Tag: Recruitment

1. Ocean Edge Executive Search helps Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council strengthen regeneration team

   May 24, 2024 1:41 pm

   

   Sarah Good, Head of Major Projects and Development at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

   We have been delighted to help Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council to strengthen its commitment to ambitious regeneration and renewal plans with the appointment of two new members of staff.

   We worked with the local authority to manage the recruitment process which resulted in the appointment of Sarah Good as Head of Major Projects and Development, and Grant Thornton as Regeneration Manager. They will both work under Director of Regeneration Sarah Longthorpe who joined the council in April last year, following a recruitment process that was also led by us.

   The dedicated regeneration team will spearhead the delivery of programmes including Basing View business district, Basingstoke Leisure Park and the regeneration of Basingstoke town centre.

   Director of Regeneration Sarah Longthorpe says the two new appointments will play a pivotal role in helping to shape the future of the local area.

   “As a forward-looking and financially sustainable council, we are committed to ensuring Basingstoke is a place where people have access to great opportunities and can thrive and where businesses can flourish. This vision is underpinned by our ambitious multimillion pound regeneration plans, working alongside the private sector, which includes developing new leisure facilities, new homes and infrastructure led by local communities as part of well-planned and sustainable development and opportunities for businesses.

   “Both Sarah and Grant bring impressive development experience, and their combined expertise in delivering successful, complex regeneration programmes in other areas of the country will be of huge benefit to Basingstoke.”

   Sarah Good was previously Head of Delivery and Regeneration at Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council, while Grant Thornton was the Interim Manager for Regeneration and Economy at Havant Borough Council.

   For more information about the Basingstoke story, visit www.lovebasingstoke.co.uk/invest/the-basingstoke-story

2. Outsourcing recruitment, is it worth it?

   March 21, 2023 10:55 am

   

   “Working together”

   And what to look for when considering working with an external partner

    

   With budgets increasingly squeezed, organisations are having to make tough decisions on which services to outsource or fulfil inhouse. Using an inhouse team to recruit rather than outsourcing to a recruitment agency might sound a quick way to save money but it may not prove cost effective for all your recruitment in terms of time and money spent.

   As well as ongoing salary costs, internal teams also need constant investment in terms of training and development, holiday, sick pay etc. Out sourcing means you can tap into the experience and resources of a professional team as and when needed, without the ongoing costs or the need to manage or develop the individuals involved.

   Specialist recruitment agencies offer a valuable resource and can deliver real value for money when compared with inhouse teams by:

   • Providing access to a much larger pool of talent, including passive candidates who may not actively be job seeking (and so would have missed a job advert). This greatly increases the chances of finding the right candidate for the job, particularly hard to fill roles.
   • Handling the entire recruitment process, from advertising, producing recruitment packs, dealing with applicants, sorting interviews to handling the offer and let downs. This allows the HR team and the hiring manager to focus on other tasks.
   • Demonstrating expertise, to ensure the right candidate is recruited. Highly experienced and skilled recruiters with a deep understanding of the sector can quickly identify the most suitable candidate and advise on salary expectations and market conditions.
   • Reducing the risk of hiring the wrong person (and the resulting lost productivity and wasted recruitment and training costs), by using rigorous screening processes and sector knowledge to ensure that candidates have the necessary skills and experience.
   • Providing flexibility, with the ability to tap into the expertise and services of an agency as and when needed, which is particularly useful during periods of growth or downsizing.
   • Increasing brand awareness, through a targeted advertising campaign, professional recruitment packs, via social media and by engaging with people in the sector, an agency can help increase brand awareness and improve the reputation of an organisation.
   • Working in partnership, well respected and successful agencies ensure that HR and the hiring manager are engaged throughout the recruitment process in order to effectively work on behalf of an organisation and ensure its cultures and values are represented at all times.

   Unfortunately not all recruitment companies are equal and you need to ensure any agency you work with understands your organisation and is able to recruit to the roles you need. The agency and its staff should illustrate a solid track record of delivering results within your sector and have a proven technique for sourcing the candidates you need. Make sure you get an insight into their recruitment and marketing strategy before appointing them, so that you can make sure their approach is going to be suitable for your business and the roles you need recruiting to.

