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the Darkside.tvwww.
JUN
E
2012
Company car?........
Is it worth it?
Inside this issue: Inside this issue:LinkedIn ‘TAGS’
Job Board Branding!
National
What’s New Pussy Cat?
Email on my iPhone
The ‘30 UP’ Club Lots of FlashesThe Power of Three!
OR
National
Unwelcome Cost to your business?
- see Page 16 -
What’s new ‘Pussy Cat?’
i-Phone EmailFrustration!Next Time LinkedIn-
Exploring Connections
New WebsiteSurvey Time!
Company Cars?Wrong Tax CodeLinkedIn Tag’s
Well, it’s all about Tax again isn’t it?
Tax Avoidance or is it Tax Evasion or it something else?
At the same time as all of these personal tax issues are developing, we are also looking down the barrel of a classic Government dichotomy; they need to raise more tax revenues to reduce the national debt BUT they understand that by raising taxes, they will choke any consumer led recovery – which in turn would reduce aggregate tax revenues.
So, as Recruiters where do we all go right now and does it really matter to us what the big wigs are doing about tax avoidance or tax evaders?
We also need to consider what Sir Mervin King (the big boss at the Bank Of England) is now saying – he believes that the recession is nowhere near over and that the consequences of the melt down of 2008 are still with us. He looks at what is going on in the Far East, the USA and the Eurozone and predicts more stormy waters ahead for the UK.
Add into the mix the general view that if the Eurozone rejects the single currency we are all in trouble BUT also that if the Eurozone survives, we will need to make big changes to take collective responsibility for what the Greeks, Italians or Irish face with their sovereign deficits, then you can see that very little is clear.
So, how come we feel that your best the strategy is extremely clear? Whatever happens, you need to ‘paddle your own canoe’ and be prudent. SSG knows exactly what revenues are being generated by our network and how that revenue performance is being affected by all of these wider based concerns.
As was the case in 2008 and 2009 and 2010 and 2011 and now, what you need to do is to make a placement and not let externalities affect you negatively.
Why not take a good look at our on-going survey results Page 17 onwards). It makes for interesting reading!
Heads up guys!
This is no time to wimp out!
What doesGrumpy Cathave to say?
-see page 23-
1. All the contents of The Dark Side are only for general information and/or use. Such contents do not constitute advice and should not be relied upon in making (or refraining from making) any decision. Any specific advice or replies to queries in any part of the publication is/are the personal opinion of such experts/consultants/persons. 2. The information in The Dark Side is provided on an "AS IS" basis, and all warranties, expressed or implied of any kind, regarding any matter pertaining to any information, advice or replies are disclaimed and excluded. 3. The Dark Side and its associates shall not be liable, at any time for damages including, without limitation, damages for loss of any kind(but excluding personal injury or death caused by negligence) arising in contract, tort or otherwise from the use of or inability to use the publication, or any of its contents, or from any action taken (or refrained from being taken) as a result of using the publication or any such contents or use of information contained in the publication. 4. No representations, warranties, or guarantees whatsoever are made as to the accuracy, adequacy, reliability, completeness, suitability, or applicability of the information to a particular situation. 5. Certain references in the publication refer to third parties over whom The Dark Side has no control or connection, business or otherwise.
Material Submitted by OthersSome sections in The Dark Side contain materials submitted by users. The Dark Side accepts no responsibility for the content, accuracy, and conformity to applicable laws of such material, and any views or opinions expressed by such third parties are those of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the owners or publishers of the Dark Side.Effect of these TermsThese terms constitute the sole basis on which the Dark Side is published and made available and supersede and replace all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, written or oral, or any implied terms which might otherwise apply.
EDITOR’S NOTE
Regular Stuff
Where else to plonk it?
Editors Specials
Long winded bits
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Bits & Pieces26
info@ the-darkside.tv
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National Business ReviewsGrumpy CatTax, Tax, TaxLloyds Hello
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Grumpy Cat
I AM aGrumpy Cat
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A Commercial and Industrial client have been grappling with
issues on TUPE transfers and cleaning contracts. Some recent case law has determined that if an employee or group of employees spend 70% or more of their time on the cleaning, then this may well be a TUPE transfer.
Lots of questions on AWR – specialist IT recruitment company, ITCV have been
asked to sign a contract where they assume full responsibility for the costs of equalising pay and conditions under reg 5.
Education Recruiter, People Personnel have been asked by temps
whether they can be paid for outstanding untaken statutory holiday and the answer is a resounding ‘No’ – only holiday over and above the statutory minimum of 28 days a year can be given in pay.
Congratulations to snazzy new Company on the block, Smart10, who have
had a great start to their business and are determined to take the local commercial market by storm.
Building & Construction Materials Supply agency Rhodium and trendy retail
recruitment agency, Qwork are both undergoing appraisals for their staff; SSG provided all the documentation they need to do this.
Wolf Solutions, operating from sunny Devon, receives the prize for the
most innovative business development call – a chance encounter in a coffee shop leads to an international assignment in renewable energy.
Congratulations to Secretarial and high end PA Recruitment Company,
Purely PA – a great piece of speculative recruiting for a
seemingly unfillable vacancy out of their market comfort zone, leads to a juicy £10k+ fee.
Black Onyx has recently engaged Bulhorn to provide recruitment
software and also has a lovely new website which highlights the very diverse range of recruitment sectors they service along with a synergous offering in providing property maintenance teams.
Congratulations to Interact who is benefitting from the recent issue of their gang
masters licence.
High end IT recruiter , Sentio, continues to go from strength to strength – they have
recently successfully trademarked their brand.
Congratulations to a niche recruiter on opening another division serving the promotional
products market, working out of new offices in Bournemouth. This complements their office in London and provides wider coverage for their growing business.
Congratulations to Mantra on opening a new division supplying
care home staff – they have got a new website offshoot promoting the brand and we wish them every success in this market.
Good luck to our Leeds based education client, who have their business
on the market at the moment – fingers crossed that the owner can find a buyer who can enable him to realise his next goal.
Breaking News .....It’s amazing what goes on out there in ‘SSG
Client-Land’!Here are a few snippets of news from around
the ‘network’.
What’s New Pussy Cat?
4
Congratulations to Satarah who beat the bank by having money to
pay into their account before the bank had managed to get it opened! The company has made an impressive start to the year and is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the provision of good quality office support staff.
Sustantivo have received some good press coverage in their local
area and have managed to get their message on the importance of a great CV out to their local candidate audience.
H e r t f o r d s h i r e - b a s e d partnership and Commercial recruiters,
Unity8, have recently engaged Darwin as their recruitment software provider. Impressed by Darwin’s customer service ethic and integration with Outlook, this latest move will only serve to strengthen a very positive start for this dynamic duo!
Successful Welfare to work recruiter Genie Personnel has had to
implement the AWR by explaining to their client that as they provide more than the statutory minimum level of holiday entilement to their permanent staff, this will need to be provided also to the temp provided by and the fees will need to increase.
Partnership commercial recruitment agency, D&H Recruitment, has moved
into beautiful new offices in Porchester and has celebrated with an update to their website and the purchase of company t-shirts and jackets! They have just taken on another team member to join the
successful operation on the South coast.
Congratulations are in order for Accounting and Finance recruitment
company, Ashby Finance, who are expanding their team. Rohit joined in April to provide Business Development support to the growing company.
A Hospitality and Catering client of ours, based in Oxfordshire, has
branched out in to the provision of very lucrative temporary staff.
We are delighted, that as a result of a chat with HR recruiter, Alexander Rose, we have a new company
to launch in April – very satisfying when we are recommended to recruiters and a big thank you to Linda being so complimentary about the work we do.
Congratulations to new kid on the block, BlueHaven Recruitment, who have had a storming
start to their business.
We are thrilled that specialist Adult Training & Learning Consultancy Browns,, Cosmetic &
Medical recruiters JP Consultancy (Leeds), Rec to Rec
CCG and Electrical Recruitment Specialists, ERS have all decided they cannot survive without the support of SSG and have renewed their agreements for a further 3 years. We look forward to continuing to support these fantastic and well established businesses as they progress to the next stages of growth.
Well done to newly formed Charity and IT recruiter, Landmark Faith
for making a solid start in a very tough market. We wish them all the very best in this challenging space.
s e d and
iters, aged mentd byethic , this e to rt for
to
very lucrative temporary staff.
We are delighted, that as
space
HAVEYOUR
SHOUT!
