Author: Aisling Rafferty

locum pharmacist

Excel Recruitment launch locum pharmacy division

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Due to the success of Excel Recruitment’s pharmacy division, we are set to go even further in meeting our client’s needs by launching our locum pharmacist service.

We are proud to work with some of the largest pharmacy companies in Ireland, as well as independents across the country. Now alongside meeting client’s permanent pharmacist and pharmacy technician needs, our expert team of recruiters will now provide short-notice, weekend, holiday or illness cover quickly and seamlessly, ensuring no disruptions to service for clients and their customers. Our team understands you need timely and effective resourcing solutions and can consistently provide standout locum solutions.

For pharmacists, our locum desk offers you weekly payment and the chance to have full control over your working life. Our locum coordinators will work closely with you to understand your preferences around shift patterns, working hours and locations while taking care of the details needed to get you working as a locum. We are receptive, responsive and reliable.

Leading our Pharmacy recruitment division is Barbara Kelly, a hugely experienced and dedicated specialist recruiter. Barbara has over 10 years’ experience directly recruiting Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians on a locum, permanent and contract basis. Barbara understands like few others other the particular demands and challenges of recruiting within the Pharmacy industry.

If you are a pharmacist looking to join a progressive, pharmacist focused locum service, register with us today by contacting Barbara Kelly at barbara@excelrecruitment.com or calling 01-8148747

Barry Whelan, CEO Excel Recruitment

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS EVERY EMPLOYER SHOULD MAKE

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

January is flying by but it’s never too late (or too early!) for employers to reflect on how to make their workplace a better one. The beginning of the year, and of a new decade, is the perfect time for employers to implement tangible resolutions to help retain staff members who may be thinking ‘new year, new career?’ CEO of Excel Recruitment Barry Whelan explains how ….

Let employees be off when they are off

With modern technology, we are always connected to the workplace through our smartphones. This brings with it an expectation of an immediate response to issues and problems, which in turn leads to a trend of expecting employees to always be on and available. While some jobs do require this, most don’t. Employers need to get serious about limiting their intrusions into their employee’s time off. Employees want to leave their work in the office. Ideas for resolutions include recognising the importance of proper time off which attracts and retains great employees.

Give out the benefits and perks based on merit not request

As the old saying goes, ‘he who shouts the loudest gets heard’. Often management distributes the ‘extras’ such as better projects, professional development or indeed higher raises and better perks to the employees that ask the most as opposed to those who deserve it. The allocation of work, rewards and benefits should only be made on merit. Ask yourself ‘Do your most outspoken employees get a disproportionate share of resource?’ Make a point of examining how perks and benefits are distributed are resolutions for employers. Resist the easy path of giving more based on who speaks first or negotiates the best package.

Make feedback a habit

Articulating the areas in which you’d like to see an employee improve or describing what you’d like to see done differently can go a long way towards keeping employees motivated and engaged. Simple and positive feedback will generally keep people motivated and displaying the behaviours that were the reason for the praise in the first place. Resolutions employers should implement are to push managers to make feedback a regular part of their conversations with staff members. For example, they could set aside time for it in weekly check-ins. Many managers don’t give enough feedback to their staff members, even though feedback is one of the strongest tools managers have for getting better results from their teams.

Spend more on training and developing staff

The desire for training and development is incredibly high amongst employees at the moment and employers are beginning to listen, but often balk at actually devoting time and resources to training. Employees will get frustrated they’re expected to produce results and stay up to date on current trends without getting much training and professional development. Make this the year that you see your employees development as a long-term investment in your organisation.

Don’t procrastinate performance problems

Instead of taking credit for the high achievers in their teams, managers should measure their own performance by the lowest performers on their teams. This is the real measure of how they are performing, how they handle people who are struggling. Too often, managers shy away from the tough conversations, coaching work and accountability that’s crucial to a high-performing team. Procrastination needs to be done away with and issues tackled head-on.

