Corporate Benefit Coordinators Is Proud To Announce Its Newly Formed Integrated Business Solutions Model, The M-5 Group

In this economy business owners must work smarter. CBC’s M-5 Group gives them the tools and resources to bridge the gap between struggling and thriving. Corporate Benefit Coordinators is proud to announce its newly formed Integrated Business Solutions model, the M-5 Group. Currently comprised of nine powerful firms that deliver innovative quality employee benefits, top-rated retirement plans, more efficient web-based payroll services, premier CPA auditing and consulting, and more, the M-5 Group provides business owners a virtual one-stop shop for all their business needs. Each M-5 Group member brings unique strengths, dedication and specific business know-how within each of their respective fields. Unlike the normal business model wherein the business owner solicits and engages with several entities to fulfill company requirements, the M-5 Group provides an impressive array of independently operated firms that provide business resources that the employer can utilize to streamline and efficiently position his/her company in an ever-more-challenging business environment. Member groups include:

• Brucker and Morra – The largest Southern California firm that exclusively practices employee benefits law, this company has a deep understanding of every nuance of tax and labor law, including but not limited to 401K, IRS and DOL compliance initiatives and self-correction alternatives, ERISA litigation and family law.

• CommerceWest Bank – Core values, consistency, reliability and a dedication to the highest level of service standards for clients is what this regional and business banking institution is all about. With special features, including Remote Deposit Solution, Concierge, Banking by Appointment, NetBanker Online Cash Management, 48-Hour Turnaround and 24/7 Emergency Banking, CommerceWest stands heads above the competition.

• Corporate Benefit Coordinators (CBC) – A full-service benefits firm dedicated to helping companies achieve their financial and business goals. CBC offers superior group medical, dental, and ancillary plan designs. In addition, we offer compliance and administrative services with hands-on, personal attention to help improve the bottom line. Cafeteria plans, COBRA administration, Health Savings Accounts, 401K plans, and 5500 tax preparation are also among our top-rated client services.

• Garret/Mosier/Griffith/Sistrunk Insurance Services (GMGS) – GMGS is a full-service insurance brokerage dedicated to providing insurance, surety and risk management solutions for businesses. Through a combination of claims/loss control services, technical insurance knowledge and alternative cost-effective combinations of risk retention & risk transfer, GMGS is able to dramatically lower the long-term insurance costs for businesses while successfully protecting and enhancing their financial strength.

• HR Alternatives, Inc. – HR Alternatives provides Human Resource capabilities to meet business objectives while effectively managing employee related concerns with our advisory support and project solutions consulting. Advisory support provides ready access to certified expert consultants on a retained basis. Project Solutions provides the design and implementation of projects, such as HR Compliance, AAP, Employee Handbooks, Compensation Programs, Safety, Recruitment, Training and Organizational Development. This company’s full spectrum of resources provides an effective Human Resource function at a fraction of the cost of traditional options.

• ING Retirement Services – One of the largest and most formidable leaders in the U.S. retirement services marketplace, ING closed its acquisition of CitiStreet, thus reinforcing its long-term commitment to the business and further strengthening its ability to design and deliver best-in-class customer solutions.

• Lesley, Thomas, Schwartz & Postma – A full-service, certified public accounting firm dedicated to providing a full spectrum of customized accounting and advisory services to solve business problems and achieve business goals, this firm has a proven track record for producing results.

• PayBridge – A nationally recognized leader in web-based, real-time payroll solutions that integrate with retirement plan administration and recordkeeping. PayBridge eliminates repetitive spreadsheet calculations, enables contributions to reach 401(k) plans faster, and promotes timely compliance with federal and state regulations with less time needed for oversight. Above all, PayBridge saves money for clients by streamlining payroll operations. The outcome is a fast, intuitive, and flexible payroll / HR solutions platform that reduces costs and lets managers spend more time growing revenue.

