Posted in Candidates, career advice, Charity Work, Clients, Jobseeker Advice

9^th November 2011

Senior hiring executives have been sharing their thoughts with Delyth Evans, CEO of our charity partner, ‘Dress for Success’ as to what makes a great candidate.

It seems that the received wisdom amongst those in the hiring hot seat is that it’s your attitude and enthusiasm in an interview that can transform you from a ‘maybe’ to a ‘must-hire’.

It’s a viewpoint which our own experience in PR recruitment supports. Having the mindset for success is the most important foundation for success in any job and clients who recognise this are rewarded with a better hire than those who simply focus on skill sets, experience or, even worse, more subjective reasons.

Here are some other things that we, recruiting companies and clients look for at interview (you may be surprised).

What’s Hot

• Employers and recruiters, generally speaking, don’t judge people solely on their CV, firstly because the CV may be embellished or skewed but also because two sides of A4 aren’t a true reflection of a candidates’ overall ability.

• Many employers only focus on the first half of a CV, so make sure that your personal and career history is given priority and compels the reader to want to know more.

• A candidate’s age is far less important than their attitude and outlook on life.

• Candidates who have taken a career break, most commonly taking time out to raise a family, aren’t precluded from the hiring process – far from it.  The important thing is that the candidate can relate transferable skills learned during this time to the job role in question, such as organisational skills, time-keeping and budgeting for example.

What’s Not

• Attitude may be all important, but make sure it’s the right kind. A negative attitude, even a hint of one, has only one outcome – ‘one strike and you’re out!’ regardless of skill set or experience.

• A candidate who goes to interview without knowing what the job entails or what the company does will not succeed. Do your research!

• Senior candidates who have fixed or set ideas.  Being able to demonstrate flexibility, team spirit and a desire to continue professional growth even at the highest levels will always be more appealing to clients than those who think they ‘know it all’ already.

• Senior level professionals who forget they need to ‘sell’ themselves and demonstrate their value as they’re used to their advice being taken and not questioned

• Employers rightly expect the candidate to be motivated to get that particular job. A candidate who indicates that their motivation is solely financial is not going to be successful. “I just want a job, I don’t really care what it is” will never win interviewing hearts over, either!

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Clients, Communications, Consumer, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, Jobseeker Advice, PR

Posted on 26th October 2011

We are always on the lookout for great networkers to join the works but, like PR, recruitment has a mixed reputation.  We thought we would give you an insight into why we love our jobs.

1. The role is a superb mix of relationship building, using all your resources and managing expectations
2. It’s great if have an enquiring mind and enjoy finding out about people
3. From banking to consumer brands, we meet fantastic people every day and get an insight into their world
4. It’s highly satisfying – you get out what you put in – and if you are driven you can build a great business
5. We love working as a team but you also have loads of autonomy and ownership
6. Constant change – no two days are the same and it’s challenging
7. It’s great to help build businesses and support people through their careers
8. We enjoy giving advice every day on anything from salaries to interview technique
9. We thrive on the challenge of matching people to opportunities and vice versa,  so you end up being a demon interviewer and become adept at reading people
10. It’s fun too!

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Charity Work, Clients, General News, Jobseeker Advice

Posted on 13th October 2011

As champions of best practice, we like to give credit where credit is due. Given the government’s desire to create the ‘Big Society’ and with less than a year to go before the Olympics, we wondered just how engaged the PR industry is with volunteering – a central tenet of corporate social responsibility.

The benefits of volunteering – to society and to the forward-thinking companies who put their money-where-their-mouth-is are manifold.

Christian Marroni, Head of Global Media Relations at the legal firm, Freshfields,  says: “Our CSR programmes have shown to provide our people with job satisfaction, motivation and a real sense of achievement.”

Whilst Freshfields CSR activities include helping developing countries tackle issues such as poverty, child mortality and climate change by providing pro bono advice and work to Save the Children and Oxfam for example, closer to home the firm’s investment programme of 50,000 hours of collective community and pro bono work – in which an impressive 39% of staff have been involved – has, in Christian’s own words, made ‘tremendous differences’ to the causes the firm supports.

