Online job boards take the lead over recruitment agencies according to market research survey

research undertaken by Bond International Software highlights that only 25% of candidates would use Social Media for job search


72% of respondents have looked for a job within the last three years
Of office workers that have looked for a job in the last year:
- 81% have used an online job site
- 51% have used a recruitment agency
- 25% have used social media

62% of office workers said that they would prefer to use an industry or skill specific job board
Only 31% of respondents believe that a recruitment agency will have the most up to date jobs
New independent market research, carried out by industry analyst Opinionography on behalf of Bond International Software, worldwide provider of staffing and recruitment software solutions, has revealed the surprising trend in tools candidates are using when looking for jobs and the profound impact that this is having on recruiters. In fact, the survey has revealed that 81% have used online job sites compared to only 25% who have used social media when looking for a job in the last year.

The research that surveyed 1,000 UK based office workers set out to discover the current state of the recruitment market – from candidates’ preferences in job search tools, to the way that individuals now address change in career. After years of workplace stagnation, increased economic confidence over the past couple of years has encouraged individuals to make a change, with over a quarter of office workers looking for a job in the last six months, and a massive 72% having looked for a job in the last three years.

A clear message from the research is the online job site is still the number one preferred starting point for candidates, with 68% of respondents saying that they found it the most helpful in comparison to just 38% who found recruitment agencies of most help. In fact, given past experience, if searching for a job today 94% stated that they would be likely to use an online job site. This identifies a misconception by the candidate in terms of recruitment agency vs job board, since the majority of roles on job boards actually come from recruitment agencies directly. This demonstrates a clear need for recruiters to be actively following up on candidates when they receive an application directly via a job board.

Of the two thirds of respondents using a recruitment agency in the past to help with job search, a huge 58% found the agency via online search. These stats identify a clear recruitment trend and highlight that the recruitment agency must ensure that it is using all tools to its advantage.  As well as ensuring that job boards are regularly updated, agencies need solid SEO strategies that are actively monitored and adjusted to reflect market and sector activity, while keywords must be optimised to match certain skill searches. With so many ways to reach the candidate, monitoring the value of each strategy will be key to the success of the agency.

While just a few years ago social media was expected to prompt change in recruitment strategy, the reality is very different. As the research reveals, just 25% have used social media to find a job and of these, just 14% found it helpful. But it isn’t just attitudes to job search that is surprising in attitudes to social media. Of course there are varying attitudes between demographics, but the gap is clearer between management and non-management roles rather than age groups. In fact, 46% of  C-level executives and 50% of Executive Directors would be very likely to use LinkedIn to search for vacancies compared to just 15% of those earning less than £25k.

The research also found that while 42% of office workers use LinkedIn for work related purposes, when it comes to searching for a job one in ten candidates would never use social media, and a further 40% would be unlikely or very unlikely to use social media.

Toby Conibear, European Business Development Director, Bond International Software, comments, “The research commissioned by Bond has highlighted some surprising results regarding how candidates are searching for jobs. In particular the lack of social media use, revealing that only 25% have used social media to find a role, and a tiny 14% found this helpful.  In a society that is increasingly dominated by social media, and the growth of LinkedIn, that is a shocking result that has very real implications for the way in which recruiters contact and attract candidates,”

Conibear continues, “Another surprising result which arose from the research was the preference for online job sites over the use of recruitment agencies. With 46% of respondents believing that online job sites offer the most up to date jobs, in comparison to 31% believing recruitment agencies will be up to date, there is clearly a perception issue between candidate and recruiter. Furthermore, with 63% believing that recruiters put the needs of the employer first, recruiters demonstrating more consideration for the candidate would provide a more positive outcome for all parties.”

Conibear concludes, “It is clear from the research that market specialism rather than social media is set to have the biggest impact on the market over the next few years. From the lack of social media use, to the rise of industry specific job boards, there is a clear need for recruiters to get specialist. Those recruiters that harness and improve candidate relationships, offer industry specific advice, and can provide end-to-end excellence in recruitment processes will be the ones to win over the competition.”

Unregulated recruitment-agency sector raises employer concerns

B.C.’s hot job market is making it tougher for employers to find staff and while that should be good news for recruitment companies, many executives are doing the hiring in-house because of bad experiences with headhunters.


The province leads the country with year-over-year employment growth hitting 3% and its 5.9% unemployment rate is the lowest in the country. B.C. was the only province to post job growth in June.

Recruiters say that Metro Vancouver is fast becoming an employee’s market after about a decade of being an employer’s market.

Despite warnings from recruiters that hiring through word-of-mouth and internal vetting is dangerous and comes with the expensive risk of making the wrong hire, some business owners are so frustrated with the unregulated recruitment industry that they are willing to take their chances.

Vancouver Litigation Support Services principal Eileen Finnegan told Business in Vancouver that she paid a recruitment agency a fee to find an employee and when the hire was made, the person did not show up for work on the first day.


She had to phone the agency to find out what happened and was told that the employee had decided to take a different job. Finnegan said she was still on the hook for the upfront recruitment fee even though no employee actually started work.

“One horror story I had was when we hired a bookkeeper using a recruitment agency,” added Rising Tide Consultants owner Bert Hick.

