Vanilla Recruitment Magazine - Summer 2011

Inside this month’sVanilla Magazine...

Top TipsHow to Ace your

next interview

Expert AdviceGlobal Investment from

Willow FinancialManagement

Employer FocusICON - Web-based Information

Management Experts

Handy HRGetting the best from

your people fromReflection Consulting

Plus much more...

Summer 2011

INVEST

vanilla recruitment magazine - summer 2011

office • managerial • it hr&training • sales&marketing • pos&pop

accountancy&finance • industrial&technical

Short staffed over the holiday season? Are you expecting any last minute absences? If so don’t panic! Our dedicated temporary consultant has it covered. An exten-sive range of candidates are available immediately within the following areas...

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t 01858 898 058 w www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Vanilla Magazine

I’m sure you’re all either getting ready for a holiday or trying to get back into work mode following a break away! Maybe you‘ve had a little trip somewhere exotic or perhaps you have complete faith in the ‘great’ British weather, and plan on sitting in the garden with a glass of something cold and a good book! Either way, we are here to help if you need us and it‘s business as usual for everyone at Vanilla. In this summer edition of the magazine we are going to be looking at investments. Whether you’re investing for work, wealth or wellbeing, we have something for you in this seasons issue. If you’re looking for some financial guidance then we have an article from award winning investment experts Willow Financial Management (see page 8). Our employee focus this month on page 12 is a Q&A session with ICON, the web-based information management experts. We also have a great handy HR article on page 10 from Rosie Garwood highlighting the importance of teamwork and invest-ing in your workmates or employees. Summer is one of the busiest times of year in recruitment as many businesses are left short staffed. So, if you are about to experience a shortage in your workforce then make sure you get in touch and let us help fill the ‘gap’ with a temporary member of staff. We will help ensure things run smoothly so you can simply relax and enjoy!

Get in touch... Call us on 01858 898 058 or fax 01858 468 854Email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

(you can also visit our blog by clicking the ‘news’ page on the site!) You can also follow us on twitter.com/vanilla_recruit or facebook.com/VanillaRecruitment and also linkedin.com/company/vanilla-recruitment-uk-ltd Please get in touch with your opinions, comments and general feedback. If you would like to contribute

to future editions of the Vanilla Magazine we would love to hear from you.

Eloise

Hello

[email protected]

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Inside this month’sVanilla Magazine...

Vanilla UpdateA quick update on Vanilla's news

Top TipsHow to Ace your next interview

Expert AdviceGlobal Investment from

Willow Financial Management

Handy HRGetting the best from your people

from Reflection Consulting

Employer FocusICON - Web-based

Information Management Experts

Vanilla Notice BoardWhat’s happening at Vanilla

Star CandidatesOur brightest and best

Vanilla JobsA few of our current vacancies

Vanilla LightsBring a smile to your day

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...Page 08

...Page 10

...Page 12

...Page 14

...Page 17

...Page 18

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Magazine CreditsAll artwork, layout and design created by Nathan Shelton at Ant Creations Call 01858 462779 email [email protected] or visit www.antcreations.co.uk

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Introducing Vanilla’s great team... Owner/DirectorEloise [email protected] Recruitment ManagerHR & Training DivisionLiz [email protected] Recruitment ConsultantOffice DivisionSophie [email protected] Temporary ConsultantOffice Division, Industrial & Technical DivisionSarah [email protected]

Office ManagerCharlene [email protected] Senior Recruitment ConsultantOffice Division, POP & POP DivisionKathy [email protected] Recruitment ConsultantSales & Marketing DivisionLaura [email protected] Office SupportJackie [email protected]

