Back to Black........

The British economy has finally emerged from recession after 6 consecutive quarters of contraction

House prices increased by a further 1.2% in January, the 9th consecutive monthly increase

Unemployment figures reduced for the first time since early 2008

Are these signs that we have finally turned the economic corner? Well we, we hope so and if it isn’t the end, perhaps it is the beginning of the end of the slump. One statistic I am pleased to report (which can only be considered a good sign) is the increase in new sales, marketing and creative job opportunities we are being briefed on which is a clear indicator that some confidence is creeping back into the Midlands job market. We always experience a New Year job spike, but this year the upturn is definitely more pronounced and prolonged. Why not take a look at the latest jobs we have listed on our website and if any appeal get in touch. We have specialist sales, marketing and creative consultants awaiting your call

Feeling under valued?

Feeling under valued? You are not the only one a recent salary survey by Croner Reward indicates Midlands based Marketing professionals are not being rewarded in line with their peers from other parts of the country. The contrast in salary is most notable at Marketing Director level, where believe it or not if you work in the Midlands you can expect to earn 8.7% less than the national average! The same phenomena is true throughout the marketing discipline, so whether your current job role is Marketing Assistant, Account Manager, Marketing Manager etc the likelihood is you are being underpaid - compared to other marketing professionals in equivalent roles around the country.

What can you do to improve your financial situation? A professional qualification or membership will certainly help, according to the same research. Marketing professionals with a qualification from the CIM typically earn 12% more than those without in similar positions. Why not visit the Chartered Institute of Marketing website for further information on suitable courses. However, if your current employer simply won’t or can’t match your market valueperhaps the time has come to look at opportunities further afield and Swindale Parks can help you find one that will. Once we have identified your next potential employer from the long list of premier companies that we have relationships with, your challenge is to demonstrate the value you can add and secure that salary increase! Well it may not be quite that straightforward but you can be assured you will have Swindale Parks full support from the beginning to the end of your job search. Give us a call to talk about improving your career prospects…it’s what we do.

Of course if you simply don’t know if you are underpaid and are looking for someguidancewhy not speak to one of our consultants on 0121 585 6079 or drop us an email we will be delighted to hear from you.

Swindale Parks Recruitment joins 10:10

Swindale Parks Recruitment has joined 10:10 today and we would encourage you to do so too. By committing to cut your emissions by 10% in 2010, you will join thousands of people, schools, hospitals, businesses and organisations all actively helping to combat climate change by making simple changes to their lifestyles, homes and workplaces. If we in the UK can prove that fast, deep cuts can be made at a national level, then we may just inspire all the other big polluting countries to follow suit.

Seek and we will find.......

Midlands employers who are struggling to find good quality sales, marketing and creative job seekers should look to specialist recruiters for assistance. Well what else would you expect all at Swindale Parks to say! Except we didn't say this, these are the findings of a recent joint survey by the CBI and accountants KPMG. The research, conducted recently discovered that 40% of the Midlands businesses are having problems recruiting the right Sales, Marketing & Creative talent.

As it has been for a number of years a skills shortage remains an Achilles' heel for the region. Even though jobs are being lost and recruiter demand has fallen, Midlands businesses are complaining that whilst they aren’t short of applicants they are struggling to find the right calibre of job seeker to fill their vacancy.

Research aside and whatever the economic outlook at Swindale Parks we firmly believe that as a specialist Sales, Marketing & Creative recruitment agency we can bridge the skills gap and find the right candidates, whilst allowing our clients to do what they are best at focus on their business.If you have a sales, marketing or creative vacancy you would like to brief us on why not give one of the team a call on 0121 585 6079, alternatively you can email us your job description here.

Swindale Parks Christmas Game.......

ABC - Always Be Closing

"So, when do I start?" A question like that is about as blunt as you can get at the tail end of the interview and whilst it may not be subtle it certainly gets to the point of what the interview is really about. Closing an interview shouldn’t just be considered the remit of sales professionals; it is really an exercise in common sense, not clever sales technique.

Closing isn’t necessarily about walking away with a job offer; it certainly isn’t about brow beating your interviewer into submission! It is however about understanding how you have performed and what happens next – what could be more common sense than that? Having invested all that effort researching the company, money in getting to the interview and time preparing yourself to perform to the best of your ability, why would you walk away from the meeting without knowing where you stand? If you can do that, you are closing and if you are closing your taking positive steps towards securing the job you want!
For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Solving your people puzzles............