“Within a year, we found out that she was forging my signature on cheques. She wrote cheques to herself and did creative bookkeeping, so we fired her.”

He filed a police report, but the evidence was insufficient for the Crown to recommend charges.

However, after he fired the employee, he checked her employee file and found glowing reference letters. Hick phoned one of the people who vouched for the employee in a letter and the person told Hick that he had had “challenges” with the employee.

A second reference was from a company for which Hick could find no record and, to this day, doubts that it exists.

“Having known [the employee], I recognized the language in the letter – the verbiage, dialogue and way it was written – it was exactly as my employee wrote,” Hick said.

“So, she forged her own reference letter.”

A representative of the employment agency that Hick had hired admitted that no one at the agency had checked references, so Hick was refunded the $10,000 to $15,000 that he had paid as an upfront fee.

Miles Employment Group president Sandra Miles was not involved in Hick’s situation, but she defended her industry by saying how hard it can be to confirm an employee’s capabilities by relying on references.


(Miles Employment Group president Sandra Miles' agency is licensed by the B.C. government's Employment Standards Branch  to confirm that its practices adhere to privacy and labour laws | Miles Employment)

“People don’t respond to reference requests a lot of the time and, sometimes, the references that are given aren’t valid,” she said. “References can be co-workers and not a direct report.”

But Hick has other beefs with the recruitment sector.

For example, he’s critical of the way recruitment agencies charge upfront fees before searching for suitable candidates and then poach workers that they have already placed at other firms.

Hick added that when a recruitment company convinces a worker it has placed at one firm to change jobs, it ensures it gets more business because the first employer suddenly needs to find another new employee.

“We now run our own ads on Craigslist to see if we can find people that way,” he said. “Or we hire based on word of mouth.”

Miles said employees are free to seek other work and that hiring someone always comes with the risk that the employee will leave.

“I would never [poach] workers,” said Miles, who has been in the industry for decades and has owned her firm for the past 13 years.

“It’s important for clients to know who they are dealing with and to do their own due diligence. There are a lot of recruitment agencies out there that aren’t licensed. They’re working out of their homes. They haven’t built up a database, and they haven’t invested in resources to properly deliver on recruitment methodologies.”

No external agency regulates the sector, and the province’s Human Resources Management Association’s role is education and advocacy.

The B.C. government’s Employment Standards Branch licenses recruitment agencies, which pay annual fees and are interviewed each year to confirm that operations adhere to privacy and labour laws.

2,926 new recruitment agencies launched in 2016

2,926 new recruitment agencies launched in the first half of 2016: a 10% increase on the number of agencies launched in the same period in 2015, according to research from leading recruitment finance provider, Sonovate.

The data, taken from Companies House, suggests that despite recent economic uncertainty, the recruitment industry is in good health. During the first and second quarter of 2016, the number of new recruitment agencies increased by 10% and 7% respectively compared to the same periods last year. In 2015, a total of 5,110 new recruitment agencies launched in the UK: a 144 % increase on the 2,092 agencies launched in 2010.

Richard Prime, Sonovate co-founder and co-CEO comments, “The UK recruitment sector is thriving, and the industry’s rapid growth is showing no sign of slowing. This is good news for the economy, especially during the current climate of uncertainty following the Brexit vote.”

A number of factors are responsible for the sector’s success. Last year saw the UK employment rate rise to the highest level since 1971, according to the Office of National Statistics, and APSCo data shows that vacancies in core sectors are growing year on year.

Prime continues: “Record employment levels present challenges for employers to retain staff as confidence amongst job seekers grows. As wage growth continues upwards, and the war for talent intensifies, skilled recruitment professionals are able to use their industry experience and networks to source the best talent."

An increase in contract recruitment, which is often the result of businesses having to take on extra staff to fulfil demand for expanding workloads, is also responsible for the sector’s growth.

In 2015, 90% of the industry’s £31.5bn turnover came from temporary or contract business. However, agencies looking to launch a contract division face significant obstacles, the biggest one being cash flow. Both new and established recruitment companies are being held back by inflexible and outdated finance products.

Using traditional invoice finance, it can take companies up to 5 years to access the finance required to fund contractors, whilst with an alternative finance provider it can take 3 to 4 years. With Sonovate, flexible finance, industry leading contractor management technology and expert support means companies can start running contractors from day one.

5 recruitment trends HR leaders are expecting in 2017

It’s never too early to start planning 2017's recruitment strategy. In the coming year, the competition for skilled talent will continue to heat up, a new wave of college grads will be seeking career opportunities, and recruiters will be tasked with connecting to more quality candidates using the best technology and social marketing efforts available.

There are a lot of recruitment professionals talking about what to expect and how to approach things. Here’s a rundown of the top recruitment trends HR leaders are facing for 2017 and beyond.

Talent acquisition will finally take their seat at the executive table

For years, recruiters and other HR officers have worked in the background of their organizations, quietly sourcing a supply of talent to meet corporate objectives. This was a reactive role rather than a proactive part of the decision-making process that takes place in every corporate boardroom. In recent years, talent pros instead sought — and earned — a place at the executive table.