   It is also worth remembering that this agency will be representing your company and your brand so you need to be confident that the individuals working on your behalf will be professional and effective ambassadors. Often the consultant that is your contact in the agency may not be the person actually engaging with potential candidates. You need to be comfortable that the individuals in the agency recruiting on your behalf will benefit your team.

   Choosing a well-respected, specialist recruitment agency should pay dividends in terms of saving you time and money and enabling you to attract and recruit the best candidates.

3. Ocean Edge marks 20 years as a specialist recruitment agency

   October 12, 2020 2:16 pm

   2020 marks two decades since Ocean Edge was established as a specialist recruitment agency for the affordable housing sector. And what a journey it has been. We have been reflecting on what’s changed in that time and our predictions for the ways candidates and employers are matched in the future.

   20 years in recruitment

   Since 2000 the recruitment industry has evolved to embrace new technology and modern ways of working.

   Interviews that were once arranged with letters or phone calls are now confirmed with texts and emails.

   Even the interview process itself has been modernised to include videos and two stage processes to select candidates for face-to-face meetings. This has proved a valuable addition to the recruitment cycle as prospective employees can be assessed against a job description and whether their personality will fit a team without making physical appointments.

   That’s not to say technology has replaced the vital role of experienced recruiters in the search for the perfect candidate. Recruitment remains a people business. A machine will never be able to build long lasting relationships, attract the right people to an organisation, or use an algorithm to spot potential and talent. Technology is predominantly a marketing tool rather than a driver in recruitment.

   A changing workplace

   The way businesses work has also revolutionised as employers use technology to design a more agile workforce. Home working has become much more common, even before COVID-19, because of the benefits flexible working arrangements bring to both employers and their staff. This work-life balance is now a key consideration for top candidates looking for new opportunities with forward-thinking employers.

   In the work place and recruitment video conferencing has sped up decision-making by removing the need to synchronise people’s physical availability. As long as people have time to spare in their day, they can take part in meetings from anywhere in the country, or indeed the world.

   It has taken a dedicated and agile team at Ocean Edge to adapt to and embrace all of these developments during the past 20 years, while continuing to find extraordinary people who can take an organisation to the next level.

   But what’s next for recruitment?

   Technological and work environment change continues to gain pace. Here at Ocean Edge we are always looking ahead and identifying opportunities so we can offer our clients the best recruitment service.

   The phrase ‘work hard, play hard’ has never been more relevant as employees move more towards home working – blurring the boundaries between personal life and their careers. In the future, all candidates will expect more assurance from employers in terms of flexible working and welfare provision in exchange for their expertise.

   They will need to be IT savvy, as well as maintaining current industry qualifications, in order to stand out in a recruitment process.

   Having an on-paper or electronic CV or personal statement may well become a thing of the past. In their place will be online profiles set up on dedicated micro-sites.

   Indeed, LinkedIn and the internet will become the primary places to advertise and look for new opportunities as the printed newspaper industry flounders. It’s already possible to use the data LinkedIn holds about candidates to target them in online recruitment campaigns. It’s only a matter of time before companies like Google and Amazon launch competing job networks to harness the rich information they capture every day about internet users.

   Whatever the future, the team at Ocean Edge will be keeping a close eye on developments and opportunities that can be used for the benefit of recruitment during the next 20 years and beyond.

   Ocean Edge – a specialist affordable housing recruitment consultancy

   We specialise in working with Housing Associations, Local Authorities, ALMOs, TMOs, private sector consultants, developers and contractors which supply the sector, and private development arms of local authorities. We also have experience of working with large multi-national organisations through to small charities.

   To find out more about our recruitment consultancy services and current opportunities with the affordable housing sector get in contact: call 023 8000 1153 or email info@oceanedge.biz.

