Posted in Candidates, career advice, Job offers, Jobseeker Advice

So you’ve finally secured that PR role you’ve been chasing with the competition. You’ve jumped through every recruitment hoop and landed with a pay rise and a sense of elation. But stop. Before striding into the office to resign think through your reasons for leaving and how you might react to a counter-offer.

The competition for talent is hotting up as PR emerges from recession faster than many other sectors, and so it’s no surprise that counter-offers are on the increase. At the end of last year it was mainly legal communications teams that were going head-to-head for the best candidates. But with more private sector agencies winning business, counter-offers are moving across the board to include corporate PR, particularly the financial services sector. We’re even seeing bidding wars between three or four employers, all keen to secure the best hire. One agency candidate even doubled their salary whilst eventually staying with the original employer. That may be exceptional, but it’s been our candidates’ recent experience that significant pay hikes are a factor again.

It’s great for your ego to be so in demand, but proceed with caution. National surveys of employees consistently show that 50 to 80% of those who accept counter-offers leave their employer within six months, largely because of un-kept promises. Salary is often at the centre of these negotiations but as the figures rise, remember all your reasons for wanting to move on. As Sarah Leembruggen, Managing Partner at The Works commented, “Once in a blue moon a candidate decides to stay with their current employer but I can pretty much guarantee that they will be on the phone within six months, wanting to start their search again.”

Ask yourself why your company is only willing to demonstrate its appreciation of you now. Are you genuinely seen as a valued member of the team or is it a stalling tactic to avoid the short-term inconvenience of your imminent departure?

And think of the long-term consequences if you decide to stay. Would you be seen as disloyal or resented by the boss who felt backed into a corner?  Could it affect your promotion prospects or your position in the face of redundancies? After all, you did almost leave.

PR’s a small world and reputations are easily sullied, so take your time and don’t burn your bridges. You want to preserve your reputation at your current company and your prospective employer, so before accepting a new position and handing in your resignation, be sure that the new role ticks all your boxes. If you do accept the job and go to resign, prepare to anticipate your boss’s reaction to ensure you can leave on good terms.

Whatever decision you come to, when negotiating a counter-offer stay positive, act decisively and in a timely manner so everyone’s still smiling at the end of it.

For more specialist careers advice from PR’s people in the know visit our blog or follow us on twitter

Posted in Candidates, career advice, Clients, Consumer, Corporate Communications, Financial PR, Job offers, Jobseeker Advice, Technology PR

24th January 2012

In today’s challenging economic climate, ‘headhunting‘ (or executive search as it is also known) as a practice has never been more popular. Whilst the headhunters’ call has the capacity to flatter and unsettle in equal measure (even for the most senior and accomplished candidates) it’s in your best interests to make the most of this opportunity. The message is: if you haven’t been headhunted yet, you will be.

In almost every sector we are involved with; technology, consumer (in-house positions), corporate (in-house, again) financial PR and healthcare, headhunting is fast becoming the recruitment method of choice. (In healthcare, talented individuals are so scarce that it’s our exclusive modus operandi). It’s the most effective way of identifying and sourcing the best people for a position; it can lead to a fulfilling, long-term relationships with a recruiter who has much wider access to upcoming, unadvertised positions than could ever be realised through professional networking and; let’s face it, it can even be rather flattering.

So, when the call comes, don’t be tempted to dive under the office desk. Instead, make the most of this career-propelling opportunity and be prepared.

• Step 1:  Don’t panic!

Professional headhunters will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable and are well aware that you may be in an open office and unable to talk freely.  If a headhunter calls, they’ll request your telephone number or e-mail address so that you can talk at a more convenient, mutually agreeable time. If you are in a position to take the call, listen first, be inquisitive second. Establish why the headhunter is calling and what they want before presenting your case and requirements.

• Step 2: Be flattered

We only ever headhunt when we are looking for a candidate to fill an active or up-coming position. You will have been identified, through networking or industry word-of-mouth, as a quality, high-calibre candidate. Be flattered rather than freaked out – it’s not every day you are recognised for your talents.