Swindale Parks are pleased to announce we have partnered with Thomas International, the globally recognised provider of objective management systems, psychometric analysis and business assessment tools. Combining our 20 year experience of Sales, Marketing & Creative recruitment and Thomas’s unrivalled understanding of behavioral assessment (they complete nearly one million assessments per year by the way) will undoubtedly further improve the quality & value of the service we are able to offer clients and candidates alike.
We have long taken great pride in getting to know our recruiting managers and job seekers & developing a thorough understanding of their needs, adding Thomas’s full range of services to our offering will further enhance our ability to do this. With the tools we now have at our disposal not only will we be able to advise on the more tangible aspects of a client’s requirement, but also the behavioral characteristics required in the successful candidate. All of this is, of course, aimed at improving our chances of delivering an appropriate solution. Peter Cash said “the benefits extend beyond simply aiding the recruitment process, as it also has implications for clients to help improve retention, succession planning & appraisal, and for individuals to aid personal & professional development. To find out more contact your consultant.

Killer Interview Questions........

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........

Picture the scene - the interview is going well, you are getting on famously with the interviewer and a job offer is so close that you can almost smell it - surely nothing can stop you fulfilling your destiny and claiming your prize!! Wrong – you haven’t allowed for the killer interview question!!! Every interviewer has one, a favourite ‘teaser’ designed to test your ability to think on the spot and react under pressure. The killer question will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for many an unsuspecting interviewee – make sure you are not one of them. To ensure you don’t come unstuck with the finishing line in sight think about the kind of questions you may be asked and even rehearse your answers. Here are a few of our favourites……

1. What is your biggest weakness and how do you manage it?
2. What is your greatest strength and give me an example of how you have exploited it to your benefit?
3. Who will you miss most when you leave your current employer and why?
4. What do you have to offer that the other applicants don’t?
5. What value will you add to my business?
6. I think you are over qualified for this job?
7. What would your priorities be in your first 12 months of the role?
8. I don’t think you can do the job. Do you agree?
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
10. Describe a difficult situation you handled well??
11. Describe a difficult situation you handled badly?
12. Define profitability?

And our personal favourite and aptly numbered……..

13. What’s 30% of 90!!!

How you respond is just as important as what you say, your preparation will allow you to be calm, relaxed and considered when put on the spot. Rather than appearing to jump in feet first and blurt out the first thing that comes to mind. Take a moment to collect your thoughts before confidently delivering your upbeat, positive answer.

PS – if you can’t work out what 30% of 90 is don’t guess and don’t prolong the agony – be honest and move on. The interviewer will appreciate your candour.

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Great First Impression.........

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........
The interview is in full swing and having made a great first impression how do you maintain your momentum? Perhaps surprisingly we feel it’s not just about impressing your interviewer with your insightful answers to those tricky questions being posed, you can contribute to a successful outcome for both parties by taking a proactive role in the meeting. How? Firstly you may need to change how you view the interview process, think of it as a two way street. It is as much a chance for you to ask questions about your interviewer, the role and the company as it is for them to quiz you – more of an exchange of information than an interrogation.

Having made this change in thinking just how are you going to achieve what you want out of the meeting? Preparation is the key, arriving at the interview with a list of suitable questions is always a good start, by suitable we mean the kind of questions that will increase your understanding of the role etc and not “How long do I get for lunch?” or “What are the working hours?” Also try to integrate your questions into the discussion rather than treating them as a script, simply reading them out can effect the flow of the conversation and whilst help you gather important information may quickly erode any rapport that has been developed between you and the interviewer. Remember your objective as well as promoting your own features and benefits is to find out everything you need to know that will allow you to make a considered decision about whether you progress your application further. Your questions will not only do this but they also demonstrate your interest in the opportunity and say something positive about how you conduct yourself in a business situation.

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Swindale Parks Recruitment website MkII

The eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed that over the last couple of weeks Swindale Parks Recruitment have been making some changes to our website. Inspired by the feedback we gathered earlier in the year, mark II of our 3rd generation site is now up and running. Some of the changes made are so subtle that you may not have noticed, but all have been implemented with one thing in mind to ensure we offer sales, marketing & creative candidates and all of our clients a first class recruitment experience. Have we succeeded? We hope so, if you don’t agree please let us know we’re all for a bit of constructive criticism!

A big thank you must also go to all at Clever Cherry who have masterminded the changes, implemented them seamlessly and of course their patience!

Covering Letter.............

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........

First impressions count

Your covering letter has captured the imagination, your CV has aroused their interest now all you have to do is back up all that you have promised at interview - unfortunately all of your hard work could be undone in a matter of seconds! It is a commonly held belief that the opinions we form about people are done so within a minute of meeting them, so this is a vital time in the interview and could determine whether you sink or swim.