The Summer has brought with it some big changes and some fantastic new additions to Vanilla! We have increased our office space, increased our staff and also increased our specialised areas of recruit-ment expertise! We now occupy ALL four floors of 48 St Mary’s Road in Market Harborough. Due to this newly aquired space we are now able to offer a full recruitment service and dedi-cated expertise in several new specialist areas including Sales & Marketing, HR & Training and POS & POP. This is on top of our existing and long standing expert areas of Office, Managerial and Industrial & Technical. We’ve taken on two new members of staff who have joined us with a wealth of experience and knowledge. Sarah Smith and Laura Smith (no relation) have been with us for a few months now and are proving exceptional and valuable additions to the Vanilla team! Our brand new web site is nearing completion. We’ll let you all know when it’s live (which will hopefully be very soon). It will be bigger and better than ever and will con-tain more useful information, lots more downloads and helpful hints and tips and a totally new jobs search facility! If you would like to know more details about our new specialised areas of recruitment please get in touch and we’ll be happy to explain. Contact us on 01858 898058 or visit www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

A quick update of our news...

NEWS

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If you have been invited to attend an interview, congratulations are in order. Employers can receive dozens of applications for each vacancy they advertise and the fact that you have been short-listed means that you have already fought off much of the competition and are in serious contention for the position. But now the hard work is not over yet. The UK job market is at its most competitive since the early 1990s and although there are fewer jobs available, the number of people wanting these jobs remains consistently high. And that means two things. Firstly, recruiters can afford to cherry-pick the candi-dates they want. And secondly, you need to pull out all the stops and use every weapon in your armoury to ensure that you become the employee of choice.

Understand what the interviewer wants - Some job advertisements have a list as long as your arm of core competencies that the employer is looking for in their new employee. But in reality most employers are looking for just three basic factors for determining the suitability of a candidate. These are known as the three Cs, according to renowned psychologist Dr Rob Yeung:

Competence: The Interviewer is looking to establish if you have the skills - com-munication, analytical, problem-solving - and personal attributes to perform the advertised job with minimum supervision Commitment: Interviewers are seeking reassurance that you are committed to your employer and intend to stick at this job rather than job hop to another com-pany when the mood takes you or when the going gets tough and you seek the easy way out instead of persisting in the face of difficulty Chemistry: Given that you can spend as much as 70 per cent of your waking day working with your colleagues, your interviewer wants to know that they can get on with you and that you can fit in with company's culture and the rest of the team.

By understanding what the interviewer is looking for, you can tailor your answers to any potential questions in a way that addresses these core competencies. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare - It has been said since time and memorial, but prepa-ration and planning for your interview will always be the most critical part of the interview process. As the old saying goes, "Fail to plan, plan to fail". Find out who will be interviewing you and make sure you have their correct job title and role within the organisation. Do some research on the company covering everything from its core business and product range to financial reports and recent appear-ance in the media.


5 Top Tips to Ace Your Next Interview

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Type the company's name into a search engine and see what comes up. Learn about its ethical policy or stance on corporate responsibility. Understand the com-pany's marketplace, competitors, industry trends and the key issues affecting it now and in the future. Prepare great answers and great questions - If you undertake the background research above and more, then you will have a lot of questions that you can ask at your interview. Remember that your interview is a two-way process where you want to find out if this particular company fits your notion of an ideal employer in the same way that the interview is looking to determine if you are the right em-ployee for them. Although you will never know exactly what the interviewer will ask, there are a number of questions that consistently come up and you need to have your answers prepared for these before you enter the room. The key to predicting the likely topics of discussion is to scrutinise the job advertisement and by think-ing through your CV, preparing examples of how you can best demonstrate your skills and abilities, articulate your achievements and offer a sound explanation as to why you are planning to leave your employer. Get physical - Research suggests that up to 55 per cent of our communication effectiveness is determined by our gestures, movement and facial expressions -- neatly summed up as 'body language'. Most interviewers confess that they make their mind up about a potential interview within the first five to 10 minutes of an interview, with your body language being the determining factor in most instances. Offer a solid handshake and create the right first impression. "Nothing creates a poorer impression than a weak, couple-of-fingers handshake," warns Robin Ryan, career coach and author of "60 Seconds and You're Hired!". Maintain eye contact with your interviewer for 90 per cent of the time ... but don't stare. Sit up straight in your chair and don't slouch, fidget or constantly tap your foot. Avoid crossing your arms as some interviewers regard this as an act of defensiveness. Speak with confidence, use inflection in your voice to change the tone, and empha-sise key words in much the same way that newsreaders speak. And dress for the job you want not the job you have. If you are unsure of the company's dress code policy it is better to err on the side of caution and overdress rather than risk the embarrassment of being underdressed for your interview. Sell. Sell. Sell - An interview is a sales transaction between you (the seller) and the interviewer (the buyer). It is important that you do not lose sight of the fact that it is your job to convince the interviewer that you are the right person for the job. Isolate your core strengths and relate them to the requirements of the job to which you are applying. Focus on what you can do for the employer and how you will be an asset to their organisation. Above all, be confident in your abilities and believe in your worth. You are there because your interviewer recognised that you could be a key player in their business, it is your job to prove that they were right.

