Infinity Recruitment

Blog

  • Is it time to employ extra staff?

    If you are a business owner then your ultimate goal will probably be to grow your business over time. It may be that you started off working on your own and as you take on more clients, you need more people to get the work done.

    It may be a gradually build up or suddenly if you have a big job come in or to cover busy periods. Some businesses need to have more than one member of staff to even start trading and this can often be quite risky for start-up businesses that do not know how well they will succeed. If you employ someone you will need to ensure that you adhere to all the strict employment laws and pay them at least the minimum wage. You will also need to take tax off them and make a contribution to HMRC through their pay.

    As a good business owner it is vital that you always have a good idea of what turnover and importantly, profit you are making. From this you can work out how much you can afford to pay an employee ensuring you still have enough profit within the company and also allowing for cash flow.

    If you need extra help but do not want to employ someone you may decide to use sub-contractors or sub the work out to another company.

  • Looking for work in an office

    If you are looking for work then you may consider a job in an office. This is often a very popular choice as there is a huge number of jobs in different industries that involve working in an office situation. It is also very popular amongst school leavers as there is often a large amount of these types of roles available and some require little or no experience. It may be that you start off in a junior position and can quickly progress in to a more senior role. Office jobs can vary widely depending on what industry they are in. If you chose to take on an office job that is based within a company that deals directly with the public, then you may find that much of your role is customer facing and dealing with customer enquiries, complaints or taking orders. If the job is working for a company that deals with other businesses then you can expect to be talking to suppliers and business customers.

    Working in an office is a great way to get a feel for a work place. You will often get to liaise with different departments and get to understand how the company works.

  • Carrying out job interviews

    If you are in a position in your business when you need to take on more staff then unfortunately you will have to go through the recruitment process which can take up a lot of time and cost a lot of money.  

    Usually, the process for acquiring new staff follows a general pattern. The initial stage is to advertise the job, this may be done through an agency, on a jobs board, in local papers or on your own website or a combination of all of them. Once you have advertised the job you will need to start looking through applications or CV’s to create a shortlist of people that you think maybe well suited. You may flow this up with a quick phone interview just to get a brief overview of the person or to clear up any queries on their CV.

    You may then wish to invite a number of people in for a formal interview. This is where you can really start to understand what skills and experience the person has and get to know a little bit more about their personality.  Carrying out an interview can be as nervous as attending one, but planning it out in advance is key. Make sure you have a set of generic questions you will ask all candidates and then highlight parts of their application or CV that you want to discuss in more detail.

  • Which jobs are the best paid?

    If you are thinking about what your next job venture is going to be then you may be interested to know what the top paid jobs are. Some industries are known for higher paid jobs than others but within any industry there is often a wide range of salaries. For example a solicitor may be on fifty thousand pounds plus a year whereas the receptionist that works in the same office may only be on fifteen thousand pounds year. Depending on the company you work for, the hours you work and even what part of the country you work in can have a massive impact on your salary. 

    In the UK the highest paid jobs are usually found in London. You may get paid a lot more for the same job in London as in other parts of the UK but you do also need to bear in mind that also the cost of living in London is much higher than the rest of the UK so unless you commute there from out of the city, you may not end up taking home much more money.

    The financial sector often offers quite well paid jobs. Also jobs that require a number of years training such as doctors, accountants and vets often come with a good salary package. You may need to have a degree to apply for certain jobs, but even if you do not attend college or university you can still earn a good wage by working your way up the ladder.

  • Job hunting – How to start your search

    The way of the world today means the majority of us need to work in order to pay the bills. If you are recently qualified and looking for work or have lost a job and need to find another one quick, you may start to panic about the process.

    Searching for a job can be a time consuming process. It can also be a little disheartening if you are struggling to find positions that you want to apply for and that you have the necessary qualifications and/or experience in which to apply for. 

    There are a number of ways to find jobs but often searching online gives you more opportunities and vacancies to apply for that traditional methods. If you wish to you can also register with a jobs agency who will continue searching on your behalf. It may be that they already are speaking to a company that has a vacancy coming up that would be suitable for you. If they do have one or find one they will put your details forward to the company and ask them if they wish for you to attend an interview. Jobs agencies normally charge the employer a finder’s fee for permanent job placements, so as a candidate you will not have to pay anything. If you are looking for temporary work then you may have a percentage of your salary taken by the agency to cover their fees.