Scotland’s job board, s1jobs.com, has set a new high with a record breaking month.  January saw more visits in one month than ever before – reaching 1.2 million sessions.  Due to restored recruiters’ confidence, s1jobs also saw more than 15,000 jobs posted.

Since its launch in 2001, s1jobs has constantly outstripped its rivals in Scotland in terms of traffic, applications and unique users.  According to figures released by Hitwise in February 2010, s1jobs is Scotland’s number 1 commercial job site with a lead of over three times the traffic of its nearest rival.

Mark Smith, s1 Managing Director said, “The recruitment market in Scotland is definitely showing signs of recovery and these figures reinforce that s1jobs remains the 1^st choice for Scottish recruiters and jobseekers alike”.

www.s1jobs.com

RK Accountancy are headline sponsors of today’s CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) Sports, Culture and the Economy presentation.

The event which is being held at the Sale Sharks rugby ground concludes with attendees enjoying a Guinness Premier League match between Sale Sharks and Leeds Carnegie.

The speakers include Colin Murdock (George Davies LLP; sports lawyer and ex international footballer), Barney Storey (Double gold medal paralympian), Nigel Whitehad (North West Development Agency), Nathan Brombrys (Commercial Director at Sales Sharks) and a specialist sports accountant from Deloittes.

The topics set to be covered are exploitation in modern rugby, overcoming issues faced for 2012, impact of 2012 Olympics on North West, economic challenges facing sports clubs and seasonal values of players.

RK managing director Paul Waite comments “sponsoring this event allows us to demonstrate our support to the CIMA and wider business communities.  Our brand values of Add Enhance Retain reinforce why it is important for us to support events like these.”

The event begins at 13:00 with Buffet lunch.  RK Accountancy will be in attendance to discuss their services.

With an already successful job board, popular networking events and a growing community of almost 6000 people, IT career portal womenintechnology.co.uk is expanding its reach and using 2010 to help encourage more women into IT through its recruitment services.
Women in Technology Recruitment Services has been developed as a response to demand from both clients and candidates who found the job board and career networking portal useful but who wanted support and assistance in the whole recruitment process. A professional diversity supplier with a team of four experienced recruiters, Women in Technology Recruitment Services aims to build upon the success of womenintechnology.co.uk and continue to help increase the flow of female candidates into IT.
Heading up the recruitment team is Claire Goodwin: “There are so many firms out there who would love to hire more technical women but they just can’t find them. We’re here to give organisations access to a wider and more diverse talent pool. While we are best placed to source female talent, our short lists will reflect the diverse make-up of the workplace and will include high calibre male IT professionals too – men haven’t been put off using us if we have a job they’re interested in! What’s more, many men think it’s a great idea as they work in all male teams and appreciate that women can bring different skills to the table.”
For more information about women in technology’s recruitment services please visit http://www.womenintechnology.co.uk/recruitment-services or contact Claire Goodwin, cgoodwin@womenin.co.uk.

Many people don’t realise the diverse range of careers you can have in the British Army – there are over 140 trade groups and many different job types to choose from. From clerks to nurses, mechanics to IT experts, the Army offers recruits a career with continuous training and development, where you can learn vocational skills and earn a competitive salary. As well as this, there are also unrivalled travel and sporting opportunities plus a great sense of teamwork and camaraderie. 

For example, did you know that as an Army engineer you can gain valuable qualifications that are recognised on civvy street such as NVQs in mechanical engineering or vehicle fitting. Or as a Human Resources Specialist in the Army you can gain professional qualifications in computing and information management, and you could even do an apprenticeship while you train.  

The Army need to recruit approximately 15,000 Soldiers and Officers each year. However, there is currently a selection of trades that the Army are particularly recruiting for, and are as follows:

• Administration and HR
• Communications and Technology
• Logistics and resourcing
• Engineering
• Healthcare 

Army Case studies
Ever wondered what a career in the British Army is really like? These soldiers from the Royal Logistics and Royal Signals Corps have first hand experience.