The LinkedIn Global Recruiting Trends Report for 2017 advises that “Talent leaders feel confident that their department is helping define the future of their company. Over 83% of them say talent is the number one priority in their organization.” Therefore, with this shift in mindset, more HR leaders are speaking up to become the key decision makers in talent management as it relates to the further development of their corporate growth.

The ability to win over and convert talent will be critical

In the next year, the transition of recruiters focusing on attracting talent to those who are working on converting talent will be complete. Tony Restell, director of social media marketing for Social-Hire.com, told HR Dive that his predictions for 2017 revolve around "technologies and approaches that help recruiters be more effective at converting candidates."

He added that among the most useful technologies are LiveChat and ChatBot tools, which consumers are increasingly using to interact with companies in real-time and are shown to drive up conversion rates.

“There are companies now developing variants of these tools specifically geared to improving the candidate experience as they navigate the careers pages of potential employers,” Restell said.

Coaching will increase the personalized approach to recruitment

A few decades ago, cookie-cutter candidates were expected to fit into companies like a cog in a wheel. Their experience, whether good or bad, wasn’t really that important to companies, which created alienation in most cases. Over the years, this has changed some, but there are still overwhelming numbers of employees who are disengaged from their organizations.

In 2017, this will continue to change as the use of coaching in the initial phases of recruitment all the way to the career development aspects of each person as an individual will take center stage.

Barry Kayton, CEO of Cognician Inc., told HR Dive that “today’s millennial candidate expects to be treated as an individual with values that align with the corporate culture.” Being able to convey the corporate mission through the way the company cares for candidates, clients and the community are all part of the ideals of millennials.

"There is a clear connection between coaching and recruitment in that candidates are looking for a hyper-personalized experience,” Kayton said. He added that he has personally heard from candidates how this has been a life-changing encounter for many.

“Having the opportunity to self-reflect, freely express their ideas and career goals during the recruitment process gives candidates a new way to express their concerns,” Kayton said. Encouraging these open discussions makes the recruitment process a much more productive and pleasant experience for everyone.

Diversity in recruitment will continue to be a primary focus.

In 2017, organizations across all industries are expected to ramp up initiatives to improve diversity in hiring. Entelo's 2017 Annual Recruiting Trends Report, which was just released, indicated that “67.4% of talent acquisition pros are reporting management either supports or strongly supports workplace diversity.” The survey also indicates that large companies are 2.5 times more likely to already have a diversity program in place and they believe almost half of the time that they are successful.

Companies continue to be challenged in their diversity recruiting efforts, but recruiting technology has improved to help organizations improve in this area.

A larger investment in social marketing recruitment efforts.

Both Restell and Kayton agreed that marketing will continue to play a large role in the recruitment world going into 2017. Marketing teams are increasingly expected to align with recruitment teams in creating the best corporate brands that attract candidates. Restell says he "expects 2017 to be the year when both in-house recruitment teams and external recruitment agencies decide to invest much more heavily in social media."

Kayton advised much the same, saying, "Marketing teams and recruitment teams will continue to overlap because they realize they must market to candidates more strategically." Social media is a powerful medium for sharing the unique corporate cultures of each organization and it's finally getting credit for improving recruitment efforts.

We will be watching these trends in recruitment very carefully heading into 2017, and will report updates with our experts in upcoming coverage.

Recruitment agencies are 'worse than football agents'

The boss of a fast-growing software company has compared some recruitment agencies to football agents and pledged to stop trying to use them.

Andy Kent is the CEO of Liverpool-based Angel Solutions, which has grown its workforce by a third in 2016 to 35 to meet demand.

The entrepreneur wants to make at least three more additions to his team before the end of the year but intends to do it without using expensive recruiters.

Kent said: “The tech sector is thriving at the moment and that’s made it a target of some unscrupulous recruitment agents.

“I’m not tarring the whole sector with the same brush but some are acting like football agents who are looking to ‘transfer’ their clients to other employers to make money themselves.

“It can’t be right that a recruiter will place a candidate into your business for between £5,000-10,000 only to phone them up two years later to get them to apply for other jobs, where they would get more commission. Where’s the loyalty?

“We’ve had examples of recruiters playing us off against rivals to create a bidding war. It’s a bit like going to a restaurant and being hit with a 10 per cent service charge for a shoddy experience.

"That’s why I’ll avoid using recruitment agencies in future because I’d rather spend the money on staff training."

Kent says the award-winning Angel Solutions has been a victim of its own success, which saw it win the prestigious Liverpool Echo Business of the Year Award (for up to 50 employees) earlier this year.

The company, which started in 1999, specialises in creating web applications for the education sector and its products are used by every local authority in England.

Turnover is expected to increase by 50 per cent to £3m this year, with profits predicted to rise to £750,000 -  more than double the £340,000 figure from 2015.

Kent said the company preferred to use “word of mouth” to fill their current vacancies, which include software developers and a support technician.

"Junior roles are fairly straightforward to fill but the more senior roles, which require experience, continue to be a challenge,” he said.

Kent said the company’s reputation for converting their Mount Pleasant office into a circus, complete with ball pit, big top circus tent, gypsy caravan, popcorn machine and hundreds of balloons, is a big plus when recruiting.