If you would like Vanilla to help with your interview process then please call us on 01858 898058. For clients we can help with everything from advising on the right interview questions, to actually conducting the interviews on your behalf or along-side you. For candidates we can help with your entire approach to an interview and your strategy to land that dream job. We will be there every step of the way if you need us.


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GlobalWhy a

Calum Cameron, CEO of Willow Financial Management looks at investment on a Global scale.

In this article for Vanilla I have decided to focus on how crucial it is to develop clear strategic thinking for your investments and pensions. The importance of this issue has not only been high-lighted by the extreme investment conditions the market has endured in recent times, but also by the poor returns achieved over the past 10 years by the UK FTSE 100 Index.

So what of the future and what did Warren Buffet mean when he referred to successful investment being fundamentally about sharing in the future growth of the world?

Mature & Emerging EconomiesThe world and its stockmarkets can arguably be broken down into three groups: mature, emerging and frontier. This may appear overly simplistic but is a useful start-ing point. In the mature grouping would be the UK, the US, Europe and Japan. In the emerging category I would put Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea (BRIC econo-mies) and in the frontier markets would be the rest i.e. Africa and the Middle East.

Economic Power Moves EastIn troubled times why would you take a chance on a market that is less liquid and perceived as more risky? The simple answer is that funda-mentally a number of these economies have and look set to continue to grow much faster than established markets.

In the case of the emerging economies, the per-ception is understandably that there are greater risks in investing in developing markets.

InvestmentStrategy?


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However there are striking differences which may actually go against perceived wisdom, with many of these new economies demon-strating higher levels of economic growth combined with controllable inflation, sensible interest rates and realistic public finances. Add to this the strong possibility that mature markets such as the UK look as though they will struggle to grow and a clearer picture begins to emerge.

Although the US was the driver of global economic growth in the nineties, it most cer-tainly is not now. The world’s economic power base is and will continue to move to the East, arguably towards the emerging markets and investors should be aware of this. BRIC economies continue to grow and over time, this looks like a classic redistribution of wealth.

Compelling Long-Term StoryAlthough current valuations have risen, the longer-term dynamics are compelling, and in time may show that rather than being more risky, paradoxically emerging markets may prove to be a safer and more rewarding place to invest.

I hope that the enclosed is useful food for thought. I have been helping clients for many years build up wealth in India and Asia and reap the rewards, albeit with an eye on overall risk considerations. With the likes of the hugely successful Anthony Bolton recently expressing huge belief in the growth prospects for China, maybe it is time for more investors to consider doing the same?

Calum Cameron is the Chief Executive Officer of Willow Financial Management based in Blaby. Willow are the 2011 winners of the Citywire New Model Awards and were shor tlisted in 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2010. For more informa-tion visit www.willowfm.co.uk

If you have some ’expert advice’ that may be of interest to our readers we would love to hear from you. Get your article and business featured in a future edition of the magazine by calling Vanilla on 01858 898058


Tips for getting the best from your people Building and maintaining an effective, motivated team can be a challenge at the best of times. Add to this the current pressure on budgets and staff numbers when targets remain high and we’re seeing some real difficulties for UK businesses.

