Recruitment

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The newly launched ‘Recruitment Certification Scheme’ is
operated by The British Institute of Recruiters, the Professional staffing body
and was created with input from all 3 of the UKs enforcement bodies responsible
for state enforcement of specific employment rights – EAS, HMRC NMW/NLW team
& GLAA. 

It is a simple and effective scheme
demonstrating to clients your recruitment knowledge and compliant recruitment
processes. This is done by applicants completing an online Certification
Assessment which is graded by an assessor.

Certification demonstrates your understanding of the
fundamental knowledge, terminology, and processes of effective and compliant
recruitment.

In a recent recruitment agency survey 87% said they wanted
Certification, not just professional body membership.

Both Recruitment Agencies or Individual Agency or In-House
Recruiters can gain Certification to ‘Certified Recruitment Business Partner’
Status.

Benefits of the scheme to recruitment agencies and
individuals:

1. Increased earning potential as it shows clients
   a level of competence and skill
2. Professional Certification ensures that you’re
   ready to meet the demands of clients.
3. Enhances professional credibility
4. Enriches self-image and reputation among peers
5. For individuals it improves career
   opportunities, promotion, and job portability

How it works?

See this PDF that illustrates Your
journey to Certification

Want to know more?

Now you can finally become Certified Recruitment Business
Partners.

Follow this link to know more about the Recruitment
Certification scheme https://bit.ly/recruiter-certification.

The post Why the Recruitment sector’s new Certification Scheme is essential for recruitment professionals appeared first on .

Earning a college degree is a milestone worth celebrating. The years of hard work, commitment, and loyalty put towards one’s academic completion don’t go unnoticed. The professional and personal doors that are opened as a result make it all worthwhile. Let’s take a look at where your degree can take you if you excel in school.

• Increased Career Options

Obtaining a degree means widening your career options. For example, each industry, business, or organization has to source a human resources manager to run staff welfare efficiently. This means that obtaining such a degree won’t limit you to a particular professional space. You can choose to apply for human resources posts in the travel, mining, education, or medicine industry for example.

• Marketability

When you apply for jobs having obtained a degree, you become more marketable. You will apply to a post with possibly hundreds of other applicants, meaning the candidate with the most outstanding attributes will be awarded the position. In most cases, a candidate with a degree is more marketable than one who doesn’t have a degree. Some of the factors that contribute to a degree holder being more marketable in several industries include the following:

• Knowledge

A degree represents far more than just prestige; it acts as a symbol of all the knowledge that you’ve acquired and will be able to implement in a work setting. Employers have to hire an individual who knows how to execute the mandates delegated to them. As you gain experience on the job, through training and practical execution, you make your way to becoming an expert in the field.

• Exposure

Attending
college exposes one to various backgrounds, cultures, beliefs and perceptions.
An ideal working environment is one that caters to people from different walks
of life; it necessitates people who accept diversity, and this attribute can be
picked up in a college setting, whether online or physical.

• Organization Skills

Acquiring
a degree requires a high level of organization. In college, you’ll have to
learn how to manage your time between studies, personal wellness, social
activities, and in some cases student employment. In the workspace, time
management and organization are required in much the same way. Having obtained
these skills through college makes you more a much more suitable fit when
applying for jobs.

• Critical Thinking

Having a degree, depending on the subject it pertains to, shows that you can think critically about things. Critical thinking is the examination of information, evidence, and arguments to form conclusions. The projects that are tackled across multiple working industries may be so complicated that many interpretations are taken into consideration, and you’ll need to be able to look at all of these as equally valid in order to weed out what does or doesn’t make sense.

Critical thinking is, therefore, one of the skills that are deeply sought after by employers. The aim is to hire people who can solve solutions, and provide new ideas to benefit the business or organization.

• Higher Earning Potential

Some
jobs require complex skills and knowledge that are only taught in college.
Candidates who qualify for such positions will have enhanced their college skills,
meaning that they’re deserving of a salary advantage. When you’re in a
high-paying category, you’ll likely have more financial freedom than you
would’ve if you didn’t have a degree, depending on the industry in which you’re
employed.

• Financial Stability

Once
you’re in a high-earning bracket, you become financially stable. In addition to
wise budgeting, you need good management of your finances. Some say that
control of your finances refers to being able to save enough for a comfortable
retirement. Others use the term “financial hygiene,” which is the
ability to maintain a reasonable level of financial security. For example, they
allow minimum expenses every month and pay for all living essentials, such as
housing and food, without incurring debt.