“It certainly sways decisions,” admitted Kent, who describes himself as the 'chief executive and ring master’ on the firm's website.

“We have had people come for interview who have subsequently turned down other interviews to choose to come to us. It gets people thinking more creatively about their applications.”

Kent said Angel Solutions was sharing some of its success by sponsoring North West-based girls football team Academy Juniors U14s.

“Businesses need to step up and play an active role in impacting their community,” he said. “It shouldn’t all be about the money. We love supporting organisations or people that may not always attract high-profile funding.

"We also believe it’s important to cultivate aspirations at an early age and foster a sense of innovation and creativity early on.”

Talent Management Software Can Help Managers to Recognize and Retain Talented Employees!

Talent Management is about identifying a person's natural skills, talent, personality and traits, so that he or she can be retained in the same company for years. This ultimately proves beneficial for the company in the long run as they do not have to waste time recruiting new people frequently or lose out on talented employees. Talent management software is therefore and important prerequisite that each organization should adopt, whether big or small. Each person has a certain talent suited to a specific job profile, and it is the duty of the HR department to identify that talent and put it to the best possible use to benefit the company as well as offer work satisfaction to the employee. Good management is not an inbuilt skill or a natural talent managers or HR personnel possess by default. It has to be learn and practiced with time to become adept in recognizing and appraising deserving candidates. This also includes career and succession planning for employees that can benefit both the company and the staff members.

With the help of a professional talent management suite HR personnel can strategically follow career and succession planning for employees.These professional service providers help organizations to effectively identify successors for crucial and demanding positions that further help the organization to develop and retain talent. Critical talent is recognized on time that ensures the retention of highly qualified staff not just for present needs, but for years to come. These career and succession plans provided by a talent management software company includes every possible step that can help organizations to understand and identify significant positions and staff as well as guides employees to develop and manage their individual career plans. Such systems are very beneficial for controlling the existing workforce as well as prepare plans for the future.

Career and succession planning also helps increase employee satisfaction and productivity and even includes time to time learning recommendations. This solution is a perfect way to support and enhance the career of individual employees as well as make them understand the need to strictly follow the organization's goal and vision. In fact service providers offering a comprehensive talent management suite to companies also help staff members to take charge of their career through appropriate career planning. It allows employees to browse career paths, compare skill requirements for targeted roles against current skills, and identify learning and development opportunities to prepare for a new role. They can measure their progress, improve their performance and then make themselves capable and fit enough to apply for a certain internal promotion.This strategy of offering integrated talent management software by performance management system providers has largely benefit organizations to retain their talented workforce, save time and money and increase productivity.

Talent Management - Engineering Your Future

In the last year, an increasing number of clients have asked us about Talent Management. Their motivation is varied, but it always comes down to similar issues:

How do I retain my existing Talent?
What can I do to attract the right Talent into my business?
What can I do to ensure that I develop Talent from within?
The question I usually ask them in return is, "is this a business survival issue for you, or just something motivated by HR?" When organisations are serious about talent management, then we can do something about it.

The reality is that despite the economic crisis hitting most businesses, Talent is a major global issue. Surveys conducted in countries all over the world report:

Attracting and retaining talent is a pressing priority. Most industrial countries including India and China are flagging shortages of skilled labour.
Acute talent shortages are being experienced in growth markets, specialised skills, and business leadership. High percentages of companies are identifying talent shortages across the organisation.
In South Africa, despite the fact that young people are returning to our country in droves, we are feeling real shortages of skill in most professional arenas, including such specialities as actuarial, accounting, auditing, programme management, business analysts, engineers, medicine, etc.

The right talent is the issue

Given the intense focus on the linkage between talent and an organisation's business challenges and strategies, if you are to achieve effective strategy execution, you will require:

The right people
with the right skills, knowledge and attitude,
in the right roles
at the right time.
There is no single definition of right - what is right for one organisation will be different from another. Each organisation has its own unique style and culture, different strategic focus areas and priorities.

There is no standard global best practice to follow. It is the effectiveness of talent management in your organisation, as an outcome, which drives evaluation as world-class. What is clear though is that you cannot view Talent Management as an intervention, or programme, that you embark upon in isolation.

What is Talent Management?

Talent management is a proactive and integrated series of management actions designed to ensure that an organisation has a supply of best-fit, highly productive individuals in the right job, at the right time.

It is a continuous process aimed at ensuring you have the talent capacity to meet your current and future business needs. It integrates previously independent functions such as recruiting, retention, workforce planning, employment branding, metrics, orientation and redeployment into a seamless process.

Talent Management requires a mindset that goes beyond just talk, and moves towards a holistic and integrated approach to leveraging the greatest competitive advantage from your people. It is about those thoughts and actions that, consistently, over time, become organisational culture.

A Process

One way of viewing talent management that we worked on for a client of ours, is illustrated by a circular process diagram of - Develop - Attract - Retain - Engage; it is a process that an organisation needs to continuously work with. Talent management is the fundamental approach to the way you deal with your people. You need to create a business mindset that fully embraces the concept that people are critical resources.

