Vanilla Recruitment Magazine - Spring 2011

Spring 2011

Inside this month’sVanilla Magazine...

Bright ForecastPositive outlook forlocal employment

Top TipsHow to succeed

at interview

Expert AdviceThe MTV Generation from

The Ideal Marketing Company

Employer FocusAmy’s Kitchen - Outstanding

Organic Vegetarian Food

Plus much more...

NEW

GROWTH

office • accountscall centre • managerial

sales&marketing • industrial&technical

vanilla recruitment magazine - spring 2011

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t 01858 898 058 w www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

Hello and welcome to the second edition of the Vanilla Magazine

We were absolutely delighted with the positive response that we received from you all to our first issue. From jokes and expert advice to company profiles and handy recruitment tips – there was hope-fully something for everyone. In this edition of the magazine we’ve managed to add even more useful news, articles, hints and tips! We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.

The spring edition is all about growth – with fresh green leaves returning to the once bare trees and the spring flowers appearing in abundance. Our employment survey (see page 10) certainly shows that growth seems to be returning to the local economy more strongly than the national picture. One company that is certainly help-ing the situation is Amy’s Kitchen, whose new UK head office we have been closely involved in recruiting for – they are profiled on page 14. There is also an article about how to achieve business growth with the right type of marketing (see page 08).

So, if you are starting to see the green shoots of recovery in your business and maybe feeling the strain of not enough staff to cope, do get in touch. At Vanilla we have a number of flexible recruitment options that could help make the most of your increased enquiries, orders and opportunities. Who knows - we might even be able to help put a spring in your step!

Get in touch... Call us on 01858 898 058 or fax 01858 468 854Email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

(you can also visit our blog by clicking the ‘news’ page on the site!) You can also follow us on twitter.com/vanilla_recruit or facebook.com/VanillaRecruitment and also linkedin.com/company/vanilla-recruitment-uk-ltd Please get in touch with your opinions, comments and general feedback. If you would like to contribute

to future editions of the Vanilla Magazine we would love to hear from you.

Eloise

Hello

[email protected]

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Inside this month’sVanilla Magazine...

Vanilla UpdateA quick update on Vanilla's news

Top TipsHow to succeed at interview

Expert AdviceThe MTV Generation from

The Ideal Marketing Company

Bright ForecastPositive outlook forlocal employment

Handy HRFunny Ha Ha! from

Black & White HR

Star CandidatesOur brightest and best

Employer FocusAmy’s Kitchen - Outstanding

Organic Vegetarian Food

Vanilla Notice BoardWhat’s happening at Vanilla

Legislation ChangesThe New Agency Workers Directive

Top TempsOur great temps

Vanilla LightsBring a smile to your day

...Page 05

...Page 06

...Page 08

...Page 10

...Page 12

...Page 13

...Page 14

...Page 16

...Page 18

...Page 20

...Page 21Magazine CreditsAll artwork, layout and design created by Nathan Shelton at Ant Creations Call 01858 462779 email [email protected] or visit www.antcreations.co.uk

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Introducing Vanilla’s great team... Office ManagerCharlene [email protected] Recruitment ManagerCommercial DivisionLiz [email protected] Recruitment ConsultantCommercial DivisionSophie [email protected]

Office SupportJackie [email protected] Senior Recruitment ConsultantCommercial DivisionKathy [email protected] Recruitment ConsultantIndustrial & Technical DivisionPaul [email protected]

There’s a lot happening in Vanilla at the moment. We have some big projects in the planning stage, some big projects happening very soon and some big projects happening right now!

The big thing happening for us right now is that we are in the process of expanding! We are staying at 48 St Mary’s Road in Market Harborough, but we are also taking on the top two floors of our beautiful Victorian building. Over the past six years we have outgrown the bottom two floors of the office and therefore need the extra space to help realise the other big projects we have instore. We need to keep these projects fairly quiet until everything is finalised, but to give you a little teaser we will be grow-ing to include more staff and more specialist divisions! All of which is intended to offer a better service to our long list of amazing clients and super candidates!

