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For a lot of businesses the summer months are an unusual time of year with many questioning if now is the time to recruit or to wait until after the peak holiday season is over before looking to make changes within their organisation. The months of June, July and August are a great time to attract new talent to your business for a number of reasons though and with the technology that we all have at our fingertips these days the process is easier than ever before. In years gone by we could lose weeks with people heading off abroad and being out of touch, but in 2018 most of us travel with a smart phone at the very least allowing for messages, calls and emails to reach us wherever we are on the globe. The technology also allows for browsing through job boards at a time of year when people perhaps have time away from their usual routine and allow their minds to turn to thoughts of the future. ​After enjoying the last few weeks of beautifully sunny weather it's positive news for the British job market with CV Library quoting an increase of 5.9% in advertised roles with an rise of 1.2% in salaries across the UK. So while companies seem confident about recruiting, what does this mean for candidates? According to a recent mid year survey by Totaljobs Group 64% of employees in IT state that they cannot see themselves in the same role this time next year, and while this may not mean they are being pro active in searching for a new role, this could be the perfect time to tap into talent who may be open to the idea of a new opportunity. So why is summer such a great time for the recruitment industry? Here are some of the reasons... 1. Happy holidays The summer period isn't just a time for rest and relaxation, for many it's time away from their place of work and an opportunity to reflect upon their life and career plans. Moving outside of the usual routine can be a time for contemplation which can often lead to big decisions about career plans. Even if someone is enjoying time off at home for the summer, the mid year provides a natural time for pondering over whether they are doing what they had hoped back a few months ago at New Year. 2. Time out With many taking time out over the summer months on annual leave and the usual working week sometimes being disrupted by with flexible working, this is naturally a time of year when it can be more convenient for candidates to take calls regarding potential new roles. With the routine working hours being a little out of the ordinary the opportunity to pop off to an interview goes more easily unnoticed, taking away one of the barriers to a job search. 3. Refreshed and recharged We all know that the sunshine lifts the mood and makes most of us feel happier. After the grey winter months most of us enjoy the warmer weather finding it leaves us re-energised and ready to take on a new challenge. It's that mindset and feeling that leads to refreshed enthusiasm and many being open to new opportunities and a job change. 4. Fresh talent With the end of year marking graduation time for those leaving university, these months see an injection of fresh new talent into the pool of potential candidates. Having successfully completed a degree, graduates are ready to work and actively searching for a suitable position. If you have a job opportunity waiting in the wings that you'd like to discuss, now's the perfect time to begin promoting the role, or as the saying goes 'make hay while the sun shines'!

The Job Search Begins By the time most of us finish university we've already had some experience in the world of work with many working part time over weekends, evenings and holidays during their studies. After all the hard work and study that's been put in over the university years then comes the job search, with most having the expectation that they will go into the field they've been studying towards with Grad Touch stating that 29% of graduates take on roles that they didn't expect to at the point that they graduated. The real numbers... The reality is however that not everyone ends up in the career they expected with a lengthy job search. Just last year Grad Touch reported that on average it takes 108 days to find a job once they've graduated; with a slightly shocking 20% of grads stating that they didn't feel at optimistic about their career prospects and 45% saying they were 'really worried' about their future career. It's certainly not all doom and gloom out there though as as there are some fantastic companies offering well constructed graduate programmes that strive to support their new recruits and see them progress in their careers. What are the options? The options for graduates searching for their first full time role are many, however it's worth pinpointing a few of the most viable options to increase the chance of securing a successful position. 44% of grads told Grad Touch that they secured their graduate role via an online job board, however in addition to taking to the internet to search for your perfect role, we highly recommend speaking with a Recruiter (of course we do!). Ideally a specialist company that works within the sector that interests you most, but that doesn't mean you should rule out areas you hadn't considered. Our other recommendation would be to apply for a graduate scheme. Why choose a grad scheme? Graduate schemes are specifically designed for those leaving University and entering full time employment. A good grad scheme, much like those offered by Understanding Recruitment will take into consideration that this may be your first time working in that kind of environment and offer an appropriate mentor or mentors to help you find your way and achieve success within the company. Most companies offering grad schemes will be looking to develop the grads they take on and help them to grow their skills and experience. They will usually provide a structured approach to your career development so you know what to expect from your time there from the first week onwards. An investment from both sides It's a big investment when a company takes on a graduate, both in terms of their time and the financial implications. There's a commitment from them to make the early months work for the person they take into the organisation, to help them to settle into their new role and to be provided with training that will equip them for the tasks expected of them. Many will have a thorough interview process - we tend to take the view that it's a two way street and needs to work for both the company and the employee. The bottom line is that a good grad scheme will provide you with the knowledge and training needed. It will support you as you progress, providing opportunities along the way and provide a firm basis on which your future career can build upon.