• The Pension Group, Inc. – A committed, premier retirement-plan design and administration service group dedicated to Profit Sharing, 401k, Pension Plans and New Comparability/Tiered Plans, The Pension Group’s professional approach saves both time and money for businesses and creates on-going value for clients with appropriate, timely, accurate, personalized service.

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Demand For Specialist Telecoms Talent Reports Hays Telecoms

Hays Telecoms has reported that employers are seeking specialist telecoms talent, with business and core networks, content and media, mobile and wireless, all experiencing steady recruitment activity.

High on the list of desirable skills is the demand for individuals with experience of transmission, provisioning and planning of fibre networks.

“People skills and advanced technologies are being used to streamline networks and follow best practice in and around transmission of the data to make networks more productive,” commented Lee Chant, Managing Director at Hays Telecoms. The key skill sets that employers are looking for in networks jobs are engineering based; knowledge of products such as LAN, WAN, Cisco and Juniper are particularly sought after while other networks (Extreme, 3Com etc) and infrastructure skills (Cat5, Cat6) are also currently sought after.

There is also a requirement for internal network security jobs within companies and their Firewalls. Companies are looking at their present networks to ensure they are accurately mapped – central to this enhancement is fibre optimisation and the design of the most efficient circuits to execute customer requirements and service. “Network optimisation is very much a buzz phrase around the industry at the moment,” noted Lee.

Recruitment activity for core network jobs is also remaining resilient, as many companies seek to win provisioning, transmission and design work. The current economic conditions have also provided a good opportunity for companies to complete their design and network planning, which has led to equipment upgrades and work around network efficiencies. This has fuelled demand for specialists with experience of Juniper, Cisco, Huawei, Ciena, and more driving environments such as IP, MPLS, VPLS, ATM, Frame Relay, SDH, PDH and DWDM. “Other buoyant skill sets include TDM, VoIP, SIP, H.323, IMS, Intelligent Networks, CPE, Ethernet and Dark Fibre,” added Lee.

Linked to the core networks is the content and media side of telecoms. The race is on for companies to corner the market in the ‘quad play’ arena, namely providing the ‘four in one’ home broadband, TV, telephone and mobile services. Investment in research and development has generated mobile and wireless telecoms jobs, as companies strive to gain a comparative advantage over their competitors. Mobile applications, mobile content, Symbian, J2ME, Multimedia, Broadcast, IPTV, VoD, DTV,H – DAM, EPG, Triple/quad Play are all desired skills.

“Although the sale of mobile handsets has slowed, companies are looking to invest in product development, such as mobile TV applications,” Lee explained.

Another area of growth is the field of technology to support collaboration, video-conferencing and web-conferencing. Knowledge of Cisco and Tandberg are proving to be the most in demand skills, as well as general IP networking experience relating to conference bridges. Employers are looking for professionals with web-based video conferencing experience, using sophisticated Telepresence technology. “The advantage of these products is that they save money and are environmentally friendly,” concluded Lee.

About Hays Telecoms:
Hays Telecoms is part of Hays plc and specialises in a wide range of telecoms roles fromconvergence jobs to jobs in broadband. Hays is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group employs 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 28 countries across 17 specialisms.

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Oil And Gas Sector Remains Attractive Option For Engineers Says Hays

Hays, specialist recruitment company, survey shows demand for qualified engineers in the oil and gas sector remains resilient despite the downturn and this is reflected by the competitive salary and benefits packages on offer in the industry.

The 2009 survey, which was conducted in partnership with the Energy Institute, analysed trends in the oil and gas jobs sector, showed pensions were top the list of desirable benefits for almost 80% of workers, followed by annual leave entitlement (71%), health insurance (66%), and bonuses (58%).

“Nine day fortnights are also fairly typical of the oil and gas sector, enabling workers to take a supplementary day off every other week. We are also seeing car allowances at all levels, including for more junior roles,” commented Eliot Davies, National Operations Director for Hays Oil & Gas.

