Eventus, Author at Eventus Recruitment Group

24Jan

Hiring in 2023? Recruitment Trends and Tips to recruit in the Legal and Financial Sectors

In 2022, we saw that in order for business’s recruitment and retention strategies to be successful they had to get creative. With the rise of counteroffers, quiet quitting and inflation, it looks like the need for creativity will continue into 2023 and beyond. Let’s explore what job applicants are looking for and tips for recruiting in 2023.

What are legal and finance professionals wanting in 2023 from their careers?

Daily, we have conversations with professionals who are unhappy in their current role or are looking to take the next step in their careers. To help you with your recruitment and retention strategy, below I’ve detailed the main reasons why they come to us and the reasons they state for seeking new career opportunities:

Wanting more flexibility and a better work-life balance – in our recent candidate survey, most people said that their ideal working pattern is hybrid
Lack of training and development opportunities
Wanting to be challenged in their role
Wanting more responsibility or the title / rewards for the duties they currently undertake in their job
Feeling undervalued / underpaid by their employer
Better management / working procedures

What is the best way for your business to recruit in 2023?

There are many different ways to recruit – all with their strengths and weaknesses – including contingent and retained recruitment. So you can reach all areas of the candidate market, not just those actively job-seeking, in this guide we explain and analyse all the different types of recruitment. The guide will help you to make an informed choice about the best recruitment method/s for your business.

Furthermore, today’s job market is still very much candidate led. With combined experience of over 80 years in recruitment, read our top tips for writing the perfect job advert and our top tips for ensuring your recruitment process is engaging and successful in attracting the top talent.

Hiring in 2023?

If you would like tailored advice and support to help you fill job vacancies in 2023, please do not hesitate to contact us here or call our head office on 01524 34400. We are a team of experienced recruitment specialists operating across England and Wales and in the legal and finance sectors. We are well-connected in your area, have a database of candidates and are often the go-to recruiters when professionals are starting their job search. To find out more about our recruitment services click here.

"Nikki headhunted me when I wasn’t even looking for a job. She explained the opportunity without being pushy. She was supportive through the interview and offer process. Kept in touch during notice period. Rang to wish me luck the week before starting and checked I was OK after starting. Excellent service, best I’ve had in 22 years in legal. We’re already working together again on my new vacancies."

Steve Bradley (Practice Manager)

13Jan

Job Interview Mistakes to Avoid

Common Interview Mistakes to Avoid at Interview stage of the job search process

A couple of weeks ago my eldest son had an interview for a sixth form … en route to the interview I flipped from Mum, giving him a lift, to Recruiter and started discussing with him how he must handle certain questions and how he must enthuse about the reasons he wanted to attend this sixth form … I could tell my advice and words were falling on stoney ground from his silence. However, he let me finish my prattle and turned to me and said he could only be himself and honest! Wow that stopped me in my tracks!

Interview Mistake 1: Never lie and pretend to be something or someone who are not

My son was completely and utterly spot on. Whilst I thought my words were wise and based on many years’ experiences as a recruiter he was absolutely utterly right! Why would you present anything other than the best version of your true self at an interview? As recruiters we are always saying a job interview is a two-way process and equally about whether the business is right for the applicant. The only way to know this is to be yourself. So based on this I guess the biggest mistake would be to not be your authentic wonderful self … it worked for my eldest as he got offered a place.

However, I appreciate this is a more complex scenario and over and above being true to yourself there are many other things to consider. Having interviewed many candidates over the years and taken numerous feedbacks from job interviews there is one massive thing that lots of it can compensate for other mistakes and lack of it can make good points fade into insignificance and that is, wait for it …. Interest and enthusiasm.

Interview Mistake 2: Not showing interest or enthusiasm

There is nothing more attractive than an interested and enthusiastic candidate. I, and most of my clients, love this! If a candidate can demonstrate that they are genuinely interested in the role and show some enthusiasm and passion for the role and company that they are interviewing for then they are well and truly on the right path. Any other small interview misdemeanours can be forgiven. Employers can train and upskill a candidate once they are in their care, but interest and enthusiasm are either there in a candidate naturally or they aren’t!

I am going off piste here aren’t I? I am writing about what we should do at interview as opposed to what we shouldn’t! So back to what we shouldn’t do … I feel these are all practical and basic points really but things, as an interviewee, are very much in your control …

Interview Mistake 3: Don’t be late

Don’t be late – plan your journey, do a dummy run if needed. This said being too early can be deemed equally disrespectful as being late. If you are very early to an interview, find a café, have a drink and go over your notes and preparation to kill some time. Don’t arrive at the job interview more than 10 minutes before the scheduled start time.

Interview Mistake 4: Never Dress Inappropriately

If in doubt dress smarter. It’s best to feel a little over dressed than to be on the back foot feeling tatty. If you don’t have any smart clothes, there are places where you can hire smart clothing for job interviews.

Interview Mistake 5: Not researching the company and role before the job interview

Don’t rock up without absolute clarity on the role – make certain you have seen the job specification that you are interviewing for. Make sure you are able to highlight all the areas of the spec that you are competent within. Also, make sure you research the company and their culture in detail. This will give you extra details to reference and you can highlight where your personality and values match the firms. Showing that you’ve taken the time to do research, shows your interest and that you are pro-active; putting you ahead of other candidates who haven’t done this.

Interview Mistake 6: Don’t ever be negative

Avoiding being negative in a job interview is huge. There is nothing more repellent than a candidate negativity regardless of the point that they are trying to get over. A point can always be made, and a story told without resorting to being negative. No good ever comes of negativity and it won’t get you the job. If asked why you would like to leave your current firm, don’t bad-mouth them.

For me these are probably the main ‘Don’ts’ from a job interview perspective… so avoid these, sprinkle with lots of enthusiasm and interest and be your true authentic self and the jobs yours … Simple!

Written by Jo Hood, Principal Consultant at Eventus Recruitment Cheshire.