Newsworthy itemsWelcomed by
Congratulations to Jones and Stone, who have a new young consultant in the form of Baby Harry. We look forward to helping Rhiannon & Mark set KPI’s for this new addition to their team.
Congratulations to specialist opticians recruiter, Stay, on the recent addition to their team of baby Poppy
Congratulations also to DT Recruitment, also on a new member, baby Poppy!
Some Nappy
News to celebrate!
Did you know?.......
8,000 Recruiters receive this...........
5
Key
Facts
Legal Formations
Accounting Issues
The Tax Man
The VAT Man
Sourcing Vacancies
Personal Cash Flow
Personal Isolation
Restrictive Covenants
Technical Issues
Staying Organised
Impact on your Family
Making Placements
Room in the Market
NIGGLING ANXIETIESExpectation Reality
MOTIVATIONS
Freedom & Autonomy
Financial / Earnings
Long Term Ambition
Increased Family Time
Reduction in Commute
Escape Office Politics
A Difficult Employer
The ‘Right Time’
Prove Doubters Wrong
Work / Life Balance
Shorter Working Day
Expectation Reality
?
So far,
so g
ood?
Big
gest
challe
nge?
Majo
r upsid
es?
A:Yes! Beyond what I thought and has continued to bring me the change in lifestyle that I craved.
Needless to say, that the first Satarah placement was the sweetest placement I have ever made!.
A:The loyalty that I have received from both my clients and candidates has been the major upside and although not totally unsurprising, very welcome at the same time.
To be told regularly that I, on my own, make a difference to their business and career gives me a real buzz. I am so much calmer and and happier now, away from egos in the office!
A:My biggest challenge was to create a brand and a company that would stand out from all the other agencies in the area.
To be able to sustain a business in that tough arena was and continues to be something that occupies my mind and poses a daily challenge.
So, what made you decide to SYOB? Why did you make the transition from Employee to Business Owner? For all of the rhetoric & seemingly endless discussions, was it money, freedom or perhaps the children which finally made you ‘get out of recruitment & into business’? What did you expect and what has been the reality?
The Pro’s for setting up my own business are I’m sure like most ventures – doing it my way, work life balance & most importantly I had been using a skill for other companies to profit for 18 years – Now it’s my time !The SSG advert was the catalyst I needed, giving support & guidance along the way but also giving me autonomy. The advent of the recession, although not perfect, didn’t sway my resolve - if I am still making placements in this difficult time then it will surely get better.
• Home Based• Owner/Manager• Perm• 2011 Launch
This month, Esther Greenwood of Satarah Recruitment ‘dishes the dirt’ on what it’s really like to start your own business.Satarah is a local agency servicing the Northants, Beds and Bucks area, providing HR, Finance and Office staff.Scores are out of 10 and the higher the number, the stronger the feeling!
50 WORDS ON WHY! I was worried about the Recession and the impact of it continuing would have on me – security was a big consideration and the feeling that if I failed, what would I do?
I would be faced with having to go back to Hays or one of my other ‘Exes’ and that was certainly a concern.
50 WORDS ON WHY NOT!
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2And before you made the big decision to SYOB, what kept you awake at night? What were the awful worries, the ‘niggles’ you couldn’t escape? Has the Tax man been friend or foe? Did your Restrictive Covenant hold you back? What about cash flow? Technology? Do you have more time for your family? Has it been tougher than you anticipated?
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Why
cho
ose
SSG
?H
ow w
as t
he la
unch
?M
ost
impo
rtan
t su
ppor
t
RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS
Hard to Find Candidates
A Good Work Routine
Clients Pay Up
Acheiving a Personal Routine
Being Distracted
Feeling Isolated
Having Family Support
Tough to attract Clients?
Long Working Hours
High Stress Levels
Expectation? Reality?I saw an advert on a Job board and instantly thought ‘That’s me’! I spoke to Clare initially and then, after some serious thinking, spoke to David and took it from there – it was a real light bulb moment and there is no way I would ever go back to working for someone else – it is perfect.
Excellent, smooth, professional and easy to follow and understand.
Without a doubt the financial and accounting side of the support– the fact that I can call Darren at any time and go through (for the umpteenth time) the MMAs is so reassuring. Darren remains patient continually, even when he gets a ‘sorry, it’s me again’ call from Satarah!
ADVICE FOR OTHERS?
To quote the scouts, ‘Be Prepared’ – have 3 months money in the bank to cover yourself in the early days and have lots of positivity around you. Having the backing of your family is important; my other half, Aidan, is a constant sounding board and great support for me as I grow Satarah
BIGGEST MISTAKE?
My biggest mistake was not seeing the SSG advert sooner! I waited until the situation with my employer got so bad that I was forced to act – I wish I had made the move to run my own business years before.
LONG-TERM GOALS?
I want to pay off my mortgage, grow Satarah whilst keeping true to who I am and the personal service I can offer. On a personal note, I would like to have enough money to take Aidan around the world so he can experience it and I can indulge again!
“Confidence grows
as your Business
Grows”
“I’ve escaped
Office Politics -
I find I’m very
easy to work
with!”
We have been working with Esther for 18 months and watched as the c o m p a n y ’ s revenues have steadily grown month by
month. With an incredibly high level of integrity and professionalism, Esther has created the beginnings of a company that will gain a reputation in the market for quality and a high level of attention to detail. Satarah’s interview to placement ratios are very high and repeat business is a real hallmark of this venture.
What to do Next?
Take the Challenge?
Why not Volunteer to be next with Clare?
Surely, it is much better to step forward and take a hit for the team than to be relentlessly tracked down by a seemingly pleasant & fair minded pseudo Psychiatrist?
To take part, please contact
CLARE ARMSTRONG
01442 200 957
Football EastendersRock Jogging Wine LiteratureCasual UK Hol’sGlasses History
RugbyCorrieOperaCrispsBeerDVD’sSuitedOverseasContactsSci-Fi
NeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeitherNeither
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Clare’s Last Words
7
Company Cars - is it worth it?
Business is going well!
I’ve got money in the bank and my pipeline of job roles is looking really good.In fact I would even say I’m working extremely hard!
Do you know what, I think I deserve a Company car! All the top executives have one.
And even better, the company pays for it so pays less tax!
Everyone’s a winner!....We’ve all thought it.
A company car is a great perk to have.
And what better way to reduce the company’s tax AND reduce your personal expenditure?
Unfortunately, it is not that simple.
And all to help boost a green economy
and nothing to do with increasing the
tax that the government gets from you,
or so they say.
So before we look at what would be the real cost of a company car let us look at some of the basics.
Benefit in kind
This is something that you get a PERSONAL benefit from it but it is paid by your business.
As it is something personal and not a business expense then the individual pays tax as if the benefit was a cash salary equivalent.
Example: The company pays for private healthcare to the value of £40 a month.
The individual will pay the same tax as if he was paid an extra £40 per month.
CO2 Emissions
Each and every car has been given a rating by HMRC as to how much CO2 it pumps out. i.e. how polluting its exhaust fumes are.
This rating (measured in grams per
kilometre) determines how high the cash equivalent benefit is, starting at 10% of list price of the car all the way up to 35% of the list price.
The higher the CO2, the higher the tax charge.
Capital Allowances
When a company buys an asset it is not treated like a business cost that is deducted fully from the profits before corporation tax is calculated.
The cost of the asset is “spread out” over a number of years at a percentage of its value.
This annual amount deducted from profits before corporation tax is calculated is known as capital allowances.
Example: an asset that has capital allowances of 10% and cost £100k would have a capital allowance of £10k in the first year, or 10% of the Cost.
In the second year the value of the asset would now be £90k so at 10% the allowances would be £9k, and so on.....
So how does this affect Company cars??
Well, while you get a reduced corporation tax charge because your costs increase by the capital allowance, you as an individual will pay more tax as a result of the benefit in kind.
And If you pay more tax individually than the company saves, then overall you are worse off!
So let us look at some examples
We will assume you buy a car for £20,000 and it is in the top band of CO2 emissions (so capital allowance would be 10% and Benefit in kind would be 35%) and you keep it for 3 years.
The company would have the following capital allowances which would reduce profit
In total, for the 3 years above shown above, the company would be showing profit reduced by £5,420 which would in turn reduce the corporation tax by £1,084 over the 3 years.However the individual would have a benefit charge each year based on
Year 1 £2,000
Year 2 £1,800
Year 3 £1,620
Year 1 £7,000
Year 2 £7,000
Year 3 £7,000
Year 1 £4,000
Year 2 £3,200
Year 3 £2,560
Year 1 £4,000
Year 2 £4,000
Year 3 £4,000
So, that is additional tax paid by the individual of £1,400 EACH YEAR!!
