Category Archives: Careers

Careers, HR Services, HR Software, Human Resources, Outplacement, Resume

OptimalResume.com Launches Turnkey Virtual Outplacement Solution for Human Resources Departments

OptimalResume.com, an innovator in online career services used at more than 600 career centers nationwide, is now offering its private label virtual career platform to the human resources community to help streamline corporate outplacement efforts. At a time when companies and HR departments are facing unprecedented challenges, the need for cost-effective outplacement services for transitioned employees is essential.

Optimal Resume is a customized, scalable solution that can provide transitioned employees at all levels with 24-hour access to a complete suite of self-directed career tools for creating resumes, cover letters, ePortfolios, video introductions, and professional networking websites. Job seekers can practice interviews with a state-of-the art virtual job interview practice module, as well as conduct career research and assess their marketable skills.

Additionally, transitioned employees can search millions of jobs through the Simply Hired job database, integrated in the Optimal Resume platform. Simply Hired is a vertical job search engine that pulls listings from job boards, company pages, newspaper classifieds, and other data sources, creating the largest online database of jobs.

“Optimal Resume fills the gap between traditional severance and outplacement services,” said David McNasby, COO of Optimal Resume.com. “We can help organizations that are facing significant layoffs reduce their overall outplacement liability while maximizing the delivery of outplacement services.”

Optimal Resume helps job seekers create a compelling presentation of their skills and abilities, facilitating rapid workforce reentry and promoting more efficient and useful interactions between job seekers and outplacement professionals. Through this service, employers can maintain connections with transitioning personnel in a rapidly changing business environment. With an integrated webcasting function, HP professionals can even record or host live online workshops.

“Our solution empowers displaced employees by providing them with vital tools to make the best impression possible,” McNasby said. “Offering Optimal Resume to exiting employees of all levels is a clear demonstration of corporate goodwill that has a tremendously positive brand impact.”

For information on corporate or outplacement service offerings, contact Aimee Day, 919-354-5024, aimeed@optimalresume.com.

About Optimal Resume.com
Optimal Resume.com is the new technology leader in online career services and is headquartered in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. In 2005, the company launched Optimal Resume™, its award winning, web-based resume-building program developed in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since then, Optimal Resume’s efforts have directly helped more than 300,000 college students secure employment, 600 career centers manage day-to-day workflow, and thousands of employers locate talent and reduce cost per hire.

Optimal Resume’s flexible product line not only has applicability for college career centers, but also for high schools, workforce boards, human resources departments, outplacement firms, associations, libraries, and more. With state-of-the-art, private-label or co-branded platforms, job seekers at all levels can now use Optimal Resume’s online services to create and manage all components of a successful job search campaign, including high-quality resumes, business letters, ePortfolios, video introductions, skills assessments, and interview practice. For more information visit http://OptimalResume.com.

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Senior Insurance Professionals In Demand Reports Hays

Hays, specialist recruitment company, reports the demand for senior professionals across the UK is buoyant across all disciplines of the insurance sector, including commercial broking, underwriting, claims and actuarial. Despite the general market uncertainty, there have been a steady number of senior insurance appointments, both in the London and UK regional markets.

“We are experiencing a steady flow of recruitment activity for a range of senior insurance roles, from commercial account executives to senior underwriters, claims and pricing managers. While employers are keen to take on individuals with very specific skill sets, some professionals are wary about changing jobs in the current climate,” said David Carr, Regional Director for Hays Insurance. The demand for project managers is also growing, as many organisations focus on saving money and improving specific areas of their businesses in order to drive efficiencies, manage finances and make a tangible impact on the bottom line.

Compliance requirements for blue-chip insurance organisations to adhere to the industry regulations implemented by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the European Commission have fuelled demand for experienced regulatory and compliance managers. “These individuals can provide support and guidance on all aspects of business compliance. An understanding of the Solvency 2 Framework (to be implemented in 2012) and individual capital assessment are also advantageous,” added David.

The growing importance of risk management across a business has also brought about a requirement for experienced actuaries and recruitment levels for suitably qualified professionals have not slowed. Senior actuaries are important decision-makers – commercial acumen, communication skills and the ability to explain complex concepts to a non-technical audience are all key competencies sought by employers. “Increasingly complex capital models need to be formulated to adhere to the regulatory changes. Business development, risk management and risk re-pricing are all prized skills,” commented David.

While the demand for underwriting managers and directors remains steady, there is a particular emphasis on niche products and specialist underwriting roles, in areas such as commercial property and liability. But there is also demand for senior claims roles and partner level opportunities within the larger broking houses. There are also senior director positions available for reinsurance professionals in the City, as primary insurers are hedging their risk positions to ensure their liquidity ratios meet obligations.

“There has been an increase in reinsurance given the climate of loss minimisation and this is further helping to support the insurance sector during the difficult economic climate,” David concluded.

About Hays Insurance
Hays Insurance is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in insurance jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. As at 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:

– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

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Careers, Corporate Culture, Employment, Human Resources, Leadership, Team Building, Workplace

Lighterlife Has Achieved ‘First Class Star Status’ With The Best Companies Accreditation 2009 Project, After Demonstrating Healthy Work Practices And High Levels Of Employee Care

LighterLife, Harlow based weight-loss company, has achieved ‘First Class Star Status’ with the Best Companies Accreditation 2009 project, after demonstrating healthy work practices and high levels of employee care.