Over the past few years we've been watching the global tech trends with interest, and with our own expansion plan in full swing, we were interested to see the Berlin tech scene developing. We are delighted to have launched our German operation in Berlin this week and are excited to see what the future brings for this new European tech hub. A Creative Community The German capital has long been known as a centre for culture and art within Europe which automatically lends itself to attracting a vibrant and creative community within the area. This is certainly a factor when it comes to the thriving tech scene that has developed in the city. Berlin is experiencing growth with more start ups within tech in the city where new ventures and ideas are being created all the time. The combination of the creative community coupled with a low cost of living makes it the ideal place. In comparison to Silicon Valley or European cities such as London the cost of living in Berlin lends itself to business start ups without the financial pressure of a high cost area. The Tech Giants are already there It's not just the start ups favouring Berlin though, tech giants such as SoundCloud call the city home with their headquarters next door to the remains of the Berlin Wall which divided East and West Germany until 1989. Another big business who have a base in the city is Amazon who run their German operation from the capital. What started out as a customer service centre for the company now encompasses development for technologies management tools and operating systems for the Amazon platforms. Our Future in Germany Our new German operation is now up and running with our Head of Java, Sam McBroom heading it up alongside Java Consultant Alex Bloisi and their growing team, all of whom are looking forward to contributing to the further growth within the Berlin tech market. For companies looking to recruit in Berlin, or candidates searching for an opportunity, please get in touch with Alex via email or by calling +44 1727 228 235. We are also recruiting internally for German speaking team members. Please contact Emily Kitamura via email or by calling +44 1727 228 255.

When you’re applying for jobs, there’s only a short window in which to impress a recruiter. Therefore, it’s important that you keep your CV relevant, up to date and to the point. That said, many people struggle to write a concise CV, especially if you have a wealth of experience and skills that you want to shout about. Read on for our advice on how to keep your CV relevant with recruiters to ensure you don’t miss the mark. TAILOR IT TO EVERY ROLE Firing out a generic CV isn’t going to get you anywhere. In order to make it relevant, you need to tailor it to every role you apply to. Start by running through the job description and highlighting the key skills and experience required for the role. Then, ensure that your CV demonstrates that you are able to tick every single box. Pay particular attention to your personal profile at the top of your CV as this is what will catch the recruiter’s attention to begin with. MATCH YOUR SKILLS TO THE JOB Now, you can start to match your skills to the role you’re applying to. For example, if the recruiter is looking for someone with great communication skills and a proven track-record in improving customer satisfaction, you’ll need to give an example of a time where you’ve done this. Picking out the main skills and keywords and peppering these throughout your CV is a good tactic for keeping your CV relevant. Just be careful of overdoing it. You don’t want it to look like you’re twisting the truth. KEEP IT TO TWO PAGES As recruiters scan through hundreds of CVs every day, it’s best to keep yours no longer than two pages. Of course, this will vary on a case-by-case basis, especially for the more seasoned professionals. However, anything longer than this and you may start to bore your reader. If in doubt, play around with your margins and font size to fit as much content in as possible. Just be wary that it still needs to be readable! DON’T WAFFLE Similar to the above, avoid waffling on your CV, as this is a sure-fire way to lose a recruiter’s interest. Make it relevant by keeping your sentences concise and to the point. For example, pick out one key highlight from each job you’ve worked in, rather than listing out your daily to-do list. Alongside this, tighten up your wording in places: you don’t need to list out every single grade that you got in your GCSEs – a simple ‘10 GCSEs grades A*-C’ will suffice. MODERNISE YOUR FORMAT Once you’re happy with the content in your CV, it could be time to play around with your layout and format. Some industries welcome creative layouts, while others prefer candidates to keep it professional. Try using easy to read, but modern, fonts such as Arial or Calibri. These can instantly make your CV look much more presentable, modern and relevant. MAKE YOUR CV RELEVANT These are just some ways to keep your CV relevant with recruiters. Remember, you only have a short amount of time to impress a potential employer and your CV should speak volumes about who you are, what you’ve achieved and what your potential is going forward. Spend time tweaking, tailoring and proofreading your CV to ensure that it’s as effective as possible. Putting in the time and effort now will certainly pay off later and you’ll be able to secure an amazing new job, in no time.