“Since 2001, our ‘Ready for Work’ programme has provided 180 homeless clients with work placements at the firm, 45% of whom have gone on to gain full time employment, 15 of them at Freshfields itself.”

It’s clear that for Freshfields, their CSR programme is a win-win, for the beneficiaries and for their own employees’ continuing professional development.

“Such activities are a good way to met colleagues and can help develop skills such as adaptability, communication and leadership,” he says.

The award-winning boutique PR company, Threepipe, provides another shining example of a company embracing the benefits of volunteering, allowing every member of staff two extra days a year to devote to their cause of choice. As part of their vision to become the best place to work in the industry, the company signed up to LeapCR, an innovative online volunteering platform which helps and encourages all staff to find fundraising and volunteering activities they would like to support.

Alishia Chitolie, junior account executive says, “I think it’s great that Threepipe encourages us to get involved in volunteering, and I especially love the fact that we’re allowed extra time off work to make it happen. I think it sends a message that they care about their staff and about helping to give something back to the community, and it’s really rewarding for the team members to get involved.”

We also know from our own experience at The Works just how mutually rewarding volunteering can be. Since 2010, we’ve been involved with ‘Dress for Success’, a rapidly growing charity which works to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, interview training and a network of support and career development tools to help women thrive. Our consultants volunteer to conduct interview training sessions and provide practical career advice on helping them get back on the career ladder.

Sarah Leembruggen, the Work’s co-founder, says: “We come back buzzing from our days at Dress for Success and when we are told that the woman we have trained have secured a job, partly thanks to our training, you can’t help but smile.  We have made a real difference in someone’s future.”

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Clients, Communications, Consumer, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, Jobseeker Advice, PR

When a candidate recently reported being asked a very uncomfortable interview question that required shedding light on her private life, it got us thinking. Why, after the rafts of legislation aimed at preventing discrimination are seriously dodgy, inappropriate and occasionally, downright illegal questions still popping up across the interview table?

Working in communications, those doing the hiring (particularly PR and Marcomms agencies) are better than many other industries at knowing how to elicit information without straying on the wrong side of anti-discrimination law. We’d also like to stress that rogue interview questions ARE only being asked by a naughty few. But, as our candidate feedback demonstrates, there remains a significant proportion of interview questions that aren’t so much designed to help a candidate shine at interview as leave them wondering just what they would be if they were biscuit (we kid you not).

In the next few weeks, we’re going to be helping you to handle the most tricky interview questions so that whatever you’re faced with, you’ll be able to show yourselves off in the best light.

First up, interview question offender number 1:

“Do you have, or are you planning to have children in the near future?”

The good news about this potential can-of-worms question is clear: your interviewer is breaching sex discrimination legislation and you are in no way obliged to answer this.

Our suggestion would be to smile, raise an eyebrow, perhaps, and counter by saying, “You’re not allowed to ask me that, are you?” We feel this strikes a balance between cutting off the line of questioning without ruining your rapport.

Job done, right? Well, not necessarily. You see there’s a whole world of difference between those interviewers who are genuinely out-of-step with appropriate interview questions and their legality and those mavericks who ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’: rogue employers who are savvy about discrimination but perhaps not about ethics, so will try to elicit the answer by other means, the scoundrels! We’re talking the wolf in sheep’s clothing of interview tactics. For them, the question may be dressed up as:

“Tell me about your partner / background”, in the hope that you may lead them right up the path to nursery furnishings.

Again, these type of questions are interview no-no’s. There’s no law against finding out what makes an interviewee tick, but steer your interviewer to more neutral territory – and remember, the law is behind you. An interviewer shouldn’t be asking personal questions to try and determine whether you are married, or about your culture and (non-career) history, either. By all means provide information that will demonstrate that you are fit for task, but there’s no imperative to furnish it with insights gained from your personal life.