Best Companies Accreditation has been established to acknowledge excellence in the workplace and the great leadership skills, strong company values and positive impact a company has on the local community. These areas were highlighted as areas of excellence for LighterLife.

Staff comments included, “My organisation makes a positive difference to the world we live in”, “I am excited about where this organisation is going” and “This organisation is run on strong values/principles”.

Based on staff feedback the Michelin style elite accreditation system rates organisations on leadership, management, personal growth, wellbeing, the extent to which employees feel their organisation has a positive impact on society, employee’s feelings towards their immediate colleagues, levels of engagement and pay and benefits.

Already exceeding all criteria of the Investors In People Standard, LighterLife entered the Best Companies Accreditation project to be benchmarked against other businesses and it is considered exceptional for a first time entrant to be awarded star status. LighterLife will also be featured in the Best Companies Guide, an annual reference guide that provides independent and unbiased information on some of the UK’s best workplaces.

LighterLife aims to help people with weight loss to get them out of the obesity danger zone and reach a healthy weight, whilst at the same time working towards creating a healthy attitude, healthy work practices and a healthy company.

Commenting on the accreditation, Octavia Morley, Chief Executive Officer, said “There is no better way of testing the health of your company than by providing your staff a confidential opportunity to tell it how it is. It provides staff with an opportunity to appraise the company they work for and offers us real and usable insight into the areas which we need to develop further. We have always thought LighterLife is a great company to work for, but it is fantastic to have this validated”.

About LighterLife
LighterLife is a weight-loss and weight-management programme for people who are one stone or more overweight and with a BMI of 25 or above. Over 100,000 people have successfully lost weight with LighterLife since 1996. The unique LighterLife approach offers specific overweight and clinically obese weight loss programmes in the form of diets using nutritionally complete soups, shakes and bars combined with specialised counselling using cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and transactional analysis (TA) techniques. Clients benefit not only from rapid, safe weight loss but they also learn the behavioural changes needed to sustain it. Founded in 1996, the LighterLife Programme was developed by three of its directors – Jackie Cox, Bar Hewlett and Rebecca Hunter.

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Joblux.Us, Unique Online Recruitment Services For The US Market, Dedicated To The Luxury Sector

Joblux Limited is delighted to announce the launch of joblux.us, unique online recruitment services for the US market, dedicated to the luxury sector. Joblux unique services to the luxury professionals, employers, recruiters and jobseekers alike, cover any job category within the luxury industry worldwide.

Why joblux.us?

After joblux.co.uk, Joblux unique concept successfully entered the French market with Joblux.fr. Entering today the US market, Joblux Limited intends to make available to US employers, recruiters and jobseekers alike its luxury-centric dedicated services and information. Made by top end human resources professionals from the luxury sectors, it aims at uniting luxury market professional jobs around a focused, high quality, careers and recruitment website.

Joblux Limited

Joblux Limited is a unique and original concept in Jobs and Recruitment online services for the luxury industry’s professionals. Joblux’s recruitment websites offer a great resource for employment sectors, covering the following domains at a high level: Fashion, Jewellery, Creative & Design, High end Hospitality, Lifestyle, Beauty, Fine Food, Media, PR, etc.

Apart from keeping the control on their recruitment process and having the guaranty of reaching a targeted jobseekers audience of quality, employers will make massive savings on their recruitment costs by using our premier online recruitment services such as our Premium Ads, CV Bank service, Banners system and branding.

Recruitment/placement agencies operating within the luxury market will find with us an efficient recruitment website to get a targeted & quality jobseekers traffic to fill their vacancies all the year long. Please get in touch to know more about our bespoke media packages for recruitment professionals.

Luxury industry professionals from all sectors find with Joblux an exquisite careers website to help them find the job they have in mind. Fashion career opportunities, Jewellery jobs, Creative openings, High end Hospitality and Lifestyle roles, Fine Food positions, Beauty careers & more broadly all luxury jobs are with joblux.us. Registering a CV with Joblux.us gives access to a unique application management system and this totally free of charge. High end professionals may as well search job advertisements such as “Store Manager Prestigious Jewellery Brand” or “Directing all aspects of brand development and marketing” or “We are looking for a Fashion Merchandiser to join …”

Do not hesitate to contact Alex Mason 646. 808. 30. 47 http://www.joblux.us

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Bigmouthmedia Hires MTV Executive, Richard Tan, As Chief Financial Officer

Formerly Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations at MTV Networks UK & Ireland, Richard Tan brings a wealth of global business experience to the new role. Responsible for the group’s financial structure and performance across 10 international territories, he will play a key strategic role in the continued development and expansion of bigmouthmedia, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency.

“As the group continues to press forward with its ambitious growth strategy, we have identified the need to recruit a CFO capable of injecting fresh impetus and expertise at a senior group level. Richard’s breadth of experience working with growing international businesses, implementing acquisitions and driving group synergies made him the ideal man for the job,” said Steve Leach, bigmouthmedia CEO.