4. How to recruit staff effectively first time

   September 11, 2020 9:38 am

   How hard can it be to recruit employees? It’s a question many business managers ask themselves when they are in the thick of a recruitment process, especially when they have decided to take on the task themselves.

   Finding the right candidates can be complex as the best people for a role are often not actively searching for new opportunities. Fail to find the right candidate and you have to start all over again, which is a drain on resources and your time.

   So how do you recruit staff effectively and avoid that costly second round of interviews?

   An effective recruitment strategy

   A mix of advertising and head hunting is the best way to create a shortlist of people who meet the requirements of your vacant post and, importantly, who are a good fit for your organisation.

   As a specialist in recruitment for the social housing sector our tried and tested process includes:

   • Producing and placing recruitment adverts
   • Production of professional recruitment packs
   • A dedicated website advertising the role
   • Candidate response handling and management
   • A full head hunt of qualified individuals who have the skills and attributes needed
   • Longlisting and shortlisting of candidates
   • Organising psychometric testing and assessment, if required
   • Management of the interview process
   • Acting as a member of the interview panel, if required
   • Management of the offer process.

   As you can see, there are multiple steps to effective employee recruitment and all of this can take a considerable amount of organisation. However, being thorough ensures success, which in turn means you don’t have to re-advertise.

   A recruitment consultancy for the affordable housing sector

   The easiest way to recruit employees is to bring in a specialist recruitment consultancy. Ocean Edge has more than 20 years experience in finding the right people for the job.

   Notably, the majority of our clients are repeat customers because they have seen the benefits of working with us instead of trying to recruit themselves. This is because we:

   • focus on achieving a 100% success rate
   • are a small, highly skilled and dedicated team who are passionate about placing the right people in the right roles
   • and we keep our fees lower than other search firms because we are driven by success, so we don’t need to charge higher to cover failed recruitment processes.

   If you work in a social housing organisation and want to build a strong executive team and board talk to us about how we can deliver effective recruitment and executive search services for you.

   Find out more by getting in touch with our teams based in London and Southampton. Call 023 8000 1153 or email info@oceanedge.biz.

5. How to win top talent with a workplace they can’t resist

   January 28, 2020 2:10 pm

   When the best job candidates are on the look out for new opportunities there’s a wide variety of things for them to consider before applying to their preferred employers. The company’s ethos, location and salary packages will all be in the mix. But let’s not forget the importance of the workplace too.

   A good workplace can make the difference between top talent thriving within your business or looking elsewhere to develop their career. Invest in your best employees and provide flexible working arrangements and this will make a noticeable difference to staff retention.

   As well as the culture of your business, it’s important to consider the environment. The best companies to work for in the UK don’t just have the right HR processes in place, they also provide spaces that people want to work in.

   Here’s some of the things you can do to turn your workplace in to one your employees can’t wait to get to each day:

   Invest in your IT infrastructure

   Having the right software and hardware to allow your employees to do their job will make your workplace a much more desirable place to be. When IT systems fail or are not flexible enough this can be a major frustration and will slow productivity.

   Provide excellent facilities

   Investing in non-business critical infrastructure like outdoor seating and socialising spaces will improve morale among your staff. You might also find these become informal collaboration spaces where employees who don’t usually work close together can meet to review shared projects.

   Some top UK employers, like Facebook and Salesforce, even offer free food and drink to their staff.

   Think about your environmental impact

   Working in an environmentally conscious organisation is becoming increasingly important to employees. Think about how you can save energy with smart lighting and heating systems that adapt to how the building is being used. This will also save you money.

   Make it fun

   Employees who enjoy the experience of being at work are more likely to be productive and loyal to their business. That’s why big name brands like Google, Apple and BrewDog invest in summer parties, gyms, chill out zones, and office spaces designed with flare.

   If you are looking to recruit within your affordable housing business then we can help. Ocean Edge has 20 years experience helping the affordable housing sector find the top candidates.

   We have teams in Southampton and London who are ready to help you recruit to your organisation. Find out more about our recruitment consultancy services or call 023 8000 1153 or email info@oceanedge.biz.