Job Interview Resources

The following resources will help you to prepare for a job interview and to succeed at the interview stage of the job search process:

Job Interview Hints & Tips

Questions to as the Interviewer in a job interview to win them over

If you are looking for a new job we are here to help you find the perfect job opportunity in the Legal, HR, Finance and Accountancy sectors. Get in touch today for a confidential discussion about job opportunities available and your career. We offer support at every stage of the job search process, from CV writing, sourcing job opportunities, interview preparation, to managing and negotiating offers of employment.

Jo kept in touch with me over the last 6 months and called me out the blue about a role she had. There was no hard sell, just a genuine nice call asking if I was interested although the client had gone to 2nd interview with another person. Jo kept me up to date with regards to an interview and feedback and I had a lovely feeling that Jo was completely on my side with regards to me securing the position, which I did. Jo is a credit to your agency.” – Sharen, finance and accounts professional

09Jan

How to recruit – find the best way to recruit for your business

There are many different ways to recruit and to fill your job vacancies; each with their own positives and negatives. Here, we explore the different methods to recruit, so you can make an informed decision on which approach is most suited to your requirements and business.

Traditional Recruitment

Traditional recruitment is where you target candidates who are active in the job market. This can be done through advertising on job boards, social media and other traditional methods like utilising your previous applications or databases of CVs. This is often referred to by Recruiters as contingent recruitment. In addition, contingent recruitment is often the default recruitment method by companies when filling job vacancies.

Positives of Traditional / Contingent Recruitment

Traditional recruitment gives you access to active candidates, those who are genuinely looking for a new role.
Can be quicker, applicants are motivated to move.
Often gives you the choice between multiple candidates, useful for benchmarking.

Negatives of Traditional / Contingent Recruitment

Contingent recruitment doesn’t give you access to the whole market, just those currently job seeking.
Not guaranteed to get any interest or applicants at all.
Job boards have an associated cost, which you pay regardless of filling the role or not.

Headhunting

This is where you go out and look for candidates and professionals who you think are suitable for the role and contact them directly. This method is an option often used for senior roles but also those vacancies where there is a lack of active candidates in the market. This is often referred to by Recruiters as retained recruitment if they are operating in this way, as the client is retaining their services to map and speak to all individuals in the market.

Positives of Headhunting / retained recruitment

A headhunt or retained recruitment gives you access to better quality candidates and ones who aren’t actively looking for a job.
You are able to reach the whole market, useful to ascertain whether what you are looking for actually exists.
Candidates typically are flattered and enjoy the process.

Negatives of a headhunting / retained recruitment

Headhunting is a slower process than contingent recruitment and often can be time consuming to find professionals suited to the role.
Candidates who aren’t looking for a role often need more meetings to encourage them to move (and often a higher salary and benefits package).

Using a Recruiter

A recruiter can help you with both contingent and retained recruitment.

Positives of using a Recruiter

You get access to a recruitment expert who specialises in your sector and geographical region. They will dedicate their time to finding the best candidates for your vacancies, and work at this all-day, every-day.
Recruiters are generally well-connected with talented professionals and have a database of candidates who are actively looking for new roles, so they provide you with a wider talent pool.
Most recruiters (like us) will provide you and your candidates with support at every stage of the recruitment process, even once the successful candidate has started their new job with your company. This allows you to concentrate on your job, and not be worrying about your internal recruitment.
Your jobs will be seen. We list your jobs on industry specific job boards, Google Jobs, social media and on our website free of charge.

Negatives of Using a Recruiter

They don’t know the business as well as you, so you must invest time at the start to discuss everything thoroughly. We take time to get to know more than your job requirements. We will find out about you, your business, company culture and goals. This unique approach enables us to quickly establish the perfect match for talented professionals and businesses. On top of this, we will only place an individual in a company if we are 100% confident it is the right decision for both them and you as the hiring company.
There is a cost to using a recruiter. With us, there are no hidden fees and we don’t charge a different price for contingent and retained recruitment (just a different pay structure).

Recruiting on your own

Many businesses will try recruiting on their own first before approaching a Recruiter. However, we find once clients has used us for the first time, they come back to us again when they need to recruit.

Positives of recruiting on your own

Recruiting on your own you have full autonomy over the applications.
It’s the cheapest method of recruiting. No agency fees.

Negatives of recruiting on your own

Time cost is very high. You have to oversee the whole recruitment process. Trust us, the vast majority of applications you receive will be irrelevant and clog up your inbox. Work out how much it costs you in time cost to recruit and it could be cheaper to pay an agency to recruit for you.
Applicants often enjoy using an agency. We manage the process for them and negotiate on their behalf. So, often some applicants will only apply for agency roles.
It’s likely less applicants will be received – your jobs will be less visible to active professionals in the job market. Plus, as so many professionals are registered with agencies, they know the vacancies will come to them, rather than them having to go searching job boards.

What is the cost difference of using a recruiter for traditional recruitment (contingent) and headhunting (retained recruitment)?

There is no difference in the cost, however the payment terms are different. With contingency recruitment, often described as “no win no fee”, the recruiter searches the market for active candidates and the fee is charged to the client on the placed candidate’s start date. The cost is the same for the retained service but there is an up-front fee to cover the cost of the time spent compiling the research, which is often very lengthy. The remainder of the fee is then paid when the candidate starts.

The fact that part of the fee is paid up front puts extra pressure on the recruiter to fill the role, so a good recruitment consultant should never suggest a retained service for a role they don’t think they can fill. When we consider this option for our clients we always take into account the job role, geographic, the firm’s culture, values and the benefits they can offer prospective candidates before agreeing to this service level. It has to be an attractive option in order to appeal to professionals who aren’t actively looking for new employment.

What resources do candidates use when looking for a job?

The above image shows the results from our recent survey. In the survey we asked legal and finance professionals which resources are they likely to use when looking for a new job. 70% of respondents listed Recruiter as their top go-to resource when looking for a new job.

Which is the best recruitment option for your business?