Click here for further information about discrimination in the recruitment process.  If your interviewer continues to pursue avenues they shouldn’t, then they could be facing an Employment Tribunal, or action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

We find that’s usually enough to quiet even the most persistent interview offenders…

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Clients, Communications, Consumer, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, Media, PR, Technology PR

Just how happy are you in your career? If you were offered the ‘perfect’ role, would you leave your current position – and if so, when?  Who do you consider to be the ‘hot shot’ agency at the moment? These are just some of the questions we posed to over 650 PR professionals across the entire PR and communications spectrum, evenly split between in-house employees and those in PR consultancies, with some surprising results (which may explain why PR Week’s recent coverage)

On the whole, PR professionals seem a rather satisfied bunch when it comes to their careers, with 80% believing themselves to be ‘OK’ to ‘very happy’ in their current role and slightly more in-house professionals rating themselves as ‘generally happy’ compared to agency employees. Encouraging news indeed, particularly given the waves of redundancies and pay freezes of recent years.

That said, although just over a quarter (28%) of PRs are actively looking for another position, a whopping 60% would consider a ‘perfect’ role if approached. If that isn’t a stark warning for employers to look after their existing talent, we don’t know what is. Financial PR agencies should also be warned: of all the sectors, the difference between agency and their in-house counterparts was the most striking. Those employed by financial PR agencies were the most keen to move on with 44% ‘actively looking’ for other roles, whilst only 15% of those employed in in-house positions confessed they were looking for greener pastures.

When asked what were the principal reasons to move on, over a quarter (26%) of our respondents cited not being challenged in their current position as the most likely reason, followed by unsatisfactory pay (18%) and poor leadership (9%). However, the reasons for moving on depend largely on seniority, with 22.5% of juniors citing unsatisfactory pay as their principal reason for wanting to leave compared to 30% of seniors who cited being ‘no longer challenged’ as their main motivating factor in looking elsewhere.

And, whilst financial PRs might be the best rewarded when it comes to the monthly pay packet, it’s those in the Tech/Digital and Social Media sector (whose salaries are, generally speaking, on a par with those in corporate comms or healthcare) who are the ‘happiest’ in their careers according to our industry-wide poll. Those working in corporate PR agencies reported as being the least happy, although 73% of those polled still considered themselves to be OK to very happy.

There were also some results which confirm what we’ve known for the past two years, such as the desire for agency staff to secure an in-house position, perhaps because they’ve been overservicing whilst being under-resourced during and post recession.  The in-house comms role is still regarded as the Golden Egg, professionally speaking.

In addition, it is clear that the more senior your role, the happier you are. ADs to MDs in an agency and PR managers to Head of Comms in-house are happier than those in mid-level (AMs in an agency/PR officers in-house) and junior roles (AEs in an agency/PR executives in-house).

Seniority is also a factor in how aware an employee is of their company’s values and how engaged they feel with their employer as a result, with a strong suggestion that improvements in internal communications are necessary to build awareness and better engage junior and mid-level staff.  90 % of those polled were aware of their company’s values and how it impacted on their motivation yet a far greater proportion of senior staff classed themselves as being ‘very aware’ of and ‘very motivated’ by their company’s values (73% and 52.5% respectively) compared to junior and mid level workers (45% and 29% respectively).

As for the future of the economy and how it will impact on your sector, it seems that although the financial markets are in tailspin and the direction of George Osborne’s economic policy under ever-increasing scrutiny (even by members of his own party), most PR professionals are optimistic about the UK’s economic future, with only 17% believing the situation will worsen in the next 6 months. However, breaking the results down into sectors, we found that corporate and technology were the most optimistic, with a third reporting that they expected the economic situation to improve over the next six months, whilst those working in the financial services sector were more pessimistic, with over a quarter (27%) expecting the economic situation to worsen in the same period.

Read on to find out more about our exclusive results…

How happy are you in your role at the moment?

• 80% of all PR professionals are ‘OK’ to ‘very happy’ in their current role.
• Slightly more in-house professionals rate themselves as generally happy than agency employees (84% to 76%)
• Within agency practice, Tech/Digital/Social media are the happiest, with 85% being ‘OK’ to ‘very happy’. Corporate agencies are the least happy, although 73% are ‘OK’ to ‘very happy’.
• Those in more senior roles (ADs to MDs in an agency and PR managers to Head of Comms in-house) are happier than those in mid-level (AMs in an agency/PR officers in-house) and junior roles (AEs in an agency/PR executives in-house).

