#hr Archives - Astute Financial

“In todays’ talent starved candidate pool, how many interviews is the right amount of interviews to get the best candidate?”

Born from a genuine conversation between a senior recruiter here at Astute Recruitment with a client for a Head of Finance role we are recruiting for: –

OUR CONSULTANT: “Great I’ll get the first interviews arranged, how many interviews did you want to have in your process?

THE CLIENT: “5, is that normal?”

OUR CONSULTANT: “Typically a 2-interview stage process is the norm. 3 stages are acceptable for a CFO/ FD role, but 4 interviews is getting silly, let alone 5! The candidates won’t be available for a 5-stage process, they are already interviewing for other roles which are 2 stop processes, and they will get snapped up.”

THE CLIENT: “Oh, I see, yes I’ll speak to the Directors, and we can streamline the process to 3 as we are pretty confident with the shortlist you have provided! Thank you for the advice!”

So, we wanted to raise this question.

“In todays’ talent starved candidate pool, how many interviews is the right amount of interviews to get the best candidate?”

As a niche specialist in sourcing finance professionals, our team regularly give consultative advice around this and other recruitment issues. Why do we feel the two-interview process is best?

We give you example ‘A’.

A UK Group FD needs a senior financial reporting accountant for a permanent role. The client realises that the role profile is a difficult one – someone ACA or ACCA with original practice background who is looking for their second move from practice, already having a role in industry.

We shortlisted 2 great options and the client agrees that they would like to arrange interviews in short order. We have told them that both are in play for other roles.

The client’s process.

Initial interview consisting of a presentation around key objectives in the role and around what the candidate’s envisage their first 3 – 6 months looking like. What they plan to bring in and how they would deliver specific projects etc. The second part of the first interview will be to discuss these with the FD.

The second interview? Aiming to drill into more depth about the candidate’s vision, aspirations and attributes relevant to the role and business they are interviewing for. There would be 2+ representatives from our client and a good opportunity for open, two-way questions from the candidates and the client.

Then a decision would be made, with an initial verbal offer and a ‘meet the team’ opportunity.

Example ‘B’.

A global corporate and valued client has been looking for a qualified accountant to work in their Global Head Office. Specific criteria mean that FBP and analysis skills are essential requirements.

The client’s interview process?

After shortlisting just two exceptional applicants, a first interview was conducted with the overall line manager for the team. This detailed interview enabled the manager to ask incisive questions around the candidate’s expectations, where they wanted their career to develop and why they would be great for this role.

The second interviews, which have just been concluded, consisted of online interviews with senior stakeholders the relevant candidates would be working with should they be successful! The client’s stakeholders were able to give a ‘warts and all’ appraisal of the role, the good, the bad and the ugly if you like!

The line manager specifically wanted this honesty in the process, and we entirely agree!

Then there would be a ‘de-brief’ with the feedback discussed internally and an offer of employment to one of the candidates within 24-36 hours. As the preferred recruitment partner for our client – we are completely aligned with their process, can ensure our candidates are aware of timelines and everyone’s expectations can be fully managed.

For lower level/ more junior roles across transactional finance, swift interview processes with agreed timelines are equally important to ensure that good candidates are not lost due to quicker recruitment processes elsewhere.

Key points to take away:

According to a survey 62% of finance professionals say they lose interest in a jobif they don’t hear back from the employer within two weeks – or 10 business days – after the initial interview. That number jumps to 77% if there is no status update within three weeks. Our qualified recruitment team totally agrees!

26% of respondents to the survey said they would leave a negative comment anonymously on review sites if they felt like they were being strung along, potentially harming the chances for the company to attract top talent down the road.

If a company is indecisive, it can provide a candidate with crucial insight into the company’s culture. “If the decision-making process is this difficult for the organisation – if they’re not able to pull the trigger after three or four interviews and you’ve done everything asked of you and they’re still unsure – then that’s a key indicator of what it might be like to work for that organisation and those managers,”

An often missed point in a recruitment process is that the process itself is an opportunity for the employer brand to really shine!

Not just to the successful candidate but to all candidates who are part of the process.

A good, professional recruitment process can provide a glowing image of the business and the way they conduct themselves. This can mean increased perception in the market as an employer brand of choice and can create an appetite in potential hires that they want to work for such a great company that take their employee selection process seriously.

It can also create an appetite amongst key recruitment partners whether internal recruiters, external HR professionals or specialist recruitment agencies/ consultants that this is a great company to flag to talented new applicants/ candidates.

“So, be Astute and to recruit the best

candidate for your opportunity.

Make your recruitment process the

best, smoothest and most efficient it can be.”

You could be attracting an A Player of the future, even a business referral!

Our Qualified Team are happy to give confidential advice if you are a client thinking about a potential recruitment process, or if

you have any other questions around recruitment.