Captain Dale Taft, 27, is an Officer in the Royal Signals and has been in the Army for five years. “In the Royal Signals I’ve experienced a range of jobs from the frontline to strategic operations in a variety of theatres, including Iraq and Afghanistan,” says Dale. “Currently I’m in charge of a team used for operational planning and decision making, so I need to be able to process information quickly and remain calm under pressure. The Army has not only set me up with great leadership skills but has also enabled me to take part in a range of adventurous training expeditions including sailing and SCUBA diving courses. The diversity the Royal Signals offers has ensured I’m constantly being challenged and learning how to work with others effectively – it’s helped me get the most out of myself and my team.”   

Lance Corporal Chris Puffett, 22, joined the Army after he left school and chose the Royal Logistic Corps because of the wide variety of trades on offer plus the chance to gain valuable skills that could be used both in and outside the Army. “Working as a Logistic Specialist (Supply) I’ve had amazing opportunities to travel having been posted to both Germany and Iraq,” Chris says. I’ve also visited Canada, Cyprus and Poland and I’ve just returned from two weeks skiing in Bavaria – something I’d never tried before. There’s lots of responsibility attached to my role as well. In my previous posting, I worked in a distribution centre where I would be the main point of contact for kit being delivered in and sent out to the troops on the ground – so there are a lot of people depending on you. I love my job because of the travel, opportunities to learn and the pay is good too – I feel like I’ve achieved so much more than your average 22 year old!” 

To find out more about careers in the Army visit www.armyjobs.mod.uk

For more information, please contact
Laura Grant
Euro RSCG Biss Lancaster
Tel: 02074679229
Email: laura.grant@bisslancaster.com

Newbury, UK, 9^th February 2010. HotLizard is pleased to announce recent innovations in its Gecko range of websites and job boards, launching the solution into the global recruitment market.

As part of its ongoing product development strategy, HotLizard identified the requirement to further enhance their successful Gecko range of websites and job boards through the implementation of an intelligent Unicode database, which effectively gives Gecko sites multilingual capabilities.

HotLizard initially developed their robust multilingual functionality back in 2005 for implementation in their bespoke websites and job boards. Recent product development on the highly-regarded Gecko range of websites and job boards now gives clients the ability to have their Gecko site appear in any language. In addition to this, the enhanced Unicode database that HotLizard has developed for Gecko allows clients to optimise their site for the overseas Search Engines, by implementing Meta information in different languages using foreign characters.

HotLizard’s Gecko product range was launched in early 2009 and has seen significant uptake over the past year. The range of websites and job boards features a suite of creative designs, has been expertly developed, and can be implemented quickly without the cost associated with a completely bespoke solution. This, teamed with market-leading technology and expert consultation means that HotLizard’s Gecko range provides the perfect solution for organisations looking to give their company the kick start it needs.

www.hotlizard.net

AllTheTopBananas.com have today announced that they will be launching the first public beta testing of their brand new site changes at TruLondon’s recruitment unconference in London on the 18th of February. Delegates of the unconference will be given the chance to test the new advanced features of AllTheTopBananas’ job search before the changes are officially rolled out to the public.

The testing will give recruitment insiders the opportunity to provide opinions and feedback on AllTheTopBananas’ site changes, which have been developed after months of research into usability and enhancing job clicks from quality, relevant candidates. AllTheTopBananas have developed technology which is able to identify key features of the job description and display them in icon form; so that users are alerted to significant elements of the displayed job, such as education and skill requirements, and information on job perks.

Other changes include a refined similar jobs matching service, which uses AllTheTopBananas’ job title conversion technology to enhance relevancy of the jobs displayed. There is also an increased level of branding for job boards on the jobs results pages, so that users are more aware of the source of a vacancy they are interested in; an added benefit for all jobseekers and clients.