If you are looking for a move – what is the prime reason?

• The overall most common reason for wanting to leave is no longer feeling challenged, cited by 26% of respondents. The next most popular reason was unsatisfactory pay, at 18%. Poor leadership was then cited by 9%.
• 19% of agency employees want to move in-house, whereas just 1% of in-house workers want to move to an agency.
• The top reason for juniors and mid-level employees wanting to move was dissatisfaction with pay, cited by 22.5%. Of seniors, 30% said that they were no longer challenged.

If you would consider a move, when would you like this to be?

• 28% are actively looking for new roles; however, 60% aren’t actively looking but would consider a ‘perfect’ role if approached.
• Financial PR agency employees are most keen to move on: 44% are actively looking. At the other extreme, only 15% of in-house professional services PR employees are looking for a new job.

How aware are you of your company values and goals? How engaged do you feel with your employer and its goals?

• 90% of PR workers are aware of their companies’ values and goals, with a similar amount actively caring about them and motivated to contribute.
• A far greater proportion of senior staff was ‘very aware’ and ‘very motivated’ (73% and 52.5% respectively) than junior/mid-level workers (45% and 29% respectively).

How would you rate your company’s performance within your market at the moment out of 10? How would you rate your own performance at the moment out of 10?

• Those in Tech/Digital/Social media agencies rated their own companies’ performance the highest, with a mean rating of 8/10. In-house financial services employees were the most critical but still gave an average rating of 7/10.
• In-house employees in sectors other than professional/financial services rated their own performance the highest, at 8/10.)

How do you expect the economy to be 6 months from now?

• Overall, only 17% of PR professionals thought that the economy would be worse in 6 months’ time.
• Those in corporate and technology PR agencies were the most optimistic; a third expect the economic situation to improve in the next 6 months. Those working in-house in professional services businesses were the most pessimistic, with 27% predicting the economy to worsen in the same period of time.

Which agency springs to mind first as the hot shot PR agency of the moment?

These are the consultancies that came in first place –

Full Service – Edelman
Financial – FD
Corporate – Blue Rubicon
Consumer – Freud
Technology – Hotwire
Healthcare – Virgo
Public Affairs – APCO

Posted in Candidates, Clients, Communications, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, Jobseeker Advice, Media, PR, Technology PR

When Golin Harris announced their ‘complete redesign’ of the PR agency model last week, to be operating worldwide across 34 offices within 12 months, we admit, the reorganisation threw up questions about retention and recruitment, more than it answered.

Let’s recap. According to their website, the agency is now structured on what it terms ‘G4’ to focus on four key areas which president and CEO, Fred Cook, believes are ‘critical to communications’:

Strategists – the business analysts who focus on research and analytics;

Creators – those who produce content on behalf of clients and tell stories about the brand;

Connectors – channel experts who ‘engage consumer and business audiences’ and ‘merge social and mainstream media channels to share compelling stories’ and;

Catalysts – those ‘at the heart’ of the G4 model, such as account leaders or ‘change agents’ who execute client campaigns.

Whilst the agency believes the redesign (and redesigned job titles) will benefit clients by combining strategy, creativity and engagement ‘in one seamless package’, where will it leave employees who may find these redefined job roles don’t exist in any other agency when it comes to moving on? Do PR’s actually want to be this specialised when many current roles seem to require all-rounders? And how has this been received internally by current employees concerned about their ‘employability’ over the long term?

From a candidate’s point of view, the new structure allows for employees to play to their strengths and loves, such as senior consultants who love or hate media relations, which could be a real draw for talent. But equally true is that by specialising, becoming a pure strategist or creative for example, may be limiting their future career options (particularly for in-house moves) as the model isn’t reflective of the rest of the industry and clients are still hiring with an element of caution – they prefer to see similarities with skills and responsibilities. GH will have to move fast to communicate the benefits of the new model to future employees and recruitment companies, or face the very real possibility of a talent shortage in the longer term.