Our Qualified Recruitment Team: –

Andy Lilliman – Recruitment Manager

Qualified Permanent – City of London & Greater London [email protected]

Richard Bowe

Interim Qualified – East Midlands [email protected]

Tom Norton

Qualified Permanent South Derbyshire, South Notts, Staffordshire [email protected]

Harry Langridge

North Derbyshire, North Notts

[email protected]

Matthew Morgan

Nottingham City Centre and Central Notts [email protected]

This topic is discussed in more detail with some great comments from actual people – from recruiters to real candidates – discussing their experiences: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210727-the-rise-of-never-ending-job-interviews

The University of Derby has invited Midlands businesses to sign up to
employee mental health support scheme, and we are taking part too!

Businesses across the Midlands are being offered the chance to boost productivity by working with the University of Derby to provide better mental health support for employees and here at Astute Recruitment Ltd – we are delighted to announce that we will be using this vital and important service for our team.

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot will see the implementation of new workplace interventions at pilot organisations and the rollout of existing approaches in small, medium and large businesses across the Midlands Engine region.

The programme aims to:

contribute to the reduction of mental health distress
break down the barriers to accessing care faced by people experiencing mental illness
support their continuation in and return to work
make a positive contribution to organisational productivity, in terms of wellbeing and economic outcomes

Dr Paula Holt, Pro Vice-Chancellor Dean of the College of Health and Social Care at the University of Derby, said: “The cost to the economy of mental health across the Midlands could be in excess of £45bn this year. Yet research shows that for every £1 invested in supporting the mental health of employees, the return to the employer in productivity is £5. Those returns are greater still when employers take preventative, rather than reactive, steps to help their staff.”

Around 1,900 employers took part in the first phase of project, exploring the issues of how mental health and wellbeing are currently dealt with in the workplace and its impact on performance.

Around a third of those taking part reported sickness absence among staff due to mental health issues, and a similar proportion recorded presenteeism, particularly in the hospitality and business services sectors.

Factors negatively affecting mental health of employees include: –

Lone or remote working
Client expectations on time, quality and cost
Job insecurity
Recruitment practices

Dr Holt added: “A healthy and inclusive workplace is essential for all businesses, so providing appropriate support for employees, creating a culture of openness and tackling discrimination and stigma, will help to remove some of the barriers to growth and development for firms.

“The research we have carried out shows that employers recognise that understanding how to address mental health issues effectively can boost morale, engagement and motivation, but also reveals that they are not always sure where to obtain the help they need.”

The pilot will link employers directly to initiatives such as Every Mind Matters, This is Me and Mental Health First Aid, which all provide expert guidance. Once embedded into an organisation, the guidance aims to help reduce the prevalence of mental health difficulties and increase productivity among the workforce.

The University is now offering businesses of all sizes and from all sectors in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Stoke and Staffordshire, Shrewsbury and Shropshire, and Herefordshire the opportunity to work with them integrate effective mental health provision into their organisation.

Training courses which not only help to raise awareness but could be used to support continuing professional development (CPD) are also available.

Businesses taking part will be asked to commit to an initial meeting to discuss how the programme would work for their company, creating a roadmap for its success, and promoting their commitment to the pilot in the workplace.

To find out more about the pilot, visit the MHPP website: https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/midlands-engine-mental-health-and-productivity-pilot/

Why Mental Health Matters

Why mental health matters now, more than ever

We all have mental health, and just like physical health, this can fluctuate throughout our lives. If we cast our minds back to life before the pandemic, 1 in 6 UK workers are affected by mental health each year (Deloitte Research, 2020). Stress, depression, and anxiety account for almost half of working days lost.

With new stressors, including health anxieties, social anxieties, returning to the workplace, bereavement, pressures of caring responsibilities and other challenges brought about by the pandemic, there has never been a more important time to prioritise mental health and wellbeing.

There is so much information out there around mental health that Astute Recruitment have worked with the University of Derby and the Mental Health and Productivity Pilot, to pull together tips and resource that you may find beneficial.

TIPS FOR MANAGING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Talk about your feelings – these are valid and by acknowledging them you can take control and use a variety of techniques. Talking about your feelings can help you stay in good mental health and deal with times when you feel troubled.

Keep active – Regular exercise can boost your self-esteem and can help you concentrate, sleep, and feel better. Exercise keeps the brain and your other vital organs healthy and is also a significant benefit towards improving your mental health.

Eat well – Your brain needs a mix of nutrients in order to stay healthy and function well, just like the other organs in your body. A diet that’s good for your physical health is also good for your mental health.

Drink Sensibly- We often drink alcohol to change our mood. Some people drink to deal with fear or loneliness, but the effect is only temporary. When the drink wears off, you feel worse because of the way the alcohol has affected your brain and the rest of your body. Drinking is not a good way to manage difficult feelings.

Keep in touch -There’s nothing better than catching up with someone face to face, but that’s not always possible. You can also give them a call, drop them a note, or chat to them online instead. Keep the lines of communication open: it’s good for you!

Ask for help – None of us are superhuman. We all sometimes get tired or overwhelmed by how we feel or when things don’t go to plan. If things are getting too much for you and you feel you can’t cope, ask for help. Your family or friends may be able to offer practical help or a listening ear.

Take a break!

A change of scene or a change of pace is good for your mental health.It could be a five-minute pause from cleaning your kitchen, a half-hour lunch break at work, or a weekend exploring somewhere new. A few minutes can be enough to de-stress you. Give yourself some ‘me time’.