Give thanks to great employees

If you want to retain your best people, ensure that their contributions are recognised – both through open praise and by compensation that reflects their worth to your organization and gives them a reason to stay. Employers often underestimate the impact of making sure that great employees hear that they are valued.

Work against racial, age, social and gender bias in your company

In our ever-changing work environment, it is important that we recruit, reward and recognise people for skills, experience and contribution as opposed to bias in either a positive or negative way. Educate managers to find ways to combat unconscious bias, such as evaluating candidates against a clear list of must-haves, not factors that don’t truly correlate with success on the job, factors such as rapport with the interviewer or their address. Train managers to use evidence-based methods to evaluate candidates, such as job-related exercises and simulations, and even remove identifying details from applications so that managers can assess candidates without knowing their race or gender.

Excel's best bits 2019

EXCEL RECRUITMENT: THE BEST BITS OF 2019

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

2019 saw us enter our 17th year in business and was truly one of our biggest and most exciting years to date. We’re proud of everything our team has achieved this year and just want to thank every client, candidate, supplier and most of all each our team members who have made all our achievements possible. 2020 is already set to be even bigger for us but before we launch into the next decade, we want to take a moment to reflect on some of our biggest successes this year. So, here goes….

Named the first Ireland’s Innovative Supplier at the Hotel and Catering Gold Medal Awards

Accepting the award for Ireland’s Innovative Supplier

Crowned Best Recruitment Provider at the Checkout National Retail Supplier Awards- for the fifth consecutive year!

Won Best Specialist Agency at the National Recruitment Federation Awards

Opened brand new offices in Dublin city centre

Opened our first ever offices in Cork and made plans for Naas and Galway in 2020 (stay tuned!)

Jetted off to Portugal for some team bonding with paddle boarding treasure hunting around Lisbon

Launched our new Pharmacy division and welcomed senior recruiter Barbara Kelly to our team to lead our newest division

CEO Barry Whelan presented to the REI Retail Retreat and REI HR forum on recruitment and retention

We increased our team by 14 and now employ 40 consultants and support staff, an increase of 13 in 2019

Opened the Irish Barista Academy in partnership with Skillnet affiliated to tackle the staffing shortages resulting from Ireland’s booming coffee industry

Developed our online training facilities to better reach more people than ever with our world-class training facilities

Featured in the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, ShelfLife Magazine and Hospitality Ireland magazine

Travelled to Korea to tackle the chef crisis becoming the industry leaders in the Chef Permit programme

Director Shane McLave and consultant Brian Nixon with Adrian Cummins of RAI in Korea

Streamlined all our HR recruitment into a specialised HR recruitment division headed by Sean Thomas

Again, thank you to everyone who made all the achievements above possible. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, particularly all the hardworking retailers and hospitality staff working over the next few days, and best wishes for the new year! Onwards and upwards for 2020!

Green Friday

Green is the new Black (Friday)

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A national campaign hopes to encourage consumers to buy Irish this Black Friday.

The “Green Friday” campaign aims to encourage people to shop locally and support Irish brands and businesses this Christmas shopping period. Beginning in America, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events have been enthusiastically embraced by consumers here and last year saw more than €50m spent over the course of the weekend.

But there has been growing concern in recent years that the majority of this spending is going to overseas retailers online. The Green Friday campaign is asking people to support jobs and their local economies and contribute to Ireland’s creative community, manufacturers and service providers by buying Irish this November 25th.

The new initiative is led by Marian O’Gorman, CEO of Kilkenny retail group and supported trade associations including the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Retail Excellence, Chambers Ireland, the Small Firms Association and Irish brands and retail businesses countrywide.

Up to €4.65 billion will be spent by Irish consumers during the Christmas period, based on research by Retail Ireland. Brands and businesses are being encouraged to get involved and market their products under the Green Friday banner this Christmas to highlighting the value of shopping locally.

“With Brexit uncertainty and trade tariffs lingering, now, more than ever, we need to reawaken people to the significance of buying Irish and shopping local” says Marian O’Gorman “Irish brands and designers are second to none, with many that are leaders on a world stage. We, as consumers, need to appreciate the fundamental fact that by keeping money in circulation in our own communities, we are protecting jobs and public services.”

