Are you recruiting at the moment and aren’t sure what the going rate is? Want to know what’s most important to candidates at the moment? Let us help you attract and retain the very best talent on the market.
Every year Cooper Lomaz carries out a survey to find out average salaries and day rates for the industries we recruit in. This year we heard from 1,500 people through an online survey and combined that data with information from 15,000 candidate interviews. The survey produced some interesting insights into the local recruitment market.
A good example is web development. A mid-level Mobile Developer working in Norfolk receives an average salary of £30k-40k per annum. However, if you hop across the border to Suffolk it increases to £38k-45k, and goes up to £45k-55k in Cambridgeshire. That’s a big difference.
In the current market, skilled candidates are at a premium. Use our Salary Survey to make sure you havethe edge when it comes to securing the best talent.
David Sanderson and Lisa Webb of Sky Media joined JMS Group at The Forum in Norwich to explain the benefits of Sky’s AdSmart TV advertisingplatform to local advertisers, and its accessibility for brands of all sizes.
This half-hour presentation is a must-watch for any brands considering advertising on television, especially those considering TV for the first time. For more information on Sky AdSmart – skymedia.co.uk/sky-adsmart or contact Lisa Webb on 0207 032 2835.
To find out more about commercial production for advertisers of all sizes contact Francesca de Lacey at JMS Group on 01603 811855.
The West Norfolk based housing and community organisation, which debuted at number 55 on the list in 2014, has once again made the list for 2015.
Freebridge has also been rated a One Star accreditation meaning the organisation is ‘very good’ at employee engagement’
Through the Best Companies process, Freebridge employees were able to share their thoughts on the organisation through a confidential survey. In addition, Freebridge also completed an extensive questionnaire which provided an overview of its working practices and culture.
The process assesses companies on themes such as Leadership, My Team, Wellbeing, Personal Growth, Giving Something Back and My Manager.
Freebridge will find out exactly where it is placed on the ‘Sunday Times 100 Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For’ list in early 2015. Tony Hall, Chief Executive said: “I am so pleased to learn that we have, once again, made the Best Not-For-Profit Organisations to Work For list for the second year in a row.
“Our placing on the list is very much down to our employees, who make Freebridge such a great place to work. I would like to thank our employees for their ongoing support and all that they are doing to meet the needs of our customers, which is our most important business priority.”
“We have found that there are real business benefits from being part of the Best Companies process. Being one of the Best Companies to work for has helped us to recruit new employees, improve employee engagement and ultimately deliver customer satisfaction.
“It is great to have one of the best companies to work for here in West Norfolk as it supports our vision of A Better West Norfolk. I look forward to working with our fantastic team of employees in 2015.”
Freebridge will now use the feedback from the Best Companies process to improve employee satisfaction and continue to make Freebridge a place where people want to work
The race is on to secure your place in the third annual West Norfolk Fit4Work Games!
Registration is now open for all businesses ready to take on the challenge of the Fit4Work Games, which will be held from 6-10pm on Wednesday 18th March at Alive Lynnsport.
Businesses will be competing in a fun and supportive environment for the title of “Best in the West” in four competitions: Football, Badminton, Netball and Fitness Triathlon, which includes cycling, rowing, and treadmill.
Last year’s men’s badminton winners Cooper Roller Bearings were just one of the many businesses to take on the challenge, and have signed up to the 2015 Games with an eye on retaining their title. Gary Hellard from Cooper Roller Bearings said “We’ve taken part the last two years and it’s always an enjoyable evening. It’s a nice mix of competition and fun.”
The Games have become a popular fixture in West Norfolk business calendars, with over 400 people taking part over the last two years. Workplaces can enter any number of teams for each of the events and the cost of entry is just £10 per team, per sport.
Alive Leisure Board Member Councillor Elizabeth Nockolds said: “The Fit4Work Games is an event organised jointly by Alive Leisure and Active Norfolk. The Games encourages employers to get their staff to take part in activities that will improve their physical health and therefore their productivity, motivation and attendance at work. It’s also a brilliant way to meet people and make new friends.”