Do something you’re good at.

What do you love doing? What activities can you lose yourself in? What did you love doing in the past? Enjoying yourself can help beat stress. Doing an activity you enjoy probably means you’re good at it, and achieving something boosts your self-esteem.

Accept who you are.

We’re all different. It’s much healthier to accept that you’re unique than to wish you were more like someone else. Feeling good about yourself boosts your confidence to learn new skills, visit new places and make new friends. Good self-esteem helps you cope when life takes a difficult turn.

Some websites / apps you might find useful : –

Every Mind Matters Get Your Mind Plan – Every Mind Matters – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Every Mind Matters offers a range of useful resources including information on signs of common mental health issues, practical self-care tips, and where to seek further support. It has a free NHS-approved online tool which will help you build a self-care action plan to deal with stress and anxiety, boost your mood, improve your sleep and help you feel more in control. Complete the Mind Quiz to get free resources, tools, information and signposting to help manage your mental health

Zen Buddy App

The Zen Buddy App offers support to individuals struggling with mild to moderate depression, anxiety, stress, as well as preventing mental health problems and post-treatment condition management. Whether it’s struggling to concentrate on work tasks due to the intrusive sadness/depression from having had a close bereavement; managing excessive demands/anxiety/stress, juggling work and home life, owing to the individual’s lack of assertiveness skills; or feeling under-valued and not having the respect of colleagues due to lacking emotional intelligence, Zen Buddy brings skills and techniques to your fingertips, and is ready to spring into action and help your workforce achieve positive mental health.

Anyone interested in signing up for the app, please email: [email protected]

Mental Health Charity MIND Home | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems

The MIND website has a wealth of information around managing your own mental health, supporting others, guides and resources, and accessing support services local to you.

Interested in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of your workforce?

The Mental Health and Productivity Pilot (www.mhpp.me) is funded by the Midlands Engine, offering businesses of any size and sector free support and guidance around enhancing the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce.

The programme aims to:

contribute to the reduction of mental health distress
break down the barriers to accessing care faced by people experiencing mental illness
support their continuation in, and return to, work
make a positive contribution to organisational productivity, in terms of wellbeing and economic outcomes

The University of Derby are supporting businesses across the D2N2, Stoke and Staffs, and the Marches by rolling out by working closely with key individuals within the business to ensure they have the confidence to open-up conversations around mental health, the training and resources to enable them to effectively signpost staff and strategies to enhance the culture within their organisation, ensuring it is a supportive environment for staff to open up about mental health.

If you are interested in hearing more, please complete the enquiry form on our landing page: –

https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/midlands-engine-mental-health-and-productivity-pilot/

And always remember, its OK to talk about mental health at work.

Someone is there to listen to you.

“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: –

Do you have ‘FORTO’ – fear of returning to the office?

Apparently, many of us do.

A survey of 2000 UK office workers commissioned by the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM) in March this year revealed 31% felt their employer was pressuring them to return leading to feelings of anxiety and stress.

IWFM’s ‘Returning to work’ research provides key insights into the thoughts, experiences, attitudes and concerns of the UK’s office workers as employers seek to establish new ways of working and wider adoption of hybrid working post-COVID-19.

Key takeaways from IWFM’s

‘Returning to the workplace’ research: –

The majority of UK employees expect a move to hybrid working
The vast majority of employees will expect a level of ‘hybrid’ working in the future – with nearly half (44%) of the workforce planning to work from the office for 3 days or fewer a week.
63% of employees now believe the office to be unnecessary – a rise of a fifth since the first lockdown (51%).
The demand for hybrid working is particularly strong for younger staff, with two-thirds (66%) of 18-24-year-olds admitting that not being offered flexible work patterns would cause them to look for a new job.
More than a third (38%) of this demographic felt their employer is pressuring them to return to the office – risking losing new talent.

As Chris Moriarty, Director of Insight at the Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management comments: ‘More than a year on, we continue to see employers striving to strike the right balance between remote and office working. The benefits of the office have not been forgotten, yet we continue to become accustomed and comfortable with our home working routines.

‘The truth is home versus office working should not be viewed as a binary choice between focus and connection. A true commitment to ‘hybrid working’ will give employees and employers flexibility to work in a way that is best suited to them – allowing them to reap the productivity and social benefits of both home and office working environments, how and when it best suits their needs. Employers should now make every effort to provide staff with genuine choice to perform their role wherever they feel their performance would be best supported – adapting the office space, incentives and policies to reflect the changing nature of the workspace environment.’

Over three-quarters (79%) of 18-24-year-olds believe that they will be equally as productive or more productive working from home.

This demographic is also working the most unpaid overtime from home – on average 11.6 extra hours a week – and has invested on average nearly £300 in creating a suitable working environment at home.

From speaking to all levels of accountancy and finance professionals our team has experienced most finance workers say that COVID has illustrated that most of their role can be effectively performed working from home. Finance Directors, CFOs, and Heads of Finance have said time and again that thanks to the implementation of additional technology and ‘smart working’ practices, their view is hybrid working – a blend of wfh and in the office – is here to stay.