We hope the above has helped you to understand the different methods of hiring for your business. Before coming to a decision on a recruitment method, think about the role, what sort of candidates you would like, any database of candidates you may have, your budget and time costs to recruit. We find that some companies use us every time they are hiring and that some businesses only come to us with the job vacancies they are struggling to fill themselves.

If you decide that using a recruitment agency is the best option for you, you will have a choice between a contingent or retained recruitment search. Both options have excellent benefits. A good recruitment consultant will want to understand more about the role, what you have done so far and why you think you are having difficulty filling the role before making a recommendation on the best option. Their advice will be based on their expert knowledge of the market in your geographic.

Whichever option you choose, the most important element is ensuring your recruitment consultant has a thorough job specification and understanding of the firm. If you can you should meet face-to-face so your consultant can talk about the firm and the environment with first hand experience.

It’s important to remember that candidates don’t just want to know about the job role and the salary, they want to understand about the culture, vision and values along with why people enjoy working for the firm and the employee benefits.

Get direct recruitment support and advice

If you would like to discuss any of your current vacancies and how we can work with you to hire the best talent, please get in touch here. Our specialist consultant for your geographical region and sector will then be in touch to provide you with their honest advice and to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, email info@eventuslegal.com or call 01524 34400.

What do our clients say about our recruitment service?

Excellent service received by both Amy & Lucy. They both fully understand the businesses and the candidates we require both academically and culturally. They both always go above and beyond. 1st class service received.” – James, Watson Woodhouse Solicitors

“The team at Eventus Legal always take time to fully understand the needs of the business and each role they are involved with, putting forward only those candidates who closely match our requirements. Feedback from successful candidates sourced by Eventus Legal has been excellent and they offer full support throughout the whole process from initial stages to job offer.” – Marsden Rawsthorn Solicitors

“Eventus is our default provider because they understand our business. Time has been taken over the long term to really understand the various elements of the services that we provide, which means that the candidates they provide are capable of delivering what we need when we need it. In addition, we feel that we can pick up the phone at anytime to discuss potential developments and we know that Eventus will always take a long term view of our requirements and put our business needs first. – Sharif, Ormrods Solicitors.

Additional Reading on developing your recruitment process and strategy

Tips to ensure your recruitment process is engaging and successful in attracting the top talent to fill you job vacancies.

Employee benefits your staff and future employees want.

How to write job adverts that stand out to the top talent working in your sector.

04Jan

Beating the January Blues – Starting January in the right way

More than one quarter of Brits have the ‘January Blues’ and admit to feeling more miserable than they do at any other time of the year. A study of 2,000 UK adults has revealed that the first month of the year can be bleak for many. (SWNS Digital)

Top Causes of January Blues

The top stated causes for January blues include:

A lack of money after overspending through the festive period
The weather
The dark nights and lack of daylight
The magic of Christmas being over and going back to work
The pressure of New Year’s resolutions

How to overcome the January Blues

Whether it be professionally or personally, I think the best way to get through January (and let’s face it February too!) is to set realistic targets and small goals to keep you focused, motivated and excited for the year ahead.

Make lists and set goals

Buy new stationary, treat yourself to a new notebook and start making lists. They don’t have to be just for January. Set goals for how you want your year to look. Write it in pencil – be flexible with what you want to achieve. Life can throw curve balls often, rub it out and reassess. You don’t want your goals to feel like a burden, move them around, change them or get rid altogether. Even if your goals are completely wild and something you’re not likely to do, but is a desire, write these things down too. Putting them out there, saying them out loud is more likely to make them come to fruition.

Reflect

Look back at the year that has gone by. Look at what you achieved and be proud of yourself. Also, consider anything that you wish had a different outcome and if there was anything that you could have done differently. This will help with future goals.

Hobbies

This is a big cliché! But is there anything you have always wanted to take up but haven’t gotten around to it? Even just having a think about what you enjoy and how to make sure you make more time to do these things.

Plan trips

Think about the year ahead and places you like to visit. Theatre shows you would like to see, restaurants you’d like to go to.

Check in on other people

If you’re not the kind of person that suffers with the ‘January blues’, reach out to the friends and colleagues who may have gone a bit quiet over this period.

Be challenged at work

After the frenzy of December, January can be a bit of a lull. Ask your employer if you can take on some training or look at new projects you can start. If your employer can’t offer training or new challenges, maybe it’s time to look at other opportunities available on the job market and consider making your next career move. We are always available for a confidential and no pressure chat about career opportunities in the legal and finance sectors. Experienced recruitment specialists, we offer support at each stage of your job search; From updating CVs, sourcing job opportunities, arranging interviews and supporting you with preparation; managing offers and negotiating contracts.

Written by Shelley Gilchrist, Finance Resourcing Consultant.

What candidate’s say…

My thanks to Eventus for reaching out. You introduced me to a fascinating high-calibre opportunity, and managed the process thereafter like old friends. It really was a pleasure to work with both Nikki and Siobhan, and I have good reason to be grateful for their calm, quiet competence, and their understanding of their market, and their clients’ needs.” – Dominic, placed Legal Candidate.

“Both Amy and Lucy were helpful during my job search. They were flexible to help work around my work schedule and always responded quick. They tried to do everything possible to help me through the recruitment process and even after I received my offer letter. I am more than happy with the help and support I received and couldn’t thank them enough.” – Emily, placed legal marketing candidate.

21Dec

How does the SQE compare to LPC?

How does the Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) compare to Legal Practice Course (LPC)?

The Legal Practice Course (LPC) is the route many solicitors have taken for decades in order to become a qualified solicitor in England and Wales but things are now changing.

Previously aspiring solicitors would graduate with a law degree or have taken a conversion course such as the Postgraduate Diploma or Graduate Diploma in Law followed by the LPC.

The Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE) has now been introduced offering an alternative route which will eventually phase out the LPC.

This means students who have a UK undergraduate degree can undertake the SQE as can those who have work experience equivalent to a degree such as a solicitor apprenticeship.