(assuming basic rate of tax)
Ok, you say. What if I get a lower emissions car?
Let us look at an average emissions car.
Example : You buy a car for £20,000 and it is in the middle of the bands for CO2 emissions (so capital allowance would be 20% and benefit in kind would be 20%) and you keep it for 3 years.
The company would have the following capital allowances which would reduce profit
In total the company would be showing profit reduced by £9,760 which would in turn reduce the corporation tax by £1,952
However the individual would have a benefit charge each year based on
That is additional tax paid by the individual of £800 per year. That’s much lower than the previous example but over the 3 years that still adds up to £2,400 which is higher than the Corporation tax saved.
So to summarise, we are not saying you can’t have a company car.
Just that buying a car through the company is not the most tax efficient method.
You may of course decide that the benefit of a company car is worth the additional tax charge.
But the rule of thumb is, the lower the CO2 Emissions the lower the charge to you as an individual.Anyone for an Electric powered car??
These are charged at the lowest rate and that way it really does pay to have a company car (until it runs out of juice!!)
If you would like to find out the emissions of a car or how they affect the tax charge when considering a car please feel free to contact Darren Hulbert to discuss it further on 01442 200961
8
Template 14 is simple, uncluttered with a large picture area
Figure 1
Template 24 - fresh on the eye, lots going on with
quick links, big picture area and sub headers
Figure 2
Introduction
So you are thinking about joining the SSG Group of Companies and understand that, as part of the services we offer, you get a brand new (yes, that’s a brand new, squeaky clean) website.
Great you think! But what does the whole design process of a new website entail? If you are seriously thinking about joining SSG, the creative and branding elements we offer will probably seem very attractive. As part of our offering, you will get:
So how do we go about getting this website designed for you eh? Followers of TDS will have seen the article on ‘The Day of the Launch’ in our May issue. This gives full details of what to expect if you sign up with SSG and visit our offices for your very own launch.
Your template choice
The design process starts with the selection of the template that you’d like to use (see Figures 1 & 2). We have a demonstration portal which has 24 templates on it which vary from very straightforward and simple to ‘all singing & dancing’ with scrolling text boxes (more of this later).
What happens next?
Once you have selected the template that you’d like to use, let Jane Fisher, the official “SSG Launch Manager”, know and she will send you a form to complete together with some notes to help you fill in the form. The form outlines different areas of the website and we’ll go through these now. We call this the “web site order form”.
Site Map
A site map in simple terms is a structure of how your website will look. Firstly you need to list what you would like the ‘main pages’ of your website to be (eg. Home, About us, Clients, Candidates, Contact us).
Then you need to work out your ‘secondary pages’ (those which branch down from the ‘main pages’) so that you can see which areas you need to write text for. Figure 3 shows what a site map structure looks like.
Logo
You will, by now, have had your new logo designed by Chris – our technical whizz and in-house graphic designer. Think about the positioning of your logo – do you just want it to be visible at the top of each page or would you like the colours of
the logo or your logo itself to be used throughout the text?
Job Search Function
It can be a difficult decision as to whether to include a job search function on your website. When you are starting your own business, you may not have too many vacancies available.
Having a job search function highlights what jobs you have on your books and, if you do decide to have this function, it will need to kept up to date by you.
You can have the job search function as a home page link – ie. as a link on the home page - see Figure 4 or as a drop down from one of your main page headings - see Figure 5 as an example.
Your own new company logo
Electronic company headed paper and continuation sheets
A company email header
Branded Terms of Business
A new website
••
•••
The Wonders of the World Wide Web
Your Brand New Website
9
Home About Us Job Seekers Employers Contact us
Our Divisions
Core Values
Our Service
Building your
Confidence
Interview Tips
CV Prep
Core Values
Career
Guidance
Candidate
Testimonials
Recruitment
Process
Client
Testimonials
Success Ratio
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Forms
Forms are just interactive boxes on your site. The main two that we use are ‘upload a vacancy’ and ‘submit CV’.
However they can also be used to get client or candidate testimonials or as a general ‘contact us’ and ‘feedback please’.
We have standard forms that we use on the sites but, of course, you can specify what data you would like to get from visitors to your site. The type of data you can collect is a follows - See Figure 6 for an example of a form:
Scrolling Text Boxes
These are used to display interesting pieces of news, testimonials, top candidates etc. Please remember though that you will need to update these text boxes yourself.
You can also use the scrolling text box to take news from another site. This is known as an RSS feed. RSS (‘Really Simple Syndication’) feeds allow you to see when websites have added new content.
You can get the latest headlines and video in one place, as soon as it's published, without having to visit the websites you have taken the feed from. These are just web pages which have been designed to be read by computers instead of people.
It is a very successful way to get some movement on your own site and would not need to be updated as the news feeds through automatically. If you are
considering this option, you need to consider what site would have news most relevant to your own industry and will also need to look out for the RSS symbol (Figure 7) as this gives you permission to automatically take news from another site.
Design Style
Although we will be working to your chosen template for your new website, we suggest that this is the time to give your input to the look and feel of your site. As a bit of fun, Figure 11 shows various colours and their positive and negative meanings.
Whilst we are not suggesting for one minute that, if you have a pink logo, you choose to have bright orange with it but different colours can work well together and, similarly, bright colours can be very effective. See the SNOG and Benetton websites for examples of this - Figures 8 & 9.
Not feeling creative? Don’t worry – between you, the Launch Manager and our ‘tried and trusted’ designers, we’ll soon lick you into shape. Simply use the ‘Design Style’ section of your form to explain what you are trying to achieve with your site ie.
“I’d like my site to be young, modern, simple and fresh...”
“I’m a very traditional person and I’d like my site to look very classical with a minimum use of colour...”
Content copy
Once you have decided on your site map, it is time to get even more creative and write the website copy (i.e. the words!)
For each of the pages which you define using your site map, you will need to write the relevant copy. The copy needs to be created in a separate word document.
Name
Address
Email Address
Telephone number
••••
10
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Increasing your search
engine rankings:
You need to write good copy for your website content that includes words (referred to as keywords) that people are likely to type into a search engine in order to find you.
Ideally this should include the geographical area that your services cover and the job sector/s in which you specialise. This is particularly important for the homepage.
Your SSG Web Designer will endeavour to tweak your copy for search optimisation purposes and do other onsite SEO work behind the scenes.
It’s a good idea to include useful information like Interview and CV tips as this will present opportunities for building inbound links later. SSG has templates for these so if you need them, please just ask.
Please note it is very important that you don’t copy and paste the copy for your own site directly from other websites as Google will detect this and your rankings may suffer.
Social Networking Websites
In this day and age, social media networks are a vital part of everyday life. If you list your website on social sites, you will get
direct traffic, natural one way links, fast indexing of your website, link popularity and keyword ranking in search engines - see Figure 10. Whilst you may feel that you’d like to have links to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and your new Blog on your site, please remember that YOU
NEED TO UPDATE ALL OF THEM
YOURSELF!
When you are completing your form and your copy, you will need to specify which social networks you would like added to your site. You will then need to set these pages up and provide the ‘url’s’ or links to these pages.
Facebook – the do’s and don’t’s:
DO
DON’T
Twitter is another great environment for engaging with people. Once again, relationships can range from highly personal relationships to very impersonal relationships
Twitter can be used to develop connections with others, but the volume and directness of the communication remains low.
LinkedIn offers opportunities for developing and expanding business relationships. Because these communications are one-on-one, they can allow for a more comfortable environment in which to develop a personal connection.
For further information on LinkedIn please see both this issue and the April and May issues of The Dark Side.
Blogs/Forums/Social
Networking Sites etc.
Perhaps the best introduction to how building an online presence can help your recruitment business is for you to visit social networking sites, blogs, forums & online directories and search on the word recruitment and see how other people in the industry are using this media.