The other big project happening right now is a total re-design of our company web-site. All the guys at Caged Fish (www.cagedfish.co.uk) are busy working on the new site that will be bigger and better than ever! It will contain more useful information, lots more downloads and helpful hints and tips and a totally new jobs search facility!

We will keep you up to date on the progress of all our big projects over the next few months. Remember to check out the blog page on our website for up to the minute news and information. Visit www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk and click on news.

To learn more about any of Vanilla’s news please call us on 01858 898058

A quick update of our news...

NEWS

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In issue 1 we offered some useful advice for running a successful interview. In this edition we are looking at the interview process from the other side of the table – the interviewee. No matter what your dream job, the chances are you will need to go through an interview to get it, so we have drawn on our years of experience at Vanilla to offer our top five tips for interview success.

Preparation is the key. Find out as much as you can about the company, the products or services they offer and about their clients. Look at the website, request any company materials and talk to staff. Similarly, learn all you can about the posi-tion itself: what your specific duties will be, who you will report to, how much responsibil ity you will be expected to have etc.

Questions, questions. It’s impossible to anticipate everything that you will be asked, but some questions are asked more frequently than others. Brainstorm a list of possible questions and prepare some sample answers so if nerves do strike, you will still be able to speak fluently and demonstrate what you know. Don’t forget to prepare questions that you can ask about the company and the role.


How to succeed at interview

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Find out as much as you can about the company, the products or services

they offer and about their clients

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Sell yourself. An interview is all about selling yourself, so spend some time beforehand thinking about the qualities and experi-ences that you have to o f fe r. Write them down so that you are better able to communicate what makes you right for the position when in the interview itself. It’s also important to give some thought to why you want the role as this is a question that you are likely to be asked.

Making the right impression. Having been invited for interview, your application should already have made a positive impression on your interviewer. Build on this by creating a good first impression and setting the right tone for the following interview. Appearance speaks volumes about self image and also has an impact on your self confidence, so don’t underestimate its importance. Ensure that you know the name and role of the person/people who will be interviewing you so you can greet them by name, shake hands, smile and make eye contact on entering the room. This will help create a rapport between yourself and the other people in the room.

Honesty is the best policy. In an interview situation, it can be tempting to exagger-ate or even make things up if you feel stumped by a question. However, most inter-viewers can detect when someone is being less than honest. If you don’t have the relevant experience or knowledge, it is best to acknowledge that and express a willingness to learn rather than pretend that you do. If you succeed in gain-i ng the pos i t i on because o f dishonesty, you may well find yourself in a job that you are not qualified to do.

If you would like Vanilla to help with your interview process then please call us on 01858 898058. For clients we can help with everything from advising on the right interview questions, to actually conducting the interviews on your behalf or along-side you. For candidates we can help with your entire approach to an interview and your strategy to land that dream job. We will be there every step of the way if you need us.


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Shake hands, smile and make eye

contact on entering the room

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so keep it simple

We are all part of the

Alastair Campbell, MD of The Ideal Marketing Company looks at why a short attention span isn’t news anymore.

In 1981, an American cable TV channel called MTV went on air. Its aim was to play music videos, mainly from the current charts. In between the videos ‘VJs’ chatted away and then introduced the next video. It was a simple format that worked well and MTV grew rapidly through Europe and then across the world. There are now dozens of music TV channels covering everything from classical to country. Not long after MTV started, the term ‘MTV generation’ was used to refer to the kids who watched it. Because music TV showed three minute music promos, it was said that we were now breeding a generation with short attention spans incapable of sustained thought.

Now if you are still reading – and I’d estimate that many of you will have already wan-dered off into the next article – you will be rewarded with some useful marketing infor-mation. The MTV generation is now all around us. The 20 years olds who started watching MTV when it launched will soon be turning 50. Very few people have long attention spans anymore. What’s more, the internet has taught us that there is always another website, another source of information, another idea out there. So if you want people’s attention – you need to get it fast.

If you are sending out a direct mail letter or an email, make one point and make it clear. The recipient doesn’t want to k n o w y o u r c o m p a n y w a s formed in 1992 and that you have 12 s ta f f. They want to know what you can do for them – but be quick about it.