The LPC

The LPC takes one or two years to complete, depending on whether you complete the full or part time course. The course comprises of the foundation modules including the core practice areas followed by the elected areas of law in which you are interested in specialising in.

The course aims to provide students with skills including advocacy, legal research, interviewing and advising and drafting legal writing.

There are various exams including written, oral, multiple choice and take-home assessments.

In order to qualify the LPC is followed by a two year training contract, where you will gain experience and skills in a legal setting to support your knowledge. The training contract usually includes four different seats, six months for each, but this isn’t always the case.

The SQE

Unlike the LPC the SQE is not a course. The SQE is two sets of exams:

SQE 1:

Legal knowledge regarding various practice areas.
There are two papers each with 180 multiple choice questions.

SQE 2:

Oral and written legal skills.
This includes online and face to face assessments including advocacy, interviewing and legal analysis, legal research, legal drafting and legal writing.

Qualifying Work Experience to become a Solicitor

In order to qualify aspiring solicitors need to complete the QWE, which consists of two years of Qualifying Work Experience. This can be done with one firm as with the Training Contract or with up to four organisations in a maximum of four periods, with the opportunity to work in a variety of legal settings to maximise their exposure to diverse matters.

Although the timing of the QWE isn’t specified it would be advantageous if you are able to gain some legal work experience prior to sitting the SQE 2 as this exam relates to skills rather than knowledge.

How long does it take to become a qualified Solicitor through the SQE and LPC?

The LPC route will take 3-4 years to complete depending on whether you do the full or part time course.

The SQE can be completed from 8 months to 6 years.

The SQE study course can be taken with as little as 8-10 hours learning per week but of course it will take longer to complete this way.

Which qualifying route is best for me?

Choosing the right route is completely down to you but it’s worth taking into consideration the following:

Cost – The SQE is intended to reduce the overall cost of qualifying – however as the SQE doesn’t include a preparation course. You will need to take into account the cost of these to give you the best chances of passing and not having to re-sit the assessments.
Preferred assessment – the LPC focuses on practical application of knowledge with assessments undertaken throughout the course. In comparison, the SQE assessments are much more intense with two assessments lasting just over five hours each.
The types of firms you would like to work for and what their current preferred route is – some firms will prefer the LPC although many will be open to both qualification routes. So, do your research.
Existing experience – if you have some legal experience you can check with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) as to whether this can be considered towards your QWE.

Mental Health and coping during the festive season

Christmas and the festive season can be a time of joy spending times with family and friends. However, on the flipside, it can be a lonely and stressful period.

There is always so much going on during the festive season and so much for us to juggle – Christmas parties and dinners, Christmas shopping and getting through all the work on our desks before the Christmas break. So, it’s no wonder that our mental health can take a knock during the festive period.

On top of this, if you are an introvert like me the social side of Christmas may also be stressful for you.

So, how do you look after your mental health at Christmas?

Tips for looking after your mental health and coping at Christmas

Take time for yourself. It’s okay to say no!

There is a term being used a lot at the moment – “healthily selfish”. It refers to having a healthy respect for your own health, freedom, growth and happiness. A lot of us often always put other people’s needs before their own, particularly throughout the festive season and don’t take time for themselves.

Remember, it is okay to say no. Put some time in your calendar over the festive season to do something you enjoy. Doing things that we love is important for our mental health. When we have busy schedules, it’s very easy to shelve the things we want to do and to put others first. Even if it is just 15 minutes, allocate some time for you to support your mental health.

Give yourself space and take a break

If the festivities are all getting a bit hectic or getting too much, take yourself away from it for a break. Go for a walk in nature, listen to your favourite music, read a book, try mindfulness, or just be in the moment.

Some of the well-known Mindfulness apps such as Headspace and Calm can be trialled for free. Alternatively Mind has some Mindfulness exercises and tips to try, which can be accessed here.

Furthermore, the Christmas break is the perfect time to take some time out of your day-to-day life and reflect on your year and goals. Whether at home or going away, re-energise by giving yourself a change of pace or scene.

Don’t feel the pressure to overspend

Buying gifts and the extra spending many of us do over the festive period combined with the rising cost-of-living, it’s no wonder many of us are feeling the pinch and/or have money worries at present. 86% of respondents to a Money and Mental Health survey of nearly 5,500 people with experience of mental health problems said that their financial situation had made their mental health problems worse. (Money and Mental Health Policy Institute) I think all of us feel pressure to buy expensive gifts and to gift to people who we don’t really need to at Christmas. Sponsored adverts are everywhere online at this time of year and they too can influence people’s purchasing decisions to buy things that they don’t really need. Why not consider gifting your time instead? Cook someone lunch or use your skills to complete some jobs or activities for someone. For example, DIY, cleaning, sewing, admin etc…

Don’t feel pressure to say yes to everything

This time of year can be so tiring, with so much happening and to-do lists as long as our arms. Working hard to finalise all our work tasks, planning for Christmas, Christmas shopping and then to top it off comes the invites to Christmas parties and other social engagements that happen during the festive period. Remember, it’s okay to miss a couple of social engagements. As long as you politely decline the invitations in advance, you won’t be judged for not attending the events.

Reach out to other people

Christmas is the perfect time to reach out to friends and family who we’ve not spent much time with in the past year. Feelings of loneliness can be more intense at this time of year. So, by reaching out you might make someone feel better and it will make you feel good too.

Don’t compare yourself to others

With social media it is so easy to compare yourself to other people, more so at Christmas. Our social media feeds are often full of images of the “perfect Christmas” and luxurious gifts. However, remember that social media is not a true reflection of people and Christmas – they often don’t show the negative parts.

Keep active and healthy

Easier said than done, I know. I’m a massive foodie and have no willpower when it comes to food. Every year throughout the Christmas break, I overindulge and make myself feel ill. And I suspect I’m not alone. So, this year I have some walks planned and will do the decorating and other jobs I’ve been putting off if the weather is bad. This will mean that I’m not sat on the sofa eating all the leftovers and chocolates gifted at Christmas. Definitely this year my plan is not to overindulge, so that I remain healthy and have the energy to be active and enjoy the Christmas break.

