Bear with the me, this is not some real random, pointless sh@t blog post – there really is a real link between my new washing machine that was installed today & hiring, trying to do everything yourself.

In short, my washing machine broke last week, it was 10 years old and time for a new one.

I went on Curry’s website, searched for integrated machines and found one that fitted the gap, did more than I ever needed with various settings & 500 different types of washes, who uses these ffs.

Anyway, I’ll get to the point. There was an option of installation for an extra £115. I thought about it… well I can plug in, attach a couple of pipes and screw a door on & save myself the money? But pondering this, I thought no, let’s leave it to the experts who fit 5 of these a day, every day.

Bloody good job I did…. They had to take apart the adjoining kitchen cupboard to locate the hoses. Pulled the dryer out next to it as it was behind there. Move the waste pipe, plumb it in in limited space, screw the cabinet back together. Then the cupboard door did not line up with the existing hinge attachments, so they moved these on the door and fitted it. They then tested it, to make sure all was working okay & took all the packaging away and left my kitchen as they found it.

2 people, who knew what they were doing, were here over an hour… for £115.

I’d have still been there now, no doubt with a flooded kitchen & a wet dog.

So, what’s my point…. Simply, the same applies when recruiting yourself. You may not need the services of a traditional agency, charging thousands, but unless you are a hiring supremo and have lots of free time to dedicate to the process, I’d recommend you use a partner like Blue Rocket Recruitment where we can help every step of the way and take the burden away of going to all the job boards directly, writing and posting a good optimised advert, shortlisting, responding, arranging interviews, job offer management etc….

We charge from just £399….

And if things go smoothly, great – but if things prove difficult like thy did with my washing machine install… such as… no shows for interviews, counteroffers, ghosting, unexpected withdrawals, offer rejection and many more possibilities, we are here to step in and help, leaving you to do what you do best… running your business / department & keeping your clients happy.

So, I’d certainly recommend paying that little extra for that expertise, albeit having an appliance installed or recruiting for your next hire!

All the best,

Steve Wyeth 🚀

steve.wyeth@bluerocketrec.co.uk

It’s certainly a different recruitment market than it was 5 or even 10 years ago, with candidates and job seekers holding more power than ever before, due to a shortage in most sectors.

One our recruitment advertising partners, CV Library recently stated that poor hiring decisions are costing businesses up to £15,000 a year, so it certainly pays to get it right.

Candidates have made it well know that certain areas put them off applying for jobs, so we’ve put together 5 recruitment mistakes you could be making and how you can avoid them.

1. Badly written job adverts

94% of job seekers say they are more likely to apply for a role that has a clear job description, that explains the role in some detail along with an overview of the company. A well written advert is naturally more inviting. You need to point out key responsibilities, what skills are required, a little about the company and of course what the candidate can gain from working for you. Why is this a better opportunity than the job they are currently in. This is one area of our expertise, and now with the help of AI, you should be able to produce a marketing masterpiece.

2. A lengthy application process

Simplicity is the key. You need to be able to make the application process as easy as possible. Remember, most candidates are applying on their mobile, so they are not going to want to answer 20 questions, and if they do start, they’ll abandon the process half way through. Capture only the information you really need at the initial stage. CV, contact details etc… you can capture the rest later in the process.

3. Too many interviews

Do you really need to hold a telephone interview, an initial face to face, then a second interview, then come in and meet the MD at the final interview. If your hiring process has too many stages for candidates, they may well become impatient, or worse get snapped up by someone else. If they need to meet the MD, can he he be brought in at the end of the first interview?

4. Slow response rate

We see this all the time. The perfect candidate applies, it takes a week to acknowledge their application and a further 2 weeks to invite them in for an interview, then another week to put an offer together. If they are good, you are not going to the only party interested. Move fast.

5. Offer a good package

Consider the package you are offering. If the candidate is currently earning £30K, don’t offer them £30K and say you’ll have more progression opportunities here. The market is competitive, so you need to stay on top of current salary levels to make sure you stay in line with what your competitors are paying. Plus, what perks do you offer, what can set you apart from the crowd – it doesn’t always have to be about money.

Getting your hiring process right is key to recruiting the right person for your business, and well worth investing in – that’s where we come in, and can certainly add value to your recruitment campaign, ensuring the end result is not only a successful hire, but the right hire.

If we can be of any assistance, or offer any advice on any thing recruitment related, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with either myself or one of the team.

All the best,

Steve Wyeth 🚀

Attracting, recruiting and retaining top employees is extremely tough right now. The chances are your new hire was signed up with multiple agencies & job boards, and recently attended a number of interviews, putting pressure on you to pull out all the stops in order to entice them into your role & get them to stay once they start. So, you need to do everything you can to stop your new starters from being poached by another company or sweet talked by an agency about the “dream role” they are recruiting for.

