout the recruitment process. Good interview feedback from the finance manager/ line manager/ HR professional recruiting, really helps our team inform our candidates on how they can improve their performance on an interview.

From how to answer a question to coping with nerves, unless a person has interview practice and good feedback from the recruitment consultant and/ or client, it is very hard for them to learn how they can come across better in the actual interview itself.

For another useful post on more interview tips and advice, you can see another of our blogs on our website, using the following link: https://www.astuterecruitment.com/6-interview-questions-and-answers-to-help-you-nail-the-perfect-job-in-the-pandemic/

If you would like any more advice or help around interviews, arranging interviews remotely – let us know.

An article by Mary Maguire

MD Astute Recruitment Ltd

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-maguire/18/73/553

7 astute steps to successful cash flow management collaboration by an expert!

Cash is King! Having an accurate measure of your company’s cash is always critical, now more than ever. Here at Astute, as part of a new series of articles, we are sharing 7 simple steps to guide you, in collaboration with a fully qualified accountant and expert in providing cash flow advice and more to SME businesses and larger organisations.

David Thorley is an experienced, fully qualified Finance Director with a proven career in managing the financial tillers of several businesses. Together, we wanted to share his 7 steps to achieve successful cash flow management.

Over to David….

“We need a 13-week cash flow!

An all too familiar phrase that I have heard over the years from banks and finance providers and in these uncertain times an especially challenging request even for experienced number crunchers!

You can, however, meet this challenge using the following simple tips: –

1. Communication with your finance provider is crucial – whatever the reason, DO NOT make promises you know you cannot keep and DEFINITELY DO NOT say it can’t be done!

2. Very few businesses can accurately predict cash flows, but everyone can make an informed forecast.

3. The past may not be an accurate predictor of the future, but it can be an indicator! Summarise the cash flows over the previous 6 – 12 months over key headings and use for forecasting future trends.

4. All forecasting relies heavily on assumptions that identify the key sensitivities (e.g. you could be predicting quarterly rent payments being agreed to be deferred or moved to monthly).

5. Look for seasonal fluctuations in income or expenses – right now this could be forecasting recovery of previous levels of sales over a 3 to 6-month period.

6. It’s not unusual for the balancing number (to keep within the facility), to be payments to creditors and, in times of extreme cash pressure, this is inevitable; but again, communication is vital to avoid going on stop with crucial suppliers.

7. You may need to prepare more than one forecast – based on different assumptions. Again communicate the basis of the chosen forecast when it is shared.

The most important point is to always try to anticipate potential issues. Banks particularly appreciate early warnings especially if it is a potential breach of facility as it indicates a degree of control.”

Great tips so thank you David!

If you need a cash flow expert in your team, call Astute and we would be delighted to assist you.

We will be issuing more articles and tips on a wide range of accountancy, finance, HR and recruitment issues in collaboration with experts in these fields.

If you have found this article informative and helpful, please let Mary Maguire at Astute Recruitment know as feedback is always welcome. Feel free to share this article with others who you feel could find this useful.

#cashflow #CashIsKing #accountancy #finance #financedirector #cfo #financetips #BeAstute

Mental Health Week Can Your Business Afford to Ignore Mental Health?

We investigate the key impacts, costs, AND savings to companies of mental health at work.

Mental health has increasingly been highlighted as a key factor in business and employee performance, success and productivity.

This year’s Mental Health Week has special importance with the global fight against covid sars 2. Millions of workers, everywhere, across the world have been impacted.

Some working remotely, some furloughed. Some facing redundancy. Some already recently made redundant.

People’s work suroundings and working conditions have been turned upside down in just a few, short months, and whilst efforts to crank up the wheels of industry are in motion, the working landscape is likely to have been changed forever.

Nearly 1 in 7 people, almost 15% suffer some degree of mental health problems at work.

Men in full time employment are half as likely as women to experience mental health problems.

Nearly 13% of all staff absences in the UK can be attributed directly to mental health conditions.

According to research, improvements to mental health frameworks at work could equate to over £8bn in savings for UK businesses alone!

In today’s uncertain ecconomy, business owners, Finance Directors and senior management are more conscious than ever to seek good returns on investment and save money and more importantly improve staff engagement, morale and resilience.

What better way than to invest in staff?

But what are the cost benefits? How can this improve my balance sheet and company performance?

According to The Mental Health Foundation, workplace interventions including employee screening and care management strategies for those living with (or at risk of) depression was estimated to cost £30.90 per employee for assessment, and a further £240.00 for the use of CBT to manage the problem, way back in 2009 alone.