You cannot shift the responsibility for managing talent to your HR practitioners. It is a fundamental accountability of every line manager. The question is "how do you go about creating this mindset, and equip your managers with the skills they need to engage in the process of talent management?"

Unpack the talent target for your organisational strategy - your ultimate business aim must be to increase overall productivity, effectiveness and competitiveness through the improved attraction, retention, and utilisation of talent.
Pay attention to the organisation culture that will attract the talent that you need. Why would exceptional talent want to work for you? What do you offer that other organisations do not?
Equip managers to create the reality that will allow real talent management to flourish.
Other questions that you need to explore include:

What talent do you need?

Where can you source the talent you need?

How will you ensure that you select the right people?

Once you get the right individual into your organisation - how will you engage with him/her to maximise contribution?

What do you need to do to develop and grow talent from within?

WHY ASIA’S BANKERS SHOULD FORGET MASS REDUNDANCIES – BUT FEAR MICRO LAY-OFFS

The recent raft of global banking job cuts may have some Asian finance workers bracing themselves for a flurry of pink slips this holiday season, but industry watchers say it might be premature to push the panic button just yet.

Leading Western lenders from Germany’s Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank to the Netherlands’ ING Group have sent shockwaves through the industry in the last fortnight following announcements they were slashing a total of more than 20,000 jobs.

In Asia, Goldman Sachs grabbed headlines on reports it was cutting 30 per cent of its 300 investment banking jobs in the region, most of them in Hong Kong. In rival financial hub Singapore, British lender Barclays reportedly cut 100 jobs from its information technology operation.

Bad banks, even German ones, should be allowed to fail

Still, industry insiders are cautioning against reading the fresh bout of bloodletting as a sign that banking headcounts are going to plummet the way they did during the Global Financial Crisis.

Current cuts – which range from the axing of thousands of jobs in one go to staggered “micro layoffs” – stem from structural changes at under-pressure banks rather than expectations of a systemic economic shock, they say.

Singapore’s financial sector saw a 3 per cent drop in employment in the second quarter of this year, official figures show. In Hong Kong, government data showed a seasonally adjusted 0.3 per cent growth in finance and business services jobs in the three months to March.

“My take is that the job market for the banking sector in Hong Kong and Singapore is going to remain soft for some time,” said Gary Lai, managing director for Southeast Asia at recruitment firm Charterhouse Partnership.

Deutsche Bank’s plight deserves a degree of sympathy

“There is no reason to believe it’s going to be far worse than what we have been seeing in previous years. Of course, if there’s a global recession then all bets are off,” Lai said.

Despite the gloomy headlines, Lai said hiring was continuing in areas like technology, compliance and risk, as banks vied to take on competition from upstart fintech players outside the regulated financial sector.

And Tim Klimcke, director of financial services and banking for the Singapore branch of headhunting firm Robert Walters, said there was steady hiring in financial governance and technology as “traditional banks are trying to embrace technology in a more aggressive fashion”.

Bankers pass the Commerzbank headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany. Photo: AP

In a report released on Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund said European banks’ woes reflected an urgent need for reform as they faced medium-term pressure from a legacy of non-performing loans and outmoded business models.

Chinese banks sail into uncharted waters as they expand globally

“In some cases, weak banks will have to exit and banking systems will have to shrink,” it said.

Bernard Aw, an economist with IHS Markit, said job creation in Singapore was likely to see an uptick following positive economic figures released in September. Hong Kong job growth remains hampered by the “subdued global economy”, he said.

Given the job cuts in the European banking sector, regional lenders pressured to conduct retrenchment exercises might do so in tranches, some Asian recruiters said.

A pedestrian passes a Barclays bank branch in London. The bank was thrust into the spotlight in Asia in January after reports it was axing 1,000 jobs worldwide. Photo: EPA

“I have seen a couple of micro layoffs in Asia including Hong Kong this year,” said Rouella Landicho, a manager with recruitment firm Morgan McKinley in Hong Kong.

“Definitely one of the main reasons why financial services firms are employing this method is to avoid negative publicity similar to what happened to the likes of Barclays and Standard Chartered Bank… in the beginning of 2016 and 2015,” she said.

Goldman Sachs’ job cuts show investment banking has become a low margin business

Barclays was thrust into the spotlight in Asia in January following news reports it was axing 1,000 jobs worldwide including investment banking positions in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.

The Asia-focused Standard Chartered Bank – whose biggest shareholder is Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings – cut 15,000 jobs out of a global headcount of 86,000 last November, including an unspecified number of positions in the city state.

Asia-focused Standard Chartered Bank cut 15,000 jobs out of a global headcount of 86,000 last November. Photo: Reuters

“Obviously the banks have now come to the realisation that making large cuts of 900 or 1,000 jobs at a time is not going do you any favours in terms of publicity,” said Lai, the Charterhouse headhunter.

A Singapore-based investment banker told This Week in Asia the subject of retrenchment had become commonplace in informal conversations with colleagues.

“I don’t think anyone is in panic mode…But you know at the back of your head there is a possibility your job could go,” said the banker.

Barclays names new Hong Kong chief as sector woes deepen

“All you can do right now is make sure the work your team produces is up to scratch,” he said.