Working at MTV Networks from 2004, Tan held responsibility for all financial and operational affairs across the brand’s portfolio including Paramount, Nickelodeon and the Nordic Region. Playing a key role in helping to drive business and commercial strategy, he oversaw the company’s business and performance analysis while managing all aspects of its infrastructure and service areas.

Previously, Tan spent eleven years progressing through several Sony Divisions including Sony Corporation of America, Sony Music Entertainment Europe, Sony Music Independent Network Europe (“SINE”) and Sony Music Entertainment UK. In his last position he was simultaneously Director, Finance of Sony Music Entertainment UK as well as Finance Director, SINE, where his responsibilities included driving UK e-media financial and commercial strategy and the management of Sony’s independent record company relationships.

Originally qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and Touche, Tan’s appointment marks the latest in a series of senior executive appointments at bigmouthmedia. UK Managing Director Lyndsay Menzies was recently promoted to Chief Operating Officer while International Head of Sales and Marketing David Hardy, International Head of IT Rob Noronah and Head of Client Strategy Phil Stelter have all joined the company in recent months.

“I’m delighted to have joined bigmouthmedia at such a pivotal stage of the digital marketing industry’s development. The company is well financed, has an impressive international footprint and is uniquely positioned to capitalise on the market changes set to take place over the course of the near future,” said Tan.

About bigmouthmedia
Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff located across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

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1,000 Londoners A Week Look For Jobs In Scotland Reveals Talentscotland

TalentScotland, the website offering advice, support and vacancy information for people looking to relocate to Scotland, has revealed that 1,000 Londoners log on to its website every week in search of jobs in Scotland.

With almost 60,000 visits to the website from around the world in the last 12 weeks, TalentScotland remains buoyant in attracting interest from people wanting to come to live and work in Scotland.

With a particular focus on filling high value positions within the investment and fund management sectors in financial services, Hazel Sinclair, Head of TalentScotland said: “Scotland is an attractive place to live and work with high value jobs and great opportunities for career progression. The current climate in financial services around the world continues to raise many challenges however the diversity of Scotlands financial services sector, also offers many opportunities for people looking to relocate.”

Scotland has some of the world’s biggest household names including Morgan Stanley, J.P. Morgan and Barclay’s Wealth, as well as hundreds of smaller boutique operations that have all offered positions for key workers in fund management in the recent past.

Hazel continued, “TalentScotland is leading the way in providing comprehensive support for those wishing to secure short and long term career moves and it is great to see such interest from people currently living and working in London. We would encourage all those with an interest in relocating to Scotland to log on to talentscotland.com.”

Scotland currently has the second largest UK concentration of financial services expertise next to London with over 86,000 people employed in the sector. With seven of the top 20 companies in Scotland are financial services companies and the industry accounts for around £7 billion or 7% of Scotland’s GDP, it seems that Scotland will remain the ideal place for Londoners looking to relocate.

About TalentScotland
TalentScotland.com, with the backing of the Scottish Government and industry partners, aims to bring highly skilled professionals to choose Scotland as a location to live and work. The website provides information about Scottish careers, lifestyle as well as practical information on making a move. It acts as a gateway to a large number of vacancies in Scotland’s key industries including life sciences, electronic technologies, financial services and energy. TalentScotland produces a regular e-newsletter for registered users as well as emails listing current vacancies.

Case studies on successful appointments in Scotland are available on request.

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Who has had the greatest number jobs in the UK

Jobs for life are virtually non-existent in today’s labour market, with the current average lifespan of jobs in the UK being on average just three years, and even as short as 18 months for graduates.

While the majority of workers regularly change their jobs, this is not the case for people who live in Scotland , as a high percentage of workers only have one job throughout their lifetime, a recent survey by online job search specialists Tip Top Job has discovered.

The survey polled over 1,000 people to find out who the biggest job-hopping culprits are. While Scots are the most stable, those in the South West have the most jobs in the UK throughout their working life, with the majority of them holding over eight different positions.

Who has had the greatest number jobs in the UK ?
The Welsh are the next region with jam-packed CVs – 23% of Welsh workers have had eight or more jobs, compared to a relatively low percentage in the North West and North East, where workers tend to have just two or three jobs in their working lives.

Corinne Dauncey, Careers Expert from TipTopJob.com, said: “While staying in one job for your entire life might seem unrealistic, it appears that there are people out there who are content doing the same job, which says a lot about the companies they work for.

“However, if you feel that you have got as much as you can out of a job, then looking for a new one might be a good option as long as you don’t do this too frequently. Moving jobs every few months will put potential employees off as they will question your loyalty and the credibility of your CV.”

As jobs in the UK become more fluid and less stable, job search services play an ever more important role. Careers are more flexible than they have ever been before, and job seekers have to be aware of this if they are to make the most of their working lives.

Tip Top Job is an international job search engine that covers every area of today’s job market. With a focus on UK vacancies, Tip Top Job allows users to search its job boards quickly and easily according to their needs, skills and requirements.

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Communication Roles Rise In Public Sector Says Hays

Hays, the leading specialist recruitment consultancy, has revealed that marketing professionals are benefiting from the steady flow of jobs being created by the public sector and certain skill sets, such as communication roles, are experiencing an increase in demand. These roles are coming into their own during the current downturn, given the need for employers to bolster levels of employee engagement, drive productivity and push the efficiency agenda during these economically challenging times.

