Eloise’s January 2024 News – New Year, Recruitment Spring Clean, News, HRHuddle

Happy New Year to you.

Or are we passed saying that now we’re already a couple of weeks in to the Jobs Market next phase?

I dipped into a few work bits and bobs in early January, but now I am very much into ‘proper’ work. And wow, it’s always a tough one starting back. I keep saying to my children that “this is the hard week whilst our minds and bodies get back into the swing of things”, that we need to “push through and next week will be easier”. I think I’m telling them mainly to remind myself!

It’s so tricky to get back into normal habits in January. For those couple of Christmas weeks, I’d been enjoying getting up later, grazing on food all day long, and not using my brain nearly as much. To switch back into my normal routines, whilst the weather isn’t so good, and it’s dark in the mornings, shouldn’t be underestimated.

There is also pressure in January, mainly via social media and advertising, to have big plans for 2024. To have a list of goals, resolutions, and ways of bettering yourself, all kicking off. I’m not a fan of this amount of pressure in January and potentially setting yourself up to fail.

I like to keep things simple when thinking through goals and intentions for the year. I want to spend more time with my family in 2024 and streamline and declutter our business processes. These types of intentions can flow throughout the year as themes. They’re not picking daily specifics that could easily fail early on; like walking 10k steps every day, drinking 2 litres of water every day, listening to a podcast every day etc.

With the pressure of January, it’s no wonder the third Monday of the month is dubbed ‘Blue Monday’. So, let’s set ourselves themes rather than specifics, be kind to ourselves, and ensure we’re mindful of each other’s needs while we ease into the year.

‘Spring’ clean your recruitment wardrobe

No, it isn’t spring yet, but a New Year brings a sense of ‘out with old, and in with the new’. And this can be applied to your Jobs Market next phase approaches and practices.

It’s easy to fall into a recruitment rut, so now is a great time to dust off those old job descriptions you keep wheeling out, and refresh what you’re doing. Now tends to see a surge in recruitment activity, making it a great time to step back and take a ‘candidate eye view’ of your business.

Here are the top 5 areas to have a look at:

  • Job descriptions – are they clear, accurate, and concise? Do they convey your brand personality? Are they interesting to read and would they make a potential candidate want to apply? Do they use inclusive language? Are you always displaying salary information?
  • Employer brand – look over your website and social media to make sure you have details about what it’s like to work for your business. Update the careers page. Show your culture and what makes your company a nice place to work.
  • Application processes – applying for a job with you should be easy, with a process that doesn’t put people off. Maybe apply for one of your own roles to see how easy it is and assess things like the time taken to get a reply, quality of communications, etc.
  • Interview techniques – has everyone who hosts interviews been briefed on how you want your brand to feel during an interview process? Now is a great time to develop a training session or briefing pack so the experience is consistent across your company.
  • Employee benefits/package – have you detailed everything in your job descriptions or careers pages that you include for employees? Does your package meet expectations? Do your employees value it, or does it need tweaking? Now is the time to get it just right.

If you’d like to read more see our full blog post for a comprehensive look at this subject: https://www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk/client-recruitment-advice/refreshing-your-approach-to-talent-acquisition

Recruitment news

The end of 2023, saw a slightly subdued recruitment market. The number of jobs being advertised was down, and both permanent and temporary recruitment was down. However, the slowdown is predicted to start to ease in January, as economic confidence grows.

It’s a catch-22 situation though, and as Neil Carberry, REC Chief Executive said, in the December KPMG and REC, UK Report on Jobs, economic growth would provide the ability to cut taxes and fund public services. But the growth needs to come first. The spring budget in March will heavily influence the ability for growth.

Forbes have reported an ‘optimistic outlook on Jobs Market next phase global hiring’. With 39% of hiring leaders saying they are increasing their financial commitment to hiring in 2024, as companies prepare for growth.

Now is the time to ride that wave on the way up, as we see the New Year bringing a surge in candidates dipping their toes and seeing what roles are out there.

Another interesting survey I spotted by Hays, has found the top 10 jobs roles in demand for 2024 are predicted to be:

  • Qualified social workers
  • Multi-skilled maintenance engineers
  • Quantity surveyors
  • Cyber security experts
  • Energy/carbon managers
  • Engineering project managers
  • Special educational needs teaching assistants
  • Credit controllers
  • Newly qualified accountants
  • Supplier relationship managers

I always find these lists interesting as they often have generic roles with new on-trend revamped titles. But they also highlight trends and new areas for businesses, as we see in this list with ‘Energy/carbon managers’ and ‘Cyber security experts’.

(https://www.forbes.com/sites/lucianapaulise/2023/12/19/3-hiring-trends-for-2024-ai-optimism-and-online-recruiting/?sh=4691f9ac4196)

Next HRHuddle

Don’t forget we have two fantastic, virtual sessions coming up, book our free events to reserve your place. There are a lot of employment law updates from Keeley, and she will cover the new holiday rules that went live in January, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions. And Mo’s session could help you unlock a whole new talent pool.

Employment Law Update

What HR & leaders should know about neurodiversity and why it matters

Get booked on so you don’t miss out.

That’s it from me

I hope January is kind to you, and you’re kind to yourself. February’s update will be back to its usual timing of the start of the month. And remember, if you have any questions about recruitment or you’d like to discuss your Jobs Market next phase plans for the year, just get in touch with myself or anyone in my team.

Thank you.

Eloise

Our temps do an amazing job for a wide range of clients in the area. They are some of the most flexible and hardworking people and we want to recognise that every month.

So, if you have a Vanilla temporary worker on assignment, or who has just completed an assignment, who you think has gone above and beyond or exceeded expectations in any way. You can nominate them to receive our Temp of the Month Award.

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We recruit throughout the East Midlands covering Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Rutland and the surrounding areas, especially Market Harborough, Lutterworth, Leicester, Corby and Kettering. We help people find their perfect job and match suitable jobseekers with businesses looking to hire the best candidates across our four specialisms – Marketing, Accountancy & Finance, HR and Office

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