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Gone are the days of long crafted prose, with a witty punchline 20 para-graphs in. They have been replaced by a single compelling idea that is carefully targeted. If you want your next marketing message to work, think about what your customers want from you and tell them clearly and quickly how you can deliver it. Don’t make your next brochure a beautifully created and sprawling epic; make it a punchy, targeted flyer which cuts to the heart of your customers’ main problem. A three minute attention span? You should be so lucky

Look at your last direct mail or email campaign. Was it focused on one key message or did you try to sell everything in the shop?

What are your customers’ main problems? Can you get their attention by focusing on these and offering a solution?

Instead of having a ‘one size fits all’ brochure, could you create a series of shorter flyers aimed at different sectors which get straight to the heart of the problem?

Remember, before you can sell anything, you must gain people’s attention. In an age where attention spans are rapidly reducing, you need to make sure you grab people’s attention FAST and then make your point – otherwise they are on to the next thing.

Alastair Campbell is the MD of The Ideal Marketing Company based in Market Har-borough and author of ‘The Marketing Launchpad’. For more information visit www.idealmarketingcompany.com

If you have some ’expert advice’ that may be of interest to our readers we would love to hear from you. Get your article and business featured in a future edition of the magazine by calling Vanilla on 01858 898058


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Local employment prospects look brighter than the national average There have been many gloomy headlines in the press recently about unemployment and redundancy so we decided to find out for ourselves what is really hap-pening around the area by commissioning a survey of local business owners.

The Vanilla Recruitment employment survey was carried out in the first quarter of 2011. The purpose of the survey was to identify employment prospects for businesses in the region, focusing specifically on the towns and environs of Market Harborough, Lut-terworth and Corby. Perhaps surprisingly, the results made for optimistic reading, revealing a better than average picture of local employment over the quarter until June 2011 when compared to the UK’s average.

The national picture Employment was described as ‘quiet’ in the quarterly national survey conducted by Manpower. Their UK figures show that 10% of employers expect to increase employ-ment whilst 8% forecast a decrease, with the majority (the remaining 82%) predict-ing no change in their overall numbers of staff.

However, in South Leicestershire and North Nor thamptonshire, the area covered by Vanilla Recruitment, the forecast was more upbeat with 15% of employers expecting to increase the number of staff they employ and only 6% expecting to reduce overall staff numbers.


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“Whilst we have experienced a steady stream of business here at Vanilla which belies some of the more sensational employment headlines in the media, it is sometimes diffi-cult to remain positive in the face of so much negative press,” comments Vanilla’s MD Eloise Shelton. “So these results are a real boost – and bear out our own day to day expe-rience that whilst there is still a long way to go, the local area is weathering the continuing economic problems better than many areas of the UK.”

A positive local outlook The picture within Market Harborough compa-nies was even more optimistic with 18% fore-casting a rise in the numbers that they em-ployed and some companies saying that they were actually experiencing skills shortages within certain areas.

“Corby’s regeneration scheme and the Harborough district’s relative affluence may well be factors in this encouraging response,” adds Eloise. “How-ever, I do have concerns over the worrying issue of youth unemployment in the area and the number of part time roles that are slightly disguising the total numbers in work. But despite this, the overall employment prospects in the area look posi-tive. Let’s hope that the impact of redundancies within the state sector can be absorbed within the growing numbers of staff employed by private firms.”

The survey was conducted during March 2011 on behalf of Vanilla Recruitment and was focused on businesses in Market Harborough, Corby and Lutterworth.

If you have any questions regarding this survey or would like to find out how Vanilla can help make your future bright then please call us on 01858 898058


Funny Ha Ha! You may have read about Licia Faithful who was recently awarded £142,000 compensation for being ridiculed by her colleagues at AXA PPP Healthcare. Mrs Faithful was mocked for her nasal Brazilian accent and her difficulty in pronouncing English words. The payout she received in court came after months of being the butt of various ‘in jokes’ which under-mined her confidence and left her emotionally distressed.