Think about the useful information you have on your website, this could include:
Decide what your objective is for using Facebook
•
Be too formal or business-focussed on your personal profile page
Post irrelevant links or comments that could damage your brand
Ignore comments on your fan page
•
•
•
Information for companies about your recruitment services, the geographical area you cover and the jobs in which you specialise
•
Create an engaging fan page
Use your fan page to communicate with candidates and/or clients
•
•
11
Courage/Strength/Warmth/Energy
Intelligence/Communication/Trust/Efficiency/Serenity
Optimism/Confidence,Creativity/Strength/Friendliness
Harmony/Balance/Refreshment/Rest/Peace
Spiritual awareness/Vision/Luxury/Quality/Truth
Physical comfort/Food/Warmth/Security/Fun
Tranquillity/Nurture/Warmth/Femininity/Love
Neutral/Conservative/Calm/Quiet
Hygienic/Pure/Clean/Simple/Efficient
Sophistication/Glamour/Security/Efficiency/Substance
Warmth/Nature/Earthiness/Reliability/Support
Figure 11
For more information
please contact:
Jane Fisher
01442 200956
gure 11
Happy Designing
Using blogs, forums and article/news websites, you could briefly describe each of the above and include a link back to your website in each posting, inviting the reader to read more.
You could also search for relevant blogs, forums and article/news that other people have submitted and respond with useful comments and, of course, include a link to your website for more information.
Where possible, if you are able to choose the text that will act as a link to your website (called link text or anchor text) try to get keywords into the anchor text that are relevant to your website. The anchor may require you to add some html code in order for it to act as a clickable link. For example:
Visit our website to see our current <a href=”http://www.type-your-domain-here.co.uk”>engineering jobs in Essex</a>
In a browser, the above will look like . . .
Visit our website to see our current
engineering jobs in Essex
The design of your site
So you’ve worked like a Trojan and have sent your completed web form, your text word document and your choice of pictures to Jane – what happens next?
Well, Jane will brief one of the SSG designers and they will produce a home page for you to check over. When you get this you will be have a taste of what your website will look like.
At this stage, it is fairly straightforward to alter the size of a heading or change the colour of a line – just give your updates to Jane and we will incorporate these into the full site build.
The next stage is for the designer to produce the whole website using all your pictures and text and adding any links to Facebook, Twitter or specific news feeds.
When this stage is complete, Jane will check through your site thoroughly before giving it to you together with administration details. These are for you
to be able to update certain areas of your site yourself – ie. add or delete jobs, upload testimonials or current news – if you have chosen these options.
Check your site thoroughly for typing mistakes, navigation through pages and links to social networking sites. Make sure that you understand what you need to update yourself and that you are able to do this. Once you are happy, the site is LAUNCHED!!
Clients and candidates should already have details of your website address from your email signoff but don’t forget that if you’d like to have a specific e-shot or flyer designed to advertise the fact that your new site is now live, SSG can assist you with this.
Your vacancies and services for people looking for work
Interview Tips
CV Tips
•
••
12
Chris Goes all ‘DIY’
More on the other side......
E-Mail Settings
Email Address:
Incoming Mail Server (POP3):
Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP):
Incoming Username:
Incoming Password:
Outgoing Username:
Outgoing Password:
Is it difficult to set up email on my
iPhone?
Not really - is the simple answer - although of course there are situations that make it less easy than it should be sometimes.
I’m focusing on the iPhone in this article but the basic principle is the same for any phone - on the cut-out card you can enter the basic settings you need (although I can’t of course put all the usernames and passwords in the article or on the card as what would be the point of having them if anyone can get hold of them?!) so, you will either need to contact us to get the actual settings if we haven’t already provided them to you.
Again I will focus on the POP3 / IMAP style accounts we provide but you may want to also set up a Gmail or Hotmail account on the phone alongside the one provided by us.
So, where to start?
From the Home Screen look for Settings:
Then Mail, Contacts,
Calendars.
Select Add an Account and then “Other” (last option in the list).
Then Add Mail Account.
Enter your Name, Email Address and Password. Description is just a name you will recognise if you have more than 1 account set up i.e. Me Work - select Next
IMPORTANT - IMAP / POP
If you have been given an IMAP account then leave this selected on the next screen. If not,
then select POP.
Next, Check your Name, Email Address and Description then scroll down to Incoming Mail Server and enter the details as provided for Host Name (mail.yourdomain.co.uk for accounts provided by us), Username (email address for accounts provided by us) and Password (provided by us).
Next, scroll down to Outgoing Mail Server.
The Host Name you need is smtp.supportservicesgroup.tv - you also need the username and password for this (which is different to your Incoming!) - these can be obtained from us. I would suggest using the cut-out card to make a note of these together with any other settings you need - available from us!
Next, press Save and your phone will try and Verify your settings, if everything is input as per your settings, then verifying will complete and it will throw up a message “cannot connect using SSL - do
you want to continue anyway? - Press Yes
and assuming all settings are correct, your account is set up.
Now, what could possibly go
wrong?
Your ISP blocks our SMTP server - you need to contact your ISP to get the right settings.
”Finger Error” - typo’s can cause email to not work. You need to check, double-check and triple-check the settings - give us a call if you need to!
Your PC gets email but it doesn’t arrive on the ‘Phone - you need to set your PC to “Leave a Copy of Messages on Server” - I recommend a maximum of 14 days (to allow a 2 week holiday) - so that you can get your email on your phone and PC - give us a call if this is an issue for you.
If in doubt, please please get in touch:
Chris Ion
01442 200941
13
JO
B B
OA
RD
S: B
RA
ND
IN
G &
PR
IC
E....
So what that you feel the time is right for new kind of recruitment service.... all cobblers to them.
Can you pay their inflated fees? Can you pay up front? Do you have the money now?
I guess the whole pricing issue is a bit difficult to understand.
Why don’t the job boards introduce a proper starter package? Why don’t the job boards make more of an effort to work with budding entrepreneurs? Why do they seem to be so ‘careless’ with new business?
Of course, this is only half the story.
Even if the job boards do not price you out of the market, the chances of you being able to BRAND your adverts on the job board as a new start-up are almost not worth considering!
You want your logo on the advert? You want some presence on the job board site? Are you nuts?!
WHY NO EASY BRANDING?
The job boards do not want to help you ‘brand’ your adverts because as a little biddy zero of a client, they cannot be bothered to do the administration associated with ‘branding’ – well, they may not put it quite like that, but that is the basic reason that they give.
However, there is another theory too. This other theory revolves around that belief
that Job Boards do not want to upset their existing ‘big boy’ clients.
Why would a job board brand your puny little adverts if such branding
might take away some exposure to their corporate clients.
Imagine that I had any drive or ambition? Imagine that instead of watching Jeremy Kyle in my underpants whilst eating toast, I was the type of ambitious Recruiter who wanted to start my own business. Just imagine....
Now that you have a fixed image of me in grubby underpants, I want you to think about what my basic problems might be in making that leap from Benefits Cheat to Budding Entrepreneur (is it a ‘leap’ or a gentle step I hear the cynics enquire...)
All Recruiters apparently only have two problems – clients and candidates (although one might also suggest bad debt management, over sleeping and irritability are equally important contenders but hey ho, back to the point)
Clients – I am told that if you ‘hit the phones’, use SSG’s Innovantage product offering and steal a few contacts from an ex-employer then you are all set, but candidates are a different kettle of kippers, are they not?
We are all led to accept that the Job Boards are the only guaranteed way to generate a regular flow of fresh meat (I mean ‘qualified applicants’),
but as a would be start-up, it seems that the job boards do not want my business at all!
As I see it, the Job Boards create two main problems for us all:
PRICE & BRANDING:
OK, so I started this particular rant ‘Brand-ing and Price’ rather than ‘Price and Brand-ing’ but I think you are somewhat missing the key point here.
As a start-up, you ring your old contact at the major job boards and ask them to ‘do you a deal’.
You are confident that your relationship with Natalie or Nathan or Nadia is so strong that you will get the insiders price (the special price offered to Recruiters who have worked for one of the major Recruitment Companies in the past)
The job boards love you and they are convinced that you will be the ‘next big thing’ – there is every chance that you will be offered a free trial plus a great ‘starter package’.
Any job board worth its salt (whatever that really means) will instantly recognise the need and commercial wisdom of support-ing a start-up & then watching it grow as it makes the most of the job board.... yea right!
Job Boards couldn’t seem to care less that you were a great biller at your last Company. Your plans to be a ‘breath of fresh air’ to your recruitment market is of no interest to them.
So what that you feel the time is right for new kind of recruitment service.... all cobblers to them.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Honestly, not a lot. You need to bide your time, keep talking to Nadia or Nathan or Natalie and keep being nice.