Headhunters who urge finance workers against overbearishness on the job market suggest workers take on multiple roles to stay relevant.

With investment banks, “the decision for them to cut is a balancing act between being over staffed when revenues are low and being understaffed if and when the market improves next year,” said Adam Jeffes, associate director for front office financial services in Hong Kong at Morgan McKinley.

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The scale of any job cuts would “depend on market performance in the coming months,” Jeffes said.

Older job seeker sues, saying ad for young applicants left him out

Jeffrey Champlin was looking for a job in 2013 when he got an email from a Houston employment agency.

One of the agency's corporate clients was looking for a software engineer to support a securities trading operation, but didn't want anyone with more than 10 to 12 years of experience. The client preferred someone who could join a "pretty young, eager group" of workers with less than five years of experience, according to court documents.


A few days after receiving the email, Champlin, then 56, filed an age discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Experis, an employment agency owned by Milwaukee-based Manpower. This month, based on evidence gathered by the EEOC during its inquiry, Champlin sued the agency's corporate client, Quantlab Financial, the Houston high frequency trading organization, for alleged age discrimination.

Champlin also filed an age discrimination suit against Experis in February. Both cases are in U.S. District Court in Houston.

The cases are unusual, legal specialists say, because age discrimination complaints, while common, rarely get filed by job applicants; typically, they come from older employees passed over for promotions or pushed out the door. Job applicants, while they may have an inkling of possible discrimination, most of the time have no idea why they weren't hired and hardly ever go to court.

BUSINESS

 Some fans are outraged at the decision to close the Tower of Terror Twilight Zone ride and revamp it into a "Guardians of the Galaxy" themed attraction. Disneyland's Tower of Terror making way for 'Guardians' ride FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2015 file photo, Harry Shearer appears at the 30th annual TEC Awards during the 2015 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) show in Anaheim, Calif. Shearer filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Los Angeles on Monday, Oct. 17, 2016, against the French studio Vivendi S.A. over profits from the 1984 hit “This Is Spinal Tap” and its merchandise and music. (Photo by Paul A. Hebert/Invision/AP, File) Harry Shearer sues French studio over 'Spinal Tap' profits Pepsi wants to make its sodas better for you - eventually More consumer protections proposed for air travelers The Motley Fool: Putting your funds in funds Wells Fargo's embattled ex-CEO leaves Target, Chevron boards
The case also raises another legal question: How could the companies discriminate against Champlin since he never applied for the job?

Champlin's lawyer, G. Scott Fiddler of Houston, argues that the job description in the email had a "chilling effect," making it seem futile for Champlin to apply. "You usually don't see that in job postings that they're looking for a younger group," Fiddler said.

Tim McInturf, general counsel for Quantlab Financial, said the company, which has offices in six cities, doesn't discriminate. He said he expects the case will eventually be dismissed because Champlin never sought the job.

"We didn't even know this person even existed until the lawsuit was filed against Experis," McInturf said. "This case is completely ridiculous."

Experis did not respond to a request for comment.

When Champlin filed his complaint with the EEOC, the agency requested information from Experis about the job posting, said Fiddler.

The EEOC had the case for a long time, but never issued any conclusions, eventually sending Champlin a notice that he had the right to bring his own lawsuit, said Fiddler.

Champlin did not know who was Experis' client when he filed his initial complaint against the employment agency. But the EEOC file, which Champlin requested after he was notified of his right to sue, identified Quantlab, noting that the company at the time had six openings for software engineers.

It also showed that Quantlab Financial had made additional job postings with similar language, according to court records.

The EEOC said it couldn't comment on why it didn't pursue Champlin's case because the agency is barred by law from discussing complaints publicly.

"Without litigation, we can't even divulge that a complaint exists," said Joe Bontke, outreach and training coordinator at the Houston EEOC office.

Champlin, meanwhile, now 59, is still looking for a job.

Sparta temp agency may face additional fines

SPARTA -- A temporary employment agency that was fined $10,500 four months ago to settle claims of improper business practices appears to be in continued violation of a consent order it signed with the state Division of Consumer Affairs.

Strategic Staffing Solutions, a temporary staffing firm based in Sparta, agreed to the fine and consent order with the state in June after coming under investigation earlier in the year.

The probe, which involved several temporary staffing firms throughout the state, centered on alleged breaches of the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act and the Private Employment Agency Act that included doing business under unregistered names and using unregistered locations to recruit applicants in violation of state regulations governing temporary help agencies.

In agreeing to the consent order, the state Division of Consumer Affairs indicated that Strategic Staffing Solutions violated both of the above acts by having "held itself out as 'StrategyStaff, Inc.' without properly registering its name and any proper trade name with the Division."

As part of the consent order, the firm had agreed to cease doing business under the name "StrategyStaff" or any other alternate names and to "remove all references to 'StrategyStaff, Inc.' on its website" within seven days of the order taking effect.

As of Friday, however, the firm still was referring to itself as "StrategyStaff" on its website.

Lisa Coryell, a spokeswoman for the Division of Consumer Affairs, said in a written statement that "any reference to 'StrategyStaff, Inc.' on Strategic Staffing Solutions' website is a violation of the terms of the June consent order. The Division will take all necessary and appropriate action to ensure that Strategic Staffing Solutions complies with the consent order."

