Interviews

The Dylan Blog

Posts Tagged ‘interviews’

Dylan Hold Their First Quarterly Forum

November 26th, 2010 By phil Filed Under: Employers, The Forum

Dylan held the first of a new quarterly forum last month in an intimate setting at Soho House. All in all it was a great success and the guest speakers Marcus and Fiona gave everyone food for thought.

The forum is a confidential environment where senior HR management can discussthe ins and outs of set topics. Subjects covered on Wednesday 27th October include the following:

• Building pitch teams

• Aligning company values with client values OR ideally picking clients with similar values to your organisation and how this can increase your win ratio

• Internal values . Do your staff know who they are? Do you recruit according to your company’s values?

• Retaining staff and keeping them motivated and challenged within their role

• Do senior/board level staff understand the challenges of HR?

One handy tip that Marcus and Fiona gave us, was an online test which could really help any of you working within TV, radio, press, posters and all the other communication media. The Diagonal Thinking Self-assessment is an online tool, designed to aid recruitment into the advertising and communication industries. It tests the hypothesis that the most successful individuals working in the business are both Linear and Lateral Thinkers – they think ‘diagonally’.

www.diagonalthinking.co.uk

Dylan is aiming to host the next forum in late January and we’re hoping to have a guest speaker from a psychometric testing firm to come along and share some of their expertise. They provide a range of assessments that create an environment of understanding to enable you to deliver success in your company. Their assessments provide insight on the key areas that reflect what people are capable of, what motivates them and their core strengths.

If you are interested in joining us for the January forum, please email either Phil (phil.edelston@dylanlondon.com) or Shaz (Shajnab@mashmarketing.co.uk) and let us know.

Comments: 0

HOW TO: Gain Twitter Influence

November 3rd, 2010 By seb Filed Under: Everyone

Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble have vastly different philosophies when it comes to gathering Twitter followers. Kawasaki puts his bluntly: ‘My strategy is that Twitter is a marketing broadcast platform, and so the way it gets to be the best platform you could have is to have as many different followers as possible, which to put it mildly, is radically different from most people — who believe they should have a Kumbaya soulful experience with every follower.’

Scoble, on the other hand, is more of a quality over quantity kind of guy: “Caring about number of followers is going to take you down a path that’s not very satisfying…Even if you get the numbers, if you’re surrounded by a million [jerks], is that as much fun as being surrounded by a thousand brilliant, fun, great people?”

Both Kawasaki — the co-founder of media aggregation site Alltop, author of nine books, and former Apple Fellow who uses Twitter to broadcast the interesting articles collected at Alltop — and Scoble, a bloggerwho has carved out a niche in world-changing technologies, have met their own definitions of success. Kawasaki has more than 300,000 followers on Twitter. Scoble has about 146,500 and a Klout score higher than Lady Gaga’s (though she does admittedly have roughly a 6.5 million person lead in number of followers).

We spoke with Kawasaki and Scoble to get their keys to Twitter success. Here’s what their advice had in common. (more…)

Comments: 0

Graduate vacancies are set to increase this year!

January 13th, 2010 By Ant Filed Under: Uncategorized

Graduate vacancies are set to increase this year. However, 2010′s graduates will face stiff competition from their 2009 counterparts, according to new research from market research firm High Fliers.

The research shows that:

Firms expect to recruit 11.8% more graduates this year than in 2009.

Half of employers are in the process of stepping up 2010 graduate recruitment targets.

More than 40% of graduate applications have come from 2009 graduates as opposed the current undergraduates
the average graduate starting salary of £27,000 is expected to remain unchanged.

Managing director of High Fliers Research, Martin Birchall, says: “After two years of swinging cuts in graduate recruitment, it’s very encouraging that Britain’s best-known and most sought-after employers are stepping up their entry-level vacancies for 2010.

Comments: 0

Heading for graduation?

July 14th, 2009 By julian Filed Under: Candidates

Let’s now fast forward to those students who are part way through their degree and will be looking to start work in a year or two years time……

Do you have 1 or 2 years left on your degree? Now is the time to be thinking of your career!

Key is the consideration is that the jobs market is highly competitive, so you need to be able to stand out. How do you stand out as a graduate? Yes of course, the institution you study at and the grade you attain help recruiters assess your ability but there is a lot more you can do.

First up, have you considered internship? During those long summer vacations, why not work for a games company for 3 months and gain a real insight into working life. EA Internships place you on a live game team and hence give you really meaningful work on a game that will ship to millions of people…plus you get paid and most importantly you get you name into the game credits. You will also gain some vital contacts and build your network. If you are good you may even get a job offer for when you graduate.

Now imagine if you are the recruiter and you get a selection of cv’s. All are similar ie they come from great Universities and have strong grades but one cv has the added value of an internship. Which would you prioritise for interview?