I’ve worked with teams and their managers from all sectors for many years and have seen first-hand the time, energy and money an under-performing team will cost an organisation. No matter what your line of business, asking different people to work together under pressure causes similar sets of problems. Team issues rarely solve themselves and it takes skills and confidence to tackle them before they affect others.

Improve your chances of maintaining performance levels with these tried and tested tips:

Hold regular, interesting and interactive team meetings. Take a fresh look at your team meetings: are they making the best use of everyone’s time, expertise, imagination and energy? This is a great opportunity to get your team involved in the collective success of the business, build vital relationships across the team, solve problems and generate new ideas. Treat your team meeting as an investment and expect to see a return in better morale and productivity, rather than worry about unproductive time with an unresponsive audience.

Be clear and consistent in what you expect from your team. This means everything from job roles to con-duct, standards and lines of responsibility. In a changing or growing business, structures and team dynamics will shift and people need to know exactly where they stand in order to remove confusion and duplication, avoid unhelpful behaviour and concen-trate on doing their best work.

Expert advice fromReflection Consulting

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Delegate effectively. Take a good look at your people: are they doing a job that makes the best use of their skills and potential, or have they picked up a task because they seemed to have time on their hands? We’re all good at something, but not all good at everything, and of course in a small team people need to be flexible to deliver busi-ness results. However, the wrong person doing the wrong job is costly, time-consuming and bad for them as well as you.

60% of managers in the UK are “reluctant” and have no formal training (ILM 2010), and remember: people leave their boss, not their job. The cost to business of carrying managers who are stressed, disengaged and probably looking for a way out is crip-pling, with long-term effects on productivity and competitiveness. It doesn’t take an MBA or a degree in management theory to create a good manager: it’s a simple matter of skills and confidence and these can be learned quickly in the right environ-ment.

Rosie Garwood is the Managing Director of Reflection Consulting Ltd. She pro-vides training, workshops and support for managers and is a trouble-shooter for teams.

Visit www.reflectionconsulting.co.uk for free tips on building and motivating your team and to sign up for her regular managers’ problem page “Ask Rosie”.

Reflection Consulting is now seeking the East Midlands’ brightest stars: those people with great potential and enthusiasm who could be a real asset to your business in the future, but who lack the crucial skills to succeed as a manager. We are soon to launch

the Rising Stars Management School and are looking for applicants with flair and ambition. More information on the Rising Stars Management School can be found at www.RisingStarsManagementSchool.co.uk or by calling 01509 416936.

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Web-based Information Management Experts

Employer Focus...

ICONIn this month’s employer focus we decided to change the format slightly and have a simple Q&A session with a local employer. We spoke to Louisa Sugden, Head of Operations at ICON, who are experts in Information Management within the retail and construction industry. The company is based at The Point in Market Harborough, and we’ve been work-ing with ICON, and providing a full recruitment service for some time now. We decided to ask them a few questions about themselves and their experi-ence of working in partnership with Vanilla.

VR: Please describe a little about your company.

LS: ICON is a Market Harborough based company employing approximately 20 people. We produce and provide a web based Information Management System for major retailers such as Waitrose, John Lewis, Boots, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Homebase, Greggs. ICON are specialists in construction industry information management, pro-viding a SAS solution.

VR: Please tell us about your plans for the business in the near future.

LS: ICON’s business plan is fixed on success and growth. The ICON client base and company size are set to expand within the next 2 to 3 years.

VR: How did you first hear about Vanilla Recruitment?

LS: Vanilla is very active in the local community. I was aware of Vanilla as a candidate seeking employment and once employed by ICON it wasn’t long until I was introduced to Vanilla at local networking events.

VR: What made you decide to use Vanilla?

LS: Vanilla is a Market Harborough based company and we like to utilise local compa-nies where possible. ICON is also committed to employing locally; we want our em-ployees to have a great work life balance and not having a long commute at the end of the day is an important factor. Vanilla is a local company but does not have a small town mentality.