Talk about your feelings

It can be hard to admit that at such an exciting time of year you don’t feel great. But talking about your feelings can improve your mood and help you cope with a tough time.

Talking is a vital part of self-managing your mental wellbeing and staying healthy. Don’t be afraid to admit your feelings to someone you can talk to. They will be glad that you have spoken up and will be able to help you through the festive season.

It’s okay not to feel festive

There can be all sorts of reasons why some of us don’t feel festive. If this is you, don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s okay to feel how you feel and you’re not the only one.

Written by Emma Guy, Marketing Manager at the Eventus Recruitment Group.

Get tailored Career Advice and Recruitment Support

The Eventus Recruitment Group are award-winning recruitment specialists in the Legal, Finance, Accountancy and HR sectors. We have an experienced and knowledgeable team of industry experts, passionate about finding the best candidates to help businesses thrive. Based in Lancashire and Cheshire, we have regional specialists covering the whole of England and Wales.

If you are looking for your next role or are recruiting, please get in touch here for a confidential discussion.

Tailored Advice

We support legal, finance and HR professionals in applying for jobs. Through finding suitable roles that fit your requirements and skills, CV writing and preparing you for interviews. Also, we handle any contract and benefits negotiations on your behalf. Get in touch for a confidential discussion about your career. To view our latest job vacancies, please click here.

How We Work

We believe that happiness at work is a must for everyone. Above all, we will only ever place a candidate in a business if it is the right fit for both them and the business. So, you can be confident that we will find you the best career opportunities and best talent for your business.

Resilience and Career Success

Career Resilience for Career Success

What is resilience?

The definition of resilience: “The capacity to recover quickly from things unpleasant, such as difficulties, shock, injury etc…”

Sounds simple enough right? Put yourself in this situation, there’s traffic on the way into the office making you late. Your phone is ringing off the hook before you have even removed your jacket and you know you have a mountain of emails to get through. Never mind that to do list as long as your arm. Then as you are about to sit at your desk you are asked to join in with a meeting. Stressful?

Resilience isn’t just about dealing with the massive things; it’s about coping with those every day stressors that can start to get on top of you and effect how you feel along with your productivity.

Sometimes it is the big things. Something huge could be changing in the workplace such as a merger or someone leaving that directly affects you. But by practicing resilience with the small stuff then you’ll easier manage the bigger issues.

We all know that life in general is rarely plain sailing and there are challenges in the workplace that are no different. There can be bumps in the road and times when things don’t go as well as expected.

Accept things don’t always go your way

The first thing is to accept that things don’t always go your way.

But don’t stop there – that would be accepting defeat!

To be successful in your career you need to accept that there will be changes and difficulties and handle it well.

Showing resilience in the workplace

So how do we do that and show our peers and leaders that we are resilient in the workplace?

Firstly, consider your attitude towards the challenge. Is it an opportunity to learn? Could it be that there needs to be a change in the process? Is there something that could have been done differently to avoid the situation. Most importantly remain positive. Think about how you are dealing with the situation. How you want to feel and also how you want to be perceived?

Make sure you are displaying positive behaviours. Easier said than done by try not to get rattled. Take a step back, grab a water or cup of coffee and think it through. Consider the options and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Speaking to colleagues and leaders isn’t a sign of weakness, it demonstrates that you are keen to learn and want to resolve the issue. Once you have decided how to handle it put the plan into action.

Reflection to support Resilience

Finally, reflect on the situation. What could have been done differently? What have you learned and how can you apply that to situations in the future. Share the challenge and solution with your colleagues as they may come across the situation themselves and if there is a process that needs changing – talk to the powers that be.

Resilience is a skill

Resilience is a skill – it most definitely needs practice which means in order to practice you need a few knocks. You can practice on the smaller everyday stressors. Think about how those can be avoided and your attitude towards them. The beauty of resilience is that it isn’t something you are born with. It is something you can learn and once you have the skill you’ll be able to apply it to all sorts of situations.

Other ways to develop your own career resilience

You might well be thinking that you don’t feel very resilient, particularly if you’ve experienced recent setbacks. If so, don’t worry. Not many of us are lucky enough to be naturally resilient.

Be flexible in your thinking

Resilient people understand that things change and that carefully made plans might sometimes need to be amended or scrapped. So, being prepared to look at alternative routes to reach your goals, or possibly even changing your goals completely when necessary, is really important. For example, you might need to change the timescale that you had in mind for changing your career. You might need to think about an alternative route to reach your goal. You might need to think about a different career altogether, that’s going to be more realistic for you. So, it’s not being too fixed in your thinking.

Keep fit and healthy

There’s been a lot of research to show that getting enough sleep and exercise is important for managing stress, and for coping effectively with challenges that come up in your life. Good physical health can play a part in helping you build a sense of confidence and control, which is really crucial for building resilience.

Mental Fitness

As well as being physically fit, it’s also important to be mentally fit. Keep reading and learning.

Personal Support

Research shows having a strong support network will help reduce stress. Harnessing personal support might sound like common sense, but having an adviser of some sort, a friend, family member, even an online community to cheer you on through those difficult times, can really help you build resilience.

Setting realistic goals

Create a short term action plan to help you towards longer term goals. If you have a career goal in mind, consider if you need to undertake any training. Think about who in your network, you could speak to who is in a similar role and can share with you, their experiences.

Written by Nikki Phillips, Senior Recruitment Consultant covering the legal sector in Cumbria, Lancashire, Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside and North Wales.

Get direct support

The Eventus Recruitment Group are experienced recruitment specialists in the Legal, Finance and Accountancy sectors. We offer a unique and tailored service and support professionals job searching and companies hiring at every stage of the recruitment process. If you would like some direct help and support from us, do not hesitate to contact us for a confidential discussion by clicking here.