Those
who use a credit card, have a checking account, and are not paying for any
unsecured debt may consider themselves to be managing their finances well.
These are some of the skills taught in college, by having to manage your
finances while living away from parents and guardians. These experiences and
lessons are carried forth into the time when you gain financial stability due
to a high earning position, and allow you to keep your head screwed on tight.

• Promotion Advantage

If an organization is looking to promote employees, those with degrees are usually considered to be priority candidates. When you’re advanced, you gain access to projects that you weren’t aware of before the promotion. Promotions may come with elevated influence, which you can use to the business or organization’s advantage. You’ll also enjoy benefits such as housing, company cars, and paid vacations, depending on who you work for.

• Social Networking Opportunities

A
professional network service is an organization devoted exclusively to
interactions and relationships. The aim of forming these relationships is to
get access to working and business opportunities. Social networking can begin
in college social clubs, such as the debating society and toastmasters. These
ties spill into the professional space once you obtain your degree.

If you’re seeking a new job or simply trying to find a new career, your first priority should be to look at which industries or occupations interest you. Then, start looking at who else in those fields may be hiring. By staying in touch with others who work in the same area as you, or even someone in your field but with a more developed skill set and network than you, you can foster relationships and build career networks that will help you to get more new job opportunities.

In
addition to looking at which industries are hiring, you should look at which
careers are a good fit for you. After all, if you have exciting and relevant
experience or an impressive skill set, those are precious points that can help
you land a lucrative new job. However, if you don’t have those tools, you
should figure out what you have that makes you stand out. That’s where
professional networking comes in. Make sure to foster relationships and build
career networks by connecting with those already in the industry you wish to
join.

• International Employability

Once
you have a degree, you’re more likely to qualify for working abroad, because of
the universal skills and knowledge that you’ve acquired. Here are a couple of
advantages to working abroad:

• Language Development

One
of the most important advantages of working abroad is the ability to learn
another language. It doesn’t matter whether you’re from an advanced
English-speaking country or a developing country where the language isn’t used
as much as in other parts of the world. Even if you don’t speak or understand
the language, you’ll have the chance to communicate with those who do. The more
exposure to other languages and cultures you gain, the more likely you are to
develop excellent communication skills.

•  International Experience

Another
advantage of working abroad is that one gets to live in a variety of countries.
This means that you’ll get to experience life in every country that you work
in. Therefore, it’s possible to adapt to life in different countries without
changing your way of life altogether. This is important, as many people fear
that changing one’s lifestyle will change their family or home life. You may
experience changes in your pay depending upon which country you’re working in.

• Public Speaking Opportunities

Public speaking is one of the most essential skills for individuals in any career. It’s something that will help you to communicate effectively with friends and business associates and will increase your earning power.

Public
speaking doesn’t consist entirely of reading prepared speeches that make an
impact on your audience; it’s also about having the right presentation.
Obtaining a degree requires having to pass several presentation projects, and
placing yourself at the centre of many people’s focus at once.

College
teaches you that presentation is the first step to any successful
communication. You must be able to convey your message in a format that will be
understood by the audience. You will learn that to get the most out of your
presentation, you should begin your talk with a great introduction. This is
where you state your name, and explain why you’re there. A good way to do this
is by preparing a brief monologue about your topic, to give your audience an
insight into what you’re all about. This skill will also prove crucial in
interviews.

• Business Owner

There
are five central departments in running a business, which are all taught to
those studying for a degree. This is not to say that every successful business
person has a college degree, just that they had to learn these dynamics along
their business journey regardless.

These departments are marketing, operations, investor relations, financial services and business development. The head of each department handles different aspects of the business and oversees particular tasks related to those aspects. You should know who heads each department and their respective responsibilities. This will help you to understand more about the structure of your company.

•  Marketing

Marketing
is the department that targets potential and existing customers. This
department comes up with strategies to get this target market’s attention. A
lot of money goes into advertising, so its execution is very important. Your
marketing manager should know all about existing marketing strategies and ideas
that can be used for your business’ growth.

• Operations

Operations
are responsible for the technical running of the business, such as in money
processes. Without specific knowledge, it’s challenging to create tangible
business strategies, development plans and execution.

• Financial Management

Financial management is what makes sure of
a profit, or at least keeps loss to a minimum. This department keeps an eye on
the financial side of the business to ensure that everything is going well, and
keep everything within the company in-check. They also have to keep accurate
accounts of everything going on within the company. A financial manager must
have good computer skills, and keep track of every transaction accurately. As
you study for your college degree, you’ll learn basic financial management by
handling your day-to-day needs efficiently.