June is a month for celebrating here at Understanding Recruitment with this month marking our tenth anniversary in business! Looking back over the last decade it's hard to believe how far the company has come since it's inception ten years ago. First formed by Founding Directors, Chris Jackson and Dale Swords Understanding Recruitment began life with just the two of them in a tiny office, but has experienced huge growth and are expecting to top 60 staff before the year is out with a strategic plan in place for both UK and International growth. The Groundwork... Having graduated from Brunel University in 1994 Chris Jackson joined a large IT recruitment organisation based in London. He worked his way up the ladder from Resourcer to Associate Director with achievements such as placing over 250 candidates within an International organisation under his belt. Similarly, after graduating Dale joined the sector with one of the UK's most successful recruitment firms. Starting out as a Graduate Trainee he gained valuable experience before establishing Understanding Recruitment with business partner, Chris. How it all began Having gained a collective 25 years experience in the field, both Chris and Dale decided to follow a long standing dream and create their own company. With a clear cut idea of the company values they wanted to achieve the two set about establishing an organisation that could really live up to it's name. What's in a name? The choice of company name 10 years ago was no accident. The title conveys exactly what they wanted future customers to know about them; that they truly understand recruitment and all that it entails for both the candidates and the companies. What makes Understanding Recruitment stand out from the sea of other recruitment firms is the attention to detail. It's been an integral part of the company ethos over the years with the founding partners, and all employees since taking the time to thoroughly understand what the needs of the companies they work, and comprehend the culture in order to successfully place the right candidate. In the same way, our recruiters strive to discover what makes their candidates tick giving them the edge when it comes to placing them in a position that will be an ideal fit not only for their skill set, but also their working style and personality. We believe that this has been absolutely key to both the success and growth we've experienced over the years with more than 90% of our business being repeat custom. Growing the team Starting from a partnership of just two, Chris and Dale soon added to their team with James Mills being the first to join them during their first year. Still with the company a decade on, James continues to help build and develop his team as Head of .NET. As time has gone by we are proud to have added a number of specialist teams and now have dedicated departments in Mobile & Web, Data & Digital, Dev Ops & Cloud Machine Learning & AI and Fintech amongst other niche areas. Specialising in this way has undoubtedly allowed us greater success with the tech industry growth picking up speed and new areas continuously. Our head count currently stands at 46 staff, including Financial Director, Suzy Bolton who joined in 2013 having previously been Head of Corporate Finance at Nuffield Health; and Non Executive Director, Miles Hunt who has over 20 years experience in International recruitment and talent management. The next few weeks will see 7 new starters taking on their new roles, and we expect to have over 60 employees before the year is out. The company is growing at such a rate that we have our own Internal Recruitment department devoted to finding like minded people who fit with the company culture and future plans. A global plan 2018 also marks our launch into Europe beginning with the German capital, Berlin. With plans on the cards for the US and a Boston based office for 2019, the wheels are in motion for our International expansion. A celebration We understand only too well the value of good staff and must give credit to the team around us for a thriving, award winning business. We took the opportunity to celebrate in style at Luton Hoo recently with activities including segway riding, clay pigeon shooting and Apache buggies and of course, the traditional champagne toasts to the future!