Many companies also sponsor career development, offering to pay for further training – this is borne out by the number of workers who hold a postgraduate qualification (43%). The survey also revealed that over half of oil and gas workers saw their incomes boosted by bonuses (58%), which can climb as high as 20% of base salary. Indeed, almost half of oil and gas professionals (45%) are expecting to receive a bonus this year. The opportunity to work on projects globally is also attracting jobseekers to the oil and gas industry, demonstrated by the survey findings, which reveal that two thirds of respondents deemed this to be either important or very important.

“Although Aberdeen is still seen as a centre for engineering excellence, many head offices located in the city will offer opportunities for secondment abroad,” stated Eliot.

The commercial experience of principal and contracts engineers is also highly sought after, along with C&I, structural and mechanical engineers. While some employers require specialist oil and gas experience, others are considering taking on construction sector professionals such as quantity surveyors where skills can be easily transferred across industries.

“We are experiencing particularly strong demand for intermediate and senior level reservoir engineers, geoscientists, geophysicists and people with FEED experience,” Eliot commented.

Salary bands for oil and gas engineers in the sector vary from £28-36k at the junior level (for individuals with one to three years’ experience), £35-50k at the intermediate level (three to six years’ experience), £48-70k at the senior level (seven to 10 years’ experience) and £60-120k at the management level (10 years’ plus experience).

About Hays Oil & Gas:
Hays Oil & Gas is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group, specialising in a range of oil and gas jobs from piping and drilling jobs to field engineer jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group employs 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

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Resumegpsâ„¢ Enhances Virtual Recruiting – A Budget-Friendly Solution For Cost-Conscious Corporations

OptimalResume.com has announced the launch of its patent-pending ResumeGPSâ„¢ program allowing employers to easily and conveniently source, screen and interview job candidates online. ResumeGPS combines the resume building, candidate searching, and online interviewing experience for students and employers into one offering. With ResumeGPS, employers who visit the Optimal Resume website can search opted-in resumes from participating colleges and universities and accelerate the short-listing process with dynamic resume books and integrated video interviewing options.

ResumeGPSâ„¢ is offered to OptimalResume.com client schools and students at no charge. Corporations can have access to the program for a monthly fee. The program offers a low cost, virtual recruiting option that can stimulate student and alumni placements, build employer relationships and generate income for career centers.

OptimalResume.com is conducting daily webinars for its current corporate and university clients who may be interested in learning more about this valuable service. Interested employers can visit Optimal Resume online at www.optimalresume.com/employers.html.

About OptimalResume.com
OptimalResume.com is the technology leader in online career services and is headquartered in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park. In 2005, the company launched OptimalResumeâ„¢, its award winning, web-based resume-building program developed in partnership with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. More than 300,000 users rely on OptimalResume’s leading edge online career tools to secure secure employment, and more than 600 career centers use it to manage workflow and empower job seekers to return to the workforce more quickly. OptimalResume’s flexible product line not only has applicability for career centers, but also for workforce boards, outplacement firms, corporations, associations, libraries, and more. With state-of-the-art, private-label or co-branded platforms, job seekers at all levels can now create high-quality resumes, business letters, ePortfolios, video introductions, skills assessments and perform virtual interview practice. For more information visit http://OptimalResume.com.

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Hays Reports Interim Learning And Development Professionals Still In Demand

According to Hays, the leading specialist recruitment company, while the current market may have impacted the recruitment of permanent learning and development jobs there continues to be fixed term contracts available for senior interim professionals.

“We envisage that employers will be using interims more regularly to identify organisational requirements on an ad-hoc basis to deal with specific requirements,” observed Heidi Waddington, Managing Director for Hays Human Resources.

Organisations are looking for practitioners with a strong commercial background and a track record in the management and development of staff. The emphasis has shifted from core training delivery, to a more strategic requirement to identify and implement bespoke programmes that are linked in to an organisation’s overall talent management programme. Investing in leadership programmes and competencies remains an important aspect of organisations’ HR strategies, as the importance of succession planning becomes ever more important, particularly during difficult economic times.

“There is a greater focus on talent-management and identifying key players in an organisation. Some of the larger organisations typically will forge associations with leading business schools to develop in-house programmes”, Heidi continued.

