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​PM Boris Johnson has announced the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War. So if you’re looking for a new project to get stuck into now could be the perfect time to spruce up your CV and we’ve got 5 top tips on what all construction professionals should be including in their CV’s Rhian Newman: Business Manager Professional & Offsite The construction sector is one of the largest in the UK economy – employing 3.1 million people or over 9% of the workforce. And with Boris Johnson’s recent announcement it looks like the ‘play’ button is about to be pushed, if you haven’t already you can read the announcement right here. There’s no shortage of CV writing tutorials, we understand that as a busy construction professional you just don’t have time to wade through all of the advice. So we’ve put together a quick top 5 tips on what to include in your CV. 1. Profile: simple and to the point It is important to keep this section brief and to focus on your experience and personality. Using generalised comments such as “I am a hardworking, pro-active, honest person” won’t make you stand out - everybody says that (but you’re not everyone!) This section is your chance to demonstrate what makes you uniquely suitable for the roles you’re applying for. Try turning the tables, if you were hiring what would you be looking for in that person? You should always include: Skills that are significant to the role you are applying for Personality traits that would benefit the job and the company Areas or sectors you’ve worked in previously that are similar to the project Remember the person hiring may have to read a lot of CV’s. Simple, clear, and to the point. Avoid CV cliché’s and you’ll help yourself to stand out in the crowd. 2. Skills/Expertise: expand but keep it relevant Do you feel like you have more skills to talk about but you couldn’t get them into your profile? This is the perfect place to put them. Bullet points are your friend here, list out all of your skills that would perfect for the role. Again keep it relevant and bear in mind the person reading this, it’s a great area to make their life easier. 3. Education/Qualifications – keep it simple This might feel more significant if you’re looking to get your foot on the career ladder, but it’s important to include this information whatever your level. Reference as a simple, chronological list: what you studied, where, and when. You don’t need to include all of your GCSE/ O Levels. Keep it concise, for example, Eight GCSE’s inclusive of Maths and English. Those are the two main things people are looking for so make reading your CV simpler where you can. 4. Experience: consistent and mind the gaps This should be brief and chronological. You don’t need to go in-depth on every project you’ve been involved in or the company you’ve worked for. A good idea is to focus on your last five projects or the last three companies, include your other work history but expand on these. Again make use of bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions. Highlight the major achievements of your job. Did you complete the project on time/ early? Was it on budget? What kind of budgets are you used to working with? A simple format that will hit all of the bases is: Dates Company name (if you used an agency ensure you use the company name, not the agency) Job title Key duties and projects Be sure to include any promotions, they’re achievements and companies want to know what you have done successfully. 5. References: show that you’re confident Don’t be afraid to name people on your CV. Add their job title as well, if you’re not comfortable adding phone numbers just say that you can supply contact details on request PM Boris Johnson has announced the most radical reforms to our planning system since the Second World War. So if you’re looking for a new project to get stuck into now could be the perfect time to spruce up your CV and we’ve got 5 top tips on what all construction professionals should be including in their CV’s. Rhian Newman: Business Manager Professional & Offsite The construction sector is one of the largest in the UK economy – employing 3.1 million people or over 9% of the workforce. And with Boris Johnson’s recent announcement it looks like the ‘play’ button is about to be pushed, if you haven’t already you can read the announcement right here. There’s no shortage of CV writing tutorials, we understand that as a busy construction professional you just don’t have time to wade through all of the advice. So we’ve put together a quick top 5 tips on what to include in your CV. 1. Profile: simple and to the point It is important to keep this section brief and to focus on your experience and personality. Using generalised comments such as “I am a hardworking, pro-active, honest person” won’t make you stand out - everybody says that (but you’re not everyone!) This section is your chance to demonstrate what makes you uniquely suitable for the roles you’re applying for. Try turning the tables, if you were hiring what would you be looking for in that person? You should always include: Skills that are significant to the role you are applying for Personality traits that would benefit the job and the company Areas or sectors you’ve worked in previously that are similar to the project Remember the person hiring may have to read a lot of CV’s. Simple, clear, and to the point. Avoid CV cliché’s and you’ll help yourself to stand out in the crowd. 2. Skills/Expertise: expand but keep it relevant Do you feel like you have more skills to talk about but you couldn’t get them into your profile? This is the perfect place to put them. Bullet points are your friend here, list out all of your skills that would perfect for the role. Again keep it relevant and bear in mind the person reading this, it’s a great area to make their life easier. 