SFA Director Sven Spollen-Behrens said that Christmas can add a major economic impetus when shoppers back small businesses and help maintain jobs.

“If each adult spent just €20 extra in small local businesses this Christmas, this would amount to an injection of over €73m for small firms and would have a huge, positive impact on local jobs and the vibrancy of town and village centres.”

Nikki Murran, Excel Recruitment's Director of Grocery Retail Recruitment

The Premium Problem

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

Excel’s Director of Grocery Retail Nikki Murran reflects on one of our clients’ biggest headaches, spiralling insurance costs and asks what can be done about them?

One of my favourite parts of my jobs is catching up with our retailers. The last 9 months have been particularly enjoyable as there seems to be so much optimism across the grocery retail sector at the moment. A lot of clients are investing in their stores while others are opening brand new sites. I was invited out to the new store opening of Dunnes Stores and James Whelan’s Butchers in Naas a while back and it was such a treat to see grocery retailing at it’s best and the excitement that comes with new store openings!

However, despite the overall pattern of optimism, there is one issue looming heavy on the minds of retailers: rising insurance costs. It is not only smaller independent retailers being crippled, spiralling insurance rates are also having a heavy impact on all retailers across the country.

The Response from Retailers

Retailers are reacting; many have invested in staff training, improved store layouts and incident reporting policies, which have led to a decrease in the number of claims made in stores. Despite this work, the average insurance premium has seen a rise of between 5% and 10% a year! This is a substantial cost to any retailer – especially when they are actively doing everything in their power to reduce the risk.

These increases are the burden of the retailers, not because they are at fault or have failed to act, but because of a wider culture of claims which despite media coverage and public outcry, is growing. Compounding this culture of blaming and claiming, there exist no clear judicial guidelines for compensation and worst of all – a lack of resources to follow up an insurance fraud. Since the legislation around this was enacted in 2004 to tackle the issue there has been ONE – yes only one – prosecution for insurance fraud! How is that possible?

The Numbers

Ireland’s average whiplash injury compensation in €17,338, vs the UK’s average of €3,798 or Canada’s of €2,215. Australia and Sweden are unlikely to offer any compensation at all for the same soft tissue injury. Such dramatic differences surely raise serious questions about how we are coming up with these monetary values for awards? It is the premiums of ordinary people and the premiums of retailers up and down the country that are paying for these bloated, inconsistent pay-outs!

In an article by Charlie Weston earlier this year he states that “Retailers estimate that on average, for every €1 allocated to an insurance claim, a business must make €100 in sales to recoup this outlay.” (The Irish Independent, May 2019) That is an incredible burden to put on any retailer!

So, what can we do?

The Alliance for Insurance reform have some excellent resources available to tackle this epidemic on their website – https://insurancereform.ie/what-we-want/

They are striving for:

Prevention of exaggerated claims

Consistency in the calculation of awards

Transparency in how premiums are calculated

And really, the most shocking part of this mandate is that these measures are not in place already.

Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year

Brown Thomas win big at Retail Excellence Awards

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Saturday saw the cream of the retail crop descend on the stunning Great Southern Hotel in Killarney to see Ireland’s top retailers and the winners of the 2019 Retail Excellence Awards revealed.

Brown Thomas of Grafton Street scooped the top two awards of the night, taking home the title of ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘National Store of the Year’.

Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year
Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year

The other Top5 Store winners included Arboretum, Carlow, Hook & Ladder, Limerick, Petstop, Limerick and Windyridge Nursery & Garden Centre, Dublin. Other awards included Best in Ecommerce which went to Vaughan Shoes and Retail Industry Advocate of the Year which was awarded to Enterprise Ireland. The great city of Cork was named as Ireland’s Friendliest Place.

Celebrating excellence across retail, the awards also highlighted exceptional talent within the retail industry. Excel CEO Barry Whelan was delighted to be asked to resume his role as Head Judge for the Manager of the Year and Rising Star categories.