As the interest in public sector marketing opportunities grows, the added job security and range of flexible benefits offered are luring communications professionals away from the private sector. The majority of marketing jobs in the public sector are communications related with an internal or external focus: “There are opportunities for suitably qualified communications professionals right across the public sector, from entry level Communications Assistant through to the more senior roles, including Head of Internal Communications or Communications Director,” informed Matt Anderson, Managing Director at Hays Marketing.

Skills can be easily transferred from the private sector, although previous experience is an advantage and jobseekers need to demonstrate a sound knowledge of the systems and processes that are used by public sector organisations.

“Given the intense competition for roles at the moment, jobseekers need to show a strong degree of commercial awareness and be able to communicate with internal and external stakeholders alike,” continued Matt Anderson.

A stronger desire to work in the public sector was one of the key findings of a recentHays survey, which revealed a marked rise in the number of professionals looking to cross over from the private to the public sector in 2009, as compared with a year ago. Almost three in four respondents cited a greater level of job security as the main reason for considering a switch of sectors (73%), followed by an improved work-life balance (59%) and the enhanced benefits on offer in the public sector (37%).

“Some applicants are considering a reduction in salary as a trade off for the enhanced job security of the public sector but there are still some very interesting opportunities for professionals to develop their careers,” noted Matt Anderson.

Although recruitment activity in the public sector remains more buoyant than the private sector, opportunities still exist for experienced communication professionals, particularly within some of the larger commercial organisations.

About Hays
Hays Marketing is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group, specialising in a broad range of marketing jobs from pr jobs to digital marketing jobs. Hays is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. As at 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms. For the year ended 30 June 2008:

– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

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Working as an in-house lawyer can amplify legal career horizons

According to the leading specialist recruitment consultancy, Hays, although recruitment activity has been affected by the downturn and slowed in the legal market as a whole, there are still opportunities for high calibre in-house lawyers. The market for interim roles, for example, is relatively buoyant and this route offers an excellent way to gain relevant experience as an in-house lawyer.

Lawyers need to be prepared and focused given the tougher market conditions. Strong technical skills and a track record of advising clients, either through prior permanent in-house or secondment experience, is a definite plus. Given the current climate, jobseekers can stand out by updating their skills in certain areas of legislation. “It is definitely worth brushing up on areas such as employment law, restructuring and insolvency work, and we would advise jobseekers to do so as these areas will be experiencing an upsurge in activity over the next 12 months,” noted Nick Creed, Business Director at Hays Legal.

He continued, “The downturn is throwing up some good interim opportunities to cover absences, such as maternity leave”.

Jobseekers must make sure that they are well prepared as competition for roles is intense and they must be very clear about the reasons why they are applying for a particular role. There should be a strong focus directed on the interview process, as thorough preparation will set applicants apart and ensure a better chance of securing a role. Keeping an open mind and not having preconceptions about a particular industry sector is also important.

“It’s as much about the people you are going to be working with as the actual industry itself,” explained Nick, “so keep your options open and explore available opportunities in sectors you may not have otherwise considered.”

Moving to an in-house role from private practice is another viable option and one where transferable skills, such as customer relationship management, will prove beneficial and facilitate the transition. In-house lawyers are involved in many different aspects of strategy, which not only requires a solid understanding of the business but also the communication skills to strip down often complex legalese.

While prior experience is an advantage, any previous in-house exposure will be advantageous. Asking for a secondment to a client, if working for a law firm, is one way of gaining experience. “This can be an invaluable stepping stone, even if it is just for three months, as you are cementing your understanding of what an in-house lawyer actually does on a daily basis. The key is to keep your private practice experience as broad as you can.” Advised Nick.

About Hays

Hays Legal is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in legal jobs including legal secretary jobs and paralegal jobs. Hays is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. On 30 June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

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The public sector is increasingly becoming an employer of choice for PAs

Hays, specialist recruiter, reports that although recruitment in some areas of the commercial market has slowed, the demand for PAs in the public sector is holding firm. A number of opportunities are being created, particularly temporary positions, in the health, central government and education sectors.

The public sector is increasingly becoming an employer of choice for PAs, primarily as a result of added job security, pensions, and work-life benefits. For example, some Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) are currently embarking on a programme of recruiting permanent staff.

“As well as a buoyant demand for temporary positions in the public sector, we are experiencing growth for permanent PA roles, especially within the education sector, which is evident in the roles we have recently recruited to. This trend is also reflected in those being advertised in the press,” commented Bethan Robbins, Regional Manager for Hays Secretarial.

Despite the economic backdrop, there are good opportunities for PAs with a commercial background to enhance their careers and gain new experiences by moving into the public sector. While prior experience is sometimes seen as an advantage and is preferred in some cases, skills can be transferred from one sector to the other. This has been borne out by recruitment volumes.

Bethan Robbins explained: “We have seen an increase in the number of candidates with commercial or banking experience, applying for advertised jobs online, and subsequently registering with Hays Secretarial. It is, however, important that PA jobseekers have a solid grasp of the challenges and demands of the public sector and understand how the various organisations operate.”