This case - like so many where some form of discrimination is at the root of bullying behaviour - highlights how important it is for businesses to keep a check on their em-ployees’ interactions. I’m often surprised to hear senior managers dismiss inappro-priate language and behaviour as ‘office banter’ and to suggest that the subject of ‘harmless jokes’ should learn to develop a sense of humour.

There is no duty on any employee to be amused by the puerile rhetoric of overgrown bullies. There is, however, a duty on employers to ensure that employees are not exposed to it. This duty is contractual (it’s an implied term, therefore it exists even if you haven’t actually written it into your contracts) and also carries statutory power under the Equality Act of 2010, with employers now assuming vicarious liability for any harassment that is carried out by one (or more) employee towards another.

The new laws of the Equality Act also extend what are called ‘associative’ and ‘percep-tive’ rights to employees; effectively, this means that there is no need for an employee to personally hold the characteristic in question (e.g. race, sexual orientation, disabil-ity, etc) in order to bring a successful claim.

Bullying is an insidious organisational disease which destroys not just the immediate victims but, in the long run, the heart of the business itself. So, whilst it’s worth know-ing what’s what by law it’s equally important for business leaders to set the moral compass when it comes to guiding employees’ behaviour.

If you need any help in writing conduct policies or implementing management proce-dures around this topic just call Black&WhiteHR on 01858 565183 or visit the web-site at www.blackandwhitehr.com Ruth Johnson is MD of Black&WhiteHR

Expert advice fromBlack&WhiteHR

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Vanilla have helped thousands of candidates over the years. That’s thousands of happy people who have hopefully landed their dream job! But we still have many, many great candidates who have registered with Vanilla and are still looking for the role that’s right for them.

We think all our candidates are ‘stars’, but some stars shine that little brighter! Here are a few of the ‘brightest stars’ currently looking for work through Vanilla. If you think they could find their dream job within your company please get in touch and we will do our best to make it happen!

To learn more about Vanilla’s ‘star candidates’ then please call Liz Seaton on 01858 898058 or email [email protected]

Harjit

• Experienced mortgage administrator• Excellent customer service and telephone skills

• Looking to work in the financial services market

Paul

• Operations & Production Manager• Excellent people management skills• Competent health & safety person

Hazel• Experienced office manager• Strong negotiator for supplier contracts• All round facilities manager

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Outstanding Organic Vegetarian Food

Employer Focus...

Amy’s KitchenAmy’s Kitchen is a family owned company based in California which sells organic vegetar-ian food with an emphasis on using high quality ingredients. Amazingly, what started out as a business run from home has now become the US market leader for frozen vegetarian ready meals and soups. It has also exported its products to major UK supermarkets and health food shops for the past eight years.

May 2011 is a particularly exciting month for the company as they have recently opened their very first European base on the Oakley Hay Estate in Corby, just a few miles down the road from Vanilla’s headquarters. The new Amy’s Kitchen UK manu-facturing plant was set up from scratch, with the company only taking possession of the premises in December 2010. From here they are manufacturing products destined for all across the UK and European markets.

Locally sourcedThe company is distinguished by their ethos that the food they produce should be made just as it would be at home, and were looking for staff that would share in the importance of this philosophy. They also believe in sourcing locally – both their ingre-dients and their workforce, so were looking to recruit from Corby and the surrounding areas. Around 40 new staff were needed for the initial start up in sectors as diverse

as food production and assem-bly, maintenance, sanitation, and quality assurance, this number expected to rise to around 300

as the company becomes estab-lished at its new UK base.

Corby becomes headquarters for UK and European operations


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Investing in the expertsStaff at Amy’s Kitchen felt tha t i t was wor thwh i l e investing in some expert help to ensure that they were able to get the right staff in place for the crucial initial phase. They also wanted to use a locally based recruitment agency. “We first came across Vanilla Recruitment via the internet,” explains Antoinette Bateman, Office Manager at Amy’s Kitchen UK. “After speaking with a number of different agencies, we decided that Vanilla stood out for us due to their profes-sional approach and the fact that they really took the time to listen and find out about the company, its ethos and plans for the future. The staff from Vanilla came and met with us personally. They were very detailed in their search, asking what we look for in the people that we want working for us and around us.”

