5 continents, 1 Vision – Discovering Talent

Standing out in a crowded market

- A Headhunter's Perspective for

Professionals

Nausherwan Akram BEng (Electronics), MBA Managing Partner, Antal International Network

If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.

Henry Ford

My Profile

• Electronics Engineer and MBA

• 14 years of experience working for UK and US-listed corporates in strategy, business development, marketing, business transformation, process improvement, project/change management and engineering

• Elected member of Alumni Boards of business schools having represented Association of MBA’s (AMBA) in the UK as a Global Ambassador mentoring professionals and graduates

• Presently, working as a Managing Partner for Antal International, a global executive recruitment company

Antal International Network

• A global executive recruitment firm

• 1000 experts in 130 offices in 32 countries

• Worked with over 60,000 clients ranging from companies in Fortune 500 to SME’s in over 75 countries

• Made over 100,000 placements worldwide in various sectors and functions

• My areas of expertise are in the Consulting / Advisory sector working with Big 4, boutique consulting firms and corporates covering mid to senior level roles in: – Strategy – Business Analysis – Business Transformation – Programme / Change Management – Finance (M&A, Financial Services, Capital Markets) – IT

Topics for today

• Overview of the UK Employment market / key trends

• What are employers looking for when hiring candidates?

• Strategies for you to stand out from the crowd

• Q&A session

Overview of the UK Employment Market

Professional placements and vacancies remain

ahead of last year’s levels

Source: APSCo

Permanent and temporary placements remain ahead of last year

• The indices for permanent placements showed mixed trends by sector, but were up 10% y/y in total. Finance (+17% y/y) was the strongest sector, while Marketing (-8%) and Social Work (-5%) were down.

• The indices for temporary placements were up +8% y/y in total. Social Work (+25%), IT (+8%), and Engineering (+7%) showed the most growth.

Source: APSCo

Placements by Sector

• Permanent placement for engineering sector shows a moderate year-over-year decline of 0.8%, whereas the temp placements shows a strong growth of 7%.

• Finance sector is driving growth in permanent placements with an year-over-year growth of 17% and temporary placements also reported a year-over-year growth of 3.8%

• IT sector permanent placements have grown 4% while temporary placements have grown 8%

Source: APSCo

Placements by Sector…continued

• After one year of constant growth until Feb’15, the temp placements in media and marketing has slowed down 2% compared to an year ago

• Temp placements in Social work segment have increased year-over-year and month-over-month, while permanent placements have declined year-over-year

Source: APSCo

Vacancies up +8% for permanent positions, while temp vacancies little changed

• Regarding permanent vacancies, the index for Finance was up +17% y/y, while Social Work was down -23%

• Regarding temporary vacancies, the index for Finance was up +21% y/y and Social Work up +11%, while Marketing was down -15%

Source: APSCo

Vacancies by Sectors

• After a year of high demand for engineering jobs, the demand for temporary and permanent jobs both declined -5% year-over-year

• Demand for finance skills is still growing with a year-over-year growth of 17% for permanent vacancies and a year-over-year growth of 21% for temp vacancies

• Demand for IT shows moderate growth with a year-over-year growth of 3% for permanent jobs

Source: APSCo

Vacancies by Sectors…continued

• Demand for marketing and media temporary jobs have declined -15% year-over-year while the same for permanent jobs did a modest increase of 1%

• Vacancies in social work permanent jobs have declined 23% from last year, while the same increased for the temp jobs 11% from last year

Source: APSCo

Salaries increasing in five of the six major sectors

• On a Y/Y basis, in September 2015 salaries improved in Sales (+12.9%), Financial Services (+10.6%), Engineering (+4.6%), IT (+2.2%) and Marketing (+2.5%), and declined in Social care (-6.9%)

Source: APSCo

Salaries by Sub-sectors

Source: APSCo

Labour Market Dashboard

The employment rate was the highest since 1971!

Source: APSCo

What’s the outlook?