You may think your job is complete once you make the hire, but the hard work actually starts here. Now, you need to live up to your new employees’ expectations. At this point, most employees only have one weeks’ notice period whilst in probation – so can easily leave the business, and often won’t need to work the week and leave on the spot.

So, how can you stop your new starters from being poached? There are a few key areas to look at here. From keeping contact with them during their notice period, to ensuring an effective onboarding process. Get this right and your new employee will settle in no problem. Get it wrong and you risk losing them to a competitor and having to start the process all over again.

We’ve put together 4 ways to ensure you are successful in retaining your new starters.

1. Keep in contact after they have accepted the job

Fantastic news – your candidate has accepted your job offer! They probably have a notice period to work in their current job, and if they are senior – this could be up to 3 months. But that doesn’t mean you should wait until they start the job to speak to them again, far from it.

Send them an email with any business updates, show excitement about them joining the team. This period is critical for communication and making them feel welcome. Remember, their existing employer could swoop in and make them a counter-offer that they can’t refuse. So, the better rapport you build with them at this stage, the more excited & committed they feel about their new job.

2. Eliminate first day nerves

Starting a new job is extremely nerve-wracking. Put yourself in the candidate’s shoes and consider what you’d want from a new employer on the first day of a job.

In the final week before they start, get in touch to ensure that they have all the necessary information. They know where to park, what time they need to arrive by, who to ask for on arrival, dress code and so on. While these might seem small, it can make a real difference.

Be sure to introduce them to their new colleagues as soon as possible.

3. Create an onboarding plan

The best way to do this, is to put together a clear schedule for their first 2 weeks in the role. This will include dedicated training time, inductions & meeting key personnel. Alongside this, be sure to give them tasks to crack on with, so they feel they are adding value.

It is also important for new starters to have one-to-one time with their managers to discuss what is expected of them in the role and to go over any grey areas.

4. Set clear goals

Every single employee in your company should have clear goals and objectives to work towards, this also applies to your new starters, as everyone is naturally far more productive when they have something to work towards.

This will also show that you value your new employee and they’ll be less likely to go snooping around for other job opportunities.

You should also focus on having ongoing career conversations in order to get the best out of all your employees.

What happens if your new starter does get poached?

Sadly, even if you do all the above, another company may swoop in and entice your new starter away. It’s just the nature of business and most of the time it is out of your hands.

If this happens to you and they choose to accept the offer, be sure to ask your employee for feedback. Is there anything that would have made them stay? Any issues you are not aware of? What has attracted them to the other role? All this will give you insights into why they have left and help your future hiring efforts.

Whatever you do don’t be bitter or show your anger. It’s your new starters career, not yours, so always stay professional and leave them with a positive impression of your company. You never know, you may be able to poach them back one day.

Take the above advice on board and you should stand a much better chance of retaining new starters and ultimately building a strong and stable team.

All the best,

Steve Wyeth 🚀

The Blue Rocket Recruitment August 2024 Recruitment Trends Snapshot highlights significant changes in the job market. Here are the key points:

1. Rise in Applications: There has been a notable increase in job applications, suggesting more competition among job seekers. This uptick is particularly evident in sectors like healthcare, manufacturing, and education.
2. Decline in Job Postings: Job ads have slightly decreased, indicating that employers may be more cautious with their hiring. This decline could be due to economic factors, plus August being the main holiday month, which is traditionally quiet for recruitment.
3. Remote Work Trends: Although remote roles remain popular, there has been a slight drop in their numbers. This could reflect a shift towards hybrid working models or a stabilizing demand for remote work.
4. Sector-Specific Insights:
   • Healthcare and Manufacturing: These sectors continue to see high activity, both in job postings and applications, highlighting their ongoing demand.
   • Logistics: There has been a modest increase in the number of roles, from warehouse operatives to freight & logistics coordinators, indicating companies could be getting ready for a busier Q4
   • IT and Finance: These sectors are experiencing fewer applications, possibly due to market saturation or shifts in job seeker interest.
5. Adaptation and Strategy: The report emphasizes the need for targeted recruitment strategies. Understanding candidate behaviour, such as the preference for flexible work arrangements, is crucial for successful hiring.

In conclusion, the August 2024 trends indicate a competitive job market with sector-specific dynamics. Employers should adapt their recruitment strategies to stay ahead, focusing on visibility and candidate engagement. Our team here at Blue Rocket Recruitment are ideally placed to provide you with a complete, simple direct hiring solution.

Ready to find out more?