You have to wait for the opportunity to negotiate – why not ask your account managers to ring you at the end of their month if they need a quick contract agreement? You can be the difference between their commission being paid or not.
But, let’s face it, you are more likely to be on Jeremy Kyle than you are to be the beneficiary of any job board goodwill.
Proble
m 1
Proble
m 2
Brandin
g
Price!
14
Wrong Trousers Grommit?
I mean ‘Wrong Tax Code?’Why sometimes it is better to ‘flee’ than fight!
Even though you are probably doing everything right with the Tax Man, you could be one of literally millions of people paying either too much or too little tax.
You won’t yet know it but the taxman may have been charging you the wrong amount of tax (either on your PAYE or your ‘End of year’ tax return) because THEY assigned you the wrong tax code in the first place.
A recent estimate suggests that up to 1,000,000 of us have been given the wrong tax code and that maybe ¼ of all tax payers need some form of ‘adjustment’ to their current arrangements.
This could mean that you either owe the tax man cash or (much more unlikely of course) the taxman might owe you money!
What has made it all the more complicated is that since the Government asked the HMRC to ‘crackdown’ on non-payers of legitimate tax, many honest tax payers are being reclassified having accurately declared their savings and investment income.
WHAT TO DO?
First of all you need to think of the old anecdote of poking a hornets’ nest.... do you really want to get into long winded conversations with the taxman right now?
Are you ready for any fight that might ensue?
Who is the biggest dog in this scenario (as Gangsters like to enquire) – you or the HMRC?
Don’t be too hasty to ‘get in touch’
“No Accountant? Give us a call!”
“Investigations rarely end well”
For example, if you absolutely KNOW that you are missing some tax returns or that you owe tax in any form (PAYE, Corporation Tax, VAT), this is probably not the right time for you to be ringing Mr. Taxman to enquire if he has made a mess of your tax code.
A better policy would be that you ought to get an estimate from your accountant about what you owe and when you are going to be chased to cough up?
If you don’t have an accountant, don’t panic – just give SSG a call and we will sort something out for you with our personal tax accountant (it will probably cost you a couple of pounds to find out what you need to know, but you really ought to be prepared these days)
However, let’s say that you feel squeaky clean and think that you might well be one of the million or so with the wrong tax code?
If you get in contact with the taxman you may fall into the majority of wrongly coded individuals
(i.e. those that actually owe the tax man more even though it is not your fault) or you may be one of the fewer numbers of taxpayers who have the wrong tax code and to whom the taxman owes money.
Which do you feel most likely to be?
Which type of wrongly tax coded individual do you think that the taxman is most likely to want to talk to?
BOTTOM LINE
The taxman is a particularly grumpy individual these days.
Even though he is very often wrong about ‘stuff’, he is not in a forgiving mood. It might be that you are 100% up to date with your personal tax but that your Company tax is not all paid up (or vice versa).
Well, these days if you do decide to poke that hornets’ nest you had better be ready to declare all, because they will be gunning for you.
No doubt about it.
Having said that, there is nothing wrong with trying to find out ‘where you are’ with the taxman, before making a decision about what (if anything) to do.
But (& this is a big but) the advice we have been given is – take care not to create a mini investigation of either you or your business. They rarely end well!
NEXT?
If you either owe the taxman money or a missing tax return or two, what should you do about it?
Take a look at future issues of The Dark Side.
We are going to get some heavyweight advice about what you can do if you know that you are currently not squeaky clean...
DO
N’T
K
IC
K U
P A
STIN
K YET!
15
Ok – so here is the basic question for all of us ‘small business owner’ types.
Are the numerous magical one-off events which have taken place (or are due to happen this summer) in the UK good for your business or not?
Is the disruption to your normal trade worth the perceived goodwill and potential tourist revenues?
Are you happy with the Government led enforcement of additional Bank Holidays?
Can you make a judgment regarding what these extra leisure days are costing you and your business?
Are you happy to be told what holidays you business must allow your staff?
NATIONAL CELEBRATION!
It is fantastic for UK PLC to host these World renowned occasions – particularly during these austere times when everyone is struggling to feel positive and proud about the Country.
How can anyone object to the branding of the UK as a destination of culture, history and sport?
From the obvious financial benefits of increased tourism to the more ephemeral feelings of celebration & pride, we need to show the World that the UK is very much still alive and ‘open for business’.
The occasional extra Bank Holiday is surely not an issue – in fact, these odd days are very likely to encourage staff to work harder and feel happier.
There is no price that can be assigned to goodwill, happiness or motivation & that is exactly what these extra days of Bank Holiday bring to every small business.
It is arrogant and unfair of business owners to want to deny their loyal staff the opportunity to celebrate along with the rest of the World such momentous events.
Who has the right to deny a working Mother the opportunity to watch the Royal Wedding with her children or discourage a Dad from taking his son to watch the Olympic football?
These occasions will never come around again and we need to embrace them for what they are – a unique celebration of what makes Britain the great democracy that it is!
How do you feel about your Business?
It’s what the UK is all about!UNWELCOME COST
It is an outrage for central Government to enforce additional costs (i.e. the additional Bank Holiday dates) on to small businesses already struggling to keep their heads above water!
Who can really believe that in a democracy it is acceptable to be TOLD what to do with the money & time which your business earns.
It is not the Government who physically has to cough up the wages and think about how to offset the lost daily revenues of these extra days.
Is it not bad enough for business owners to have to pay their taxes only for the Government to shower a bunch of privileged aristocrats with money and gifts?
Do we then also have to pay for our business to actually cease to trade whilst employees sit and home and watch TV?
If a working Mum or Dad wants to be involved in these events, go ahead – take a day off like one would for any other personal decisions. Why should business owners pay?
And anyway, how many of the millions of staff given a day off because of the Royal Wedding actually celebrate with the Windsor family?
If we turn the tables around, would the employees work an extra day to pay for a gift for Will & Kate? I doubt it!!
The UK is about freedom, democracy and choice – not about central Government telling small business owners what they should do with their most valuable of resources!!
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Roundhead or Cavalier?
What do you think?
Was your business affected in a positive way by all of the celebrations or do you feel that you lost money?
Why not drop us an email and tell us what you think?
We would love to know!!
ow do you feel about your Business
An Extra Bank Holiday to
Celebrate....
Royal Weddings....60 Years on the Throne....Olympic ‘Triumphs’....
National Celebration or Unwelcome Cost?
16
What did we do?Long before The Dark Side ever existed (was there ever a time I hear you ask), we invited 30 of our established Clients to spend a little time talking about their business, their expectations, their worries, their plans etc
The idea was to try and get a snapshot of their perceptions and aspirations so that we could start to track an ‘Index’ of how things are going for budding recruitment entrepreneurs.
Just like that ITV ‘49 Up’ programme documentary which reports on the progress of an unfortunate few, good old SSG is ready to present back some thoughts and ideas from our willing ‘volunteers’ – the ’30 UP’ club!
“Please just leave us alone”
The ContextWe started this process in early 2008 which was pre-Lehman and before we all knew what ‘Financial Meltdown’ really meant. As far as most of us knew, the Eurozone was probably an extension to the Jubilee Line & a Greek default was when you ran out of cash
trying to buy a kebab after a heavy night on the beer – or so Chris Ion tells me.
The economy was fine and most of us were vaguely settled into our own routines. In other words, the externalities which affect us all as we try to make a few placements were pretty normal.
By the time that we looked at things again in early 2009, everyone was freaking out and convinced that the end was not nigh, but was actually here. Candidates did not want to move jobs and employers did not want employees at all. It all looked fairly grim and inevitably most Recruiters were not feeling very positive....
January 2010 was a funny time too – by then, most of us had begun to get used to the ‘new reality’. Sure, things were tough but that was no surprise. Employers were starting to recruit some of the staff that they had laid off a year before and
even the most pessimistic of recruitment ventures were just getting on with it.
2011 was much like 2010 & nothing seemed to have changed (for better or worse). Most of us made a little more money but that seemed to be more of a result of increased efficiency & dedication, rather than any cosmic improvements in conditions.
So, what about since then? How did our ’30 Up’ fare over the last 12 months or so?
“ Questions, questions, questions!”
User Guide!The questions outlined below are the same as they were right from the start – either demonstrating an admirable consistency of SSG Strategy or an appalling lack of imagina-tion (you decide...).
For the sake of comparison, we suggested that a ‘Feedback Score of 100’ would mean that each of our Clients could not be happier, more miserable or more stressed (depending on the question), whereas any ‘Feedback Score of 50’ would represent a ‘So What’ scenario in which our Recruiters didn’t feel too bothered either way.