Based on recent employer survey by Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC): Of the organizations polled:

76% Believe economic conditions, domestically, are improving

9% Believe conditions are worsening

47% Think this outlook translates into an expectation that confidence in hiring and investment decisions will improve

67% Either increased pay or headcount in the year to September, whilst 25% maintained the status quo

94% Had no spare workforce capacity, or felt they may have to add

Employer confidence continuing to improve

Source: REC

Predictions on the Graduate Market in 2015 - Times Top 100 Employer Survey

• The research is based on a study of graduate recruitment in Dec, 2014 at the organisations named as The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers 2014

Source: The Graduate Market in 2015

Analysis of Graduate Vacancies in 2015, by Industry or Sector

Key Research Findings – Time Top 100 Graduate Employers

• Graduate starting salaries at the UK’s leading graduate employers are expected to increase for the second year running in 2015, reaching a median of £30,000 for the first time

• More than 25% of top graduate programmes will pay new recruits more than £35,000 when they start work and four organisations are offering salaries in excess of £45,000 to this year’s graduates

• The most generous salaries in 2015 are those on offer from investment banks (median of £45,000), law firms (median of £40,000), banking & finance firms (median of £36,500) and oil & energy companies (median of £32,500)

• 67% of employers provide paid vacation internships and over 50% offer industrial placements for undergraduates

• The ten universities most-often targeted by Britain’s top graduate employers in 2014- 2015 are Manchester, Nottingham, Warwick, Cambridge, Oxford, Durham, Bristol, Imperial College London, University College London and Leeds

Source: The Graduate Market in 2015

Key Takeaways – UK Employment Market

• The economy now past its previous peak • Record employment 31.1million in work and rate 73.6% • Vacancies at 741,000 the most since 2007 • Lowest unemployment • Starting salaries rising and wage growth picking up • Productivity now improving • Skill shortages in every sector • Talent is hard to find • Biggest issue confronting employers “how can we attract and

retain the talent we need to be successful?”

Bottom line: It’s a “candidate-driven” market but only for candidates who are equipped to stand out from the crowd!

What are Employers looking for when hiring candidates?

Key Skills Employers Look For

Show confidence without being seen as arrogant!

Commercial Awareness

Ability to work in a

team

Ability to solve

problems

Ability to communicate

Org skills Initiative /

Self-motivation

Ability to work under

pressure

Technical knowledge/ competence

Ability to learn and

adapt quickly

Ability to deal with

complexity and

ambiguity

Ability to sell and influence

How can you stand out from the crowd?

Career Choice Process – Key Stages

Stage 1: Self-awareness

Stage 2: Opportunity Awareness

Stage 3: Decision Making

Stage 4: Making it happen (Good and timely Execution!)

What really motivates you?

• Making big money (Investment Banking)

• Innovation (Product Development)

• Solving clients biggest problems (Management Consulting)

• Want bigger prospects (Graduate training schemes)

• Entrepreneurial opportunities (Start-ups)

• Creating social wealth (Not for profit)

Points to Consider

• It's not all about whether you are right for the job, but also whether the job is right for you!

• Finding a graduate career that is aligned to your skills and values

• Key questions to ask: – What are the main duties of the job? – What skills is the employer looking for? – Have I got most of these skills? – be honest – Could I persuade the recruiter I have?

• Put forward ‘evidence’ that confirms your suitability – Remember skills are transferable from any part of your life and should be

used to demonstrate evidence to employers

“If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail”

Benjamin Franklin

How to develop and demonstrate skills employers want?

• Make the most of university life and extra-curricular activities

• Plan early to get relevant work experience and voluntary work to develop your transferable skills

• Keep a record of the skills you gain and work experience activities you do

• Proactively network to plan your career (Give and take!)

• Make full use of the university's careers service

• Take advantage of careers fairs and employer presentations • Make sure you customize your application to the jobs

• Leverage power of social media – don’t be left behind!