The health sector is one such sector where there remains a strong demand for temporary staff. However, the demand for experienced medical secretaries working on temporary placements can fluctuate depending on the time of year and is a trend that Hays has been seeing throughout the whole of Greater London.

A previous Hays survey revealed that the interest generated in public sector jobs has increased significantly: almost three in four respondents are now more likely to consider a move to the public sector than at the same point last year. The majority are also prepared to take some form of pay cut in exchange for improved job security within the public sector. “Many of these candidates will consider a reduction in salary as the trade-off for job security in the current job market,” confirmed Bethan Robbins.

About Hays

Hays Secretarial is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in PA and secretarial jobs including senior, medical and legal secretary jobs. Hays is the market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. At the end of June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

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Bigmouthmedia has announced the appointment of Lastminute.com CEO, Ian McCaig, to the company’s board in a non-executive role

Bigmouthmedia has announced the appointment of Ian McCaig to the company’s board. Joining bigmouthmedia, Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency, in a non-executive role, the lastminute.com CEO brings a wealth of client side international business experience to the position.

“Digital marketing plays an increasingly important role in the success of online commerce and it is a particularly exciting time for this growth sector,” said McCaig. “The industry is set to take an even more prominent place on the global stage and, as a leading-edge brand with a great history and pan-European footprint, bigmouthmedia is perfectly positioned to remain at the forefront of this fast evolving industry.”

McCaig, who will remain in his lastminute.com post, has a history of involvement in companies poised to make a major impact on the international markets. He was appointed COO of lastminute.com in 2003 and has been responsible for the group’s operations throughout Europe. Since joining he has worked on the growth and development of lastminute.com and has successfully led the integration with Travelocity since its acquisition in July.

Aged 41, Ian was previously Vice President of 3G operations at Nokia and spent seven years overall in the telecommunications industry.

“We are particularly excited by the addition of Ian to our board”, commented Steve Leach, CEO of bigmouthmedia. “While his extensive experience in the online and technology sectors will deliver obvious benefits, his mastery of the mergers, acquisitions and integration process will be of great value as we enter the next phase in bigmouthmedia’s development.”

Bigmouthmedia GmbH was formed in 2006 with the merger of bigmouthmedia limited and Global Media GmbH to form the largest privately held digital marketing agency in Europe through the backing of The Carlyle Group. Nazo Moosa, a director at Carlyle who sits on the board of bigmouthmedia, said: “We believe these challenging markets provide an opportunity for the leaders in each industry to consolidate their position. We are committed to supporting bigmouthmedia in its aim to lead the fragmented digital marketing sector in Europe, and are confident Ian will play a key role in achieving this.”

About bigmouthmedia

Founded in 1997, bigmouthmedia is Europe’s largest independent digital marketing agency. With a team of over 200 staff across 13 offices in 10 countries on 3 continents, the company maximises exposure for major brands online through a variety of fully integrated digital marketing channels: Search engine optimisation, PPC, Online Media Planning, Affiliate Marketing, Social Networking, Brand Monitoring, Online PR and Web Analytics. Bigmouthmedia also provides up to date daily digital marketing news to ensure clients are fully informed and aware of all industry developments.

Leading the digital marketing strategies of a third of the UK’s most trusted brands, bigmouthmedia services over 300 big-brand customers globally including: Adidas, Hilton, British Airways, Tesco, Aer Lingus, BP, Barclays, Castrol, Conrad International, Dorling Kindersley, Early Learning Centre, , Fasthosts, Jumeirah, Canon, Samsung, Starbucks, Top Man, Debenhams, Which?, Lacoste, Euler Hermes and Wall Street Institute.

 

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Hays has been proclaimed as the Best Performing Plc at the Recruitment International Awards 2008

Hays, the UK’s leading specialist recruitment consultancy, which has a number of offices throughout the country, has been proclaimed as the Best Performing plc in a national awards ceremony. The recruitment consultancy managed to beat strong competition to win the highly acclaimed category at the Recruitment International Awards 2008.

To win the highly coveted award of Best Performing plc, Hays successfully demonstrated that it was continuing to perform extremely well and manage to outperform its competitors, despite the current economic climate. The awards were judged by 14 of the top industry professionals and sector specialists, including analysts and brokers. The ceremony took place at Madame Tussauds and was attended by over 200 special guests, comprising of senior directors from the UK’s top recruitment companies.

Tim Cook, Managing Director of Hays said: “We are delighted to have won this award. We are always looking for new ways to better meet the needs of local employers and employees and pride ourselves on strong customer service levels, an extensive database and innovative recruitment methods, which allow us to achieve this. An award for best performance is a strong accolade, particularly in the current climate.”

The Recruitment International’s Awards are particularly highly regarded within the recruitment industry because they are won entirely on a company’s merit following selection by a panel of judges and a day of intensive debate where each judge selects their own top three for each award category, before the points are calculated and a winner emerges.

About Hays

Hays is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. By the end of June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 varied specialisms including recruitment for engineering jobs, nursing jobs and admin jobs.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:
– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million; 
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments; 
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

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Hays Human Resources Has Revealed That Despite Companies Reporting Cautious Growth Plans, HR Professionals Are Still In Demand Across UK

Hays Human Resources latest salary guide by has revealed that despite companies reporting cautious growth plans across the UK, salaries have risen and demand for HR professionals is still outstripping supply – particularly in the interim sector.