So, first and foremost make sure you look and feel the part. Pride in your personal appearance will only have a positive effect on your confidence levels. Think about your introduction, and prepare to deliver it with confidence and with a smile – “hello………, it’s a pleasure meeting you” – is a safe bet. Plan to arrive 10 minutes early, having to start an interview with “I’m so sorry for being late”, is to be avoided at all costs. Of course if you are running late through no fault of your own then let your interviewer know.

Making a positive “first impression” is essential and will set the scene for a positive interview experience BUT alone it won’t secure you the role…….we’ll come on to that

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Swindale Parks Recruitment's Top Tips

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to help you secure your next Sales or Marketing & Creative job...........

Some consider them old fashioned and unnecessary, but a well worded ‘covering letter’ can set you apart from your job seeking competitors. The trend it appears is to send out as many CV’s as possible with no real thought as to why you are suitable for each of the roles applied for. An effective covering letter should make it easy for the recruiter to understand why you are applying and why you are suitable for the role. If you aren’t able to justify this to yourself maybe you should reconsider your application (see Top Tip No. 2)

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist sales or marketing consultant via email or on 0121 585 6079

Rejection Rate.............

Being rejected by companies is disappointing and frustrating. Reduce your rejection rate by applying for positions that fit your skills and experience. Don’t apply to be a head chef at a Michelin stared restaurant if you’ve got 6 months experience at a fast food outlet. Swindale Parks are all for ambition and career advancement but be realistic about the kind of jobs that you can and can’t do. You can waste a lot time and positive energy applying for jobs that you are unsuitable for. Recruitment is a costly process meaning most recruiters will work to strict selection parameters, giving them little room to think as creatively as you.

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist Sales or Marketing consultant on 0121 585 6079

Job seeking Top Tips............

Swindale Parks' Top Tips to helping you secure your next Sales or Marketing job..........
Use an appropriate email address for job hunting. Avoid using a comedy email address or putting it on your CV. It could cost you an interview or worse your ideal job! First impressions are very important and applying for your next Sales or Marketing job from ivorbigun or juicylucy@.... Is just wrong, wrong, wrong! Job hunting isn’t a joke, it’s a serious business.

For more advice or assistance with your job search contact a specialist Sales or Marketing consultant on 0121 585 6079

Spring has sprung...........

Does the thought of recruiting your next Marketing Executive or Graphic Designer leave your head spinning? How are you going to fit it into your already busy schedule? Meanwhile Spring has sprung, it will soon be Summer and your need will only become more urgent!
Don’t worry help is at hand, Swindale Parks’ specialist Marketing & Creative recruitment team will ensure you hit your recruitment deadline, in fact we have a large selection of Marketing & Creative specialists already registered for you to choose from. A selection of these are profiled in the latest edition of our Marketing & Creative candidate newsletter which has just been despatched. To make sure you get your copy email us your contact details, alternatively click here to download or view online.

What dreams are made of.........

Well the Sam Doble Memorial match had it all – international rugby greats, sunshine, plenty of tries and even a visit from the Air Ambulance……what was the final score? we’re not sure actually, we think the scoreboard operator stopped keeping tally after a while and it didn’t appear that any of the massed ranks that pitched up at Moseley Rugby club to watch the entertainment really cared either. More importantly some much needed cash was raised for the Birmingham-based charity Cure Leukaemia to fund its ongoing efforts to develop and deliver new treatments to benefit leukaemia patients.

Swindale Parks’ very own Carl David Booth lined up in the Phil Bennett International XV alongside some former rugby greats who had between them amassed over 200 international caps and even included a couple of rugby world cup winners in Dorian West and Paul Grayson. Carl put in a dynamic performance, energetic at the breakdown and incisive on the attack, he played a pivotal role in two of his team’s scores and he was only denied a try of his own after some stout defending from the Moseley rearguard.

All in all everyone had a great afternoon, except perhaps for Dr Jim who courtesy of a crunching tackle got to take a ride in the Air Ambulance, thankfully his injuries were no worse than a concussion and a broken nose! In his after match interview whilst clutching his commemorative shirt and a cold refreshing pint Carl had obviously enjoyed his experience was full of praise for his team mates, the opposition and the event organizers. He also reserved special thanks for Ian Allen of Clever Cherry for making it possible for him to play a part in such a prestigious event. The after match aches and pains will fade but the memories will live for a lifetime