An economic model conducted in a company of 500 employees where two thirds are offered and accept the treatment, an investment of £20,676 will result in a net profit of approximately £83,278 over a two year period.

So, how can employers, HR teams, business leaders put in place policies to effectively improve employee wellbeing and mental health in their workforce?

Make it personal.

Employ personalised, tailored information for staff

Create bespoke advice specific to your staff, your business and working environment

Create risk assessment questionaires

Encourage staff to watch online seminars

Implement online workshops using experts

Use experts. You don’t have to do this alone. Use businesses like Precise HR Ltd, who can give honest, tailored advice specific to your company, workforce, industry and importantly, your budget!

The cost?

Approximately £80 for every employee, for 12 months.

The saving?

According to the Mental Health Foundation, for a company with 500 employees, where all employees undergo interventions, it is estimated that an initial investment of £40,000 will yield a net return of £347,722 in savings. Mostly due to reduced presenteeism (lost productivity caused by an employee working while ill) and absenteeism (work hours missed due to ill health).

In another article by Michael Parsonage and Geena Saini, their report highlights that mental health problems in the UK workforce cost employers almost £35 billion just 3 years ago.

They broke down the overall costs as follows: –

£10.6 billion in sickness absence;
£21.2 billion in reduced productivity at work, or ‘presenteeism’
£3.1 billion in replacing staff who leave their jobs because of their mental health.

So, conclusively, the costs of ignoring mental health for your employees, simply can’t be ignored.

More useful links for detailed reports, information and advice on Mental Health issues: –

The Mental Health Foundation

Precise Hr Ltd

The Centre For Mental Health

The UK Government’s Latest Advice on Mental Health and Wellbeing

…………. Below 2b curated…….

References

Lelliott, P., Tulloch, S., Boardman, J., Harvey, S., & Henderson, H. (2008). Mental health and work. Retrieved from gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/212266/hwwb-mental-health-and-work.pdf

Stansfeld, S., Clark, C., Bebbington, P., King, M., Jenkins, R., & Hinchliffe, S. (2016). Chapter 2: Common mental disorders. In S. McManus, P. Bebbington, R. Jenkins, & T.Brugha (Eds.), Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital.

ONS. (2014). Full Report: Sickness Absence on the Labour Market, February 2014. Retrieved from webarchive. nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_353899.pdf [Accessed 28/07/16].

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. (2009). Briefing 40: Removing Barriers. The facts about mental health and employment. Retrieved from ohrn.nhs.uk/resource/policy/TheFactsaboutMentalHealth.pdf

Knapp, M., McDaid, D., & Parsonage, M. (2011). Mental Health Promotion and Mental Illness Prevention: The Economic Case. Retrieved from gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/215626/dh_126386.pdf [Accessed 02/07/16].

Your CV Profile –

Increasingly for candidates, anything that can flag a CV to a potential employer is great.

But what to include? What to specifically cite? How to keep things concise but genuinely show you have made a difference and why you stand out?

Below is part of the profile for an experienced Finance Director who Astute Recruitment has worked with for a number of years.

Experienced SME Finance Director with a proven track record of success, supporting strategic objectives with financial acumen and operational pragmatism.
Facilitated ‘fundraise’ with PE – pre and post-acquisition
Pro-active manager and influencer, empowering staff to take ownership
Providing coaching, training and mentoring to build cohesive teams and business partnering senior management.
Proven experience working alongside MDs and Senior management teams driving businesses forward
Focussed on achieving individual targets and company objectives and offering excellent relationship management skills.
Experienced in financial and corporate management to ensure the achievement of commercial goals within budget.
Extensive SME experience and management of external relationships with banks, insurers, suppliers and investors.

“Driving business projects to deliver business strategy”.

This is someone who one of our Directors has personally known for a while and who has sat on both sides of the client/ candidate fence. Their words and the way they succinctly covered their key attributes was great and we wanted to share this.

The candidate identifies specific, key deliverables and specific, defined savings they have made to the business and specific ways they have delivered success in their previous roles. They did this citing in percentage terms, the differences to the profit and balance sheet of their company. Where they had saved time – they cited the exact amount of time. They were clear that they had taken ownership of the improvements cited.

Another key part of this is to ensure that all the Job Boards you are registered with and your LinkedIn profile also all reflect accurately the most up to date version of your CV. Often we discover a candidate’s online profile varies to the latest CV they forward to us. Consistency in all things applies – especially in terms of your own candidate CV, personal profile and branding online.