However, we also know that GH staffers have been very well briefed and kudos to the agency for doing an excellent PR job.  It seems that most people in the company are excited about the changes and that it may remove some of the internal politics come promotion time.

As part of the same group, we wonder where this leaves Weber Shandwick.   Perhaps changes are in the pipeline – Hill and Knowlton reorganised to become industry sector specialists, a move which seems to have worked well for them – or maybe, as a more conservative outfit, they prefer to stay as is – for now.

We look forward to hearing more about how the changes may impact on current and future employees over the next year. Until then, we, like everyone else, will just have watch and wait…

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Clients, Communications, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, PR, Technology PR

The Works recently hosted a Career Advancement Workshop for account executives and senior account executives.  The event gave attendees advice about how to develop their career, as well as offering them a chance to network with their peers and get tips on how to improve their CV.

In addition to this, we were keen to hear attendees’ feedback on how well they thought their employer managed their development and what they felt could be done better. Although it was a small survey pool, the results show that the PR industry is failing to invest enough time and resources to get the best out of their junior talent.

The survey reveals that account executives and senior account executives crave more support in the form of training and feedback on their progress from their employers so that they can better develop their talent and expertise within the industry. Above all the survey shows that across the board, agencies need to step up investment in their staff, not only financially (e.g. training courses) but also in terms of time, particularly at a more senior level.

Of those questioned, there was a direct correlation between the frequency with which executives met their line manager and how well they rated the way that their company managed their development. The 20% of PRs who rated their agency as ‘above average’ all had more frequent meetings with their line manager than anybody else, with meetings taking place either monthly or quarterly. By contrast, all those who said their employer managed their development ‘very badly’ met with their line manager only once a year, and all specifically mentioned the need for increased frequency of appraisals and better feedback on their progress as the key things they felt that they needed to help them develop.

On the subject of training, feedback once again showed that executives feel that more could be done to help them develop. As is to be expected, the majority of AEs and SAEs felt that they got the bulk of their training ‘on the job’ but felt that they (and indeed their employer) would benefit if investment in external and internal training was increased. Interestingly, over half admitted that their training was not tailored to their needs and consequently it didn’t help them to improve their weaker skills and grow as an account handler.

Indeed, when asked what one thing their employer could do to help them develop, over a third (35%) of attendees emphasised the need for more and better training, ideally in the form of external courses. This was followed closely by 30% claiming the need for better quality and more frequent feedback on development and goals, with a further 15% stressing that they felt that more support and involvement from senior staff would be beneficial to their development.

Clearly employers face the risk of losing good staff and one worrying sentiment amongst executives is that 95% would consider leaving, or indeed have left (25%), a role because they felt that their career development could have been handled better. Certainly a number of executives commented that they felt that they have not had access to the opportunities they need to develop, something they find hugely frustrating. Clearly more could be done by employers to support and retain their staff. Employers could benefit significantly from increasing the frequency of their meetings with employees, improving the quality of the feedback they give following an appraisal, and by setting more clearly defined goals and targets so that staff have something to work towards.

Following on from this survey The Works will be conducting an industry wide survey of JAEs, AEs, SAEs and JAMs to get a fuller picture of the situation around training and progression for executives in PR.  To add your voice to the discussion please take two minutes to complete this anonymous survey:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/rateyourtraining.  Everyone who completes the survey will be entered into a prize draw and twelve people will be picked at random to win a bottle of wine! The prize draw will happen at 12pm on Wednesday 20^th July so all entries must be submitted by then.

Posted in Candidates, Clients, Communications, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, General News, Jobseeker Advice, PR, Technology PR

Whether you’re gearing up for an important interview or just want to stay top of your professional game generally, the correct food and drink choices can help provide that competitive edge.

The benefits of oily fish and omega 3 have been well documented when it comes to boosting your brain power but there are many other super foods and drinks that can get your grey matter – and the rest of your body – into shape, according to the latest nutritional findings.

So, from what foods can help improve your memory, boost your immunity, improve energy levels, promote great sleep and even give you a flawless complexion,  we’ve collated some ‘do’s and don’ts’ to give you ‘food for thought’.