3. Education/Qualifications – keep it simple This might feel more significant if you’re looking to get your foot on the career ladder, but it’s important to include this information whatever your level. Reference as a simple, chronological list: what you studied, where, and when. You don’t need to include all of your GCSE/ O Levels. Keep it concise, for example, Eight GCSE’s inclusive of Maths and English. Those are the two main things people are looking for so make reading your CV simpler where you can. 4. Experience: consistent and mind the gaps This should be brief and chronological. You don’t need to go in-depth on every project you’ve been involved in or the company you’ve worked for. A good idea is to focus on your last five projects or the last three companies, include your other work history but expand on these. Again make use of bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions. Highlight the major achievements of your job. Did you complete the project on time/ early? Was it on budget? What kind of budgets are you used to working with? A simple format that will hit all of the bases is: Dates Company name (if you used an agency ensure you use the company name, not the agency) Job title Key duties and projects Be sure to include any promotions, they’re achievements and companies want to know what you have done successfully. 5. References: show that you’re confident Don’t be afraid to name people on your CV. Add their job title as well, if you’re not comfortable adding phone numbers just say that you can supply contact details on request

​The last few weeks have been a huge learning curve for us all - when will construction sites open again? How can we all stay safe in a construction working environment during the COVID-19 pandemic? We've been asking our clients these questions and in this blog, we'll look at what support you need and want from your recruiter. Rob Ford, Head of Thorn Baker Construction Over the last 10 weeks, I've learnt more (in some cases) about my colleagues, candidates and clients than I have in the last 16 years - I'm sure this is the case for a lot of you as well. The team and I at Thorn Baker Construction have also developed our industry knowledge about everything from PPE to risk assessments, well-being to resilience. Some key stats from what we've been doing over the last 10 weeks include; Organised and delivered over 300 hours of training to our staff on a variety of subjects: mental resilience, recruitment compliance, team building and the best ways to manage teams remotely to name a few. We will continue adding to our training program on a weekly basis. We've furloughed over 600 of our temporary candidates: this has ensured that those without money or work have not gone without. Now working with over 50 candidates, brand new to Thorn Baker, who were seeking advice and direction on the furlough system due to not receiving help or direction from their previous employers. Working closely with over 100 of our regular clients to take on board all of their individual risk assessments, the changes being put in place and messages that needed to be cascaded down to the workforce. Our Managers have attended weekly meetings/webinars with the REC, HMRC and APSCO to ensure our knowledge base is up to date, and we're confident with the latest changes as they happen. We have purchased a stock of FFP2 masks and latex gloves: developed a system to get them to our clients and candidates anywhere in the country in less than 24 hours if required. Adjusted all of our procedures and vetting questions when taking on job requirements for our clients and candidates alike to match the government guidance as well as what our customers need to know. My mission as we headed into lockdown was that I wished for us to come back stronger, smarter and easier to work with when we came out, we still have work to be done we are getting there. Our values could not have been more relevant in the last 10 testing weeks; Solution-focused: You can see from the above that our focus is to make our clients and candidates lives easier where we possibly can. Positive-minded: When the world is reasonably full of negative news right now and this value has been preached from the rooftops, we’ve tried to keep the smiles on our faces at all times. People-driven: We're holding daily meetings since this started and grown closer to our colleagues, candidates and clients. Hopefully, our strengthened bonds are a sign of what is to come. A lot of our learning over the last 10 weeks has come from having quality conversations with those in the construction industry. We feel that good quality communication and collaboration in the coming months will be the key to make the coming challenges easier and more efficient for all involved. Over the last two weeks we have asked our clients two questions in order for us to continue to improve our services; What can recruiters do to improve service post-COVID-19? The top 3 responses given by our clients were: But what were the other responses? We actually received quite a few ideas from this question but the top 3 we're definitely clear. The other responses we received were: What is the one thing recruiters can do to improve efficiency for you? The most recent report from Glenigans has said that: across England and Wales, only around 16% of sites are still suspended, and with Northern Ireland starting to reopen sites and Scotland gearing up gearing for a planned easing of the lockdown from 15 June, activity is picking up pace across the UK. Also, a spike in the number of planning decisions on large projects suggests that the industry has a potentially growing pipeline of planned projects as the lockdown is eased further over the weeks ahead. You can view the full report on their YouTube channel right here. From our survey results and the positives coming from governing bodies alike it feels like we're slowly creeping into a sense of normality (well the new normal!). And the overall message I'd like to give to our clients and candidates is that simply when you are ready we're here to support you. Whether you need staff on-site, advice and support on supplying PPE or if you're a candidate who's not sure how furlough could work for you - contact us.  