Nikki headhunted me when I wasn’t even looking for a job. She explained the opportunity without being pushy.
Was supportive through the interview and offer process. Kept in touch during notice period. Rang to wish me luck the week before starting and checked I was OK after starting. Excellent service, best I’ve had in 22 years in legal. We’re already working together again on my new vacancies. – Steve, Operations Manager.

Eventus Recruitment Group Wins Business Support Services Award

The Eventus Recruitment Group Wins Business Support Services Award

The Eventus Recruitment Group are delighted to have won the Business Support Services Award at The Bay Business Excellence Awards.

Headquartered in Lancaster, the Eventus Recruitment Group was founded in 2009 by Siobhan Courtney to provide an honest, reliable recruitment service in England and Wales. Having worked in recruitment since 1998 Siobhan grew increasingly frustrated with how recruitment businesses were run. So, seeing an opportunity to be different, she decided to set up a recruitment consultancy in the Legal sector based on honesty, integrity, transparency and confidentially. Going from strength-to-strength, the recruitment company has expanded into Finance and HR, and in September 2021 the Group’s second office was opened in Cheshire.

This year has been the group’s most successful year. In the last 12 months the Eventus Recruitment Group has worked with many businesses and provided career advice and assisted the job search to over 1600 legal, HR, finance and accountancy professionals nationwide; helping these individuals to get their career progression back on track since the pandemic.

The Eventus Recruitment Group offers a personal and tailored recruitment service, and provides specialist support to hiring companies and professionals job searching at every stage of the recruitment process. For hiring companies, they source talented professionals on both a permanent and interim basis. Their legal, HR and finance recruitment consultants are regional and sector specialists who recruit across all disciplines and roles within both the Private Practice and In-house sectors.

Siobhan Courtney, Managing Director of the Eventus Recruitment Group, said: “We were delighted to be chosen as a finalist in such local prestigious awards, but to be announced as the winner for the Business Support Services Award was just fabulous and a great accolade to my team who work so hard.

“Large regional awards are great, and they are so important to the local business community. But to win one is just that little bit extra special.”

For a confidential discussion on how the Eventus Recruitment Group can support your recruitment strategy, or your job search, please click here to get in touch.

Photo credit: Martin Bostock Photography / The Lancaster Guardian

Client Feedback

I’ve used many recruiters for finding legal jobs for myself and then when I set up my own firm for recruiting staff and I can honestly say that Eventus has been the best. They really have listened and have only ever put forward candidates that really fit into my company perfectly. They have helped my company grow and I would have been lost without their services. Can highly recommend this company. – Jessica, CEL Solicitors.

17Nov

Best Interview Questions to ask Candidates in Job Interviews

37 Best Interview Questions to Ask Candidates in a Job Interview

In a job interview asking the right interview questions is integral to finding out what you need to know about candidates, to identify a skill fit and the perfect candidate for the role. We often get asked by hiring companies about the best interview questions to ask when interviewing candidates for a job role. So, here we share with you the top questions we recommend you ask candidates in the job interview.

Interview Questions to identify interest in the role and your company

How much do you know about the vacancy/firm?

This is a great question to test the candidate’s knowledge of the firm and establish how much research / preparation they had conducted before the job interview. It also helps to gauge their interest in your firm.

Why are you interested in the position?

A great question to gauge whether candidates are career driven and have a real interest in the company. For example, whether they want to progress in their career and view your company as somewhere where career progression can be achieved.

What do you see as the satisfactions of the job?

A question that allows candidates to express why they are passionate about the role and allows you to get to know a bit about them as a person. For example, it could be helping others or growing the business.

Interview Questions to understand their interpretation of the role

What do you see as the main functions of the role?

Allows you to establish whether they fully understand the role and it gives candidates the opportunity to align their skills with the role.

How do you visualise a typical day?

This is useful to see whether their approach to the role matches with your business strategy and company way of working. It will also give you an idea of team fit.

What do you think the frustrations may be?

All jobs have frustrations, and this question allows candidates to express their understanding of the role and their critical thinking skills. It also gives the candidates an opportunity to express how they will deal effectively with frustrations in their work life.

Interview Questions to establish the candidate’s skills, experience and knowledge

What skills or experience do you have that make you right for this position?

This will give them an opportunity to expand on their skills and experience and you can use it as opportunity to crosscheck their CV. In addition, what is said in response to this question will give you an insight into what the candidate thinks are the main skills needed for the role.

Who and what are you responsible for in your current role?

A great question to give you a clearer understanding of the candidate’s level of experience and assess their management / leadership skills.

If you could change one aspect of your current role, what would it be and why?

We all have tasks at work that we don’t particularly like or that we find more difficult than others. This will help you determine a fit for the role, and depending on the answer, it could give you ideas of how to solve any issues within a particular role.

Tell us about a process or procedure that you have helped to improve?

A great question to find out how they applied their skills, knowledge and experience in the workplace and made a difference to working practises.

How do you prioritise and manage your caseload effectively?

Organisation and time management skills are important skills to have in professional services roles. By asking this question, you will find out if and how the candidate manages their time effectively to meet internal and client deadlines.

When have you had an opportunity to show initiative?

Showing initiative is part of a person’s critical thinking skills and going above and beyond to support the business and its customers and clients. So, by asking this question to all candidates allows you to identify who stands out.

Provide an example of something you have done to develop your skill set?

A willingness to learn and taking responsibility for career progression are key attributes that candidates can display, particularly in lower-level roles. This question gives them an opportunity to show that they have these attributes.

Tell us about your contribution to a team goal?

A great question to determine if the candidate is a team player, and how well they work as part of a team, and independently, to achieve goals.

Tell me about an important goal you set. How did you do?

This question is linked to a person’s stability and persistence and whether their goals are consistent and relevant to the role they have applied for.

Can you describe a situation where you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty?

This will tell you whether they are hardworking, passionate about their work and are engaged in their job role.

Tell me about a complex problem you had to resolve. How did it go?

Problem solving skills and being able to work independently are key skills in the workplace. In addition, a person’s ability to solve complex problems reflects their willingness to learn and judgement.