• Customer Service

Customer Service is the provision of
exceptional service to clients prior, during and after a sale. The perception
of customer satisfaction depends on how employees can adjust their personality
and attitude to specific customers. If customers are happy with the way you
treat them, they’ll tell their friends, co-workers and relatives about their experience.

An
essential skill to have in a sales organization is to be able to close the deal
on potential customers. A happy customer is a valuable resource for your
business, so having them is crucial. There are many other ways to market your
product or service besides initiating door-to-door sales or displaying your
goods at the front of your store. By emphasizing the importance of customer
service, you’ll improve the quality of your sales and forge a long-term
relationship with your customers that’ll provide you with referrals and repeat
business.

Customer
service skills are learned in college, but not necessarily in the form of
text-book learning. The daily and near-constant interaction with colleagues,
classmates, and teachers forced a higher aptitude in how you deal with people;
it helps people you to figure out which methods of communication are effective
and which aren’t. If you later decide to form a business, you’ll draw upon
these skills while acquiring your degree.

Conclusion

Achieving
a degree creates several career and personal development opportunities. Many
more professional options will open up for you, and you’ll be more marketable
when applying for these options. Employers want knowledge, exposure,
organization and critical thinking.

A
degree also places you in a high-earning bracket, which creates financial
stability. Promotion opportunities are more frequent when you have a degree, as
well as international employment. You may get many more public speaking
opportunities, depending on your chosen industry or post, and develop your
networking skills further as you deal with various people.

If all of
professional life is a game of snakes and ladders, a degree is that one big
ladder that goes straight to the top; that said, games are all about luck, and
a degree takes real perseverance and work. If you’re willing to put it in, then
expect the working world to welcome you much more graciously than it would have
otherwise.

The post Where your degree can take you if excel during school appeared first on .

Is your business struggling due to the COVID-19
pandemic? If your goals for growth and expansion are no longer viable, you may
be wondering what to do next.

It may be tempting to put your plans on hold, but
there is still the potential to grow your business. 

Don’t let the pandemic get you down, because there are
ways to be successful even with lockdowns and restrictions. With the following
tips, you can take your company to the next level.

Go Digital

The world has gone digital; you can use this to your
advantage by utilizing technology. Consider upgrading your web presence, and if
possible, sell your products online.

If eCommerce is something you aren’t familiar with, start by selling to your local area. Depending on your business type, you may need to be creative. For example, a restaurant may use online ordering for takeaway orders, or a florist may offer home deliveries. The key is to be competitive by taking advantage of technology.

Manage Your Team With Software

If you are in management, you may be feeling
overwhelmed. How productive is your team, and are their assigned tasks being
completed on time? 

You can optimize your mobile workforce with
software. Productivity tools can help you delegate tasks,
monitor goals and track progress.

You can check on customer correspondence and create
automated processes to eliminate repetitive tasks. With clear reporting and
transparency, you will know exactly where your business is headed.

Find New Ways to Communicate

Social media is a smart way to stay connected with
your customers. Get to know your target audience and
choose the right platforms based on their interests. For example, younger
shoppers might be on Tik Tok or Snapchat, Millennials on Facebook or Twitter
and creatives on Instagram.

Complement your social media posts with a website
blog. This will help you can engage with the public and create brand
loyalty. 

You can use a customer relationship management
solution to track communication via different platforms. This ensures your
company provides consistent service, no matter who is responding.

Stick to What You Are Good At

If you are trying to grow your business during a
pandemic, you should stick to what you are good at. Don’t take unnecessary
risks or add new services you aren’t comfortable with. 

For those who are planning to invest, be careful and
do your research. Now might not be the time to make big purchases or move to an
expensive office space. 

Instead, look for smaller opportunities that will have
immediate results. For example, you could spend money on an app for the
convenience of your customers or offer a free gift with a purchase. 

Growing Your Business During a Pandemic

If your business is suffering as a result of COVID-19,
take the time to make some changes. Don’t be afraid to go digital and target
your customers in the online world.

Explore new opportunities, but be careful of large
investments as it is not the right climate for taking risks. Use software to
manage your team and communicate with customers, and take advantage of social
media.

When you have clear goals, good customer communication
and a motivated team, your business can grow. Even in the midst of a pandemic,
there is still the potential for economic success.

The post How to grow your business during a pandemic appeared first on .

If you’re looking to journey into the wide and wonderful
world of work, then you might have considered several different routes. You
might have considered a range of colleges and universities, where you’ll be
able to pick up the skills and knowledge that’ll equip you for a career in your
chosen field. Another option comes in the form of an apprenticeship.

Through an apprenticeship, you can start the job
immediately, learning as you go from a qualified mentor. You’ll pick up
experience quickly and form an understanding of whether you actually enjoy the
work that you’ve set out to do.