Fit4Work is a free workplace health scheme that provides employers access to a wide range of opportunities to engage, inspire and help improve employees’ overall health and physical activity levels.
Katie Tierney, Fit4Work Project Officer, said: “I’m really excited about this year’s event. The Games is a great opportunity for local businesses to enjoy some team bonding and networking whilst getting active”.
Teams are men only and women only, and trophies are up for grabs in each of the sports. The winning teams will be entered into a draw to win free entry to the county-wide Fit4Work Corporate Games, which will take place on Friday 12th June at UEA Sportspark in Norwich.
Returning member Norwich Puppet Centre gave very positive reactions to our recent MPs event. “It was great to be making connections with business again and to pick up on initiatives like Swarm apprenticeships, and get reactions to other delegates thoughts on corporate social responsibility, and how we might explore things of mutual interest.
“We are always interested in working with business to share profile and access to audiences, and lots of you and your employees may be interested in our stunning half term programme.
“Do have a look at our flier andhttps://www.puppettheatre.co.uk/whats-on for latest ticket information. There are shows for the family, baby family shows, and some fantastic workshop experiences linked to the productions our outstanding visiting puppetry friends have brought to us!
“We are also keen to work with the business sector to provide a channel for employee volunteering, and of course lots of other ways where practical and financial support is really welcome!”
The Oscar’s are happening this Sunday, splashing red carpet glamour and designer dresses across our newspapers! It’s the moment when the cream of the movie world reap their rewards for first-class performances.
And this week we’re taking tips from Hollywood to help you deliver a successful job interview presentation. We can help you plan and deliver your own Oscar-worthy performance!
If you’re going for a marketing or PR job in the East of England a presentation is likely to be part of your interview. But if you reallywant a new job you need to get your strategy right. Let’s get started with a bit of thespian-inspired advice…
1. Analyse the task Let’s say you’ve been given a fictitious customer pitch to present at an interview. Like a good actor scrutinising their lines, you should read the instructions carefully. Then read them again. And again. Make sure you understand what the interviewers want you to do. Do you feel you know the product or service you’re ‘selling’? Do you have a clear idea of the audience you’re presenting to? This level of thought will form the basis of a good quality presentation.
2. Your audience comes first Think about your audience (the interviewers): What do they want to hear and see? What skills do they want to see you use? Read the job description again, and make sure that when planning the presentation you give yourself opportunities to demonstrate these key skills.
3. A personal touch Actors bring their own ‘je ne sais quoi’ to each role. So just like the movie icons, inject some of your personality into the presentation. Are you able to charm your audience easily? Does your passion come through in your presentations? Are you a natural story teller? A quick note: Keep it professional and be cautious with humour – it can be inappropriate for some interviews, and easily misunderstood.
4. Learn your lines You wouldn’t see a star of the silver screen reading their notes on camera, so aim to learn your script before your performance too. Write down what you want to say, learn it, then condense it into note-form on a few flashcards. When you run through the presentation to get your timings right, have the cards handy in case you need a prompt. By the time you get to the big day, you should know it by all heart.
5. Creating the content Actors know how to catch an audience’s attention. If you’re using PowerPoint, you can create some great content your interviewers will love. Avoid using lots of lists – think of other ways to present information. Use images, bold text and graphics, but if you must use a list, make it short and punchy. You can flesh out each point with your script. Whatever you do, don’t risk losing your audience’s attention. Try it out on an honest friend – they’ll tell you whether or not it works!
6. Fake it till you make it Not many of us have the charisma of Tom Cruise or Angelina Jolie. But you can get your own ‘X’ factor from being self-assured, stylish and by using positive body language. If interview nerves are getting to you a little, you should fake it till you make it! Play the role of a confident presenter and your performance could clinch you that job.