DO

Oil the grey matter. Our bodies’ most important organ, the brain, is largely made up of, you guessed it, fat, so keeping it well oiled is a crucial element in helping it operate to its maximum potential. Decreasing your saturates intake whilst increasing the level of essential omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is key to brain health, amongst numerous other important bodily functions. Sources include: salmon, mackerel, sardines and pilchards (organic is best to avoid un-needed toxins and hormones), nuts and seeds as well as eggs. As well as being high in omega 3, nuts and seeds have the added benefits of preventing poor memory and giving you glowing skin due to their vitamin E dense properties.

Go green to enhance your memory. Broccoli is great source of vitamin K, a lesser known vitamin, which not is not only essential for the blood’s clotting abilities, but has been found to enhance cognitive function and improve brainpower.  Sage, too, has long had a reputation for improving memory and although most studies focus on sage as an essential oil, it could be worth adding fresh sage to your diet, too.

Boost your immunity. There is nothing worse than waking up the day before an interview with a streaming cold, so taking preventative measures to boost your immunity during the run up is a smart move. Most people know that Vitamin C is key, but many don’t realise that there are a wide range of fruits and vegetables with a far higher and equivalent C content than an orange.   Berries, particularly blackcurrants and kiwis are all ‘c dense’, as are peppers, sweet potatoes and broccoli.

The principle mineral that protects the immune system is Zinc and is commonly lacking in the average diet due to its sensitivity to heat, caffeine and alcohol. Zinc rich foods include fish, meats and whole grains (basically anything brown rather than white such as brown rice, whole-wheat breads/pasta).

Energise! If you’re prone to that post-lunch dip, then upping your B vitamins and balancing blood sugar levels are the key to boundless energy!  As the B’s work well together, it is important to keep your diet varied and rich in a range of vegetables, whole grains, meats, fish and eggs. If you are a vegan, you would probably benefit from B12 supplementation, as it is only present in foods from an animal source. Lethargy and lack of concentration are the main indicators that blood sugar levels are out of whack. If you want to keep blood sugars on an even keel then consume a good mix of fibre rich complex carbohydrates and proteins, while steering well clear of the simple sugars found in the biscuits, cakes and sweets so often found in abundant supply in offices! It is also important not to allow yourself to get too hungry, as it is when our blood sugar is at its lowest, the sugary cravings attack!

De-stress. Foods known to calm and induce sleep are those high in the amino acid tryptophan (amino acids are the building blocks that form a protein). Sources of tryptophan include: seafood, meats, poultry (especially turkey), whole grains, beans, rice, hummus, lentils, hazelnuts and peanuts, eggs, sesame and sunflower seeds and soy products such as miso and tempeh.

Keep it varied. The broader the range of foods you consume, the greater the likelihood you will be meeting your nutritional needs.

Keep it as organic and unprocessed as you can. Intensive farming methods and food processing are the major causes of mineral and vitamin depletion in foods.

DON’T

Drink caffeine at least 2hrs before you go to bed, or with food. Ideally leave at least an hour between food and a cup of tea or coffee to ensure you don’t deplete the many vitamins and minerals it affects.

See supplements as an excuse not to improve your diet. The best way to consume nutrients is in their organic form, which is food. Supplements should ideally be taken under the supervision of a qualified nutritionist for maximum benefit and to avoid any harmful side effects.

Think wine will relax you the night before an interview. One small glass of red wine (ideally a pinot noir) will provide benefits in the form of an antioxidant ‘reservatrol’, though anything more may leave you with a fuzzy head!

Be swayed by marketing hype. Health starts in the gut. If the flora and fauna of your stomach and intestines is out of balance, then illness can follow. However, whilst the ‘good bacteria’ hyped by many large dairy producers is indeed a good thing in restoring this balance, only good quality organic yogurt is a reliable source, as processing can be very destructive to the probiotic content.

Deprive yourself. Always remember there is no such thing as a bad food, but there is a bad diet. A small chocolate bar here and missing a meal there is ok, as long as it is occasional. Think continental, see eating as a pleasure rather than a chore, enjoy the preparation and eating process as often as you can and work it into your social life!