Our view is that employers need to be flexible according to the sector of work employees are engaged in. Certain sectors – Sales, Creative/ Media, and others – need the face to face collaboration to bounce ideas off each other. Other sectors are able to be totally independent of the office environment, but for training and mental health reasons, a flexible approach is key.

Not so much cause for fear of returning to the office, more an opportunity for increased staff engagement and for managers to implement a great blend of flexibility that addresses individual’s needs and allow for continued business success.

How to settle into a new job & prepare to return to the office… They aren’t that different!

Settling into a new job in lockdown – and preparing for a return to the office are not that different. We help highlight tips on transitioning employees back to the office, or wfh after furlough.

Cast your mind back 12 months. The first lockdown meant businesses, and employees were in survival mode. Most employers relied on the Government’s furlough scheme to remain in business, and keep their talented teams together with little or no revenue. But, as things began to settle down, companies pivoted, adapted, and improvised creating new ways to operate.

Hiring slowly returned.

Now, as we look ahead with optimism returning to the recruitment sector we’ve seen increasing demand for accountancy professionals at all levels. From transactional to qualified and part qualified accountants, Finance Analysts, Management Accountants, finance business partners, and more.

The Labour Market Outlook from the CIPD revealed overt half (56%) of employers planned to recruit in Q1 2021. We’ve certainly been busy.

With recruitment appetites returning, successful candidates have been faced with the challenge of starting a new job whilst in lockdown. How have they coped?

Starting a new job remotely via Ms Teams, Zoom or other.

Starting a new job is a daunting prospect at the best of times, but being removed from the usual office workplace has made it an almost surreal experience.

Jessica Doyle who joined The Irish Times digital team during the first lockdown said this of the strange situation: “The funny thing about starting a new job remotely during the coronavirus pandemic is that all the usual social rigmarole of the occasion goes out the window.

“Everything you learn about making a good first impression – give a firm handshake, introduce yourself to everyone, make eye-contact – means nothing as you’re reduced to a disembodied head on a screen.”

The connectivity provided by online platforms including Zoom and Microsoft Teams has been a critical tool working from home, but nothing totally replicates face to face human interaction when you are trying to integrate in a new environment.

In Lockdown 1.0, the Zoom craze was a catch-all, adopted by all with huge enthusiasm.

Companies held online events. Quiz nights and virtual drinks became routine.

However, as time dragged on, ‘Zoom fatigue’ set in, with online socialising becoming rarer.

Now as we near the end of lockdown 3.0, many are admitting It has become harder to make connections in this latest lockdown.

Think of a pre-covid first day in a new job. At your new office, you would be bombarded with new information, meeting too many people all at once.

Usually you get a bit of time at your new desk to chat to your new office colleague(s), or accept an invitation to join them at lunchtime and bond.

This is the biggest challenge for new starters, to gain sense of belonging without spontaneous office chit-chat – the so-called ‘water cooler’ moments.

Instead, faced with a screen full of strangers, it’s harder to build personal relationships. Virtual conversations can be stilted & open to misinterpretation. In bigger groups, the louder characters tend to dominate virtual group discussions.

One saving grace of Zoom is that, at least, you can see everyone’s names at the bottom of their screens, avoiding first-day embarrassment of forgetting your new colleagues’ names! 🤣🤣

It is understandable to feel a bit of an outsider without physically meeting colleagues. You could easily assume everyone knows each other well (often incorrectly) and that you are on the fringes. An office or workplace is a social environment. Taking the social aspect away, can create feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Add to this the nagging worry about whether you are making a good impression. Away from an environment of instant feedback, how can know how you are doing?

Stanford University Professor Nicholas Bloom states how new staff struggle with unspoken rules: – from, ‘How many hours do people really work?” to, “When is it acceptable to take a break”, and “What do I wear on my first day?”.

Bloom raises the issue of ‘over-communication’. Where a new recruit will endlessly send unnecessary emails and Slack or WhatsApp messages just to highlight the fact that they’re still there.

Its never been so vital to have an onboarding plan, AND a ‘reset’ for existing staff returning to the office.

As it is so much more difficult for new employees to integrate, it is incumbent on the manager or business owner to implement an effective onboarding process. Extra thought needs to go into integration of new starters. From installing company ethics and ways of working, as well as the specific requirements of the job role.

Global management consultants, ‘The Boston Consulting Group’, calculates that companies that have effective onboarding processes in place achieve 2.5 times more revenue growth AND 1.9 times the profit margin as opposed to organisations with poor onboarding strategies.

Employee onboarding is a series of activities which educate new hires how to get to know their team and learn about the company’s attitudes, methods, rituals, and tools. For a new employee it’s an opportunity to get used to a unknown environment.

Onboarding can consist of formal training, workshops, and video calls, as well as shadowing people on the team and organised introductions. It can be a long, immersive process that lasts several months after initial induction sessions.

While a line manager may be the direct source of onboarding, the process should include meeting colleagues, by arranging video calls or assigning a ‘buddy’ to the new hire to provide vital support in those initial months.

A new starter should expect a proper and friendly introduction to the new company, but sometimes the new employee may need to reach out for help. In such a case, it is certainly worth asking a manager for introductions with other team members.