While organisations continue to review their cost efficiencies and examine ways in which they can streamline their HR operations, learning and development jobs remain
a central point of the HR function, despite the fact that resources are being stretched and that these skills have to be picked up by HR managers.

“Although companies remain keenly focused on the management and development of their people, line managers are having to upskill and add to their remits, particularly within small and medium sized organisations that are increasingly relying on in-house recruitment expertise rather than external training providers. Of course, in certain regulatory fields, there is always a requirement for training delivery,” Heidi explained.

Typically learning and development jobs do not follow a standard HR career path, in contrast to that of the HR generalist. An individual specialising in learning and development will have usually started life outside HR before making the transition to learning and development, albeit they would have had some involvement with training and development within a commercial environment. Skills can be easily transferred across from other disciplines, as long as they have previous training and development experience.

Learning and development remains closely linked to organisational development, particularly during difficult times when the need to invest in staff becomes greater and the reduced staff numbers need to acquire and make up for any ‘lost’ skills. Organisations will rely on interims to design programmes and to use their change management expertise in order to shape overall company structure and ultimately lay the foundations to provide challenging and rewarding careers for staff. The role of the learning and development manager spans across the whole talent agenda, looking closely at development needs and at staff retention.

About Hays Human Resources:
Hays Human Resources is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group, and specialises in a range of HR jobs from diversity and equality jobs to training jobs. It is market leader in the UK and Australia, and one of the market leaders in Continental Europe. The Group employs 8,294 staff operating from 380 offices in 27 countries across 17 specialisms.

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Hays Highlights Office Managers Bringing Added Value To Business

Hays, specialist recruiter, has announced that although the market for senior office managers has slowed during the last quarter, opportunities still exist for suitably qualified applicants, particularly in the professional and public services sectors.

Competition for office manager jobs may have intensified in the current marketplace as the number of applicants per role has increased. “Market conditions are dictating salary levels and job volumes at present but demand still exists for the most highly skilled and experienced office managers,” said Geoff Collings, Regional Director at Hays Office Support.

Applicants need to be flexible, in terms of salary, location and industry sector. Employers are looking at their costs carefully but jobseekers can improve their chances of securing a role by looking outside their immediate industry sector. Geoff continued, “It is definitely worth considering smaller and medium sized enterprises, which may still be growing”.

Senior office managers with the broadest range of skills are best positioned to succeed in the current market, as employers can benefit f r o m the commercial experience that they can bring. “Those candidates who can demonstrate quantifiable examples of the value they bring to a business are sought after. Examples include procurement, tenders and contract negotiations, which can help save costs, drive efficiencies and impact profitability,” explained Geoff.

As firms look to restructure and merge roles, there is a requirement for individuals who have experience across a range of areas and office managers can fit the bill perfectly. Facilities management, procurement and contract management, secretarial management and first line IT support can all fall under the remit of the senior office manager.

Versatility is a major plus but employers are also looking for first class people management skills, people that can stay calm under pressure and are natural problem solvers. “Office managers need to think on their feet and be approachable, have excellent prioritisation skills and liaise with internal and external stakeholders alike,” Geoff emphasised.

While recruitment activity for senior office managers has slowed across the UK, there are some excellent opportunities for the right jobseekers. Continuing professional development and enhancing skills by taking on a range of responsibilities are important factors in the current climate. “We would urge all applicants to update their CVs and make sure they list all their relevant experience, as employers are being more selective in their hiring,” concluded Geoff.

About Hays Office Support

Hays Office Support is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in a wide range of admin jobs including customer service jobs and data entry jobs. Hays is the 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 f r o m 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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Brand New Teleseminar Series On Job Search Methods Announced

Announcing THE SPIRITUAL JOB SEARCH TELESEMINAR SERIES March 23rd and 24th. TWO FREE PREVIEW calls for those who are in a job search or afraid they MIGHT be!

The TWELVE CRITICAL TACTICS of a successful search will be the focus as well as determining WHAT you’re selling and HOW to talk about it! The two FREE calls will wind up with suggestions of HOW to take care of yourself during a stressful time.