Barry says “The standard of entry for Manager of the Year and Rising Star, is always very high but this year, in particular, was exceptional. The level of energy, passion, drive and innovation on display from retailers around the country is really exciting.”

CEO Barry Whelan presents the award for Manager of the Year to Eamon Kelleher
CEO Barry Whelan presents the award for Manager of the Year to Eamon Kelleher

Barry was delighted to present Manager of the Year to Eamonn Kelleher of Co-Op Superstores while Eoife Clarke of Golden Discs took home Rising Star of the Year.

“We are delighted to recognize and award the very best in Irish retail We are particularly pleased that across all of our categories of awards Irish retailers, both big and small, urban and rural competed to deliver that exceptional standard of service to customers regardless of their size.”

Excel Recruitment would like to say a massive congratulations to each of the 2019 Retail Excellence Award winners. Each of the winners and shortlisted stores and managers represents the best in the retail industry in Ireland. All show an unquestionable commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations as well as innovation in store and in-service delivery.

Established by Retail Excellence in 1997, The Awards is the biggest event in the Irish retail industry calendar and aims to promote best practice and encourage high standards in the Irish retail industry.

National Retailer of the Year 2020Brown Thomas Group
National Store of the Year 2020Brown Thomas, Dublin
Top5 Store & National Garden Centre of the Year 2020Arboretum, Carlow
Top5 Store & Restaurant & Coffee House of the Year 2020Hook & Ladder, Limerick
Top5 Store & National Pet Store of the Year 2020Petstop, Limerick
Top5 Store 2020Windyridge Nurseries & Garden Centre, Dublin
National Electronic & Tech Store of the Year 2020Fun Tech Global, Dublin
National Book Store of the YearVibes & Scribes, Cork
National Supermarket of the Year 2020Garvey’s SuperValu, Limerick
National Pharmacy of the Year 2020Cunningham’s Pharmacy, Athlone
National Visitor Store of the Year 2020Nano Nagle Place, Cork
National Home / Interiors Store of the Year 2020Casey’s Furniture, Limerick
National Jewellery Store of the Year 2020Gerry Browne Jewellers, Portlaoise
National Optician of the Year 2020McMahons Opticians, Carrick-on-Shannon
Retail Industry Advocate of the Year 2020Enterprise Ireland
Suppliers of the Year 2020MJ Flood Technology & Seachange
Ireland’s Friendliest Place 2020Cork City
Manager of the Year 2020Eamonn Kelleher, Co-Op Superstores
Rising Star of the Year 2020Eoife Clarke, Golden Discs
Online Retailer of the Year 2020Vaughanshoes.ie

 

Arriving in Ireland

Arriving in Ireland: Everything you need to know to start work

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Arriving in Ireland

*** Rolar pra baixo***

Arriving in Ireland or any brand-new country can be a daunting experience for anyone – follow our step-by-step guide below to successfully get registered for employment as well as set up with a Bank Account, PPS Number and Online Revenue.

Registering with Excel Recruitment

We can offer immediate and flexible work in all areas of the Hospitality Industry across Dublin, for candidates who successfully complete our registration process.

For this – you will need to book an appointment at our Capel Street Offices – you can do this by emailing a CV to gisella@excelrecruitment.com

At this appointment, you will need to bring:

  • Passport or European ID
  • Irish Residence Permit IRP– if required. We can only accept the full IRP card and CANNOT offer work to anyone who has a stamp in their passport but has not received the card yet.
  • PPS number and Bank Details – if you already have these, DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE AS WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS
  • Any certificates and qualifications you currently have.

When you register with us, we will talk you through the process of employment from start to finish including the required uniform and training. You will be linked up with your own consultant who will be in touch every week, to book you out to shifts which fit around your schedule.

By law in Ireland everyone working in the hospitality or catering industry must have valid Manual Handling and HACCP (Food Safety) certificates. At Excel Recruitment we can offer these courses on site at our centrally located offices – but we do also accept certificates from all accredited trainers.