For obvious reasons – we cannot state the identity of this eloquent person, as they are still in a permanent role!

Nor can we cite specific deliverables or critical success factors for confidentiality, but if you are reading this and your business needs someone like this – let our Qualified Team know and we will gladly facilitate an introduction!

We hope the above provides some inspiration for those struggling to write up / update their own profiles/ CVs.

Astute’s Team!

Richard Bowe – Senior Consultant Interim Qualified Accountancy

Tom Norton – Senior Consultant Permanent Qualified

Andy Lilliman – Recruitment Business Development Manager

Sarah-Louise Wykes – Manager, Interim Transactional Finance Staff, Part-Qualified to Qualified Accountants

Charlotte Sproat – Permanent Transactional Finance Staff, Part-Qualified to Qualified Accountants (Derby, South Derbyshire, North Leicestershire, Staffordshire, South Notts)

Debbie Jackson – Permanent Transactional Finance Staff, Part-Qualified to Qualified Accountants (Derby, North Derbyshire, North Nottinghamshire)

As the leader of a company, you are there to set an example, to lead and inspire a team of individuals to achieve a series of business goals. But, how do these business leaders go about their daily routine? Business Leader spoke to Mary Maguire, MD of Astute Recruitment, about her working day.

WHAT TIME DO YOU USUALLY WAKE UP?

If it’s a work day I am usually up by 5.30am. If it’s a weekend and the kids allow, then usually I get a lie in till 8.30/9am.

WHAT DO YOU TYPICALLY HAVE FOR BREAKFAST?

During the week I’m quite naughty, a couple of black coffees usually does the trick- the first one has to have three sugars in, after that it’s Sweetex all the way.

WHAT IS THE REST OF YOUR MORNING ROUTINE BEFORE YOU START WORK?

I cherish having half an hour to have a cup of coffee, read the news online and think about what I want to achieve that day.

Then I’ll head for a piping hot shower, check my hubby is awake and shoot off to work between 6.45am-7.15am. This way I can (usually!) avoid the traffic nightmare that is the A52 and get some work done before the team arrives.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO AT THE START OF YOUR WORKING DAY?

Probably boring and predictable but I check my emails, WhatsApp and texts. If there is something urgent – I can address it head on.

HOW DO YOU PRIORITISE YOUR DAY’S WORK?

I’m old-school so I have a page-per-day diary where I write down the most important things I need to get done in order of urgency – once completed I cross them off or carry over to the next day. I think I am alone in this as the rest of my team have everything on their phones, but I’d be lost without my diary.

DO YOU PLAN MEETINGS OR ARE THEY A WASTE OF TIME?

I always plan meetings – I really believe in the phrase “If you fail to prepare you prepare to fail”.

Even for staff 1:1’s, candidate interviews, any sort of meeting in or outside of work – you need to think why am I having this meeting and what do I want to achieve? Preparing for meetings saves time, shows you care and is the efficient, professional way to maximise results.

DO YOU HAVE A WORKING LUNCH OR IS IT GOOD TO TAKE A BREAK?

This depends on the day. I always have something to eat mid-morning and use that time to get away from my desk. It is definitely a good thing to have a break – just five minutes of fresh air often yields a solution to a problem or issue.

WHEN DOES YOUR WORKING DAY FINISH?

I start early and try to get home for 6pm – when I’m at home I put my mummy/ wife hat on. There are times where there is the odd call or email I have to address in the evenings, but I try and save those precious two or three hours at home to be in the moment with my kids and long-suffering husband!

HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR THE NEXT DAY’S WORK?

Personally – my preparation is the last thing I do before leaving the office. I look at my diary and make a note of what has/ hasn’t been done – carry things forward to the next day and then I can switch off. The next time I think about the next day is the next day. This could be why I rarely have trouble going to sleep.

FAVOURITE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY?

I hate to be predictable – but it’s my Samsung smartphone. I can use it for work emails, research ideas, check the news, draft blogs and obviously keep in touch with friends, family and work contacts. I also seem to have developed a new addiction to Candy Crush – oops!

HOW DO YOU SWITCH OFF?

Spending time with my kids and husband is amazing. I also have a lifelong passion for reading and art – on a rare moment of total freedom, like to sketch and draw. I also love swimming and find that doing something like swimming or art completely takes over my mind and allows me to completely ‘switch off’.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED?

That’s a hard one – I have two and can’t choose one over the other, “Measure twice, cut once” and “Always treat others as you would wish to be treated”. I’ve always believed in these two and they have served me well both personally and professionally.

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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.

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