7. Accept the critique No matter how accomplished they are, many actors dread reviews of their performances. But they accept good reviews graciously and take bad ones on the chin. The same applies to other professions. Hopefully, you’ll get sparkling feedback and you’ll get the job. But should the feedback be mixed, simply accept it and use it to improve your performance next time. Thank the employer, and you never know – the job might still be yours but with areas for improvement.
Next time you find yourself planning a presentation for a job interview, you’ll know what to do to deliver one of award-winning calibre -we’ll even roll out the red carpet for you. Good luck!
Teaching Assistants and those working in schools across Norfolk will receive extra support with their learning thanks to a £70,000 funding boost.
Norwich based training provider, Qualified Education, have partnered with City of Westminster College to offer those working to support children and young people in schools the opportunity to access funding of £70,000 through the 24+ Advanced Learning Loans.
Those wishing to improve their knowledge and skills to increase the level of support they offer pupils and schools will be able to do so without the need to pay the course fees upfront. This makes accessing learning and the attainment of a qualification much easier for those working in schools.
All UK learners starting Level 3 qualifications who are aged over 24 will be able to access a 24+ Advanced Learning Loans and will not have to repay anything until they have completed the course and are earning over £21,000.
Georgina Sexton, Centre Director at Qualified Education, said: “We’re committed to raising standards and improving outcomes for Norfolk’s schools. The 24+ Advanced Learning Loans will enable us to offer vocational qualifications to more teaching assistants in the area. The more skilled the workforce in our schools, the greater quality of support to a child’s learning and development.”
Project Manager, Quantity Surveyors and Building Surveyors, Allman Woodcock Ltd based in Tombland, Norwich welcomes Wesley May to their team. Having graduated in 2012 with a BA Honours in Construction Management, Wesley is currently studying for his Masters in Construction Management and has, for the past 6 years gained extensive experience delivering a variety of roles such as Site Management and Estimating for local contractors.
The practice looks forward to working with Wesley and is confident that his skills and expertise will enhance their growing reputation of delivering a varied portfolio of projects to a consistently high standard within both the public and private sectors.
To meet the rest of the team at Allman Woodock Ltd. please visit www.allmanwoodcock.com.
polkadotfrog are advising companies to move quickly to secure the best IT candidates as the economy continues to flourish.
Nick Hunter, Divisional Manager of IT Recruitment at polkadotfrog explains: “The number of suitably qualified candidates coming through is not keeping pace with the expansion of high-tech businesses in Norfolk and the skills required are constantly changing as the world of IT rapidly evolves.”
The IT skills shortage is part of the bigger economic picture which saw the unemployment rate fall to six percent in the three months to October*, the lowest for six years. It is expected to continue falling as more jobs are created as forecast.
Nick advises that candidates are often getting multiple job offers and will move fast if an offer is on the table:“If you see a CV that you like, act fast and get them in for an interview. Good IT candidates don’t stay on the market for long. If you sit on CVs and delay interviews you will lose fantastic people.”
“We are now out of the recession and seeing a steady growth in IT jobs. This means that permanent job applicants can pick and choose and often don’t need to wait for a response from a prospective employer. It’s likely they will have submitted their CV to a few companies and will take a position from a company that comes across professionally and acts fast, so it’s important to communicate quickly and offer feedback. “
“The tables have turned,” he continues. “During the recession employers had an oversupply of applicants for jobs but now they’re finding it harder to fill their vacancies with high calibre candidates who are moving fast when they’re offered a good opportunity. The early bird catches the worm!”.
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and we hope you’re feeling the positive vibes in the air this week!
But the annual day of love doesn’t have to be about gooey cards, candlelight and heart-shaped chocolates. Oh no. It’s also a great moment to celebrate good relationships in all areas of life. So why not give some attention to the relationships we rely on all year round?
With around 90,000 hours spent at work in a lifetime, it’s important that we take care of our relationships at work. This not only helps us do our jobs well, but it makes working life more enjoyable and interesting! There is lots that you as an employer can do to nurture excellent relations among colleagues. Take a look at our Valentine’s Day guide to building wonderful working relationships…
1. Respect and tolerance Creating an atmosphere of respect and tolerance helps people form relationships through mutual understanding. This should come from the top, with management setting strong examples in how people interact with each other and their teams. Accepting others’ ideas and openly discussing issues can help people find solutions and work together harmoniously.