Dave Martin, MD of AllTheTopBananas.com said: “We are very pleased to be beta testing our site changes at Tru London’s recruitment unconference. We have spent a lot of time researching and developing our job search to enable enhanced usability for our jobseekers. Our main priority is to ensure accurate candidate matching to vacancies- quality jobseekers, who are serious about and qualified for, the vacancies that they click on. By providing a user with more information to aid their selection process we are aiming to reduce job applicant spam and further increase the quality of our clicks, which will benefit both jobseeker and job board alike. The beta testing will give others in the recruitment industry a chance to see what we’ve been up to and help to improve the quality of service we offer. This significant update to our technology and search engine will help us towards our mission of being ‘the most helpful job search engine’. The new features are a peek into the future of supporting pragmatic jobseekers, and we feel that The TRU London event is a great base to launch the beta. We will be offering a limited supply of our free banana beer as a thank you for taking the time to assist our final round of research before we launch.”

The popular TRU London recruitment event is run by Bill Boorman, and will give recruitment industry experts the chance to debate and discuss a variety of topics in an informal, participant driven way. The 1 hour ‘tracks’ will question and discuss important recruitment topics such as social recruiting and the future of the job board. It takes place on the 17th-19th February in Soho. AllTheTopBananas will be beta testing their site changes on Thursday 18th Feb, and are official media sponsors of the event. Limited tickets are still available; for more information about the Tru London recruitment unconference, visit the website: http://thetruconferences.com/

Red Advertising Ltd the online recruitment classified advertising business has been nominated and shortlisted for five awards at this year’s Onrec Awards event.

The Onrec Awards celebrate the success, growth, innovation talent and achievements of online media operating within the recruitment advertising sector. They represent the Industry’s most prestigious Awards Ceremony and are held annually in London.

At this year’s event Red Advertising, its individual brands and its online solutions have been shortlisted for Awards by the independent panel of judges in the following categories:-

Innovative Online Marketing Award – Redgoldfish Jobs

Innovative Offline Marketing Award – Red Advertising

Best Technical Innovation Award – Red Advertising

Best Technical Innovation Award – Supplier – Jobmate Technology

Candidate Service Award – Redgoldfish Jobs

In addition to the above awards Carla Fern, who heads up Red Advertising’s Client Services and who is dedicated to the ongoing development of the Red Business and to the ongoing innovations within the online recruitment advertising sector, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Personality of the Year accolade. 

Personality of the Year 2010 Award – Carla Fern – Red Advertising

Commenting on the success of these short listed award achievements, Richard Clarke Director of Red Advertising said “It is nice to be recognised and we are all absolutely thrilled and delighted to have made the short list in so many categories at this year’s awards. This reflects the high standards that we operate to. Where we can improve our services we always aim to deliver. Where we can innovate to make our online products better and more effective we do so. Our staff work incredibly hard all year round and above all our team highly values and listens to our customers in our ongoing quest for online perfection.”

Richard added “We have been nominated and won a number of awards and accolades during the last 18 months. What makes this one much more special than any of the others is that it is possibly the Top Awards event in the industry. It’s one of the only Award events that is completely specific to Online Recruitment. It is dedicated to and rewards excellence in online achievement. These Awards reflect only the best of the best in the online recruitment Sector and we are ecstatic about being recognised for our achievements”.          

This year’s event marks the 5^th Year of the Awards and is being held on 31st March 2010 at The Grange St Paul’s hotel in London

 www.onrec.com/awards/pages/awards

 www.redadvertising.co.uk

www.redgoldfish.co.uk

More than 200 employers are participating in Real Prospects 2010, double last year’s figure, making it the biggest piece of research into the UK graduate employment market. 

The annual survey by Graduate Prospects explores what graduates think about their jobs, covering areas such as training and development, leadership and management, salary and benefits, progression opportunities, corporate social responsibility and work-life balance. Real Prospects 2010 will track graduates with up to five years’ experience in the workplace.  

Almost 13,500 graduates responded to the 2009 survey, and this figure will increase substantially this year as universities including Manchester, Warwick and Nottingham are sending a link to the survey to their graduates.