All we have done is to ask the same questions, aggregated the ‘Feedback Scores’ & then compared that aggregate score with previous years. Simple enough to be sure.
So, the questions are really comparative – ‘Are things better?’ really means; ’Are things better than they were this time last year?’ for example.
“is it really that complicated?”
How have things been going since 2008?
For Better or Worse
17
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
“Are Things Be er?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
6459 62
52
63
2012
464850525456586062
“Making More Money?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
57
6159
61
52
2012
01020304050607080
“Working Harder?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
686471
58
6920
12
01020304050607080
“More Stressed?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
6462 68
54
71
2012
The Questions
Are things better?
I guess the only conclusion that is reasonable to draw here is that things are a little better but that there is no evidence to suggest that anything is significantly better than it was. It appears to SSG that our ‘30 UP’ volunteers are simply living in the reality of the moment – not that the ‘moment’ is better; just that they are getting slightly better at handling the ‘moment’.
Are you making more money?
Much like the question ‘Are things better?’, it is factually true to state that the majority of or respondents are indeed making more money. Having said that, the aggregate is barely improved. We are not talking about Recruiters earning a lot more revenues are we? Factually, they obviously have a few more pounds in their pockets but hardly time to crack open the champagne.
Are you working harder?
Almost everyone seems to feel that they are working harder every year! Can that actually be true or (as would seem more likely) is it just that our ’30 UP’ are just feeling increasingly worn out?
Certainly it is true that most Recruiters who quit their own business do so not in the first 12 months but usually after 18-24 months & typically the reason is not that they are not generating enough placements to earn a living but simply that they are not enjoying what they do anymore.
Are you more stressed?
Again, surely it cannot be true that everyone is more stressed every year (as the index would appear to suggest). Perhaps this apparent on-going increase in stress levels is just a reflection of ingrained fatigue? It is not that running 5 miles a day is any harder than it was yesterday – it is just hard to run 5 miles every day?
18
464850525456586062
“1 Primary Worry?”
2008
2009
2008
2010
2011
5758
5452
61
2012
01020304050607080
“More Op mis c?”
2008
2009
2008
2010
2011
676572
6459
2012
01020304050607080
“Is it Worth It?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
74
6168
5952
2012
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
“Consider Giving Up?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
60
6364
57
61
2012
Do you have 1 primary worry?
Of course, what we were really trying to identify in the narrative to our ’30 UP’ responses was to see if money was, is and will always be the biggest concern of any budding recruitment entrepreneur?
Certainly, it would appear from reading a snapshot of the prose which accompanies the numerical answers from our target group that money is indeed most often the ‘worry’ picked out from the mass of other typical anxieties, but money is certainly not the only worry. In fact, money is not even the primary concern.
On that basis, it is not right to conclude that money is the main thing that worries recruiters – it is just a significant concern. A better question might have been ‘what are your primary worries?’
Do you feel more optimistic?
‘No’ would appear to be the answer to that one! However, this is a great example of where there might be lies, damn lies and statistics!
OK, so the ’30 UP’ club don’t seem that ‘up’ on the face of it but if the starting point back in 2008 is anything to go by, they have always been fairly optimistic anyway! Either they are all daft or they are all eternal optimists! Even the suggestion of a global financial meltdown in 2009 did little to affect the aggregate level of optimism....
Is it still worth it?
Excellent! Can’t really argue with that trend can you!
Maybe what we are seeing here is confirmation that those who falter and decide to quit in the second year ‘after launch’ of their business are the exception & that as time goes by the whole idea (& reward) of owning your own business gets better & better for almost all of us.
Do you consider giving up?
Strangely, not quite a full vindication of the aggregate answer the question ‘ Is it still worth it’ but close enough to confirm that things get easier as time goes by?
Or, as an alternative theory is it just that the longer you work for yourself the more ‘unemployable’ you perceive yourself to be? We all know that it would be very difficult to go back and work against some other idiots KPIs but does that motivate us all to remain ‘self unemployed’ (as Del Boy would say) or do we all just get used to living with the anxieties of running a business?
19
464850525456586062
“Candidate Shortage?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
57
61
58
5351
2012
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
“Clients Available?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
6058 5951
45
2012
Top Trumps Lists
Are clients more available?
Apparently not! Can it really be the case that there are fewer Clients available now than in the heat of the 2009 crisis? I doubt it, but what I cannot doubt is that for every year that passes, budding entrepreneurs feel that there are fewer Clients knocking about!
That would seem strange if that is the case, as at the same time, we all seem to be making more money! My theory is that as time passes and we become more and more grumpy as business owners we are less & less likely to do the boring business development calls that we made as young pups!
Is there a candidate shortage?
Much the same as with Clients apparently! How can that be? So, our ’30 UP’ club are on aggregate sure that not only are there less clients, but there are also less candidates whilst at the same time they are making more money?!
Come on guys, don’t kid a kidder! You just can’t be bothered to chase either Clients or Candidates in the way that you once did....
More Candidates
More Clients
More ‘hours in the day’
More Money
More Free Time
•••
••
Top 5 Wish List
Making a placement
Partner & / or Dependents
Houses
Cars
Retirement
••
•
••
Top 5 Inspirations
Candidates (!)
Drop Outs
Arrogant Clients
Administration
Referencing
•••
••
Top 5 Hate List
Tax
Boredom
Rudeness
Working Alone
Feeling Physically Unhealthy (fat!)
•••
••
Top 5 De-motivators
20
01020304050607080
“Will Things Be Be er?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
6871 7362
54
2012
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
“Make More Money?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
64626864
56
2012
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
“Will You Employ?”
2008
2009
2010
2011
5451
58
52 4820
12
CONCLUSIONS
Every year, we all set off with approximately the same goals as we did the year before. Every year, we seem to make progress but still have the same anxieties as we did the year before and every year, we feel that can do better next year.
More money is being made but it seems to get harder each year. Clients are becoming fussier and there seems to be less of them. Candidates become more arrogant apparently and as Recruiters, we
seem less & less inclined to chase new business.
Perhaps we all have a limited shelf life? If we are going to grow a business (rather than ‘just’ work for ourselves, then we need to get on with it. Whatever we are capable of in the early years of working alone seems to become harder to reproduce in subsequent years. That must be a serious lesson to take on board? Now is the time to do things – not next year.
We all worry about the same things and
we all feel the feelings of doubt & anxiety. So, if that is the case, why is it that some Recruiters do better? Why do some Recruiters go on and build a business and why do so many fail to do so?
(& business ownership) more in the second year of trade than any other. The danger point is not in the early days when we are all fresh for the battle, but more in the days that represent a plateau in our performance levels. We get bored and as we get bored, we feel that it is harder to achieve the same results as we once did. You have to be a shark – move forward or die. Nice analogy ah?
Will things be better?
Apparently, they will! Most of us seem to imagine each year that it will be ‘better next year’ – almost without exception. Either we take no notice of history or we are all too daft to interpret the threats which surround us! How is that we all felt that 2010 would be better than 2009 when nothing had improved in the state of the World economy? Strange really, buy hey ho, ‘Always look on the bright side of life’ as Monty Python would warble.
Will you make more money?
Yet again, the eternal optimists kick in with a positive response. The funny thing is that in the main we do all make more money but at the same time we all claim that it is getting harder & harder to do so (i.e. a lack of clients and a lack of candidates suggest that recruitment ought to be harder).
I guess what this optimism tells us is that we all think that we are getting better at what we do, despite the fact that things get tougher!
Will you employ any recruiters?
A gentle increase in ‘positivity‘ here, which is nice to see. Being realistic though, this would appear to be fairly predictable in that as any of the ’30 UP’ mob who continue to survive OK, they will inevitably think about expansion.
Having said that, there does seem to be a marked increase in optimism & expectations this year. Jolly good!
Outlook
Everything changes and everything stays the same
More money is being made but it seems to get harder each year
Business Owners get tired and, as we do, things seem harder
We are all the same!
Recruiter get out of recruitment
21
Your Company?....
The Honeymoon is over, the champagne corks have long gone, the vol-au-vents are in the cat and the bunting has been put back in the loft; your business is launched and the first flush of post- launch glow has diminished and you are well and truly immersed in the day to day running of your own show.
Chances are you will be feeling that you are right back on the treadmill, this time with no ‘water cooler’ moments or ringing of bells, gnashing of teeth depending on whether or not a deal went in.