• Step 3: Make the most of this opportunity

Although headhunting is becoming much more common-place than it was as little as three years ago, you may only receive a few of these calls in your entire career.  Even if you are not looking for a job now, don’t dismiss the call out of hand. Instead, try and impress the headhunter as you would a prospective interviewer. If you make a good impression, the headhunter will keep you in mind for future opportunities when you very well may want to move on. Against a backdrop of mergers, restructures and acquisitions, that time may be sooner than you think…

• Step 4: Headhunters operate at every level, across all sectors

It’s a myth that headhunting only takes place at senior levels. In healthcare, for example, the market space is so select that headhunters are retained to recruit junior positions right through to director level. However, according to Charles Cowan, our specialist healthcare consultant, whilst senior candidates will probably have been contacted by a headhunter before, and know how to handle the call to their best advantage, the same can’t be said of juniors. His advice? Anticipate the call in advance so you won’t be flustered when the opportunity presents itself.

• Step 5: Confidentiality

Just as a headhunter will treat this call as highly confidential,  they are also unlikely to divulge the name of the recruiting client in the initial stages, i.e. the first telephone call. Remember that as much as the headhunter has been tasked with identifying talent, they have also been put in a position of trust by the recruiting client.

So, you’ve had the call – what next? Meet with the head hunter face to face. It is important for anyone representing you to understand your skills set and career aspirations thoroughly. A headhunter can also be an excellent adviser and source of information, as well as someone you trust. And, as basic as it may sound, communication is key. Being open, honest and upfront helps to get the most out of a headhunter. If you are planning to move to Australia in 6 months or have no desire to work for a company they suggest, don’t be afraid to let them know!

Posted in Candidates, Communications, General News, Job offers, PR

Decisions decisions…

Congratulations on being offered a new role – now comes the big decision, whether to accept it or not, and if you do, what comes next?

Sometimes it can feel that once you’ve been offered a job you have to take it; if you’re not immediately sure take the time to think about whether the company, role and offer are right for you.

If you’re still not convinced then perhaps ask your recruitment consultant to:

• Arrange a time to have ‘chemistry’ drinks with the rest of the team.  You spend a lot of time with colleagues so you need to know that you can get on with them
• Ask the new employer about any questions you still have – make a list of any reservations you want to discuss

If your concern is that the offer is not as good as you had hoped then:

• Find out your market worth – your recruitment consultant will be able to advise you as to average salary bands at your level so you can find out where you sit.
• Consider the offer as a whole.  Is there a bonus or exciting benefits that makes the offer more attractive?
• Think about the role and the company – is money the most important thing for you in this move? Realistically an extra £1,000 a year may only amount to an extra £60 a month in your pocket.
• Ask when the salary will be reviewed.  For some roles (eg moving up to a global agency or changing sectors) you will need to ‘prove’ yourself in the role before they can justify a higher salary.

If you still feel that you are worth more money, it’s time to put on your negotiation hat (or get your recruitment consultant to put on theirs). Some advice on how to go about this can be found here: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/negotiatingoffers/a/negotiat_salary.htm but the most important thing to remember when negotiating is to be able to justify WHY you deserve that amount of money and have reasons to back it up!

Now you’ve decided to accept the job, here comes the hard bit: handing in your notice! For many of you this could be the first time you’ve had to hand in your notice, but even if it’s not, often it doesn’t get any easier over time, particularly if you’ve been at the company for some time.

Only hand in your notice when you have received the offer letter in writing.

The first thing to do is to write a letter of resignation which should be short and to the point. Keep it professional, polite and positive – thank your current employer for everything you have learnt.  Then arrange a meeting with your boss as soon as possible, in order to formally hand in your notice.  You will also need to discuss your last working day and any outstanding holiday/pay you are owed. More advice on this stage can be found here: http://www.workcommunication.co.uk/handing-your-notice.html

If your boss tries to persuade you to stay, remember the reasons why you decided to leave as it is unlikely that these reasons are going to change. Whilst it’s always nice to be offered more money and/or increased responsibilities, statistics show that around 85% of people who accept a counter offer end up leaving their role within the next 12 months, often because the reasons they wanted to leave in the first place haven’t changed, or because these promises never materialised. http://www.careerknowhow.com/guidance/counter.htm

Once you’ve handed in your notice and agreed a leaving date, you will need to confirm this with your recruitment consultant and new employer.  They will expect you to put your acceptance and start date in writing and/or sign and return your employment contract if they have given you one at this point.

In most cases, your employment offer will be subject to receipt of satisfactory references so your new employer may request details of referees at this point (if they haven’t requested these already with their offer letter).  At The Works, we will only pass on your referee details once you have given us permission and have handed in your notice.

Now all the hard work is done it’s time to celebrate so have a glass of bubbly and get excited about your new role!