You should never be left alone to your own devices when starting a new job. If you are, then perhaps this isn’t the firm that deserves your services.

Preparing for the big return.

If all goes well, virtually all restrictions will come to an end by 21st June, and the big work from home experiment will come to an end. Although many people will continue to wfh, some of the time, most will return to the office in some capacity.

It may come as quite a shock.

While some people are counting down the days to freedom, others will be looking at the return with trepidation. Many of us have become quite reclusive during the lockdowns, and the social skills we used to take for granted can quickly become rusty.

Kelly Feehan, services director at wellbeing charity CABA, says, “Returning to the workplace after such a long period of time working from home will be tough for the majority of us. But for the people who started a new job during lockdown, and the working from home period that followed, it’s bound to be an even more daunting experience.”

In many ways, it will be like going through that awkward first day all over again. The only consolation is that everyone will be in the same boat.

Feehan says, “It’s hard to get a true sense of an organisation’s workplace culture when you’re working remotely, so you’ll want to spend some time reading the room and observing the different dynamics between your team members.”

The good news is that we pick up new habits and routines very quickly. Although we have become used to our own company, we are social animals by nature.

So, let’s celebrate! 👏👏👏 It’s nearly time to rejoin the human race and get back to near mormal!

Just make sure your existing staff and any new employees understand your expectations, and can access any help or support they may need.

Mary Maguire is one of the owners of accountancy specialist Astute Recruitment Ltd.

If you would like to see our company updates and industry insights, follow our LinkedIn page : – LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

Mary Maguire

Managing Director
Astute | Accountancy & Finance | HR | Office Support

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100
M: 07717 412911

#BeAstute – Childrens Mental Health Week 2021 “I’m enough as I am said the boy”

What inspires children can so often inspire all of us…

“What’s your best discovery?” asked the mole.

“that I’m enough as I am” said the boy.

I love this quote by Charlie Mackesy in his award-winning 2019 book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse.

My son was given this book to inspire him and all the then year, 6 pupils, in his school.

He’s kept it.

The other day, he came up to me in my upstairs bedroom (aka ‘office’ 🤣) and said,

“Mum, this is a really great book!”.

“Can I have a read?” I asked.

” ‘course you can Mum, but I want it back!”

Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye as I read beautiful and moving pearls of wisdom. Whilst written a couple of years ago, this is a timeless, wonderful book for kids and adults alike.

The gentle words wash over you, giving you a warm hug of reassurance.

And we all need a hug right now. ❤️❤️

Thank you Ashbrook Junior School!

Thank you Charlie Mackesy for creating such a heartwarming, wise and beautiful book.

A book for the best of times, and the hardest of times too. It’s a brilliant book to recommend to all those parents working from home for their children, especially during this special children’s week dedicated to raising awareness of child mental health.

It’s a beautiful, and rare book that can befriend a child and also captivate adults too.

A lot of parents are struggling to juggle their work and jobs from home whilst overseeing their children’s schoolwork at the moment. As a parent and an employer of staff with children, its really important to highlight and recommend great opportunities to help hardworking parents reassure their kids.

There is a great organisation called Children’s Mental Health Week

where you can access a video from their Royal Patron, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge’s video message to mark the start of the week.

Their Virtual Assembly with BAFTA and Oak National Academy is now available to view and share – featuring Jodie Whittaker, Oti Mabuse, Matthew Lewis, and many more…

If you would like to read more articles and posts on employment, recruitment, careers, mental health, and more, please follow Mary and our company page for Astute Recruitment Ltd on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Mary Maguire

Managing Director
Astute | Accountancy & Finance | HR | Office Support

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100
M: 07717 412911

E: [email protected]

W: www.astuterecruitment.com

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

LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

6 ‘astute’ Interview questions and answers to help you get a job in a pandemic

With interview requests and new jobs taken by our team at Astute Recruitment, it’s great to share some pointers for candidates about to enter the job market to give them an edge on interview.

Imagine, you’ve been selected for a job interview! Well done! It’s always great news, but especially so in such challenging times. But preparing for a job interview might be trickier than usual, too.

It would be a little weird if you and your interviewer didn’t acknowledge the global pandemic going on.

You’ll probably be doing your interview remotely, online, at least the first interview, and it’s also likely that you’ll be starting work remotely.

The people and business you’re interviewing with won’t be operating as normal, plus you’ll have to navigate different ways to work together.

Apart from the obvious, (ensuring you’re wearing smart clothes, and your Zoom background looks tidy & professional), preparing for an interview means being ready to answer some different questions. So, what can you expect to be asked?

1. How are you feeling?

It’s normal to start off an interview with an icebreaker, but in the pandemic, small talk can take on a deeper meaning.

For an interviewer, it’s a way to gauge the tone of the interview. Some candidates’ replies might reveal they are struggling, whereas others will take the question much more lightly. In either case, there is no shame in acknowledging how the Covid-19 crisis is affecting you. The worst thing would be if a candidate came across as too disconnected from the situation, which could be a hint as to empathy skills or lack of.