Setting up a new business is very demanding and so Vanilla’s assistance was invalu-able. “They helped us with all our recruitment requirements, formulating job specifications, vetting candidates and helping with the interview process,” explains Antoinette.

The management at Amy’s Kitchen would happily recommend Vanilla’s se r v ices to o ther compan ies w i th significant recruitment needs , whether they are an established business or a fledgling organisation. “I think the time that Vanilla’s staff took to understand our needs as a business was key,” adds Antoi-nette. “Their response in reacting to our specific requirements as a developing business new to the area has been abso-lute ly f i rs t c lass. We have very much enjoyed working with the company and look forward to continuing our partnership in the future as the company expands.”

For more information about Amy’s Kitchen and the great products they have on offer you can visit their website at www.amyskitchen.co.uk

If you would like your business featured in a future edition of the magazine then please call Vanilla on 01858 898058

Rachel and Andy Berliner, founders ofAmy’s Kitchen with their daughter Amy


Kathy s Big Birthday Party!

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Need a temp?

Call Liz on

01858 898 058

NEW divisionscoming soon!!!

vanillarecruitment.co.uk/Emailers/subscribe.html

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The purpose of the Directive is to provide temporary agency workers with equal treatment in terms of basic working and employment conditions as if they had been employed directly to do the same job. At Vanilla we believe that temporary work is a positive experi-ence for the majority of workers and that this form of working not only keeps people in the labour market but can be a preferred way of working for those seeking flexibility.

BackgroundThe Agency Workers Regulations 2010 (‘the Regulations’) will come into force in England, Scotland and Wales on 1st October 2011.

What are the Agency Worker regulations?The Regulations stem from the EU Temporary Workers Directive 2008 which gives agency workers the right to the same pay and other working conditions enjoyed by a hirer’s own workers. Importantly, the Regulations do not alter an agency worker’s employment status i.e. they do not make an agency worker an employee of either the hirer or the agency.

An agency worker will only be entitled to equal treatment once s/he has completed 12 weeks’ of service in the same role with the same hirer (there are two exceptions, relating to access to the client’s facilities and information on vacancies at the client which apply from day one of an assignment). The Regulations also give pregnant agency workers new rights.

Who is an agency worker for the purposes of the Regulations?The Regulations apply to agency workers regardless of whether they are on a contract of employment or a contract for services. Workers who are genuinely in business on their own account (i.e. genuinely self-employed) will not be within scope.

When does an agency worker qualify for equal treatment?Except for the Day One rights (detailed below) the agency worker will be entitled to equal treatment once s/he has worked for 12 weeks in the same role at the same hirer. This is irrespective of the working pattern (e.g. full time or part time). It is also irrespective of which or how many agencies supplied the agency worker to do the same role at the hirer.

A new qualifying period will begin only if a new assignment with the same hirer is substan-tively different (and that does not mean simply changing a job title), or if there is a break of more than six weeks between assignments in the same role.

The qualifying period will be paused (rather than stopped) if the worker takes:• a break of less than 6 weeks,• certified sick leave for no more than 28 weeks,• a break related to pregnancy childbirth or maternity and the agency worker is within a

‘protected period’ (i.e. from the beginning of pregnancy to 26 weeks from childbirth),• statutory/contractual maternity, adoption or paternity leave, or• time off for public duties (including jury service).

Thus it is clear that an agency worker does not have to work for 12 consecutive weeks via the same agency to qualify for the right to equal treatment. They can accrue the 12 weeks’ qualifying service over a much longer period of work and through more than one agency.

How does it affect you or your business?

2011The


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What does equal treatment mean?Agency workers will be entitled to the same basic working and employment conditions after 12 weeks of service in the same role with the same hirer. The entitlements include pay, dura-tion of working time, night work, rest periods, rest breaks and annual leave. Any fees, bonus, commission, holiday pay or other emolument referable to the employment are also included. The definition of pay includes holiday pay, shift allowances, unsociable hours premia, overtime rates, vouchers with a fixed monetary value, stamps and bonuses directly related to quan-tity and quality of the work carried out.