Salaries have risen across the UK; a Head of HR can now typically earn £3k more than last year. However, research shows that employers may need to focus on employee career progression, personal and professional development, and the external reputation of the business over salary increases; the survey revealed that employees most commonly cited these as the fundamental reasons for looking for a new role. Furthermore, employees are increasingly looking for part-time and flexible working opportunities, when fewer organisations are prepared to offer this.

Alongside additional demand for strong HR candidates, evidence suggests that employers are now expecting more from them. Individuals who offer proven commercial acumen, a track record of leading business-critical projects and client-facing experience are most in demand. There is currently a 5% growth in HR officer and HR advisor roles and a shortage of candidates to fill them. Some specialist roles are also proving a challenge to recruit for, specifically those in reward and strategic resourcing. At all levels, the CIPD qualification is demanding a salary premium.

Heidi Waddington, Managing Director at Hays Human Resources, commented: “At a time of uncertainty, HR professionals often come to the fore; the focus is on improved retention and enhanced productivity, this can often be achieved through effective training and development initiatives. Where redundancies are unavoidable, the HR community can manage this process with minimum risk, ensuring best practice and the best possible outcome for all parties.”

About Hays Human Resources
Hays Human Resources is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. By the end of June 2008, the Group employed 8,872 staff operating from 393 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms including recruitment for marketing jobs, legal jobs and insurance jobs.

For the year ended 30 June 2008:
– the Group had revenues of £2.5 billion, net fees of £786.8 million and operating profit before exceptional items of £253.8 million;
– the Group placed around 80,000 candidates into permanent jobs and around 300,000 people into temporary assignments;
– the temporary placement business represented 49% of net fees and the permanent placement business represented 51% of net fees.

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A Good Recruitment Consultant Can Help You Identify Your Options And What It Would Take To Make The Change

Even when work is just a means to an end to pay the bills, it’s important to enjoy as much of it as possible as it’s where most of us spend the bulk of our waking hours.

Most people feel they are in the wrong role, underpaid and undervalued at some stage in the week but the hardest thing of all is knowing what might make things better.

Sadly, the laugh a minute job doesn’t exist for most people, and the scope to be a racing driver or a supermodel is severely limited. But no-one should routinely dread getting up in the morning on weekdays, and if they do, they are probably in dire need of a change.

The secret to getting the most out of your job is knowing what’s important to you, according to the experts at leading recruitment agency, Search Consultancy. For some this might mean freedom, and for others it might be routine. Some like personal challenge and some thrive on teamwork.

Sadly, many people are reluctant to leave the devil they know to explore what else might be open to them. But the consultants at Search argue that a good recruitment consultant can help you identify your options and what it would take to make the change.

Sarah McParland, Director with Search said, “A good recruitment consultant is not in the business of putting round pegs into square holes and will spend time with candidates exploring their strengths, skills and ambitions before putting them forward for a role.

“Just as importantly, they will have taken a clear brief from their client about the job on offer and what sort of person would do well there. This takes into account the culture of the organisation and the make-up of the team in which the candidate would be assigned.

“There’s no point in putting a quiet, methodical character into a lively, unstructured environment if that would make them unhappy. And that holds true whether they have the technical skills for the job or not.

“At Search, we don’t just look for a match of paper qualifications, we look for the best fit available between the candidate and client.”

To achieve this, Search offers one to one interviews to prospective clients at all levels. They can also use psychometric or other testing methods to assess candidate suitability, always with the aim of finding a good match.

A good recruitment consultant helps individuals to be realistic about their options and will advise on any skills gaps which the candidate might need to work on to achieve their goal. There’s no point in just wishing for the moon and it can be a revelation to some people just how easy it is to make a change which suits their current circumstances much better than staying in the same old rut.

McParland adds, “It’s not unusual for people to investigate their options and decide that all they need is a change of firm or culture to give them back their drive. Sometimes, a different boss or change of hours and conditions is all that’s required. At other times, a radical revamp of lifestyle and goals is in order. No two people are the same”.

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Joslin Rowe Have Revealed That Product Control Will Become An Ever More Important Function Leading To Changing Product Control Job Specs

Joslin Rowe, one of the leading UK financial services recruitment firms, have released research that suggests the type of candidate most likely to be hired into a temporary product control job is going to change, following a warning from the Financial Services Authority (FSA) that firms need to maintain their valuation and product controls more stringently.

Tom Forrest, associate director of Joslin Rowe’s temporary accountancy & finance recruitment division, clarifies: “The UK Financial Services Authority has issued a ‘Dear CEO’ letter, cautioning banks and investment firms with trading operations that they will be visiting in the first half of 2009 to focus on valuation control processes. For many firms, this will be the impetus to change the type of person they look for in both temporary and permanent product control hires.”

According to Joslin Rowe research, product control departments have evolved enormously in the last 5 years and because of that, the parameters of product control careers have changed.

“Over the years, the number crunching of profit and loss figures have all been offshored,” explains Forrest. “Today, the typical temporary product control job in the UK market is a very analytical and risk orientated position. Product control job specs are asking for a totally different class of person for what’s essentially seen as a new breed of role.”