The pandemic is impacting people emotionally, and for an employer to ask this question, shows they care. If you are asked this question, you should show you understand the situation and are adapting to it. You shouldn’t just use the same answers that you had prepared pre-pandemic, as if you were still in a typical office setting.

2. How are you handling your work-life balance?

If you can keep a healthy work-life balance, it shows a potential employer that you’re able to manage your time independently, and be organised.

Working from home is set to continue for a lot of us for the foreseeable, meaning employers are looking for these qualities,

Companies and hiring managers need to know that even if you don’t have a team around you sitting in an office, you ARE going to be able to work by yourself, can be trusted to wfh independently and autonomously.

This doesn’t have to mean that you’re calendar-blocking each hour of your day. But this question is a prime opportunity to highlight how you can, and have been able to work productively.

In an online interview, it’s an opportunity to also build a bond as you can reflect back a question to your interviewer, e.g.”I’ve found it’s key for me to factor in a 20 minute slot to excerise /walk the dog/ play with kids. I find this improves my feelings of wellbeing and makes me more focused and productive working for the rest of the day. What works for you?”.

3. Have you learnt any new skills since March last year?

This isn’t a trick question. Recruiters

wouldn’t be put off if a candidate said they had struggled with motivation or finding time to learn at the beginning of lockdown.

Instead, they’d welcome and expect some honesty about what they’ve learnt about themselves during the pandemic.

You don’t have to pretend you’ve been on some kind of productivity marathon if you haven’t. Of course employers will want to know if you’ve added any professional skills to your CV, but talking about hobbies you’ve picked up or personal lessons you’ve learnt helps to give interviewers a glimpse of your personality and a real glimpse of you.

For instance, what you learnt about yourself could be how you discovered a new skill or the ability to step back from something. It doesn’t need to be professional, it can be something more personal.

But, how do you answer if you can’t think of anything you’ve learnt in the past few months?

Something as simple as trying out a new recipe counts. Most of us have discovered some new culinary skills 🤣.

4. What’s your ‘work-from-home set-up like?’

Potential employers have every right to ask about a candidate’s home working environment. Especially making sure that potential employees have a computer with internet access, that they have access to a telephone or a landline, and asking about the reliability of their wifi signal

Employers need to know that you have the equipment you need to do the job you are being interviewed for. However, they are aware that few of us have the perfect WFH set-up. Don’t be afraid to mention any challenges you’ve faced working from home, and how you’ve found solutions to work around them.

This is a good question for employers to ask candidates to see how creative they can be, and how they’re dealing with and have adapted to the current situation.

5. “We’re all on Microsoft Teams/ Slack/ Google Hangouts. Have you used it before?”

Of course, if your interview is on a platform you haven’t used before, you’ll want to test it out beforehand to make sure you know how to use it.

It’s also worth getting to know the main digital communication tools that are popular with businesses. Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Slack and Zoom are all free to download and experiment with.

Some great advice to all candidates, is to be organised and prepared with the tech that they could be using if they are offered a job.

Lots of companies used digital communication tools before the pandemic. They’re just using them even more now. If candidates are unfamiliar with them they should definitely look them up & try them out before interviewing for a new job.

For employees who have started looking for a job after several years, this is a really useful tip.

6. Do you have any questions for us?

Pre-pandemic and lockdown, candidates would go into the office, meet a couple of members of the team. They’d get all of the contextual information before being offered the job and deciding whether to accept it.

Now, with largely online interviews, applicants don’t have all of the sensory, physical experiences through Candidates who have managed to get an interview aren’t getting the complete view of companies they’re applying for.

To counteract this, ask a lot of questions during your interview to get a clear idea of how the company works, the office culture and how you’ll work with different teams and individuals.

For starters, ask questions about training, daily tasks and communication methods. It’s equally important to ask about potential colleagues and hierarchy. This may mean clarifying who you would report to or who you can ask for help when you need it. Alternatively, it might mean taking a more informal approach to interviewing altogether.

A great suggestion for candidates is to ask, “If possible, could I have a virtual lunch with the team that I could be working with, just so I can get to know them—maybe not so much in a professional sense, but in a more casual, informal way?“

You could ask to have one-on-one meetings with potential future team members as part of the interview process. This shows you take the future culture of your potential colleagues seriously.

Companies should be understanding about these requests.

It’s really key that candidates meet more people, especially now. Particularly so if companies add a few more steps to the recruitment process. This can give applicants the confidence to be happy if they go on to secure a job offer.

Remember, it’s not just the candidate who has to adapt to the recruiter, but the recruiter who has to understand it’s a different situation for applicants too!

If you have questions around this topic or would like more information about this or something else, feel free to contact our MD, Mary Maguire, by email on [email protected]

An article by Mary Maguire, Managing Director
Astute Recruitment Ltd

Suite One, Ground Floor West, Cardinal Square, 10 Nottingham Road, Derby, DE1 3QT

T: 01332 346100

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

LI: www.linkedin.com/company/astute-recruitment/

Astute tips on the Extended Furlough scheme

So, as we find ourselves in another Lockdown, what is the advice for employers and their employees on this adaptation of the Government’s original Furlough Scheme? Here, we try and break these down and provide some useful links for more detailed advice and webinars.