The service we provide is built upon our core values: Solution-focused, Positive-minded and People-driven. That's what we do and who we are. If you need support don't hesitate to contact us right here. The last few weeks have been a huge learning curve for us all - when will construction sites open again? How can we all stay safe in a construction working environment during the COVID-19 pandemic? We've been asking our clients these questions and in this blog, we'll look at what support you need and want from your recruiter. Rob Ford, Head of Thorn Baker Construction Over the last 10 weeks, I've learnt more (in some cases) about my colleagues, candidates and clients than I have in the last 16 years - I'm sure this is the case for a lot of you as well. The team and I at Thorn Baker Construction have also developed our industry knowledge about everything from PPE to risk assessments, well-being to resilience. Some key stats from what we've been doing over the last 10 weeks include; Organised and delivered over 300 hours of training to our staff on a variety of subjects: mental resilience, recruitment compliance, team building and the best ways to manage teams remotely to name a few. We will continue adding to our training program on a weekly basis. We've furloughed over 600 of our temporary candidates: this has ensured that those without money or work have not gone without. Now working with over 50 candidates, brand new to Thorn Baker, who were seeking advice and direction on the furlough system due to not receiving help or direction from their previous employers. Working closely with over 100 of our regular clients to take on board all of their individual risk assessments, the changes being put in place and messages that needed to be cascaded down to the workforce. Our Managers have attended weekly meetings/webinars with the REC, HMRC and APSCO to ensure our knowledge base is up to date, and we're confident with the latest changes as they happen. We have purchased a stock of FFP2 masks and latex gloves: developed a system to get them to our clients and candidates anywhere in the country in less than 24 hours if required. Adjusted all of our procedures and vetting questions when taking on job requirements for our clients and candidates alike to match the government guidance as well as what our customers need to know. My mission as we headed into lockdown was that I wished for us to come back stronger, smarter and easier to work with when we came out, we still have work to be done we are getting there. Our values could not have been more relevant in the last 10 testing weeks; Solution-focused: You can see from the above that our focus is to make our clients and candidates lives easier where we possibly can. Positive-minded: When the world is reasonably full of negative news right now and this value has been preached from the rooftops, we’ve tried to keep the smiles on our faces at all times. People-driven: We're holding daily meetings since this started and grown closer to our colleagues, candidates and clients. Hopefully, our strengthened bonds are a sign of what is to come. A lot of our learning over the last 10 weeks has come from having quality conversations with those in the construction industry. We feel that good quality communication and collaboration in the coming months will be the key to make the coming challenges easier and more efficient for all involved. Over the last two weeks we have asked our clients two questions in order for us to continue to improve our services; What can recruiters do to improve service post-COVID-19? The top 3 responses given by our clients were: But what were the other responses? We actually received quite a few ideas from this question but the top 3 we're definitely clear. The other responses we received were: What is the one thing recruiters can do to improve efficiency for you? The most recent report from Glenigans has said that: across England and Wales, only around 16% of sites are still suspended, and with Northern Ireland starting to reopen sites and Scotland gearing up gearing for a planned easing of the lockdown from 15 June, activity is picking up pace across the UK. Also, a spike in the number of planning decisions on large projects suggests that the industry has a potentially growing pipeline of planned projects as the lockdown is eased further over the weeks ahead. You can view the full report on their YouTube channel right here. From our survey results and the positives coming from governing bodies alike it feels like we're slowly creeping into a sense of normality (well the new normal!). And the overall message I'd like to give to our clients and candidates is that simply when you are ready we're here to support you. Whether you need staff on-site, advice and support on supplying PPE or if you're a candidate who's not sure how furlough could work for you - contact us.  The service we provide is built upon our core values: Solution-focused, Positive-minded and People-driven. That's what we do and who we are. If you need support don't hesitate to contact us right here.