John Clifford, president of Strategic Staffing Solutions, did not respond to messages left for him Wednesday by phone and email.

A person who answered the phone at the firm's listed number on Thursday indicated he would forward the message to Clifford. As of Friday, Clifford still had not responded.

An additional stipulation of the consent order was that the firm was not to use any office other than its primary location in Sparta for recruiting applicants without first notifying the state.

At the time of the investigation, the firm's Sparta headquarters was licensed with the state, but its other offices had not been properly registered.

The firm, according to its website, has an additional office on Route 15 in Jefferson as well as offices in Clifton, New Brunswick, Bound Brook and Union City. It is unclear if those offices have since been registered.

The order stipulated that any future breaches could result in the firm facing additional fines.

Employment agency under fire for 'sexist' ads which specify bra size

A recruitment agency based in Ladbroke Grove has come under fire for placing job ads specifying bra size.

Matching Models in Acklam Road is currently advertising jobs for a PA and flight attendant who must have “long brown hair with B-C cup” and a “sexy driver” to ferry a client around London.

But equal opportunity groups have hit out at the agency, saying Matching Models is proof the battle for gender equality is far from won.

On its website, Matching Models describes itself as an “employment agency for beautiful, talented people” whose clients include Louis Vuitton, MTV, F1 and Harrods.

It also says: “It is almost politically incorrect to request someone to work for you that is both attractive as well as professionally equipped with the right set of skills. However, our company understands the importance of having the right people representing your company, because after all, first impressions count!”

Marching Models say it is providing a service for employers who want their staff “to look a certain way”.

One job is advertised as Sexy Driver London, with the successful applicant tasked with driving a “well known business tycoon and owner of a polo team” to and from the polo field.

The Fawcett Society is the UK’s leading charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights. Chief executive Sam Smethers said: “Ads like these are straight out of the 1970s. It is extraordinary that they are taking this approach and almost certainly falls foul of equality legislation.

“If we ever wonder why the battle for gender equality hasn’t been won, this is a timely reminder.”

And the chief executive from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Rebecca Hilsenrath, added: “This is appalling, unlawful and demeaning to women. We will be writing to Matching Models and asking for them to clarify their hiring practices immediately.

“Matching Models are right about one thing; first impressions count, but the important stuff is not about your hair colour.

“If they wish to maintain their reputation, they should act like a business in the 21st Century and consign this type of sexism to the history books.”

Matching Models founder Nathalie Jansen, responded: “Our clients are uber-successful with high demands but the rewards are immense. They want the best and are prepared to pay top salaries to make sure their lives and business runs smoothly.

“A lot of clients want their employees to look a certain way as well as having the right qualifications and experience.”

MOM investigating employment agency alleged to have brought in underage maids from Myanmar

The Ministry of Manpower is investigating a local employment agency who appears to have brought into Singapore underage maids-for-hire from Myanmar, Mothership.sg has learned.

The SLF Green Maid Agency, which was featured in a locally-produced documentary called “Maid in Singapore” was shown to supposedly have brought in and hawked underage girls for hire as domestic workers in Singapore.

The minimum legal age for a person to work as a domestic helper in Singapore is 23.

Responding to queries from Mothership.sg about the film, the MOM says it “takes a very serious view” on the issue of underage foreign domestic workers.

The documentary, produced by local filmmakers Lynn Lee and James Leong, was aired on Al-Jazeera’s 101 East programme last week. It featured several girls who were underage, but whose Myanmar agents bribed officials to change their birth dates in their passports and identity documentation to hoodwink Singapore authorities.

In some cases, local agents appeared to be in cahoots with their Myanmar counterparts.

At SLF Green Maid Agency, a girl was featured to be introduced as “fresh”, and when asked how old she was, she said she was 20.

This is the one MOM says it is investigating.

“The age requirement was put in place to ensure that the FDWs who come to Singapore to work are mature and responsible, able to take care of themselves and adapt to a foreign working environment,” a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement.

Here’s how they work to enforce the minimum age rule:

1. Employment agencies

Agencies are required, according to the terms of their licences, to check and make sure all who are brought in meet legal requirements, one of which is minimum age.

To do this, they must conduct interviews, check and verify their birth and educational certificates against their passports to ensure that they are of age. MOM also checks on agencies regularly to make sure they are meeting these conditions.

Those who flout the rules are fined up to $5,000 or are jailed up to 6 months.

2. Interviewing young-looking foreign domestic workers

MOM says they also selectively interview helpers who look relatively young to verify their application details, including their age, at the MOM Services Centre.

If an underage helper is found, the ministry will circle back to their respective employment agency, investigate them and make them bear the costs of sending her back to her home country.

The ministry also says it looks into cases flagged by non-governmental organisations like HOME.

3. Foreign Domestic Worker Settling-In Programme

The MOM also says they conduct a mandatory programme for all new foreign domestic helpers, which educates them on the minimum age of 23.

The ministry says they will not penalise anyone who comes forward to declare that they are underage, while assuring that they will not be barred from working here when they become old enough to do so.