2. Create social spaces Encouraging an environment where staff can be sociable can support the development of solid working relationships, since they get to know each other on a more personal level. A light, airy coffee shop, communal eating space or place for people to take a break can be very inviting to people who want to spend time working together or just chatting over lunch.
3. Work on retention A high staff turnover is no good for anyone. People need time to get to know each other and to gel. So by developing your retention and engagement strategy, staff are more likely to stay longer and you’re more likely to increase the chances of positive working relationships forming in the office. Check out our other blog articles for lots of ideas on engaging employees.
4. Trust your colleagues Trusting others is another cornerstone of good relationships. Without this fundamental ingredient, workplace relationships can crumble causing serious discord. Have trust in other people that they’ll hit the deadline or that they’ll deliver work to the required standard. Don’t look over colleagues’ shoulders – they’ll quickly pick on your doubts and could start to feel unhappy working with you.
5. Have a laugh Humour is said to help productivity, Humour can also be a great stress reliever at times of pressure. So keep the vibe positive and let people interact with other through fun that’s appropriate to the workplace or inject an element of fun by encouraging a social committee to arrange activities outside of work hours
6. Communication is key Good communication is a building block of any successful relationship, be it with your spouse, sister or a best friend! So, it naturally applies to professional relationships too. For instance, when delegating tasks to colleagues, make sure your instructions are easy to understand.. Also, emails are often open to misinterpretation – re-read emails before sending them, or if possible, pick up the phone or talk face to face!
7. Be approachable If you’re a manager or director, don’t shut yourself off from your team. Relationships are a two-way street after all, so it’s a good idea to make sure others know that they can approach you with concerns or ideas. This way people will feel more comfortable working for you and enjoy developing an honest relationship with senior level staff.
By injecting some Valentine’s Day inspiration into the workplace, you can’t fail to build happy and long-lasting professional relationships. On that note, we’ll love you and leave you, and wish you a positive year ahead with your colleagues.
Following public consultation, the government has recently introduced measures to reduce ‘red tape’ surrounding the regulation of company and business names. The changes introduced will have a substantial impact on the registration process for start-up businesses and current businesses considering a change of name. Two new regulations came into force on 31 January 2015, introducing a number of changes to the previous regulations. The following information highlights two of the more significant changes:-
The ‘same as’ restriction
A company may not be incorporated if its name is the ‘same as’ another name appearing on the registrar’s index of company names. The definition of ‘same as’ has a wider scope than simply catching two identical names. Firstly, certain characters and expressions are treated the same, such as ‘two’ and ‘2’ and ‘at’ and ‘@’; therefore ‘Name Two Ltd’ is considered the ‘same as’ ‘Name 2 Ltd’. Secondly, certain words and expressions at the end of a company name are disregarded, such as ‘CO’ and ‘UK’; thus ‘Name UK Ltd’ is considered the ‘same as’ ‘Name Ltd’. These provisions are intended to prevent two company names co-existing that are so similar, they are likely to confuse the public as to which company is which. However the downside of this is restricted freedom to choose a company name and more barriers for start-up businesses.
The new 2015 regulations have attempted to mitigate the restrictive criteria under the previous regulations by reducing the list of words to be disregarded when comparing two company names. The following words have been deleted and can now be used at the end of a company name without fear of it being rejected under the ‘same as’ restriction:-
– exports
– group
– holdings
– imports
– international
– services
So, for example, ‘Name International Ltd’ and ‘Name Group Ltd’ will no longer be rejected on the basis that they are the ‘same as’ ‘Name Ltd’. This should therefore allow more choice when choosing a company name and should make name swaps within groups easier to achieve.