Selection methods used by graduate recruiters

• Telephone Interviews

• Aptitude Tests

• Group Exercises

• Presentations

• Panel Interviews

• Personality questionnaires

• Case Studies

Some of the above methods may be grouped into an “Assessment Centre / Day”!

Telephone Interviews

What assessors want • Confirm you meet the basic requirements for the position. You also

need to show: an interest in the company, enthusiasm, and come across as personable.

They don't want... ... a distracted, unprepared candidate Top tips • Always find a quiet spot to take the call • Keep a copy of your CV/application form to hand • Smile – it comes across when you speak • Use hand gestures • Tonality is key!

Aptitude Tests

What assessors want • Accuracy and careful thought are essential for aptitude tests.

Recruiters are checking your reasoning, numeracy and literacy skills.

They don't want... ... Einstein Top tips • Ask assessor for sample tests and familiarize with format/timing • Practice, practice and practice • Listen to or read carefully any instructions given. Make sure you

understand what each question asks • Work quickly, but accurately

Group exercises

What assessors want • Teamwork, problem-solving ability and a logical, analytical approach to

the task. You will be working with others on a practical task or problem-solving activity, or could be involved in a debate or discussion.

They don't want... ... dominating personalities who take over or shy retiring mice they can't assess Top tips • Understand the objective of the task and what result needs to be achieved • Make sure you contribute, but don't dominate proceedings • Be assertive in arguing your point, but be courteous and listen to others • Be the person who draws out the ideas of quieter members of the team • Be a good task manager: keep the team focused on the task and result

that needs to be achieved, summarise progress and keep track of time

Presentations

What assessors want • Confidence and good communication skills. You need to get across

the key messages and information about your topic

They don't want... ... lack of preparation, waffle or jargon Top tips • If you are given a topic before the day, prepare your presentation

well in advance • Give your presentation a good structure: opening, middle and

conclusion • Practise before the day to build your confidence, get the pace right

and check timing • Keep to the time allocated • Be prepared for questions

Panel Interviews

What assessors want • You need to be confident, engage with all the people on the panel, make

good eye contact and give succinct answers

They don't want... ... someone who gets unsettled easily or doesn't listen to the questions Top tips • Check format of the interview (competency-based, technical etc) • Respond to the person who asks the question, but also try to engage with

the other interviewers on the panel • Take a breath and consider your answer before you respond; be prepared

for difficult to answer questions! • Prepare as you would for any interview: review your application and the

job description; make sure you can respond to standard interview questions; try to anticipate questions the panel might ask; study interviewers profile; prepare questions you need to ask them

Personality Questionnaires

What assessors want • These are not tests and there are no right or wrong answers.

Personality questionnaires assess different personality traits, such as motivation, working style, etc., and help recruiters find the best place for you to fit in.

They don't want... ... you to second-guess what you think they want to hear Top tips • Answer questions honestly

Case Studies

What assessors want • Initiative, leadership qualities, and analytical and problem-solving abilities.

You will need to work through information and make decisions.

They don't want... ... MBA-level analysis Top tips • Ask clarifying questions if you are unsure of what is being asked • Identify the outcomes you need to reach and manage the time available • If a presentation is part of the activity, allow time for this and understand

who you will be presenting to and what information they will expect to receive

• Attend practice sessions offered by your careers service so that you get into the way of thinking and acting

Final Tips • Be self-aware • Volunteer • Network • Leverage social media • Target and customise your applications • Stay motivated • Be confident and have some fun!

GOOD LUCK!

Q&A

Contact

Nausherwan Akram BEng (Electronics), MBA Managing Partner

Antal International Network

Tel: +44 (0)208 982 3570 (Direct Line)

Mob: +44 (0)777 502 84 68

Skype: nausherwan_akram Email: NAkram@antal.com

Web: www.antal.com

Address: Antal International, 5th Floor Hyde Park Hayes 3, 11

Millington Road, Hayes, UB3 4AZ, UK