MOM also urges employers who discover their helpers are below the age of 23 to make a report with the ministry immediately.

That said, they also stressed that this issue needs to be tackled at its source.

Business Unit Director DN & Associates Executive Search Pte Ltd

Job description
The Business Unit Director will be responsible of the following:

Management of Territory directly & through acquisition & customer experience teams
Identify key opportunities through close contact with market
Direct Involvement in Contract Negotiation
Ensure retention of existing customers through proactively monitoring customer satisfaction
Manage key relationships with Customers & Key Opinion Leaders
Engage policy makers & stakeholders through meaningful discussion
Monitor competitor activity to remain aware of opportunities or threats in market
Management of Territory P&L and involved decision making for key levers to improve profitability

Requirements:
Tertiary graduate preferably in Life Sciences or Management Degree.
Preferred professional with demonstrated in marketing or sales leadership experience in healthcare industry (Diagnostic, Pharma, Devices)
Exposure to the mentioned geography would be preferred
Strong diagnostic and analytical skills
Ability to build relationships and work in project team, trust and influence with internal key stakeholders
Able to facilitate and challenge to achieve desired outcomes
Able to perceive opportunities, identify issues and resolve them
Excellent track record in healthcare industry
Autonomous and self-motivated.

Please submit your application with your full CV in word document to candidates@dnassociates.com.sg.

We thank you for your interest in this application and regret that only short-listed candidates are notified.

DN & Associates Executive Search Pte Ltd
License No: 11C3242
Posting Personnel: Lin Huiting
Registration No.: R1655528

Recruitment Consultant – Uncapped Commission, Great Career Prog Share to social media More options Amoria Bond

Job description

Our ten years of recruitment success aren’t the only thing we’re celebrating…
We’re very proud of the 50 recruitment industry awards we’ve won or been nominated for over the past five years including: 'Best Large Company to Work For' 2015 Recruiter Investing in People Awards, 'Best Recruitment Business' 2012, 2013 & 2015 Global Recruiter Awards, 'Best Recruitment Company to Work For' 2014 REC Industry Awards and ‘Best Executive Search Firm’ 2012, 2013 & 2014 at the Recruitment Business Awards.

We’re celebrating the 37 promotions we made globally last year including the rookie recruiter who went from trainee recruitment consultant to associate director in only five years.
We’re celebrating our international sales being recognised in the the Sunday Times top 200 list which is a definitive guide of the fastest growing international businesses head-quartered in the UK.
And last, but certainly not least, we’re celebrating the achievements of our recruitment consultants who through their hard work, world class recruitment skills and our industry leading, uncapped commission scheme, have been able to fulfil numerous personal goals including; new house purchases, stunning HDB renovations, five star luxury holidays, swanky new cars, dream weddings, Chanel handbags and a couple of shiny new watches (Rolex and Audemars Piguet in case you’re interested).

So why should you choose Amoria Bond?

Our company mission starts like this ‘To be the best company for recruiters to practice the recruitment profession…’ and we think we’ve got that nailed! We pride ourselves on creating a culture that’s focused on being the best and here are just a few examples of why we think we are the best place for recruiters to recruit…. the best commission scheme in the recruitment industry (no threshold, earn commission on every penny you bill, no rollover), working with the best clients (international global brands – check!), providing the best levels of service to our clients and candidates (no shoddy recruitment practices from our crew), the best training and development programmes (errr, check out our multiple awards on this one. An in-house trainer in EVERY office plus regular sessions with renowned external training consultants), the best back office support functions (in-house legal, accounts, marketing support – we’ve got it all), the best team incentives (multiple ways to earn extra $$ on your monthly base, monthly lunch clubs, 1.30pm Friday finish – whatever floats your boat, we’ve got it covered), the best locations for our THREE annual international overseas trips (fancy an all expenses paid trip to Ibiza, Madrid, Rome, Amsterdam, Dubai anyone?? Or perhaps partying poolside in Vegas with Calvin Harris is more your thing…) and the best nights out (dust off your dancing shoes for a night on the tiles, oil up your vocal chords for a karaoke session, win big at the races or fill your boots at a Korean BBQ)!

What does it take to be a big billing recruitment consultant at Amoria Bond?
We look for candidates who are ideally degree educated, open to learning (there I go again with that award winning training) and have a proven track record of business to business sales. We work on senior level roles within our vertical markets and position ourselves as specialists. We’re not a high volume, churn and burn agency, we value our reputation and take a consultative approach with our clients, placing a real value on our service. All of which is reflected in the clients we work with, the stakeholders we deal with and the roles we work on.

If you can show us that you are hungry to hit the phones, are experienced in dealing with senior level stakeholders, understand that what you put in equals what you get out (knocking your KPI’s out of the park as you go) and that striving for excellence isn’t a skill – it’s an attitude, then we’ve got a place for you!

Interested? What are you waiting for? Take action, apply today and recruit yourself into a career in recruitment with Amoria Bond!

Amoria Bond operates as an employment agency and an employment business and no terminology in this advert is intended to discriminate on the grounds of age or experience and we confirm that we are happy to accept applications from persons of any age or experience for this role. EA Reg. No. R1545307.