Restriction on ‘sensitive’ words
There are certain names which, though not prohibited, still require the approval of the Secretary of State or other relevant body prior to registration. This includes using words and expressions which are considered ‘sensitive’ and could mislead or harm the public.
The 2014 regulations have deleted a total of 26 words from the previous regulations, some of which include:-
– board
– European
– group
– holding
– international
– national
– registry
– United Kingdom
Reducing the list of sensitive words removes an additional hurdle for prospective businesses and should allow a greater proportion of new companies to incorporate quickly without delays to the process.
If you are unsure about how these new regulations will affect your prospective or current business, or you wish to seek further information on the content of this article, please get in touch with our Corporate Team on 01603 610911 or email info@leathesprior.co.uk.
Note: The content of this article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken in any specific circumstance.
Norwich Research Park-based company Food Forensics is the first laboratory in the UK to achieve UKAS accreditation focused on combatting food fraud. Accreditation is an endorsement of the proficiency of the company and provides added reassurance to customers of the accuracy and reliability of results
Food Forensics is addressing the global problem of food fraud by the application of new science to determine authenticity, offering businesses a wide range of risk management solutions including due diligence testing, screening for labelling compliance and the profiling and creation of custom solutions for authenticity validation.
Based in the Innovation Centre on Norwich Research Park, Food Forensics has been awarded UKAS accreditation to ISO17025:2005 for the measurement and interpretation of stable isotope compositions in food, beverage and feedstuffs. It is the only laboratory in the UK to have been awarded the accreditation to date.
Food Forensics Managing Director Alison Johnson said: “Achieving our UKAS accreditation is the result of a great deal of hard work and commitment from the Food Forensics team and provides our customers, who are facing increasing risks of food fraud, accredited testing solutions. We are very appreciative of all our customers who have supported us during the accreditation process.”
Although food authenticity and origin has always been high on the public’s agenda, the horsemeat scandal in 2013 placed the food industry under intense scrutiny; completely undermining consumer confidence in the food industry. The subsequent publication of the Elliott Review in September 2014 made it increasingly important for businesses to demonstrate their due diligence when verifying product claims.
Food Forensic analyses the stable isotopic compositions of individual foods or beverages and compares these to its authentic reference datasets to establish the validity of claims on the label. The company has developed a wide portfolio of solutions covering both country of origin claims (country or region) and verification of production system (organic, free range etc).
The company’s customers include primary producers and processors through to blue chip retailers who insist on optimum due diligence and risk profiling to help protect their product integrity. Food Forensics is working with its customers to establish robust Food Fraud Risk Management systems and test modelling to mitigate and monitor risk.
Food Forensics has also established a strategic partnership with Centre Testing International (CTI), which operate in over 30 labs across China. CTI is one of the largest and fastest growing testing companies in China. Food Forensics has been selected as CTI’s partner to establish a stable isotope testing laboratory in Shanghai. The Shanghai laboratory will be commissioned in February 2015 and will initially focus on developing solutions for the local market, as well as providing Food Forensics with reference datasets of authentic Chinese export products.
Alison commented: “We are very excited by this partnership with CTI. Working together will enable both CTI and Food Forensics to provide enhanced solutions to our customers and give both companies global reach.”
The Innovation Centre at Norwich Research Park has over 30 state-of-the-art office and laboratory units set within a customised three-storey building. The office and laboratory suites are designed and fitted out to the highest standards for businesses involved in all aspects of science, technology and support services, including food, health, environmental sciences, bioscience, DNA technologies, pharmaceutical, clean energy, IT, software development and sustainable raw materials for industry. The facilities include spacious, bespoke wet laboratory and offices suites, integral shared access laboratory service facilities and equipment, tailored to tenants’ requirements, high bandwidth internet access, a staffed reception and offices support services within a Business Centre.
Food Forensics can assist with risk identification, mitigation and monitoring in line with the new retailer/BRC requirements, to explore how Food Forensics can help you contact Chris Balaam on 07779 106823 or email chris.balaam@foodforensics.co.uk