#RecruitmentAgenciesDerby Archives

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

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

Do you know what time it is on your career clock?

How great things can happen when business people get together – a growth mindset really matters for business owners and hiring managers

From Abacus to AI – The history of ‘Accountancy’ and why its a great career choice!

How to manage a successful relationship with your recruitment consultant? Our ‘astute’ tips!

Why its OK to talk about mental health at work! New free initiative for East Midlands employers

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

Have you heard about our Triple-Point Guarantee? Article featured in AGENDA magazine’s Autumn Edition 2018

Astute Recruitment in Queen Street is re-inventing the way recruiters are seen with a unique ‘Triple Point Guarantee’, which offers clients £500 in cash should their vacancy not be filled in time.

The service is being offered to companies with a permanent role available which choose Astute as their sole recruiter for an agreed time period and is the first policy of its kind to be offered by a recruiter anywhere in the UK.

Mary Maguire, MD of Astute Recruitment said: “We really want to set ourselves apart from our competitors and demonstrate our commitment to offering value and high standards of service.”

“We work across the East Midlands with a great number of SME’s locally, so anything we can do to support our clients and make a real difference to their business, we will embrace and the Triple Point Guarantee is exactly that.”

“As well as the £500 payment, we also offer free replacements and pro-rata fee rebates if a candidate leaves the role in the first eight weeks of placement.”

“We pride ourselves on being able to place the right people in the right roles – this policy demonstrates how confident we are in this and gives clients peace of mind.”

Astute has worked to secure more than 1500 jobs for local businesses and is continuing to go from strength to strength, hiring three new consultants in the last six months and launching a highly successful commercial division.

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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.