HMRC have published full revised guidance about the extended Coronavirus Job Retentions Scheme – i.e. the Furlough Scheme. This has now been extended to March 31st 2021.

The key changes for furlough claim periods from November and beyond are as follows: –

The UK Government are currently reviewing if employers could be eligible to claim for their employees serving contractual or statutory notice periods and will change the approach for claim periods starting on or after December 1st. Further guidance is to be published at the end of November. As things stand, employers may claim the grant for notice periods.

In the cases of Employers claiming for an employee for the period from November 1st retrospectively, only backdated written agreements put in place up to and including November 13th may be relied upon for the purposes of a claim. In simple terms, this means employers should ensure written furlough agreements are in place by November 13th if they are wanting to claim the grant retrospectively from November 1st.

After December 2020, the names of employers who claim under the Furlough Scheme for the month of December onwards and, for employers that are registered Companies or Limited Liability Partnerships, both the company name and registration number will be published by HMRC, so that this information will be in the public domain.

Should an employee decide to end their maternity leave early to enable them to be furloughed, they must give their employer at least eight weeks’ notice of their return to work and the employer will not be able to furlough them until the end of the eight weeks.

USEFUL LINKS: –

Top Accountancy firm, Dains, have compiled a number of useful HMRC advice and areas for businesses to focus on including: –

· Time to Pay – HMRC

· Raising finance

· COVID-19 Business Interruption Loan Scheme

· COVID-19 Bounce Back Loan Scheme

· COVID-19 Job Retention Scheme – A Practical Guide (Check out our Top Tips)

· COVID-19 Job Retention Bonus

· COVID-19 The Self Employment Income Support Scheme

· Financial forecasting

· Grant applications, loans and funding

· Cash management and profit improvement

Have a look at Deloitte’s upcoming webinars on COVID-19: –

3 December 2020
The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business

The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, and business

17 December 2020
The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business#
For the latest Government advice and support: –

Click on this link for help and support if your business is affected by COVID-19 from the Government’s website

To keep up to date with the latest developments on COVID-19, advice to employers, businesses, and employees, please follow our company page on LinkedIn HERE.

You can also follow us on FaceBook HERE

On Twitter by following astute_recruit

& Instagram HERE

Astute Recruitment Ltd share our top 10 tips for managing stress and anxiety

As England heads into a second national lockdown, we provide some tips for working from home during this stressful time, and hope this helps those feeling anxious, worried or struggling generally.

Stress Awareness Day, falls today, 4th November 2020. It was created by the Founder of International Stress Management Association (ISMA) Carole Spiers in 1998.

Carole is speaking at an online Stress and Wellbeing Summit, covering stress management, workplace wellbeing and how to develop resilience during unprecedented times, as a result of the pandemic.

In this ‘new normal’, companies, and their staff face massive challenges with millions of people once again asked to work from home – some for the first time in their lives.

Carole Spiers said, “With over half of adults reporting that their mental health worsened during the first lockdown (MIND Survey, June 2020), it’s more important than ever to get wellbeing working for home-workers.”

We are sharing ISMA’s 10 tips on working from home productively with a few extra pointers we all learned at Astute Recruitment in the last lockdown: –

1/ Dress as though you are going to work.

Finding a daily routine is proven to help anxiety and stress. Find a place that is exclusively yours during working hours. Get dressed every morning, at the same time. Don’t stay in pyjamas and slippers every day. If you need to make or attend video calls, you need to be dressed for the camera.

2/ Be open to adapting to change

People are creatures of habit and often do not like changes to our daily routines. Now we find ourselves in the current changing situation, we must be able to adapt, be open to adapt and get used to change quickly. Try and think positively about ways you can use your time in isolation most productively.

3/ Try exercising and eating healthily

Every day build some time for exercise. This can just be a short stroll or an online fitness class. Diarise this. Make this something to break up your day and change your focus away from ‘work’. Be aware of what you are eating and try and eat more healthily. You can pre-plan your meals and get creative with your cooking if some food items aren’t easily available.

Stock up on some staples that you can mix and match to knock something together easily. Don’t forget that frozen vegetables retain their goodness and vitamins much longer than freshly bought items.

4/ Using IT to keep in touch

When you are used to working with others, it is not easy being by yourself. Make full use of video/ online meetings, video calls and phone apps to stay in touch with colleagues and others in your circle. At Astute in the last lockdown, our team whether furloughed or not, said that their highlight of the day during lockdown was our daily zoom meeting. It wasn’t about work, it was about talking and seeing each other and really helped everyone. Whether working from home or not, to have a daily time to look forward to catching up with friends at work, (albeit in their homes!) can provide a real highlight to your day and ‘lift’ your spirits.

5/ Make it easier to work with family at home

Having to work with small children, older kids, and partners/ husbands/ extended family at home doesn’t help you to concentrate. But what can you do? If you have a partner, share the load. If you live alone with children, get them occupied with an activity before you start to work. Build a routine, a day plan that the kids can get used to, and share this in the kitchen on a wallchart or whiteboard. If everyone understands when ‘Mummy or Daddy’ needs to be working – it is easier to have that time alone.