The current climate of concern over risk exposure and writedowns will also add fuel to the demand for strong product controllers.

“Confidence can only return to the market when product valuations and controls are watertight,” believes Forrest. “The product control function will be vital in achieving this. Candidates need to demonstrate, at interview, that they can build robust relationships with the trading floor and can control the big personalities that often dominate.”

Forrest predicts that the market will see a real shift in the type of temporary product control jobs being recruited for over the remainder of the year.

“Obviously, there’s a massive amount of market caution, so hiring the right staff to support a more rigid infrastructure, whether that’s on a temporary or permanent basis, will be the main focus” states Forrest. “Anyone with product control experience typically gained within overseas banks or securities firms, who’s risk aware with a strong attitude, will find themselves in demand for any temporary product control jobs on offer. It’s worth noting good candidates are still securing multiple job offers even in this difficult market. Rates aren’t dipping either, at up to £500 a day for a temporary product control job.”

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SAPCAreers.com—SAP employment portal service

Specialists always produce better quality service and have a wider range. That’s the approach of the leading SAP employment portal service SAPCAreers.com when tackling the big players in the employment industry.

Focusing solely on work in the SAP sector, SAPCareers.com provides an excellent set of tools to help facilitate the perfect match between employer and job seeker.

One tool allows SAP job seekers to upload their resumes which then become searchable via parameters such as category and location. SAP professionals also list their skill set & experience which all combine to produce a detailed profile which potential employers and recruitment agencies can run through.

Christian Wade of SAPCareers.com is confident that by providing job seekers with the option to advertise their skills makes it an easy task for employers and recruiters looking for a suitable candidate.

“I would encourage job seekers to spend a good amount of time polishing up the resume and making sure that all relevant skills & experience are clearly listed. We have a lot of recruiters who work specifically in finding SAP clients so they really do know what they’re looking for.” said Wade, stating that the website currently has a database of over 2000SAP resumes online and near 7000 registered SAP job seekers.

Wade also added that there were benefits also for recruitment agencies. “There are general job websites where the audience isn’t very focused into a specific sector. In my experience, the real professionals in each industry avoid the general websites and are more likely to use an industry specific website. I feel that they have more confidence in a website that’s dedicated to their industry. When you post a job on SAPCareers.com you know for sure that anyone that visits the site is a SAP candidate.”

He further said that recruitment agencies are always trying to get the best candidates for each role, to keep their relationship with the employer at a high level. “As a recruitment agency, if you’re sending A grade candidates to the employers for positions then you’re going to keep getting jobs to fill”.

SAP is experiencing tremendous growth, and there appears to be a shortage of qualified SAP staff with good experience. Wade says he hopes to increase the number of registered job seekers heading into 2009. “We’re looking at adding plenty of resources for the SAP community in the new year. We see a great opportunity to continue our work as one of the leading websites for SAP jobs and candidates.”

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Lack Of Career Opportunities Is The Main Motivator For Changing Roles In The Retail Sector

Hays Retail announced the results of a new survey carried out by the recruitment specialists Hays Retail and Barclays Commercial Bank revealing that a lack of career opportunities is the main motivator for changing roles in the retail sector.

The report, which aims to reveal the truth behind attracting talent in the retail market is the result of a programme of extensive research involving retail employers and employees.

Almost half (47%) of employees working in a retail job feel that they aren’t offered the scope to progress within their organisation and therefore, have to look elsewhere to move up the career ladder.

However, according to the report from the recruitment specialists, it seems employers have a very different perception. 80% of those surveyed feel they give their staff room to progress and two thirds believe that their staff have the skills required. Yet they still state in the survey a lack of suitable candidates as their greatest recruitment challenge.

According to Clare Kemsley, Managing Director of Hays Retail, for employers to attract – and keep – the best employees, “employers need to communicate and give more detailed information of what training and career development opportunities are available within their brand and set clear career paths from the outset, before their staff look elsewhere.”

Jane Galvin, a director in Barclays Commercial Bank’s Retail and Wholesale team, commented on the findings: “The report identifies a perception gap between what staff and employers think about opportunities for career progression. At a time when retailers need a motivated workforce to navigate challenging trading conditions, recruiting and retaining good staff remains key. The most successful companies will continue to be those who keep staff happy and tap into their customer knowledge which can help retailers quickly identify trends that will increase sales and customer retention.”

Retailers continue to look to e-commerce for opportunities, with 93% of respondents believing this sector still has scope for continued growth over the coming years.

“This new Guide gives a deeper than ever insight into the retail profession and the challenges facing employers as they go about attracting talent into their organisation,”concluded Clare Kemsley.

About Hays Retail:
Hays Retail is a subdivision of Hays Plc, the FTSE 250 Company which employs 7,753 staff operating from 376 offices in 25 countries across 17 specialisms including marketing jobs, finance jobs and legal jobs. Hays Plc placed circa 68,000 candidates into permanent jobs and paid circa 46,000 temporary workers weekly during the year ending June 07.