If you're a Contracts or Operations Manager working in the Facilities Management, Building Services Maintenance or Soft Services Industries, and you often find yourself frustrated and stressed out when hiring new staff - this is the blog for you. Joanne Crampton, Head of Thorn Baker Estates, Facilities & Maintenance ​ 1, Create a timescale by working backwards from the ideal start date. So you need a Commercial Gas Maintenance Engineer in place for a new contract starting on 2nd December - work backwards from that date: One week for onboarding before contract start = ideal start date of 25th November. Taking into account four weeks’ notice (standard for a good Engineer with excellent work history already working elsewhere) means you’ll need to have an offer in writing to them by no later than 28th October. Two weeks to complete 1st and 2nd stage interviews will mean booking out time for the first round of interviews week commencing 14th October. You want a selection of candidates to see on the days you’ve planned for interviews? You’ll need a week of advertising (or better still, a week for your specialist recruitment agency to find candidates ready for interview on your chosen dates) – so that means having your job spec and ideal profile ready by 7th October.  Working back from the ideal start date gives you and your recruitment partners a realistic and sensible timeframe to work to. 2, Get organised. This goes hand in hand with the above – if you want to hire someone for your team you’re going to need to plan time out of your normal workday for advert writing, CV reading and interviews. Don’t try to just cram it in around your workload – this will only lead to frustration and stress. The most important thing is making sure that you have dates earmarked for interviews – great candidates can form a bad impression of a company very quickly if you can’t put aside time with a reasonable amount of notice for an interview. You can read more about candidates biggest bugbears in this great article from Glassdoor here  3, Make sure you know what you are looking for. This might sound like a no-brainer but in reality, a lot of Hiring Managers start the process without having a clear idea of exactly what they're looking for – leaving them upset when the wrong type of candidates start flowing into their inbox. You need to be able to articulate very clearly (either on an advert, to your internal recruitment team or your agency partner) what specifically you're looking for. Make sure you cover qualifications, skills, experience and personality otherwise you will soon find yourself frustrated at the amount of time you are wasting interviewing the “wrong” candidates. Ask us about our TalentMatch system and how we can help you figure out what you’re looking for – or just fill in our enquiry form here. 4, Set service levels for each stage of the hiring process. We work in an industry where service level agreements, procedures and deadlines determine what we do every day and in what order. So why should your recruitment process be any different? Agree with your internal recruitment team, your specialist agencies and most importantly yourself what service levels you will work too. For example: 24 hours to respond to a CV/application. Three business days to arrange an interview. one week to get an offer of employment out. Whichever part of the process you are at you should have a relevant service level, which has been agreed and communicated to everyone involved. This will prevent frustrations with the expectations set for yourself, your internal and external recruitment team, and most crucially - your candidates. Give us a call on 08444 060086 to talk to one of our specialists about our Proven Process and how agreeing service levels with our clients helps to reduce their hiring frustrations. 5, Enjoy it! A lot of people view recruitment as a necessary chore rather than a positive opportunity to strengthen their team. A lot of the time you’re forced to hire someone new because one of your team has left or had to be let go - it’s time-consuming and in the current climate, from the skills shortage to Brexit to worry about, it’s also very hard work! With the right positive attitude, recruiting a new member of staff can be a brilliant experience. You’ll meet new and interesting people, gain valuable market knowledge from your recruitment partners, have the opportunity to forge great working relationships with internal recruitment staff AND find someone who can actually make your working life easier in the future. What’s not to love?