6/ Plan work in blocks of time

Normal office hours between – 9 – 5 might not work in Lockdown and working from home. If you have children, you may choose to work in the evening as well, or very first thing before the kids get up and get a couple of hours admin out of the way. There is nothing wrong with this and this helped a number of our team with kids or partners, to manage their day, give them structure and help them be really productive.

It is essential to build in breaks where you can step away from your bedroom/ kitchen table or if you are very lucky – your home office 😊 Set your alarm on your mobile so that you have regular meal times and just even 5-minute breaks to go and make a cuppa. With no usual office banter or typical office distractions, it can be all too easy to zone out and suddenly realise hours have gone by and you haven’t eaten anything!

Make sure you take regular breaks and set yourself goals during the day.

7/ Keep in touch with friends!

It can be really lonely working from home. With no distractions from your friends in the office as usual, think of someone you can ‘buddy’ up with. We are all social creatures and thrive with social interactions. Having a ‘buddy’ to share experiences with and give each other support/ advice – is a brilliant idea and so good for your wellbeing (and sanity!). It can often give you a real lift. Get imaginative and have a ‘Friday drink’ at 4pm/ 5pm – or later in the evening – share a glass of wine, online!

8/ Get the balance right

There is no ‘one size fits all’ and recognising this is absolutely key.

What works for you does not necessarily work for someone else! Use trial and error until you find the right balance and don’t feel bad about getting it wrong a few times! Kids/ pets/ partners and life in general will still throw some curve balls.

If you do find certain things work – share your successes with friends and co-workers. You may just have the key to unlock some of their problems!

Talk to people used to working alone from the last lockdown. There may also be people you know who are used to working from home anyway. Contact them and ask what tips and ideas they can share. They will be glad to share if they know it will help you/ someone else!

9/ Have clear boundaries between ‘home/ family life’ and ‘work-life’

Every day, At the end of your ‘work’ day, switch off your computer. Tidy your desk and close the door.

This routine will become a daily habit and help with balancing your work time and home life.

Just as you would in a normal working week- you need to have clear boundaries between work time and home time.

10/ Get a good night’s sleep!

Worry and anxiety can often be a barrier to getting to sleep and having quality sleep.

The answer? Plan your bedtime. Make sure you have some downtime from work before you go to bed. Our brains are wired so that if they have been crunching numbers, solving problems and generally very active – they need some time to calm down.

Don’t eat rich foods or drink too much coffee after 8pm. And put down the Playstation/ social media feeds an hour before bedtime.

Have a regular time for bed! Whether you are a night-owl or rise with the lark, make sure you stick to a bedtime routine and go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Regular 7-hour sleep times will improve your mental health, make you more alert and more productive at work and at home!

Useful links:

https://isma.org.uk/

https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/about.html

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/stress/

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/

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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.

We give you example ‘A’.

Example ‘B’.

“So, be Astute and to recruit the best

candidate for your opportunity.

Make your recruitment process the

best, smoothest and most efficient it can be.”

You could be attracting an A Player of the future, even a business referral!

Our Qualified Team are happy to give confidential advice if you are a client thinking about a potential recruitment process, or if

you have any other questions around recruitment.

Our Qualified Recruitment Team: –

Andy Lilliman – Recruitment Manager

Richard Bowe

Tom Norton

Harry Langridge

Matthew Morgan

Other articles by Mary on career tips, business strategy, tips to recruit the right person and more are below!

The University of Derby has invited Midlands businesses to sign up to employee mental health support scheme, and we are taking part too!

Take a break!

Do something you’re good at.

Accept who you are.

Zen Buddy App

https://www.derby.ac.uk/business-services/midlands-engine-mental-health-and-productivity-pilot/

And always remember, its OK to talk about mental health at work.

Someone is there to listen to you.

Our Astute seafaring ode to accountants everywhere: –

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: –

Do you have ‘FORTO’ – fear of returning to the office?

Key takeaways from IWFM’s

How to settle into a new job & prepare to return to the office… They aren’t that different!

USEFUL LINKS: –

Top Accountancy firm, Dains, have compiled a number of useful HMRC advice and areas for businesses to focus on including: –

Have a look at Deloitte’s upcoming webinars on COVID-19: –

3 December 2020 The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business

17 December 2020 The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business#

To keep up to date with the latest developments on COVID-19, advice to employers, businesses, and employees, please follow our company page on LinkedIn HERE.

You can also follow us on FaceBook HERE

On Twitter by following astute_recruit

& Instagram HERE

1/ Dress as though you are going to work.

2/ Be open to adapting to change

3/ Try exercising and eating healthily

4/ Using IT to keep in touch

5/ Make it easier to work with family at home

6/ Plan work in blocks of time

7/ Keep in touch with friends!

8/ Get the balance right

9/ Have clear boundaries between ‘home/ family life’ and ‘work-life’

10/ Get a good night’s sleep!

Useful links:

The University of Derby has invited Midlands businesses to sign up to
employee mental health support scheme, and we are taking part too!

3 December 2020
The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business

17 December 2020
The COVID-19 webinar: health, economics, business#