It can be quite a lonely existence, working for yourself – not quite the glamorous ticket that was promised.
Coupled with that, there is the daily (hourly) stress associated with wondering how long and how strong the pipeline is, when is the cash position going to improve, how many candidates are under threat of being bought back etc.
Oh for sure, friends and family will think you’ve got it made – and more importantly have the time to empty the dishwasher, take the dog to the vets, be around for a delivery and make a quick trip to Tesco.
But for you, you have lost status, friendship, security and (if you have a restrictive covenant) candidates and clients that you have spent years developing relationships with.
Here at SSG, we understand how you feel – we have launched almost 200 businesses and it is evident that a fair proportion of those that do not survive, cite loneliness and lack of anchor as reasons.
Which is why, in 2011, we introduced the Business Review System.
We understand completely that our ventures want autonomy – one of the
Sometimes it’s good to be in the spotlights
Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards
reasons for going in to this in the first place was to escape accountability to someone else!
However, we also recognise that sometimes being forced to take time out from the daily routine and taking a step back from the coal face can be incredibly beneficial and an investment that will reap rewards.
What A Business Review Is...
A chance for you to come and see us and talk generally about your business, to discuss the journey so far, the highs and lows, challenges you feel it is facing and hurdles you have overcome. Often, just being able and free to chat through how it is all going is enough to discover what is needed to happen to take it further.
What will we talk about?
We don’t have a prescribed agenda for a business review as every venture is very different with different challenges, market, ambitions and needs. However, we will undoubtedly discuss numbers!
Numbers can’t be avoided of course and in the final analysis, is the baromenter by which you will measure the success of your business.
It is important to remember though that these are your numbers, not ours – we don’t make any judgment on the actual figures involved; what we are interested in is whether you are getting the numbers you want to get.
We might also discuss the challenges your business faces – typical areas up for discussion here are candidate procurement, increasing the client base, penetrating the client base, managing cash flow – we hope we can help you develop some strategies to meet these challenges.
More often than not, the discussion will include a recommendation from us that the business returns in some form or another to fundamental principles – going back to basics.
It is very common for a new business (and by that we mean under 5 years old) to concentrate so hard on building a business,
getting a brand ‘out there’, that it forgets that its top consultants need to have a daily, structured routine and work on hitting daily activity targets.
Sometimes, just by putting yourself in the shoes of the business and appraising the consultants will show that going back to basics will help drive the business forward.
We may talk about the toolkits we have in place – the Cash Flow Toolkit and the KPI Toolkit.
At a certain point in the business’es life (& there is no set timeframe on this) the business may be in a position to expand.
We can help you with all the practicalities (offer letters, contracts, employee handbook etc) & also act as a sounding board for the nitty gritty discussions on commission, how much basic salary to pay, targets and rewards.
We will inevitably chat through the tactical aspects of the business such as changes to your website, different ways of presenting the management accounts information, perhaps talking through dividends, invoices, expenses, job board allocations, Innovantage and any technical issues you may be experiencing.
What A Business Review Is not...
It is not an appraisal of you in relation to any other venture, you left that all behind of course. It is also not a selling exercise by us; we are not trying to promote any products or services – the purpose of the review is to help you get the most out of the business and the most of your relationship with us here at SSG.
It is also not a jolly – it is (in our opinion) a worthwhile exercise to really get under the skin of your company and what needs to happen to capitalise on the great talent within it – not just a comfy chat over a coffee and a hob nob.
Your Business in the Spotlight
22
Pay Equality?Not Yet,
Not Anytime Soon
It has come to my attention that if the average working man earns a total of £1,000,000 in his career, he could (on average) achieve that by around the age of 50.
For a woman to earn the very same £1,000,000 over her working life, it would take her until she is 70. Is that Equality at work? Now why is this?
Is it because women take longer to do everything or that men always want to rush everything?
Or perhaps it is another tangible example of the fact that equality is still a badge to be worn on special occasions rather than a basic right within the working environment.
I may be just a Grumpy Cat, but surely this cannot be right?
What next? – a mouse with equal rights or a dog that can’t bark?
More likely than equal pay I guess?
Here is the problem: No one wants to pay tax especially during these very tight recessionary times. If the Government tax you more, you will have less to spend but we all know that consumer spending always drives any economic recovery.
If the Government tax you less, there is less money for the absolutely necessary reduction in the budget deficit. If the deficit grows, interest rates will rise and you will have less money to spend. Consumer spending falls and there is no recovery.
Want to talk about this? 01442 200961
A TAXING DILEMMA
Some Details
WhenUsually after the business has been going for 6-18 months, thereafter as often as we all think appropriate.
How LongUsually 3-4 hours depending on the size of the business and the stage it is at – we block out the whole day so you can take as much or as little time as you like.
WhereNormally, we hold business reviews at our offices so that you can see the people responsible for supporting your business and we can call on any of the team should we need to.
WhoThe bulk of the review will normally be conducted by Clare Armstrong although inevitably the city limits of her knowledge will be reached and other team members will be involved.
WhyEveryone needs to take a step back from their business occasionally and look objectively at it.
We are part of your team and it is in our interests that you achieve your goals; we are committed to supporting you and your venture as it grows and develops.
The feedback we have had so far from the reviews is that the exercise enables owners to re-focus, to face uncomfortable but necessary challenges, to explore previously untapped avenues and in the vast majority of cases, it leads to increased revenue.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of having a Review of your Business, please contact Clare.
23
Page 11 of the April 2012 TDS
Page 21 of the May 2012 TDS
Need a reminder?.....Look inside!
It’s free to communicate!
From the top!
We have previously waffled on about how to set up a LinkedIn account and then shown you a few basics ways to build some connections. We then tried to show you how to organise those connections into a selection of TAG groups.
So, by now you ought to feel comfortable with the basic-basics! Hopefully, you will have set up a few TAG groups for your connections and be ready to think about how to exploit the contacts that you have?
You may have even have seriously considered the idea of subscribing to a couple of the simple (but effective) tools that we use here at SSG – the first being the upgrade to being a ‘’Premium User’’ (c. £20p.m.) & the second tool is something called ‘‘Slide Share’’ (c. £19 p.m.) which anyone can use to enhance the appearance of their profile.
If you need to revisit these steps, then please check the following:
But now we need to look at the old ‘who, what, why, when & how’ of TAG groups. This is the next step to making LinkedIn something more than a tool that other Recruiters talk about!
The Who?Any serious user of LinkedIn really has to create and utilise TAG groups. There is no point in having connections for the sake of it. You need to get on the case now.
As a Recruiter, you can be assured that your competitors are all going to be heavy users of LinkedIn. As a start-up Recruitment Company you can be doubly sure that unless you compete from Day 1, you will end up not competing at all (if you know what I mean?). This is not the sort of challenge that can be revisited at a later date when you are ‘’not so busy’’ – fail
to address this issue now and one thing is for sure, you will not compete because you will not be around to do so.
The What?All we asking you to look at right now are the simple exploitations of one tiny tool within the LinkedIn box of tricks. We are only discussing TAG groups right now.
You know how to set up a TAG group (& if you have forgotten, here is a reminder:
To set up a TAG:
You know how to build the connections that you want to organise into TAG groups (& if you have forgotten, here is a reminder:
And, you will shortly know how to use these TAG groups!
The Why?Using TAG groups allows you to engage with your connections free of charge. You can effectively send endless group mails to your individual TAG groups.
You do not need any fancy software or any paid subscription service to ‘group-email’ your TAG groups with relevant marketing materials.
We all recognise BRANDING as a key part of building your recruitment business and we all (at some time) find ourselves moaning about the Job Boards and how hard it is to get cost effective branding from their offering (see Page 14 of this issue of TDS), but here we are sitting on a totally free way of marketing your business. You have to use it.
Click on ‘manage’ - which is just to the right of TAGS.
You will then open a mini-window which offers you the chance to ‘Add New Tag’.
Just think of a name and press return.
You will now see that new (empty!) TAG listed.
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2)
3)
4)
Connect with those you already know and then
Invite members to Connect & then
Join some User Groups.
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May 2012 April 2012
LinkedIn - Exploiting Connections
OK - so you have connections now....
24
Find useful information...
Daily newspapers (especiallybusiness pages!)
Trade Journals (after all, whoreads them?
Everyday Life (got a good idea or some gossip?)