Please call 023 8033 6633, email hi@bluerocketrec.co.uk

When hiring a new employee, it is important to ask the right questions.

But how do you really dig into what makes someone tick as an employee, and how do you determine if they’ll be a good fit for your business — not only in terms of their skills, but also their personality, and as a part of your company culture?

To help you come up with the perfect list of interview questions to ask potential employees, we’ve come up with 40, and divided this list into five categories; basic interview questions, behavioural interview questions, salary & career development questions and getting started questions. Pick and choose a handful that feel most applicable from each list.

Complete the below form and your eBook, with 40 questions you can ask candidates during an interview will be in your inbox in minutes.

Happy interviewing 🚀

Our digital recruitment advertising platform is unique, and we often get asked, what is the difference  between using Blue Rocket to using a traditional recruitment agency.

Blue Rocket is different (better) in so many ways.

Having worked in recruitment for over 20 years, we knew recruitment was broken, so we have fixed it and launched Blue Rocket Recruitment. Our mission is to save you time & money by simplifying the recruitment process. No contracts. No commissions. Low cost, with a one-off payment of just £399.

Here are the 4 main differences:

Agency Fees – There is none. No paying 16% or more of the successful hire’s first year’s salary, which results in £1000s. Once more, you can make multiple hires from any one campaign and not have to pay a penny more.

Maximum Exposure – We use all the leading job boards such as reed.co.uk, CV Library & Total Jobs, as well as more niche & location specific job boards, plus aggregators such as indeed and of course social media. We advertise your role across over 800 platforms. A typical agency will rely on just 1 or 2 (to save money).

Full Transparency & Brand Protection – We represent you, the employer and not the applicants we attract. This means the candidates are yours, so you are in complete control of all communication with them, so you can protect your employer brand, and ensure a great candidate experience.

Candidates Not Pitched Other Roles – Recruitment agencies, due to the nature of the no placement, no fee model, send the same candidates they have sent to you, to your competition. This maximises their chance of a placement, plus in some cases they try to persuade the candidate to accept a job in which they would earn the higher fee. With Blue Rocket, every candidate that applies to your role is yours and will go straight into your candidate dashboard, in which no other clients have access to. They certainly will not be contacted or pitched any other roles from us.

So, in a nutshell – if you have a job which you need to fill quickly and want to access the leading job boards & online recruitment platforms, for a fraction of the price of using an agency or buying the media directly (just £399), then call either myself or one of our friendly team on 023 8033 6633 or email hi@bluerocketrec.co.uk

All the best,

Steve Wyeth

Founder 🚀

For most companies, recruitment can take a big chunk out of your budget, especially if you use a recruitment agency, which could cost you anything upwards of £3K in fees.

One of the key factors in making recruitment a success is hiring great candidates from the start. This will save you a lot of time, expense and headaches down the line. For this reason, many owners and hiring managers feel they must go to an agency to find the best talent available, but this simply isn’t true.

Having worked in recruitment for nearly 20 years, mostly in agency recruitment, I am not going to sit here and bash the sector, as although it doesn’t have the best reputation, most agencies do a great job, operate ethical and can un-earth some amazing talent that may not be available elsewhere.

However – for at least 80% of the hires a typical company will make using a traditional recruitment company, the shortlisted applicants and ultimately the successfully hired candidate would of all applied to the agency through a job advertisement they placed, for your vacancy online, albeit via a job board, aggregator like indeed or on social media.

So, you end up paying, £3K, £4K, perhaps even £6K if they are a senior appointment, when you could have advertised the role across all the leading job boards, online platforms and social media, with Blue Rocket Recruitment for just £399, yes, that’s it – £399! We’ll even write your advert for you!

All of the applicants will appear in your very own, company branded, cloud-based candidate dashboard. All applicants will be ranked in order of their suitability. You can review, contact, set up interviews from any device at any time. What’s more you can hire, 2, 4 or 10 candidates and wont ever pay a penny more. The candidate dashboard is yours, to store candidates’ details, sort into folders and use in the future, whenever you need to hire again – all GDPR compliant and at no extra cost.

So, before you use an agency for your next job vacancy, consider using Blue Rocket. We are changing the way companies recruit by offering simple, effective, and affordable online recruitment solutions for business of all shapes and sizes.

Let’s be honest, most traditional recruitment agencies have charged too much, for too little, for too long?

If you’d like to have a no obligation chat, on how we can help you recruit or have any questions on any aspect of our online recruitment advertising service, please don’t hesitate to give me a call on 023 8033 6633 or drop me an email to hi@bluerocketrec.co.uk – it would be great to hear from you.

All the best

Steve Wyeth

Founder & Director