As stated above, the Regulations will not change the employment status of agency workers. Therefore they will still not have the right to claim for unfair dismissal, redundancy pay or maternity leave which are entitlements reserved for employees. Nor will agency workers be entitled to benefits such as occupational sick pay, company pension schemes, share options schemes, loans, expenses, health/life insurance.

These are considered a reflection of a long term relationship between an employee and an employer. Agency workers will therefore remain a flexible labour resource for hirers.

Day One rightsAs mentioned above, there are two rights to which agency workers are entitled from the first day of an assignment. Firstly, hirers must inform agency workers of existing vacancies in their organisation. Hirers do not have to actively seek out each agency worker and tell them individually of the vacancies but they must ensure that they have the same access to infor-mation about vacancies as other workers.Secondly, agency workers will also be entitled to access collective on-site facilities such as crèche and childcare facilities, canteen facilities, car parking and the provision of transport services. However, access to facilities can be refused if there are ‘objective grounds’ for doing so. In practice this means that if there is a waiting list for childcare facilities or a car park space, an agency worker is not automatically entitled to a place but can be subject to the same criteria to access the facility as someone directly recruited by the hirer.

Who is l iable for establishing equal treatment?The temporary work agency will be responsible for any breach of a right in relation to equal treatment (except for breach of the Day One rights which are the sole responsibility of the hirer). The agency and the hirer must cooperate with each other to ensure that an agency worker receives his/her rights. An agency can assist the hirer by asking the right questions at the right time – whether this is on receipt of instructions to supply a worker or when it is clear that the assignment will last longer than 12 weeks.

Pregnant agency workersPregnant agency workers will be entitled to paid time off to attend medical appointments and antenatal classes once they have achieved the 12 weeks’ qualifying service.

We do our best to keep both our clients and candidates fully informed of any news or legis-lation changes that may affect them. If you have any questions regarding this new legisla-tion change or if there is anything Vanilla can do to help or advise then please call us on 01858 898058



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We are very lucky at Vanilla to have worked with so many ‘top temps’ over the years. We like to reward our most terrific temps with the title of ‘Temp of the Month’. It’s awarded for outstanding performance within the individual’s role, including excellent reliability, punctuality, standards of work and for going the extra mile within the tem-porary contract. Nominations are taken from Line Managers and Consultants of the temporary workers. So, if you have a Vanilla temporary employee you would like to nominate as a ‘top temp’ please contact Liz at [email protected] Here are this edition‘s winners of Vanilla’s ‘Temp of the Month’...

Craig Clayton-AblettFOCSA Services UK Ltd

Hayley Hutchings

AD Brooks


Interviewing for a job can cause us to say and do things that we regret. In each edition of the magazine we’ll share a few (anonymous) examples that made us smile at the Vanilla offices of ‘how not to succeed in a job interview’.

Q : "What are your weaknesses?"

A : "I get angry easily and I went to jail for domestic violence. But I won't get mad at you." When the applicant was asked to give an example of a mistake they made and how they dealt with it they answered "I stole some equipment from my old job, and I had to pay for its replacement." Q : “Why do you want to work for us?”

A : "My old boss didn't like me, so one day, I just left and never came back. And here I am!"

When asked to give an example of working under stress, the interviewee thought for a moment then said – “Yes, I can do stress – try being me when I am waitressing at my local pub and we run out of chips!”

Q : “Is there anything else I should know about you?”

A : "You should probably know I mud wrestle on the weekends."

At the end of the interview the client got up to say goodbye and extended one arm to guide the candidate out and raised the opposite arm to point to the door. The candi-date misread the sign and preceded to cuddle the interviewer. Needless to say the other interviewers found it hard to keep a straight face until the candidate had left.

A big thanks to this month’s anonymous contributors. If you have any funny stories to share about your work disasters or interview calamities then let us know and they might just appear in the next edition of Vanilla Lights.

Bring a smile to your day

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Documents

Vanilla Recruitment Magazine - Spring 2011