Posted in Candidates, Clients, Communications, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, Jobseeker Advice, PR, Technology PR

Professional reputations are hard won things. What can take years of tireless work and dedication to accrue can be lost, perhaps forever, in a moment, as Sky Sport’s presenters Andy Gray and Richard Keys have discovered this week.

Of course, they’re not the first professionals to be pilloried on the national stage, exposed and held to account for what they ‘really’ thought. Think back to Gordon Brown’s ‘bigot’ comments made on the campaign trail, oh, roughly a week before he lost the last general election.

Whilst the exact circumstances of the respective inappropriate comments differ, what unites them is a common element. Trust. Or rather the instant, irretrievable loss of it.

For the Public Relations and Communications professional it’s incidences like these (and believe us, you won’t have to wait long for more case-study fodder) that serve as important reminders. When it comes to upholding personal, professional and corporate reputations, integrity is crucial. ALWAYS. Recruitment candidates should know by now that consistently displaying ‘brand you’ in the professional and private arenas, are just as important; your CV might be first rate, you may shine at interview, but if your Facebook page showcases that drunken night out, you can wave goodbye to that perfect new job.

In a week of tarnished reputations, Edelman’s latest ‘Trust Barometer’  is particularly timely. It found that:

• 57% of people will believe negative information about a company if they previously distrusted it whilst a mere 15% will believe positive news.
• Trust in businesses in the UK remained stable at 44 %
• Trust in banks fell to 16%, a drop of 30 percentage points over the last three years and;
• Trust in the media has fallen to 21`%, a drop of 12% over three years

Posted in Candidates, Charity Work, Clients, General News

Looking back over 2010 and there’s been several things (not all work related) that we’ve been particularly proud of:

Significantly expanding our in-house client list, working with prestigious companies including Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, ITN, Waitrose, CB Richard Ellis, Baker Tilley, Ernst & Young and PA Consulting, amongst others.

Recruiting several more first class consultants and welcoming back Sarah Barnes, who chose to rejoin us after going travelling and is now doing a storming job heading up executive hires.

The Works baby (OK, we can’t claim full responsibility, but we’re thrilled all the same)

The Works engagement (again, not entirely our doing but we’re suckers for romance. And champagne.)

Sponsoring the CIPR’s corporate and finance events.

Being sought out as industry commentators on key recruitment trends by PR Week, GorkanaPR and PRmoment, for example.

Continuing our love affair with all things chocolate. It’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it…

Moving offices to accommodate our expanding team– and hanging all our pictures straight.

Handling a 400% rise in candidate applications earlier in the year, and another huge rise in August.

But perhaps most of all, it’s been our involvement with the Dress for Success not-for-profit charity which has given us the most satisfaction.

For those of you unfamiliar with the charity, Dress for Success works to promote the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, interview training and a network of support and career development tools to help women thrive. Worthy beneficiaries come from a wide range of backgrounds including graduates, asylum-seekers, returning mothers to those recovering from illness or marital breakdowns.

As recruitment consultants, we felt that our experience could be of particular benefit to those women the charity seeks to help. In the past couple of months, we’ve been running interview training and seen first hand the great work they do. Lost confidence and low self-esteem as much as a lack of appropriate interview / on-the-job clothing seems to be the largest hurdle to overcome, so we’ve been trying to get women back on their professional feet by allowing them to recognise their self worth and potential, distil their life and work experience into a work-friendly package and overall, ‘sell themselves’ to an employer.

“It’s wonderful to see them go out smiling”, said Sarah returning to the office after an interview training session.

As well as continuing our commitment to interview training and support in 2011 (all our consultants are willing volunteers), we also need your help.

Because the charity relies solely on private support, we’re undertaking an on-going clothing and accessories drive to ensure that they always have the means to dress the deserving women they work so hard to help. So, if you have any ‘interview-worthy’ clothes, shoes, bags or jewellery which you would like to donate, perhaps after a New Year spring clean or following an ill-fitting or poorly chosen Christmas gift, we would be more than happy to pass these on for you. Just bring them into our office at: 52-54 Brook Street, London, W1K 5DS.