Flexible working is becoming an increasingly popular option for both Employees and Hiring Managers across employment sectors. There's been a rise recently of 61% in the number of employers that have the option available. This increase is mainly based on office work, which is far different from the types of work undertaken retail and warehouse staff. In this blog, we will be looking at whether flexible working is a viable option across industrial employment sectors. As well as how you as a Hiring Manager could use these options to boost your current and future workforce. Matthew Dann, Thorn Baker Industrial Recruitment Director What does flexible working mean? ‘Flexible working’ is an umbrella term that defines a variety of ways that employees can enjoy a better work-life balance, including: Remote working: Working from home or another out-of-office location, such as a coffee shop Job sharing: Responsibilities of a role are split between two people Compressed hours: Allowing employees to work longer hours and fewer days Annualised hours: A certain number of hours are spread flexibly throughout the year Staggered hours: Staff members work the same number of hours but can have start and end times that better suit their lifestyle Flexitime: Employees must work ‘core hours’ but can take advantage of flexible start and finish times when necessary Engage for Success have reported that manual and service roles can still benefit from certain types of flexible working – such as compressed hours and job sharing – and 53% of employers have said that they believe all industries should make it an option for their workers. ​What are the benefits of flexible working? A better work-life balance Increased productivity (82% of employees say they get more work done when working flexibly) A less stressful commute More flexibility for personal needs Greater job satisfaction Many employers agree flexible working improves the workplace by: Boosting morale (70% of employers agreed that staff were happier in their role) Increased productivity (58% noted that flexibility resulted in better performance) A more relaxed and pleasant office atmosphere Lowered costs and overall emissions Better overall organisation and communication There’s even ‘national day’s’ celebrating the benefits of flexible working: Flexible Working Day, Work Wise Week and National Work from Home Day Flexible working is great! But is it achievable in an Industrial workplace? In our recent blog, the top 6 issues hiring managers will face this summer, and how to overcome them, we looked at the challenges that all Hiring and Production Managers face during seasonal peak times: Hiring Time Planned Vs. Unplanned Absences Candidate Quality Flexibility Needed Unexpected Orders High Temperatures in the Workplace Many of you already know that a temporary job can satisfy both businesses and workers. Temporary work offers more flexibility than a permanent position and is increasingly becoming popular to meet individual’s needs. Businesses are now seeing this as a great way to recruit, test candidates abilities and how they fit into their working environment.  Can you as a business apply flexible working even further within your business? The employment world is changing and in order to retain the very best workers, businesses need to adapt with it. Ways that you could apply flexible working are: Extended operating hours: this would allow shift flexibility if you don’t already have this in place and expands your operations to cope with the 24/7 expectations of modern customers. Job share: this can help to attract a skilled workforce that requires part-time hours and needs a better work/life balance. Health and Wellbeing: flexibility may help to improve health and wellbeing and, as a result, reduce absenteeism and increase productivity. What are the potential barriers? The Undercover Recruiter has stated that some potential barriers include: Potential operational difficulties, additional costs and resistance from managers Possible pressure on workers who aren’t requesting flexible working Potential negative impact on customer service and quality of work Problems in scheduling work and shifts with varied work arrangements to consider Difficulties in communicating with employees not working on organisational premises ‘Flexible working’ & ‘work/life balance’ are very real issues for today’s workforce. The Industrial Recruitment sector is now well into peak season, and candidates have greater choice of assignments than ever before – it’s vital that we all look at ways to both attract and retain job-seeking candidates. If you'd like to discuss any of these points further you can contact your local branch here.