The When?Now, Today, Tomorrow, Next Week,
Next Month, This Year, Next Year
From now until you stop working. From now until you sell your business. From now until you keel over on the squash court or in the gym!
Think of it this way. Almost everyone that you meet asks you ‘what you do’ & no doubt, like all of us you endlessly waffle on about your business, what you do, how you do it and how rewarding it is. You devote all of this air play to total strangers outside of your recruitment market. You talk to your partner’s friends and work colleagues. You chat to your family & to your team mates at footy. You probably pass the time of day with your baker, grocer, barber, gardener, cleaner – whoever is around at the time.
So, if you are prepared to do all of that for people who mean nothing to your business, why would you not spend ½ hour a day ‘chatting’ to your market demographic – people that can actually make you money and help to build the profile of your business? Come on!
The How?Right, let’s keep this simple:
Here are some rules which you must follow once you have set up your TAG groups:
What we are saying LOUD & CLEAR here is that hopeless Recruiters will try and sell a cheaper service or a bigger rebate or other such Brucie Bonus schemes to their connections.
They feel that the only way to encourage candidates and clients to work with them is to offer their service at a cheaper rate than is normally available.Hopeless Recruiters believe that they are so poor that the only way to engage with connections (via their TAG Groups) is somehow to reduce the cost of their service whereas in fact all that they are doing is reducing the perceived value of what they have on offer.
Such hopeless Recruiters are branding all
right - they are branding themselves as Recruiters of low confidence and even lower expectations.
TAG group emails can provide powerful messages if you work at it very hard. You need to use these TAG groups to do three things:
The easiest way to do this is to think about this whole process as a necessity rather than a ‘nice to do’ type of activity. Build this TAG exploitation into your KPI Tool Kit.
(If you have somehow forgotten what our KPI Tool it is all about? Then please revisit Page 28 of the April 2012 edition of TDS).
Here are some useful guidelines for what you ought to be doing with your TAG groups:
Useful Information?
OK – you have the TAG groups all set up and have scheduled the need to communicate with each group (as part of your KPI Tool Kit) but where do you get useful information to disseminate?
Here are some very easy sources:
Monthly Homework
Next Time
What is this Recruiter Platform thing that we keep hearing about?
I know that it is a subscription service but is it worth coughing up for?
Let’s find out!
Do not try and SELL anything to your connections (your TAG groups).
Try and give away useful information.
Look to share a market insight.
Remember, there are other interesting things other than work.
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Manage your connections.
Control your Branding &
Build Relationships.
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Send a Group Email to each of your TAG groups once a month.
Generate your intended message in a separate WORD document, refine it and then ‘cut & paste’ it into your Group message.
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Invite a response in your Group message - something along the lines of ‘What do you think’ - ‘Has this been true for you?’ - ‘has anyone dealt with this problem before?’
Delete from your Contacts any connection which is not tagged - if you cannot TAG that contact properly, then they are not worthwhile connections.
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4)
Trade Press – same theory. Just genuinely read one of the trade journals. Not many people do which is why you will seem very knowledgeable to others!
N e w s P a p e r s ! Read a
q u a l i t y paper each day
and focus on the business section. You will
almost always find something each week relevant to your key TAG groups.
Don’t restrict your communications to business! – If you think of a great idea or see a great consumer offer or find a great weight loss tip - share it!
R e m e m b e r, your TAG groups are just made up of normal people who are interested in more than just work. In fact, they
may be more interested in non-work stuff!
Set up “TAG communication” as part of your KPI Tool Kit.
Draft & send at least one work related and one non-work related message to each of your TAG groups.
Cleanse your contacts - if a contact is not an obvious TAG group member, then they are probably not worth having as a contact.
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25
Tax Evasion is very naughty & is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means.
Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability, and includes, in particular, dishonest tax reporting (such as declaring less income, profits or gains than actually earned; or overstating deductions).
Very naughty indeed!
Not a lot of people know that(”You’re only supposed to blow
the bloody doors off ”)
IN A
FO
REI
GN
FIE
LD!
Great couple of Recruiterslooking to work in
Scandinavia & NorthernEurope, they bring
excellent experience,a tremendously
refreshing &professional approach
& they need toabide to RestrictiveCovenants. Nothingis easy as they say
but these two will make it!
BLAST OFF!June
2012
For more info, contact:[email protected]
CO
MM
ERCIA
L IN
SU
NN
Y B
EDS!
Another Partnership - this timefrom a corporate backgroundbut with real ‘get up and go’,
as they have proved!This is a ‘hard yards’ typeof business with no easy
money to be had, butwith 15yrs + experience
of the sector SSG isputting its money
where our mouth is - We have happily
invested in exchange forequity
BLAST OFF!June
2012
For more info, contact:[email protected]
I.T.
UP N
OR
TH!
Not quite Coronation Street,but here we are with ‘Our
Friends in the North’launching a great IT based
business looking at bothPerm & Temp/Contract
labour.Candidates are hard to
find but when you getthem, the placements
start to flow. Rollon happy days!
BLAST OFF!June
2012
For more info, contact:[email protected]
ANOTHER BRIGHT IDEACORPORATION TAXWe all know that you need to physically cough up your payment to the CT guys 9 months and 1 day following your Company year end. So, why not get SSG to confirm how much you will need to pay immediately after your year-end accounts are done and then set aside 1/9th of the outstanding amount each month, until the money needs to be paid across?This is the easy, stress free way to pay your CT bill and lots of us do it!
Contact Clare01442 200957
It doesn’t matter who you are (Jimmy Carr or Barclays), it is a perfectly legitimate and legal strategy to try and avoid paying tax on your income.Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the tax regime to one's own advantage, to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law.People, Governments and others may not like it, but we are all entitled to pay as little tax as it is legal to do.Tax Evasion? Now that it a totally different cup of tea!
Want to talk about this? 01442 200961
TAX AVOIDANCE IS PERFECTLY LEGAL
26
27
THE ‘MISSING’ ‘PSL TOOL KIT’
SSG hoped to deliver you this article this month, but got caught up in other stuff. So..... next month! We all know the nightmare situation – a key client has decided to cut the number of agencies with whom they work and now decide (after years of working with you) that they want you to formally tender for their business. You receive a long winded and incomprehensible email from your contact at the client business along with a dreaded ITT (invitation to tender).
The inference is clear – do a good job on the ITT and you might end up on a very short preferred suppliers list – do a bad job on the ITT and that might be the end of a previously lucrative working relationship.
As a small Recruitment Business, it is very hard to justify what facilities you can utilise to support your ITT. Where do you get the back-up you need and in what format should you present your case?
SSG has spent considerable time developing another of our infamous TOOL KITS & we have decided to call this one ‘The PSL Tool Kit’ (imaginative ah?)
LINKED IN – THE RECRUITERS PLATFORM
We have started to get to grips with the freebies which one can use via Linked IN but now we need to raise our expectation levels a few notches & look at some of the paid services.
A few of our existing Recruiters are coughing up for the Recruiter Platform stuff – why?
What is it and is it really worth the money?
The question is, if we are being asked to spend a couple of thousand pounds on ‘the platform’, is that really better value than plonking the money into a specialist job board for example OR should we simply bet on Ashley Cole scoring against Italy from 12 yards out?
Well, like the mugs we are, SSG is going to give it a go and see what it is all about!
WHO ELSE DOES WHAT WE DO?
Without inviting any horrible jokes or barbed comments from you lot, we are on the lookout for other Companies who do either what SSG does or something similar.
We will try and get an interview with one of the big wigs at any companies we find and get them to spill the beans on what they offer – maybe they can teach SSG a thing or two?
If you want us to investigate any particular Company for you, let us know.
Otherwise, DJ will get on his bike and go and have a chat.
Might be a chance for him to try out that false moustache he got for Christmas?....
6 MONTHS IN &?
When we return after the summer break, we will have access to the 6 months results for SSG – which as you know are simply a reflection of the 6 months that you guys have had!
We are going to publish the trends, the money and the problems (if we find any!) that we have all faced.
Is the situation getting any better?
Are you all making more or less than you expected?
Don’t be surprised to get the odd call from Clare Armstrong and her team fishing for opinions!!
We are on Holiday....
See yousoon!....
Yep, it’s thattime of year
where
Team take it a little easier....
in July but we will be back in
August!
The
So, no
Call Clare to book your Business Review
1. Hang Myself2. Call SSG3. Wash Pants
Get yourPriorities Right ....
01442 200957
FREE