Once you have been registered and have the necessary certificates, we will get you kitted out in the required uniform and provide shifts with an immediate start!

How will I be paid?

Excel Recruitment pays every Friday directly into your bank account. For those of you who may have just arrived and are yet to set up a bank account – we can organise weekly cheque payments while you get this set up!

Once you are out working for us, we can also provide a letter of employment which you can take to the bank in order to open an account.

PPS Number

To get a PPS number, you will need to fill out an application form in the PPS Number Allocation Centre, provide evidence of your identity and evidence of why you need a PPS number allocated. You must also provide proof of your address. You can find a list of PPS number allocation centres here http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Once you are out working for Excel, we can also provide an employment letter to take along to your PPS appointment which will act of evidence of why you need the PPS number.

Revenue

If this job is your first in Ireland, you must login to https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 in order to register your new job with the Jobs and Pensions Service. You will need to provide Excel Recruitments VAT Registration Number which will be given to you after you register with us.

Work

The more available you are, the more work we will be able to offer you! We can work around your schedule but are reliant upon the requirements of our clients to determine the shifts available. The most common shift patterns by job category are:

Kitchen Porter/Catering Assistant/Barista – Monday to Friday, 7am to 3/4pm.

Waiter/Bar – Every day of the week – Mornings, Evenings and Weekends inclusive. The more you are available the more work we will be able to offer you.

Chefs – 2 distinct options:

Monday – Friday 7am to 3/4pm. Full availability during these times means we will be able to offer ongoing work across Dublin.

Evenings/Weekends – Sporadic availability means we can match shifts to your availability and you will be in many different kitchens across the city.

Chegando na Irlanda

Chegar a um país totalmente novo pode ser uma experiência assustadora para qualquer pessoa – siga nosso guia passo a passo abaixo para se registrar com êxito no emprego, além de organizar uma Conta Bancária, Número de PPS e Receita Online.

Registrando no Excel Recruitment

Podemos oferecer trabalho imediato e flexível em todas as áreas do setor de hospitalidade em Dublin, para candidatos que concluírem com êxito nosso processo de registro.

Para isso – você precisará marcar uma consulta em nossos escritórios da Capel Street – pode fazer isso enviando um CV para gisella@excelrecruitment.com

Nesta consulta, você precisará trazer:

  • Passaporte ou documento de identidade europeu
  • IRP da Autorização de Residência Irlandesa – se necessário. Só podemos aceitar o cartão IRP completo e NÃO PODEMOS oferecer trabalho a quem tem um carimbo no passaporte, mas ainda não o recebeu.
  • Número do PPS e detalhes bancários – se você já possui, não se preocupe se não tiver um, pois podemos ajudá-lo com isso.
  • Quaisquer certificados e qualificações que você possui atualmente.

Quando você se registra conosco, iremos conversar sobre o processo de contratação do início ao fim, incluindo o uniforme e o treinamento necessários. Você será vinculado ao seu próprio consultor, que entrará em contato todas as semanas, para agendá-lo para os turnos adequados à sua programação.

Por lei na Irlanda, todos os que trabalham no setor de hospitalidade ou alimentos e bebidas devem ter certificados válidos de Manuseio Manual e HACCP (Segurança de Alimentos). No Excel Recruitment, podemos oferecer esses cursos em nossos escritórios localizados centralmente – mas também aceitamos certificados de todos os treinadores credenciados.

Depois de se registrar e ter os certificados necessários, nós o levaremos com o uniforme necessário e forneceremos os turnos com um início imediato!

Como serei pago?

O recrutamento da Excel paga toda sexta-feira diretamente na sua conta bancária. Para aqueles que acabaram de chegar e ainda precisam obter uma conta bancária – podemos organizar pagamentos semanais por cheque enquanto você faz esse processo!

Quando você estiver trabalhando para nós, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego que você pode levar ao banco para abrir uma conta.