What is an apprenticeship?

Let’s run through a definition. An apprentice, according
to government guidance, is anyone who’s over 16 who combines work with
studying in order to progress in a specific job. They’re entitled to a minimum
wage (albeit one that’s lower than the one for qualified employees), and
they’ll need to work with experienced staff, learning job-specific skills.

Apprentices are also entitled to spend a portion of their
working hours in study. Normally, this means 20% of normal working hours, or a
single day out of a working week, which you might spend in college.

What do actual professionals say?

You might think of an apprenticeship as something that’s
suited to vocational, practical professions, rather than white-collar, academic
ones. Blacksmiths and mechanics have apprentices; scientists and lawyers have
assistants.

The
National Accident Helpline’s Learning and Development Manager, Samantha
Warner, dispelled this view during a Twitter Q&A in support of National
Apprenticeship Week. Alongside the company’s HR Business Partner, Danny
Kavanagh, she said: “Offering apprenticeships has been great for us, as it’s
inspired our apprentices to learn new skills, and some have been promoted
during the course of their studies. People taking on an apprenticeship are
making a commitment to learn and it shows ambition, which we welcome in our
team.”

Why consider an apprenticeship

The apprenticeship appeals for a few different reasons.

To begin with, you won’t have to contend with tuition fees
for the rest of your life. While tuition fees aren’t a real debt, as you don’t
have to pay them back until you earn a certain amount, they’re still a
significant mental burden which you won’t have to contend with. Your employer
will make an investment in you instead.

You’re not committing to a single workplace, either; your CV
will be strengthened, and you’ll be put in touch with industry contacts who’ll
be provide you with a basis for a future career.

At the end of your apprenticeship, you’ll emerge with one of
three kinds of vocational qualifications. Intermediate, advanced, and higher
apprenticeships come in the form of NVQs, and they’re recognised across the
country.

The post Is an apprenticeship the best way to start your career? appeared first on .

    Dean Da Costa’s SSaR Start.me Collection   In the video below, Dean Da Costa takes you through his Start.me collection SSaR. He has 4 pages filled with links to Chrome Extensions, Sourcing and Recruiting tools, Web Scrapers, People Finders, and more. You can find the collection here. Note: If a tool has 2 […]

  Humantic’s New UI for Candidate Engagement and Assessment   Wouldn’t it be great if you could get all of your candidates to take a personality test? It would certainly help you see if they are a good fit for your team. Well, now there’s a way to get a candidate personality assessment without a […]

It wasn’t all that long ago that the idea of spending money online by entering your credit card details on a website sounded fraught with risk. Today, in an age in which the biggest retailers predominantly exist online rather than offline, this doesn’t seem such a big threat anymore. Buying an item over the internet is seamless and, so long as you trust the company or vendor you’re purchasing from, it doesn’t seem any riskier than spending money elsewhere.

Most of the time,
that’s entirely accurate. Unfortunately, there are still scenarios in which
payment data can be stolen — even in instances where the vendor you’re making
a purchase from is eminently trustworthy. This is where the cyber security threat of web skimming comes into play.

Definition of a web skimmer

A web skimmer
refers to a specific type of internet credit card-related fraud in which
attackers compromise a website by using malicious code in order to steal
payment information. With websites growing more complex all the time, it’s
possible for attackers to insert this fraudulent code, and for it to sit there
on websites for a sustained period of time, siphoning off customer information
as it does.

These attacks can
even affect major retailers — such as when British Airways had approximately
380,000 customer card details stolen in 2018. During the web skimming attack in
question, which lasted for around three weeks, malicious code on both the
airline’s website and its mobile app meant customers purchasing plane tickets
had their credit card information — along with names, billing address, and
email — forwarded to a private server in Romania.

A similar attack,
which affected 40,000 customers, was targeted at ticket vendor company
Ticketmaster.

The Magecart consortium

The most famous
web skimming entity is Magecart, a consortium of hackers who go after online
shopping cart systems — most frequently Magento — in order to steal payment
card data. These attacks, which are also referred to as supply chain attacks,
can provide a lucrative reward for hackers by providing them with a stream of
data they can use to enrich themselves.

As with any
cyberattack, over time web skimmers have changed up the way they operate in
order to avoid detection, and take advantage of new vulnerabilities they can
capitalize on. One recent example of this is hackers hiding web skimmers in websites’
CSS files. CSS files refer
to Cascading Style Sheets. They’re a cornerstone of internet technology, much
like JavaScript and HTML, which describe the presentation of documents written
in markup language like HTML. CSS files contain code detailing the different
colors of page elements, font settings, text size, and similar.