There's no doubt about it, the European job market is huge and with Understanding Recruitment rapidly expanding we are looking to Germany where the capital, Berlin has approximately 3.3 million residents and is the largest city in Germany with the second highest population in Europe after London. With tech companies flocking to the German capital, Berlin seems like the logical step for a recruitment specialist in the IT and software field. The tech giants are moving in Whilst Germany has experienced a rocky past, the economy is now recovering and there's no surer sign that the current surge of interest from tech giants who are taking up residence in the city. Household names including Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook all have offices in Berlin, and that makes up just part of the list of tech companies adding to the employment possibilities for those in the industry. Technology companies such as Facebook only need to look to their current audience to understand the scope of the market. The social media platform has over 29 million active monthly users in Germany, and it makes sense for them to have opened local offices to ensure they have eyes and ears on the ground there. As specialists in IT and software recruitment Berlin has been on our radar for some time and seemed a logical move when we began our search for the ideal location to launch into Europe. With our expertise in the field, and the growing number of companies searching for the ideal candidate in the region we are looking forward to our upcoming launch and a bright future in the German technology recruitment market.

Five years ago, our first apprentice walked through our office doors at the age of 18, fresh out of education and his part time job. Today, Tom has become one of our most successful recruiters. At Understanding, we offer an apprenticeship scheme which provides a real opportunity to break into the recruitment industry as well as the chance to gain an NVQ in Business Administration from Oaklands College. Since joining us back in 2012, Tom completed his training and got stuck into the world of recruitment and technology. He had a desire to work in a fast paced, sales focussed business environment following his studies and part time work. After only two years with us, Tom received a national recruitment award as the ‘Best Newcomer’ at REC’s IRP Awards 2014. Tom made it to a shortlist of 7 individuals, surpassing thousands in the process to win the award which was measured on both clients and candidates experience, customer service and overall value added to the organisation. Following on from his first taste of recognition, Tom was Highly Commended for ‘Most Inspiring Newcomer’ at ITA Awards 2015. Since then, he’s carved out his own business area which he started from scratch, focusing on the Charity and not-for-profit sector. As head of the department, he now manages two team members who are also set for a successful career in recruitment with one of them receiving our internal award for ‘Trainee of the Year’. Tom has embraced his role here with us, and regularly exceeds his targets, qualifying for director’s lunches and winner’s trips away to locations such as Monaco, Nice, Portugal, Barbados, Las Vegas, Miami, St. Lucia, Mexico and more. Tom has billed just over £1 million for the company since joining five years ago, and is current holder of our biggest billing month and biggest billing year! We asked Tom for a little insight, for those interested in following in his path: What do you enjoy the most about your role? "I enjoy lots of elements within my role. I like the challenges and problems as they’re made even better when they result in successes. Not only is it great for a sense of achievement, but it feels good to help my clients and candidates meet their needs or even sometimes going above and beyond. I’d be lying if I said the financial rewards and international winner’s trips weren’t also a big part of my job satisfaction. In recruitment, the more you put in, the more you will get out of it". What difficulties have you faced? "Initially, it takes time to learn all the technical jargon but that comes over time with experience. The training modules are really great here though and really helped set me up for a successful career. There can be some long hours sometimes, but it goes hand in hand with big financial rewards".