Número de PPS

Para obter um número de PPS, você precisará preencher um formulário de inscrição no Centro de Alocação de Número PPS, fornecer evidências de sua identidade e evidências de por que você precisa de um número PPS alocado. Você também deve fornecer comprovante de endereço. Você pode encontrar uma lista dos centros de alocação de números do PPS aqui http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Depois de trabalhar para o Excel, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego para levar junto à sua nomeação no PPS, o que servirá de evidência do porquê você precisa do número do PPS.

Receita Federal

Se este trabalho for o seu primeiro na Irlanda, você deverá fazer login no https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 para registrar seu novo trabalho no Serviço de Empregos e Pensões. Você precisará fornecer o Número de registro de IVA para recrutamentos do Excel, que será fornecido a você depois que você se registrar conosco.

Trabalhos

Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você! Podemos tentar encaixar trabakhos de acordo comseus horarios, mas dependemos dos requisitos de nossos clientes para determinar as mudanças disponíveis. Os padrões de turno mais comuns por categoria de trabalho são:

Porteiro da cozinha / Assistente de cozinha / Barista – de segunda a sexta, das 7:00 às 15:00.

Garçom / Bar – Todos os dias da semana – manhãs, noites e fins de semana, inclusive. Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você.

Chefs – 2 opções distintas:

Segunda a sexta das 7:00 às 15:00. A disponibilidade total durante esse período significa que poderemos oferecer trabalho contínuo em Dublin.

Noites / fins de semana – a disponibilidade esporádica significa que podemos combinar os turnos com a seus horarios e você estará em muitas cozinhas diferentes em toda a cidade.

 

Retailer FAO Schwarz open on Henry Street

Iconic toy retailer opens on Henry Street

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Iconic American toy retailer, FAO Schwarz has officially opened in Arnotts on Henry Street, just in time for Christmas!

The retailer became famous when it featured in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie, BIG and is well-known worldwide for its iconic floor piano. The Arnotts store is one of two locations in Europe and is only the fourth worldwide after New York, Beijing and Arnott’s sister store at Selfridges in London, which was only opened last week. Its former flagship New York store on Fifth Avenue was the third most visited location by tourists prior to closing in 2015 due to high rents.

Arnotts have said customers visiting FAO Schwarz “will experience the same magic and wonderment as the plethora of tourists who visit the New York flagship every day”. Bosses say the store will bring its “trademark plush stuffed animals, captivating in-store performances and of course, the infamous walk-on piano”.

The store’s arrival is part of a strategy by Arnotts to create a family ‘destination’ in the city centre. It will be joined by another well-known US brand, Pottery Barn who is bringing its nursery range to Ireland for the first time. Arnotts new child-focused area will cover 17,000 sq ft in total.

The store will also include a replica of the FAO clock tower, giant stuffed animals and a toy train complete with toy soldiers. Other must visits include Build Your Own Race Car station, a Baby Doll Adoption Centre and am ‘FAO Schweetz’ shop.

The 6,000 sq ft shop is set to employ up to 50 people.

Pharmacy

Excel Recruitment launch specialist pharmacy recruitment division

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Excel Recruitment are delighted to announce the opening of our new specialised Pharmacy recruitment division.

Excel Recruitment have successfully recruited Pharmacy Retail Managers and OTC sales staff for over 17 years, working with major pharmacy brands and local, community pharmacies nationwide. Our expert Pharmacy division will specialise in recruiting locum, contract and permanent pharmacy professionals across Ireland including Managing Pharmacists, Supervisory Pharmacists, Support Pharmacists, Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians.

At the helm of our Pharmacy recruitment division is Barbara Kelly, a hugely experienced and dedicated specialist recruiter. Barbara has over 10 years’ experience directly recruiting Pharmacists and Pharmacist Technicians on a locum, permanent and contract basis. Her knowledge and experience of the industry is unparalleled and her proven successful track record recruiting Pharmacists speaks for itself. Barbara understands like few others other the particular demands and challenges of recruiting within the Pharmacy industry in Ireland and is uniquely qualified to understand and meet her client’s needs.