Comments: 0

HR rallies against retirement age

July 14th, 2009 By julian Filed Under: Candidates, Employers

Most HR management professionals (64%) believe the mandatory retirement age causes a loss of valuable knowledge and talent, according to a survey from TAEN – The Age and Employment Network, and the Employers Forum on Age.

And of those that had removed the mandatory retirement age, more than three quarters viewed it as a positive step.

Chris Ball, chief executive of TAEN, says”The survey shows that the arguments against repeal of the national default retirement age (NDRA) do not correspond with reality. Most employers, even those that have mandatory retirement ages, say it is of no help in dealing with under-performing employees. Yet this was a major reason for the NDRA when the regulations were introduced.

“Similarly, while organisations with mandatory retirement ages say it helps their succession planning, those who have got rid of mandatory retirement say they get on fine without it.”

Security of postgrad courses sought by graduates

More than three in five graduates are contemplating further study due to the tough jobs market, according to figures from Milkround.com.

The survey shows that 15% consider a postgraduate qualification is “essential”, 16% “beneficial”, while 13% did not think they needed a postgraduate qualification, but would still like one.

Milkround.com spokesperson Mike Barnard says: “Postgraduate study is becoming increasingly popular among graduates who are taking a look at the harsh realities of finding a job this summer and realising they need to beef up their CV or face an uncertain future. Employers have fewer vacancies but more candidates applying, meaning they can be picky when choosing their graduate employees. If the skills don’t match up, a CV will go straight in the rejected pile – it’s that simple

Comments: 0

Going that extra mile to secure the role..

June 17th, 2009 By julian Filed Under: Candidates

NEW YORK (Reuters)

Job-seekers are using unusual gimmicks to grab the attention of potential employers, such as in one case sending a shoe along with a resume to get a “foot in the door,” said a survey released on Wednesday.

Almost a fifth of hiring managers report seeing more unconventional tactics this year, compared with 12 percent who said so last year, according to the study by CareerBuilder.com, an online jobs site.

Faced with the highest unemployment in 25 years, candidates are trying a variety of tricks, including:

* handing out resumes at stoplights

* washing cars in a company parking lot

* staging a sit-in in a company lobby to demand a meeting with a director

* sending a cake designed as a business card with the candidate’s picture

* handing out personalized coffee cups

* going to the same barber as the company chairman to have the barber speak on his behalf

One job-seeker attached a shoe to a resume as “a way to get my foot in the door,” a respondent told the survey.

“The search for employment is taking longer and is more competitive than it has been in past years,” said Jason Ferrara, senior career adviser at CareerBuilder, in a statement. “To compensate, some candidates have turned to extreme tactics.”

But he cautioned: “While unusual job search antics may attract the attention of hiring managers, they need to be done with care and professionalism so that candidates are remembered for the right reasons.”

The online survey was conducted for CareerBuilder by Harris Interactive among 2,543 full-time hiring managers and human resource professionals between February 20 and March 11, 2009. The overall results have a margin of error of plus or minus 1.94 percentage points.

Comments: 0

Ways to select the right recruitment company

April 15th, 2009 By julian Filed Under: Employers

After the boom years of recent times, one thing that the UK is not short on is recruitment companies. The continuous growth experienced over the last 5 years, pre the drop off, has meant that agencies have been able to spring up anywhere and everywhere, fulfilling the recruitment needs of the growing businesses nationwide. This phenomenal growth has come at a cost, most notably a quality cost, with ‘agencies’ rather than consultancies operating to a sales lead, numbers based business model, forsaking the consultancy lead, partnership ethos that is an essential element in any successful talent partnership. Here’s some tips on selecting the right recruitment partner;

Tip no.1

Check for expertise in the area. The consultancy should know about local qualifications, the registration process for professional bodies and have some background for such operations.

Tip no.2

Go personally to their offices, meet the team, check their surroundings and their employees and make sure that their company culture fits in with yours.

Tip no.3

Meet the people who will be working with you to find your talent. Recognise them as your partners, understand that they are trying to help you grow your business by recruiting the right talent, engender an environment of honesty so that their feedback is conducive to positive change that further enhances your business offering.

Tip no.4

Reference your recruitment partners, talking to their other clients to get feedback on both the business and the consultants you work with. They are the most trustworthy sources on this matter but be careful on rushing to call the number they gave you immediately. It could be anyone. Research the company on the Internet and make sure it’s a really credible source.

Tip no.5

Investigate the kind of support they offer as the way they treat the candidates tells a lot about their business and will dictate the quality of candidates that are attracted to their business, and as a result, yours.

These are just a few tips on making the right choice. The fundamental driver should be to ascertain whether their business is as professional as your, that their emphasis on quality and culture is as focused as yours and that they understand the strategy goals of your business and how talent fits in to your growth strategy. If your consultancy ticks all of these boxes, you have yourself a real partner rather than just an agency trying to ‘sell’ you candidates.

Comments: 0