Peggy Collins has been a JOB SEARCH COACH for over twenty years and has participated in fifteen major downszings as well as coaching hundreds in all industries and levels one-on-one. She’s the author of the McGraw Hill published book Help Is Not a Four-Letter Word: Why Doing It All Is Doing You In.

To sign up for this GROUNDBREAKING SERIES or for more information, just go www.thespiritualjobsearch.com

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Tonawanda Firm Recruits American Nurses For King Edward VII Hospital In Hamilton, Bermuda

Worldwide Travel Staffing, Ltd. (WTS), a Tonawanda based healthcare recruitment firm, has been engaged by the King Edward VII Hospital in Bermuda to assist in their recruitment of American healthcare professionals.


WTS CEO, Leo Blatz, RN, MSN, and Todd Cleckley, Vice President of Business Development, recently met with hospital officials in Hamilton, Bermuda to finalize contract negotiations and toured the state of the art facility. Bermuda is experiencing a shortage of nurses, physicians, and allied healthcare professionals. This need prompted King Edward VII Hospital to look beyond their borders for healthcare staff. WTS specializes in the recruitment of nurses and other healthcare professionals for short and long term assignments (3 months to 3 years) throughout the United States and around the world.

WTS will have its first American nurse on Bermuda in April 2009, with others to follow in the coming months. WTS is the only US firm that is currently recruiting on behalf of King Edward VII Hospital and the Bermuda Hospital Board.

Worldwide Travel Staffing (WTS) was founded in 1993 to assist hospitals with their staffing needs by providing contract healthcare staff. WTS CEO, Leo Blatz, R.N., M.S.N. has lead the company’s expansion from being solely focused on domestic contracts to expanding their services internationally to include recruiting contracts in Bermuda, Guam, Ireland, U.K, and U.S. Virgin Islands among others. WTS has been listed by Inc. magazine as one of America’s fastest growing private companies for two years in 2007 and 2008.

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Hays Reports Field Sales Experience Sought By Employers To Ride Out Recession

Hays, leading specialist recruitment company, has reported that the need for employers to fine-tune their sales teams is becoming ever greater during the current downturn. An experienced sales team that can hit targets and deliver much needed income streams will help organisations counter the adverse recessionary forces prevalent in the
marketplace.

“There is a demand for field sales operatives at the moment across industry sectors for all levels of experience, particularly junior and middle range roles. Demand for senior appointments has been more affected by the downturn but there are still good opportunities for the right calibre of individual,” said Kevin Dunbar, National Business Development Manager at Hays Sales, “Having a strong sales force in place, underpinned by an effective strategy, remains one of the best ways for organisations to trade out of this recession.”

One area where the demand for sales experience has become apparent is in the public sector, with a particular focus on IT field sales. Continued investment by government in the upgrade of its IT development infrastructure has led to an increase in demand for experienced professionals.

Kevin continued, “Professionals with public sector account management experience, for example in the health and central government sectors, are in demand”.

A track record of success is very important in an industry where achievements are highly visible and dependent on targets being met. The rewards for the right people also remain competitive and individuals can expect a company car, laptop, mobile, as well as other standard benefits, such as pensions and private healthcare.

“Uncapped commission is still being offered by some companies and this remains one of the key benefits offered,” Kevin added.

One of the main issues facing employers is attracting a suitable calibre of applicant, as the sales discipline suffers from high levels of staff turnover. Ensuring that the recruitment process runs smoothly is imperative. Kevin explained,”Employers can sometimes recruit the wrong person for the role in the first place and this leads to increased attrition rates. This can be reduced by preparing detailed job and person specifications, carefully highlighting the competencies required, and establishing a thorough interview process.”

Despite the difficulties faced by certain sectors of the economy, the demand for field sales remains resilient. “The individuals that are most in demand are those that are not simply managing existing clients but also achieve business development with new clients,” Kevin concluded.