“With more than 200 organisations participating, the results will form a truly comprehensive picture of the reality of graduate employment,” says Carl Gilleard, chief executive of the Association of Graduate Recruiters.

“We are delighted to continue our support for this important project, the only one of its kind, and I urge all graduate recruiters to get behind it.”

Eden Keane, manager of Real Prospects, says: “It’s been a fascinating year for the industry and it will be interesting to see how the downturn has influenced graduates’ views of their jobs. We are expecting the survey to yield some astonishing data, providing invaluable information for employers who will be developing recruitment strategies and graduate programmes post-recession.”

Recruiters participating in Real Prospects 2010 include NHS, Procter & Gamble, Audit Commission, RBS and the Co-operative Group. Those who have opted for Partner or Associate status, which provides them with a personalised survey and report, include RWE npower and Mott MacDonald.

As well as forming a unique picture of the industry, Real Prospects 2010 will help recruiters understand how they are shaping up at a critical time.

“Real Prospects tells recruiters what they are doing well and what they need to do better,” continues Carl Gilleard. “As the economy emerges from recession, Real Prospects will be nothing less than a signpost for the future for graduate recruitment.”

The results of Real Prospects 2010 will be launched in June. It’s not too late to participate – employers can register now by emailing Russell Rhys Davies at R.Rhysdavies@prospects.ac.uk or calling 0845 077 1965. Product information and copies of last year’s survey are available on request.

Cory Environmental, developers of the Riverside Energy from Waste facility at Belvedere, and Von Roll INOVA who are building and operating the plant, have awarded Portsmouth based Waste to Energy specialists ASTUTE Technical Recruitment the contract to crew-up their new £350m plant, known as the Riverside Resource Recovery Facility.

The plant, which is currently in the construction phase and due to begin operations in 2011, will require up to 50 staff and ASTUTE hope to give a major boost to the area by sourcing candidates locally where possible. The technical recruitment consultancy will be organising a series of Recruitment Open Days in the local community, and will also be advertising in Job Centres and the local press.

ASTUTE’s Managing Director, Terry Buckel, explained; “Our intention is to attract as many suitably experienced candidates from the local area as possible. With this in mind we’ll be focussing our activity in and around London, and wholeheartedly believe that the project will provide a major boost to the local economy. It’s an exciting and prestigious project and one we’re delighted to have been awarded”

Cory Environmental chose to work with ASTUTE as they are seen as the leading technical recruitment consultancy in the Waste to Energy sector, and are fully committed to sourcing local candidates which is one of the key requirements in the brief they have been given.

The first round of recruitment will involve sourcing a Plant Manager, Operations Manager and Engineering Manager for the site, before ASTUTE look to secure a number of Operations and Maintenance staff who will ensure the plant operates efficiently and provides power to around 66,000 homes in and around Belvedere. On average the facility is expected to process 585,000 tonnes of waste a year, generating 72MW of electricity.

Almost half of multilingual job seekers don’t think beyond translation when it comes to careers using languages. That’s according to a recent poll by executive and business support recruiter Crone Corkill.

Crone Corkill asked visitors to its stand at the Language Show Career Fair what role first came to mind when thinking about jobs with languages and 45% of respondents replied with the answer ‘translator’ or ‘interpreter’. Other responses included teaching, tourism and customer service.

“The Language Show was a great chance for us to meet talented linguists and show them the career opportunities available where they could use their languages” says Helen Hook, Senior Manager at Crone Corkill. “We met people that spoke a wide range of languages, from French to Latvian to Yoruba! But it’s surprising how many people still automatically think of translation when it comes to jobs with languages.”

“Whether it’s a secretary, receptionist or team assistant, companies are always looking for candidates who not only have the right skills and experience for those types of roles, but who can communicate with people from around the globe. French and German remain the most in demand languages – especially within banking and finance and in the energy and media sectors too. However Eastern European and Nordic languages, Japanese and Mandarin are also becoming increasingly sought after as these markets expand.”

For all the latest office support and language jobs, visit www.cronecorkill.co.uk.