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Dollarcompensationstatements.Com, A Web-Based Total Compensation And Benefit Statement Generator That Employers Can Use To Create Personalized Total Compensation And Benefits Statements

SBF Communications launched DollarCompensationStatements.com, a revolutionary new web-based total compensation and benefit statement generator that will change the way the industry approaches creating benefit statements. We offer the only self-service tool that employers and benefits brokers can use to create personalized total compensation and benefits statements for $1 to $2 per personalized statement.

DollarCompensationStatements.com saves employers up to 75% off of the amount they would otherwise pay traditional compensation and benefit statement service providers. Our straight forward pricing approach makes it cost effective to provide personalized total compensation and benefit statements to companies of all sizes. We have:

  • No set up fee
  • No minimum order
  • No wait
  • No risk — preview before you pay

The total rewards package employers provide their employees is one of their biggest expenses, yet employees don’t recognize the cost of health benefits and other perks as part of their total reward package. DollarCompensationStatements.com provides an inexpensive solution for employers of all sizes. Employers can:

  • Customize their introduction letter
  • Brand with their logo
  • Create statements with attention-grabbing charts
  • Eliminate lead times — statements are print ready in minutes
  • Pay a lot less

The self-service functionality is easy to use, you:

  • Select your statement
  • Upload your customized data
  • Preview your statements
  • Pay
  • Print

For more information about DollarCompensationStatements.com visit www.dollar-compensation-statements.com or contact us directly at 404.474.7947 or info@dollar-compensation-statements.com

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Dubai International Capital Named In Top Ten Percentile Of The World’s Top Employers

Dubai Holding, has announced that Dubai International Capital LLC (‘DIC’), its international investment arm, has been ranked in the top ten percentile, against regional and global benchmarks, in the TRI*M 2007 Employee Satisfaction Survey. TRI*M is a global leader in customer stakeholder management research, and part of TNS, a global market information and insight group.

H.E. Mohammed Al Gergawi, Chairman of Dubai Holding said: “DIC made outstanding progress in 2007 under Sameer Al Ansari’s leadership. Sameer Al Ansari and the Dubai International Capital team have built a highly profitable international investment company in a remarkably short time and these exceptional results reflect DIC’s high standards of corporate governance and high levels of employee satisfaction. The results reinforce the UAE’s status as a career destination for talented professionals in the financial sector and also demonstrate its position as a leading global financial centre.”

Sameer Al Ansari, Executive Chairman and CEO of DIC said: “DIC has achieved a great deal in a short time with a significant investment push into Asian markets this year and the closing of several major transactions in 2007. We are building on this momentum with an ambitious recruitment drive at a senior level with a target of 130 employees by the end of 2008 compared to 85 in 2007. We are hiring the resource and senior talent we need for the next phase of DIC’s ambitious growth strategy.”

The assets under management of Dubai International Capital now total over US$12 billion with a target to double assets under management to US$25 billion within the next two years. DIC has been profitable since its inception in 2004 and has earned global recognition as a world class investment company.

DIC Emerging Markets division made its first direct investment in the region with the family-owned Rivoli Group, a luxury retail chain based in the UAE. DIC’s Jordan Dubai Capital, a US$300 million fund, acquired a 51% stake in the Central Electricity Generating Company through its energy investment arm ENARA Energy Arabia. DIC recently announced the launch of China Dubai Capital, a $1billion fund to invest in China in partnership with First Eastern as well as Saudi Dubai Capital, a $1 billion fund to invest in KSA.

About Dubai International Capital:
Established in 2004, DIC is an international investment company focused on both private equity and public equity. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Dubai Holding, DIC manages an international portfolio of diverse assets that provide its stakeholders with value growth, diversification, and strategic investments. Assets under management total over US$12 billion. DIC was named MENA Private Equity Firm of the Year in the 6th annual Awards for Excellence in Private Equity Europe 2008, organised by Dow Jones Private Equity News.

About the survey:
The survey results were measured by the TRI*M model which gives a single number score representing the level of employee commitment including overall satisfaction, recommendation, rejoining, motivation of colleagues and market strengths.

In the findings, 85% of DIC employees believe DIC has a strong reputation in the market which reflects that staff are proud to be working for the firm. 83% of employees would recommend DIC as a company to work for, compared to 74.5% in 2006.

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Quest CE Promotes Patrick Torhorst To Vice President Of Information Technology

Quest CE President and CEO Alan Krenke announced the promotion of Patrick Torhorst to Vice President of Information Technology.

“We are very pleased to promote Patrick in recognition of all that he has done for Quest,” Krenke said. “Patrick has been instrumental in the building and growth of our Learning Management System along with our corporate website and our internal IT systems, including Quest’s proprietary administration tool ‘questtrak’.”

Torhorst joined Quest in July 2005 and acts as the company’s Chief IT Officer. Prior to joining Quest, Patrick worked for SC Johnson in Racine and Harley Davidson in Milwaukee. Patrick is a graduate of the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

About Quest CE:
Quest CE offers customized continuing education and online compliance management programs to financial service firms across the country. With over 100 clients in the insurance, mutual fund, and banking industries, Quest has the resources and expertise necessary to create and administer successful training programs for organizations of all sizes.

For more information about Quest CE you may also contact Quest CE at 877-593-3366 or visit their website at www.questce.com.

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