About Hays:
Hays Sales is part of Hays plc, the leading global specialist recruitment group and specialises in a wide range of sales jobs from fundraising jobs to telesales 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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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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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.

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42% Of Workers Say They Could Be More Productive Out Of The Office

BT Business and Nortel have revealed new independent research* statistics showing that less than one in ten (8%) of the UK’s businesses trust their employees to work out of the office – despite the 42% of workers who are confident that they could do a better job remotely.

The data shows managers are reluctant to move their people away from their outdated, desk-based working models. This is regardless of their employees, who say they could be more productive on the road, working with a customer or from home if they were given the technology to manage and support them.

John Wright, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, said “This boils down to a matter of trust. In the current climate, small firms need to be operating at full stretch. Last week’s bad weather demonstrated the need for British businesses to enable their employees to be productive, wherever they are.”

Despite dramatic changes in the UK workforce since the 1970s, the research points to outdated working practices – such as ‘presenteeism’ where it is thought that if employees are not at their desks, they are not working . The new research suggests that businesses can put such practices to bed by unifying their communications.

Unified communications integrates voice, data, fixed and wireless business channels, allowing teams to work together, answer calls and customer queries whether in or out of the office. Managers can check productivity – down to even the number of calls and emails that are made and answered. Costs and duplicate work are reduced because all customer, supplier and partner contact is reduced to a single communications system.

John Dovey, IT services director at BT Business said: “BT’s 70,000 flexible workers have saved us £500m in building costs and 100,000 tonnes of CO2. We can effectively manage our employees and have seen a 30% rise in productivity. By unifying communications systems our business customers can be more responsive to new opportunities and customer enquiries wherever they are. Faster reaction and fulfilment times are a positive way to increase customer satisfaction, increase loyalty and encourage growth. These technologies can also help to attract and retain staff through flexible working.”

Barry Bonnett, president, Enterprise Solutions, EMEA, Nortel, said “As lifestyles change, so must management’s attitudes towards employees. Unified communications can help managers, but ultimately change depends on trust.”

BT Business understands the challenges that businesses face in the current climate, and supports cost control, improved productivity and winning business through product collections including business broadband & internet, domains & web hosting, data & voice networks, IT solutions and mobile services.

* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 3473 workers in organisations with less than 500 employees and employed for at least 3 months. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd – 8th December 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have not been weighted.

About BT
BT is one of the world’s leading providers of communications solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the provision of networked IT services globally; local, national and international telecommunications services to customers for use at home, at work and on the move; broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

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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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TalentScotland has announced the results of its latest survey which reveals that Scotland would be their first choice to relocate to in the UK

TalentScotland has announced the results of its latest survey of 2,602 global job hunters which reveals that Scotland would be their first choice to relocate to in the UK. TalentScotland.com, the website offering advice, support and vacancy information for people looking to relocate to Scotland has published these latest results which found that 49 percent picked Scotland compared to 44 percent who chose England as their preferred location.

The survey highlights the global appeal of Scotland as a relocation destination with the considerable majority of respondents (93 percent) coming from outside the UK. 58 percent live in Europe, 10 percent in Asia and 8 percent come from North America. Of the overall number of respondents, 86 percent said they would actually considerrelocating to Scotland with those aged between 25 and 44 being the most willing to move.

When considering a career change and possible relocation the survey respondents revealed that they felt the following to be most important factors in their decision making:
– 74% local education services
– 66% house prices
– 52% culture and shopping
– 51% access to the outdoors

Hazel Sinclair, Head of TalentScotland, commented on the findings:

“I am not surprised that so many jobseekers see Scotland as a highly desirable place to relocate. Not only do we have a wealth of great jobs across a wide range of sectors, but we have all the additional quality of life aspects, such as world class schools and universities, affordable housing, a distinct and welcoming culture and the amazing Scottish countryside on our doorstep.

“It is encouraging to find that most people felt job satisfaction to be more important than salary with 81 percent rating job satisfaction as fairly important or extremely important compared to 79 percent for salary.”

About TalentScotland.com
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.

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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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