Over the past 10
years, CSS language has grown increasingly complex as CSS has become a more
powerful tool in its own right. Unfortunately, hackers have been taking
advantage of this by finding ways to modify CSS files using malicious code —
thereby allowing their data-swiping attacks to go undetected. This is because
embedding their code in CSS files is one way to get around automated security
scanners, and maybe even manual security code checks, without raising the
alarm.

Do a good job of protecting yourself

The use of
Magecart attacks exploiting CSS files is just one more example of how
cyberattackers continue to evolve. For this reason, vendors must do a better
job of regularly inspecting the code running on their websites in order to
protect customers (and themselves) against such attacks. This kind of source
code review is a “must” for any vendor operating an online store.

To make
protecting yourself more straightforward, it’s strongly advisable that vendors
consider a tool like a Web Application Firewall (WAF). WAFs can be deployed as
a means of inspecting incoming and outbound HTTP/S traffic to a web
application, and filtering out any malicious traffic. A good WAF will utilize
threat intelligence, based on things like known attack patterns, in order to
work out which traffic shouldn’t be able to reach a particular application. In
the case of Magecart attacks, WAFs can detect and block attacks that target vulnerabilities
known as being exploited by cyberattackers. A Web Application Firewall is
therefore a very valuable tool that could make a major difference when it comes
to a business that’s under attack.

Web skimming
attacks can be devastating. They harm both customers and vendors alike, and are
only becoming more of a problem as time goes on. During the current COVID-19
coronavirus pandemic, more people than ever are relying on the internet as
essential infrastructure that allows them to do their shopping. This only
further incentivizes wrongdoers who seek to capitalize on the opportunity to
steal valuable data.

By deploying the
approaches described here, you can help fight back against them. For the good
of the people who want to do business with you, it’s the best, smartest and —
in some ways the only — option that’s available. Use it as best you can.

The post Magecart Attacks Expand to CSS appeared first on .

In today’s competitive, tech-driven real estate landscape, success is always the result of a team effort. But building a solid team of motivated agents isn’t as easy as it used to, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic that has forced businesses to embrace remote working.

And this begs the question: How do you recruit and retain top talents during COVID-19?

Well, to answer that question, you’ll first need to understand what motivates agents to join or leave a brokerage.

Today’s agents aren’t only interested in a brokerage’s commission split. They consider everything around the brokerage as important as the incentives offered—from cultural fit and brand image to software and productivity tools that a company has invested in.

This guide will help you understand how to recruit and retain top-performing real estate agents during COVID-19 and beyond.

1. Understand What Agents are Looking for in a Brokerage

Understanding what potential agents look for in a real estate firm can help you fine-tune your agent recruitment plan. Here are a set of qualities the majority of real estate agents find essential for any brokerage to have.

Access to Real Estate Tech

Technology is rapidly changing the real estate game. From the way agents conduct business to how transactions are handled, real estate is one industry that has been transformed by technology on an unprecedented scale. And with COVID-19 fueling the move to remote work, agents have had to rely on tech fully to conduct business.

In the wake of COVID-19, agents are looking to work with brokerages that are not new to the virtual space. If your real estate team needs to work from home, does your business have the resources to support them? Some of the tech tools you’ll need to facilitate remote working for your real estate team may include transaction management software and video chat tools like FaceTime.

Opportunities for Growth

New agents want to know if they’ll be presented with opportunities for career growth and development. If you offer mentoring programs, training courses, or support for attending industry conferences, it’s important to include this info in your recruitment bulletin.

A Strong Online Presence

Your online presence matters a lot to your to-be agents as they may use that info to gauge your online reputation. Most agents will want a brokerage with a strong online presence with active social media accounts, a business website, and a blog that’s updated regularly.

2. Establish a Winning Company Culture

Culture fit is an important focus when recruiting experienced agents. Investing in winning company culture will give you a competitive edge over your competitors. Besides, every agent wants a brokerage culture that promotes teamwork.

Thriving company culture is one that puts your agents’ well-being on the front seat—celebrating their success while providing a congenial environment for growth. Your brokerage’s culture should show potential candidates the benefits they’ll get by joining your team.

3. Recruit at Every Experience Level

Don’t focus your recruitment on one experience level. Sure, every broker wants the most experienced agents. But balancing new ones with experienced pros often delivers the best results.

Why? New agents help to safeguard your brokerage’s future. Experienced agents, on the other hand, will hit the ground running with little to no training and bring along a network of connections to build your brand. You’ll need both for your brokerage to thrive.

The post How to recruit real estate agents during COVID-19 appeared first on .