Seasonal peaks are approaching and companies like yours will need extra support from your recruitment partner. This blog will be helpful for Hiring and Production Managers like you, who will be facing these challenges, and how you can overcome them. Michael Martin, Nottingham Branch Manager Summer is here (even if the weather doesn’t always agree) and I know from speaking with my clients that the same topics come up year after year – unplanned absences, how long it takes to hire, candidate quality needed. The great news is that with careful planning and the help of your local branch you can overcome all of your seasonal hiring challenges.   Hiring Time The nature of the temporary work beast is to hire the best workers and train them to be ready in time for your busy peak – all within an already condensed timeline. At a time like this, it’s crucial to make the right hire the first time around. Start your hiring process early, make sure that your recruitment partner is working with accurate job descriptions; are there any perks to working at your business? Do you have the best cob van in the area? We all know the power of a great breakfast cob… ‘The team has daily contact with me ensuring all staff supplied have turned in and to address any issues. I am very impressed with the standard of service and professionalism – nothing has been too much trouble. I would highly recommend the team.’ Broxtowe Borough Council Planned Vs. Unplanned Absences This happens in all businesses, we can plan our teams holidays but emergencies and last minute requests come up – Illness, holidays, childcare, sudden departure. Working with a recruitment partner is a quick way to fix all (and any other) of these sudden needs as they arise. We’ve worked in the Industry for over 30 years and understand how critical these hires are and we’re ready to support you with both planned and unplanned absences. Candidate Quality A big challenge that our clients face is finding people at short notice with the skills they need, competition for skilled staff during peak times can be high. A quick and easy way to overcome this hurdle is to team up with a recruitment partner. No more scrambling to post your advert on as many jobs boards as you can – we can take care of this for you and will have been speaking to the very best candidates face to face well ahead of time. Our database has been growing for over 30 years, so you can be sure that we already know the best people.   ‘Since the team have been onsite at temporary staff morale has improved which I put down to the team treating their staff as people instead of numbers. I have no hesitation in recommending the services of Thorn Baker.’ Plastique Flexibility Needed The beauty of a temporary job is that it can satisfy both businesses and workers. Temporary work offers more flexibility than a permanent position and is increasingly becoming popular to meet individual’s needs. Businesses are now seeing this as a great way to recruit, test candidates abilities and how they fit into their working environment. As temporary specialists, your Consultant can quickly provide your business with qualified staff for both long and short time jobs. Unexpected Orders Things happen. We all know that orders from clients can come through at the last minute. By working with your Consultant you can rest assured that we will always be working on your candidate pool. With regular site inductions and in-house testing, we’re there when you need us, helping to support you in fulfilling your clients’ orders.   'I have used Thorn Baker for well over a decade, I know the office well and the service is as strong and consistent now as it ever was. It outshines the competition on every aspect of labour supply. I trust my contact and if a problem does come up it is dealt with immediately.’ XPO Logistics High Temperatures in the Work Place The summer weather can mean uncomfortable temperatures for some in a manufacturing and logistics environment, which can lead to dehydration. Symptoms of dehydration include headaches and poor concentration & attention span. To keep our clients performing at their best the sales team will be delivering our branded water bottles, to not only keep you hydrated but also reduce single-use plastic cups (following on from our blog; Treasury Mulls over Packaging Taxes to Reduce Waste in On-the-Go Packaging). Please keep a look out for them! We work with businesses like yours who struggle to hire throughout the year as well as seasonal peaks every day. By understanding what a business needs and successfully delivering it time and time again we make our client's hiring life easy - simple. If you'd like to discuss your current and upcoming recruitment needs you can contact your local branch here. Don't miss out on all the latest industrial news, tips and jobs Subscribe here