How do you analyse your own performance?

Taking ownership and pride in their work is a key skill that a candidate can have. So, by finding out how they analyse their own performance, what they deem as a success or failure, gives you a real insight into the candidate’s attitude towards their work.

How do you think you could improve your own performance?

This allows the candidates to show that they are self-aware and have critical thinking skills, to analyse their performance against business goals and strategy.

Interview Questions to get to know the candidate

Describe a time you received negative feedback about yourself? How did you respond and did you make any adaptations to your work?

This question goes against what the candidate wants to say in an interview. If the candidate answers honestly, and tells you about how they responded and adapted, it gives you a great insight into their character, judgement and maturity.

What are your strengths and weaknesses?

This question will provide you with insights into their character and will allow you to assess whether their strength and weaknesses will affect their performance in the role and how well they would get on with the team.

Give an example of how you coped well under pressure?

Most jobs contain some pressure, whether it’s meeting targets, deadlines or delivering a high standard of customer service. As a result, asking this question enables you to establish how the candidate will deal with and react to pressure in the workplace.

What has been your biggest achievement in your career-to-date?

Asking this question gives you an insight into what the candidate has achieved, as well as what makes them proud and tick in their career.

Choose 5 words to describe yourself?

Being self-aware at work is important. Asking this question gives you an insight into the candidate as a person.

What 5 words would your current boss use to describe you?

This is an interesting one and as long as they are honest, it will give you an insight into how the candidate works and is viewed by others in the workplace.

How would your colleagues describe you?

Like the above, this question gives you an insight into how they think they are / like to be perceived in the workplace.

What motivates you?

This question gives you a sense of team fit, as well as whether the candidate will be motivated by your company’s way of working and your benefit package.

What de-motivates you?

Like the above, it will give you a sense of team fit and what candidates don’t like in a workplace. It will help you to determine whether there will be any potential issues if you hire the candidate.

Tell us about a case that has had an impact on you?

This is an intriguing question as every candidate’s answer will be different and it will give you a unique insight into them. It could be something that they found difficult or that affected them emotionally, or a mistake that was made and they learnt from, to name a few scenarios.

Why did you choose this area of law / finance?

An opportunity for the candidate to expand on why they enjoy and are suited to their specialism, and what it is about their specialism that they are passionate about.

What are your long-term goals?

A great question to determine whether the candidates’ goals match with the company’s goals, and whether they see themselves in their job role for a long time.

Interview Questions to establish why they are job searching and what they want from their next job

What are the reasons you are looking to leave your current role?

This question will identify whether there are any potential red flags. For example, if they are leaving because they don’t get on with the team.

What are you looking for in your next role?

This helps you to identify whether their personal career goals fit the role and whether the role is really what the candidate is looking for.

What are you looking for in an employer?

Provides you with an opportunity to reinforce the positive aspects of your business to the candidate based on their response.

Interview Questions to conclude the Job interview

Are you considering other vacancies?

With candidates currently in high demand, this will give you an idea of whether you are competing with other companies for the candidate. If the candidate is considering other jobs and you like the candidate, you know you might have to work harder in order to hire the candidate.

How do you feel this interview has gone?

This question is a fantastic question to conclude the interview on, as it presents an opportunity to find out how the candidate has interpreted the interview and whether their interpretation matches yours.

Do you have any questions for us?

A job interview is also as much about the candidate getting to know your company as it is about you getting to them. Always, make sure you give them the opportunity to ask any questions at the end of the job interview.

Get Specialist Support with your Recruitment

We are award-winning recruitment specialists for Legal, HR, Finance and Accountancy sectors. Established in 2009, we have a wealth of experience in recruiting the right candidates with the skills and efficiency to help businesses thrive across the UK.

We offer a bespoke service to help you find talented candidates who match with your business and requirements. Furthermore, we will always work with integrity and honesty utilising our expertise to add real value to your recruitment and retention strategy. If you would like advice and support with recruiting or would like to discuss interviewing in more detail, please click here to contact us.

Excellent service received by both Amy & Lucy. They both fully understand the businesses and the candidates we require both academically and culturally. They both always go above and beyond. 1st class service received. – James, HR Manager at a North East Law Firm.

The Eventus Recruitment Group Finalists for Three Business Awards

The Eventus Recruitment Group are delighted to be finalists for three business awards this week.

The Legal, HR, Finance and Accountancy recruitment specialists are finalists for the Business Support Services Award at The Bay Business Excellence Awards. In addition, the Group’s second office Eventus Recruitment Cheshire are finalists for the Best Business Start Up Award at the Crème de la Crème (Best of the Best) Business Awards and the Start Up Business Award at the North East Cheshire Business Awards.

The Eventus Recruitment Group, headquartered in Lancaster, was founded in 2009 by Siobhan Courtney to provide an honest, reliable recruitment service in England and Wales. Having worked in recruitment since 1998 Siobhan grew increasingly frustrated with how recruitment businesses were run. So, seeing an opportunity to be different, she decided to set up a recruitment consultancy in the Legal sector based on honesty, integrity, transparency and confidentially. In September 2021, the Group’s second office was opened in Cheshire.

In the last 12 months the Eventus Recruitment Group has worked with many businesses and provided career advice and assisted the job search to over 1600 legal, HR, finance and accountancy professionals nationwide; helping these individuals to get their career progression back on track since the pandemic.

Siobhan Courtney, said: “What an honour to be a finalist in the Bay Business, Crème De La Crème and the North East Cheshire Business Awards. It is so incredibly important for me to have got to the finals in such highly respected awards, as it gives the team the recognition they deserve for all of the hard work they put into their daily roles. I couldn’t be prouder.”

The Eventus Recruitment Group are looking forward to Friday 18^th November 2022, when the winners of all three awards will be announced. Additionally, the Eventus Recruitment Group are expanding their team in Lancaster and Wilmslow and are looking for Resourcing and Recruitment Consultants. If you are interested in working for us or to find out more about career opportunities with us, please click here.