CEO Barry Whelan says “The move to a defined specialist division will allow our Pharmacy team to concentrate specifically on pharmacy recruitment with greater focus and improved search and selection capabilities for permanent roles along with providing contract and locum personnel solutions. We are very excited to have Barbara Kelly, a hugely talented and insightful recruiter join the Excel Recruitment team. Barbara’s own approach to recruitment aligns directly with Excel’s business values of honesty, loyalty, not being greedy and building long-term, stable relationships.”

If you have any Pharmacy recruitment requirements or are a Pharmacy professional considering a new job, get in touch with Barbara today at barbara@excelrecruitment.com or call 01-8148747

Sarah Hurley Excel Recruitment Retail Head Office Recruitment

How to work with your Recruiter to find your dream job

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

As a jobseeker, there can be certain factors to consider when using a recruitment company to help with your job search. Senior Consultant Sarah Hurley, explains how to get the best results whilst working with your recruitment consultant and what to expect throughout the process.

There can be misconceptions about working with your recruitment consultant and how agencies work. As Recruiters, our responsibility is two-fold. We align our candidate’s experience with our client’s requirements. As a Recruiter, our purpose is to join the dots between the candidate and the company, carefully matching the applicant’s skillset with what the client is looking for. Throughout my buying career, I had mixed experiences with recruiters (both here and in London) and now I’m on the other side, I can hopefully clarify the process and offer some tips to help you make the most of working with your Recruiter and hopefully find your dream job:

Research the Agency and Recruiter

Are they advertising roles in your industry? Are they a specialist agency? Who are their clients? When approaching an agency, you want a Recruiter who already has an understanding of what you do and what your next steps might be. This way you won’t have to waste time explaining the basics. Working with your recruitment consultant who has an in-depth knowledge of the industry and close relationships within it, should know which employers will suit you best, both career and company culture-wise.

Have an up-to-date and concise CV

I screen CVs quickly so it’s best to keep it focused and to the point (2 pages is ideal). You can always elaborate on your experience at interview stage. I often scroll through 3+ pages of a CV and still don’t know what candidates do! Be sure to include the correct dates, and if there are gaps, it’s no problem but do add a line explaining why. Taking time out for travel, kids, looking after a family member etc. is completely fine and can even be of an advantage to you and your potential employer – just don’t try and hide it!

Be realistic

Recruiters help match you with roles that you are qualified for and suited to within their clients’ business. As Recruiters, we advocate for improved salaries, packages and titles etc. on your behalf but you will need to have realistic expectations. Recruiters are tasked with finding the person that most closely fulfils their client’s wishlist and are rarely given the freedom to deviate from this. If you are looking to move into a completely new industry or don’t have the experience for the job you are applying to, there is probably little a Recruiter can do for you. If you’re looking for a €10k+ salary bump but the budget is only €5k more than you are currently on, or if you want the client to match your 30+ days of annual leave when their company policy is 25, you will need to manage your expectations and decide what you can and cannot be flexible on

Trust your Recruiter

Following on from this, as a Recruiter, we will work to get you the best package possible but if we think you are jeopardising your application by being unrealistic, we will tell you. It is a balancing act between getting the candidate what they are worth and also supporting the client’s brief and budget. As Recruiters, we always look for mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties. Clients will try to meet requests where they can, so trust your Recruiter’s expertise when they say a client has hit a ceiling with regard to the package.

Be honest and ask questions

Your relationship with your Recruiter should be a collaborative one. Don’t be afraid to ask questions such as, where your experience or salary sit in the market and what aspects of your CV or the interview you need help with. Be honest with your Consultant about any requirements you have, even if you think it’s minor. If you need flexibility around working hours for the first month of your new job (you could be finishing a course, your child minder could be away etc.) for example, tell your Recruiter at the application stage, so we can manage this on your behalf. That is just one of the advantages of using a Recruiter. They are able to relay your requirements to the client whilst at the same time, maintaining your value as a candidate. Confidentiality between the Recruiter and the candidate is paramount so don’t be concerned about being open regarding potential issues you may have.