15Nov

Grief in the workplace

Grief in the Workplace

World wellbeing at work week covers a huge and diverse (often complex) spectrum of areas. As an employer it is vital we are up to date with options and support available for the team. But I often wonder as “the boss” what’s out there for the employer, rather selfishly specifically when it comes to bereavement.

So much research is there (and rightly so) as to how to help the employees; ranging from their legal rights, to how to speak to the team and how to offer them the counselling to make their back to work an easier experience.

But what about the employer? I researched far and wide and failed to find any substantial research and/or guidelines as to how to deal with grief as the employer.

I lost my mum earlier this year 9 months and 27 days ago to be exact, and it still feel as raw – more in reality – than it did in January. I still run the business, with amazing help from my team. I still deal with the problems from clients and candidates. I run the accounts and assist with the recruitment and development of our team and work to develop the business further. I am lucky that I get to celebrate the successes too and thankfully there are many.

Griever Types

One of the areas that I did find helpful was from Employment Hero who did a great study as to the different types of griever:

Intuitive Griever: “Is where the person is more likely to show how they are feeling, and may experience powerful waves of emotions throughout their working day.” But as the owner can we do that, or do we need to remain “professional” and “lead” the team? No one like a weak leader-right?

Instrumental Griever: “An instrumental griever is less likely to outwardly express their emotions.” So, do we as employers need to be an instrumental griever in the workplace when naturally we are intuitive?

I know this may seem indulgent, it isn’t intentional, it is a genuine thought and a request for the fabulous people out there to help the employer; whether from a professional / expert perspective, and to inform the wider business world that sometimes we as “leaders” need a cuddle and a bloody good cry in the loos too. It doesn’t make us weak, it makes us human.

Written by Siobhan Courtney, Managing Director of the Eventus Recruitment Group.

07Nov

How Companies can Support Staff Progression and Development with an Employee Development Plan

How Organisations can support Staff Progression and Development with an Employee Development Plan (EDP)

At the present time, qualified Legal and Finance professionals looking for new roles are in short supply. Therefore, it is vital that you are doing everything possible to retain good employees. As well as ensuring you are paying a competitive salary, offering a good benefits package and creating a positive working environment, it’s important you are investing in the development of your staff. This shows your commitment to them, and hopefully brings it back to you in return. An Employee Development Plan is a useful tool for this.

Ongoing development will motivate your staff and create a culture of continuous improvement and progression (rather than stagnation). It will also make staff feel secure and supported, and content staff are less likely to be tempted to look at other roles. In our recent survey, 59% of our respondents said promotion / training and development opportunities are a key consideration when looking for a new role.

One of the ways you can ensure that you are ensuring consistent development of your staff is by creating an Employee Development Plan for all employees.

What is an Employee Development Plan (EDP)?

An Employee Development Plan is a document focussing on work-related skill development and it’s owned by both the employee and the line manager.

A continuing process that is consistently and regularly reviewed and updated, an EDP should aim to improve the individual’s skills as well as their technical knowledge.

What should an employee development plan include?

There are a number of points to consider when planning an individual employee development plan:

1. Where are they now and where do they need to get to?

Consider this an appraisal of their current skills and knowledge and how that matches to their current role. Are they meeting requirements?

Gaining the employee’s thoughts on their competencies, capabilities and career goals is crucial. Consider employee buy-in is crucial for this. What do they believe they need in the way of skills to do their job? How do they think they are currently performing?

Now consider the future development of the role. What additional skills may be required?

2. What training and development is required?

Now that you know where the employee currently is, and where they need to be, what training would help them perform better and what changes would they benefit from? What are their own ultimate goals? How can this development be achieved through specific training?

Creating a culture of learning within your organisation will demonstrate management commitment and encourage a strengthening of relationships between colleagues. Individuals who have open meetings, training sessions and forums are more likely to interact, enabling them to share knowledge and even train others. The additional benefit to this is that having skilled staff who can train others will save you time and money.

3. Why does it need to be done?

It is important that all employees understand “the why” rather than just the plan. Making the employee aware of how their learning and development will benefit not only their own career but the aspirations of your organisation, will demonstrate how they fit into the firm as a whole – and create a sense of pride in their work.

4. When should it be done?

It is important that realistic timescales are put into place, agreed between employee and manager. Monitor progress regularly to encourage and provide direction to the individual, and to show support on their journey.

5. How can progress be measured?

Ensure that regular feedback sessions are written into the employee development plan. The EDP should always form part of an appraisal, regardless of timescale. However, for short-term training it is imperative to discuss what the employee has learnt and what they will do differently post-training.

Final Tips for Implementing an Employee Development Plan

Don’t be afraid to change training needs as the requirements of both the organisation and the employee develop. Remember the EDP is owned by both the employee and the employer, and both should be responsible for monitoring it’s suitability.

Done well, an Employee Development Plan is more than a working document that charts an individual’s skill gaps and training needs. The long-term benefits include employee satisfaction and sense of belonging, and for you as an employer, a satisfaction in having a skilled, up to date workforce who then commit long-term to your organisation.

Enhancing Your Business Strategy

The Eventus Recruitment Group are award-winning recruitment specialists for Legal, HR, Finance and Accountancy sectors. Established in 2008, we have a wealth of experience in recruiting the right candidates with the skills and efficiency to help businesses thrive across the UK.

We offer a bespoke service to help you find talented candidates who match with your business and requirements. Furthermore, we will always work with integrity and honesty utilising our expertise to add real value to your recruitment and retention strategies. If you would like advice and support with recruiting, please click here to contact us.

I’ve used many recruiters for finding legal jobs for myself and then when I set up my own firm for recruiting staff and I can honestly say that Eventus has been the best. They really have listened and have only ever put forward candidates that really fit into my company perfectly. They have helped my company grow and I would have been lost without their services. Can highly recommend this company. – Law Firm, Liverpool.

Additional Reading

Professional Development Planning Cycle

Personal Development Planning

Employee Incentives to Reward, Recognise, Motivate and Retain

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