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VR: Describe what Vanilla has done for your company.

LS: Vanilla works with ICON as a recruitment partner, taking time to understand us as a company to ensure they source the right candidates. ICON is proud of it’s culture and values and when working with a recruitment partner it’s important for them to understand our values too. With any ICON partner, we choose compa-nies that share similar values. ICON’s core values are honesty, professional, effective, knowledgeable, innova-tive, fun. We chose Vanilla because they regularly dem-onstrate these values.

VR: Would you recommend Vanilla to other companies? If so, why?

LS: Yes I would recommend Vanilla. They offer the personal touch that is missing from so many other recruitment companies these days.

VR: What three words would you use to describe Vanilla’s service?

LS: Personal, dedicated, friendly.

VR: Is Vanilla different to other recruitment companies? If so, how?

LS: Vanilla offers a caring and personal service. Working with a partner rather than a pushy service provider is important to ICON. Vanilla understand our requirements.

VR: Who did you deal with at Vanilla? What qualities do you like about them?

LS: I have mainly dealt with Kathy and Liz. Kathy is professional and persistent, always committed to filling the vacancy. Liz is personable and effective, she is fully in tune with what we want. The entire team are friendly and helpful and will go that extra mile.

VR: Do you have any other comments about the company?

LS: Vanilla offer a great service to the town, not only offering recruitment services but also supporting local businesses with the provision of training, seminars and net-working opportunities.

For more information about ICON and the great service they offer you can visit their website at www.iconuk.net

If you would like your business featured in a future edition of the magazine then please call Vanilla on 01858 898058


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20 The Mail, Thursday, July 28, 2011 www.harboroughmail.co.uk

[email protected] files

A SURVEY claims to show that Harborough is more entrepreneurial than the capital city.

Figures calculated by accountancy software firm Accountz say that Harborough has a business for every 18 people who live in the town, while London has one for every 20.

Quentin Pain, chairman of Accountz, said: “You can forget the conventional wisdom that London is the centre of entrepreneurship in Britain because Harborough beats it.

“The people of Harborough should be proud of their contribution to Britain's economy.

“Everyone thinks that London is the centre of enterprise, but entrepreneurial activity there is often crowded out by big business and the big public sector employers.”

The research also found that the most entrepreneurial place in Britain was the Isles of Scilly, with the average business shared between only nine people.

The least entrepreneurial place in the country is Knowsley in Merseyside, with each business shared between 49 people.

Town is capital for enterprise

A LEADING property consultant with offices in Harborough has teamed up with software developers to implement a new IT system.

Strutt and Parker, in High Street, is working with Scottish specialists Northgate Managed Services for the provision of the new services.

Northgate will design, implement and manage the firm’s IT infrastructure over the next five years.

Andy Martin, senior partner of Strutt and Parker, said: “We had a challenge to meet and have chosen Northgate to deliver it.

“This partnership will provide us with a simple to use, secure system – allowing our staff to access our data securely from anywhere.

“The flexibility of the solution and the provider will allow us to continue to take advantage of changing business requirements, delivering a quick reliable service to our clients, and with the flexibility to support our future business needs and long term growth plans.”

Team to meet IT challenge

A HARBOROUGH-area design firm says booming business means its employment figures have risen by 500 per cent in the last three years.

The Attic Room Design Ltd, based in East Langton, has been in operation since 2005 and now employs 30 members of staff, 25 of whom have joined the team since 2009.

The retail design specialist recently won the New Business award at the Leicestershire Business Awards 2011.

They design, manufacture and install bespoke permanent retail sites, point of purchase, promotional furniture, window displays, airport sites, shopping mall sites and events for product launches.

Tony Best, managing director, said: “Since we formed, The Attic Room’s natural progression has meant we have been expanding year on year, in order to be able to offer our clients a full service retail design service.

“The rate of employment over the last three years has been phenomenal but we are only reacting to the work our clients want us to provide.”

The Attic Room, whose clients fall in the prestigious beauty and technology industry, has been employing new members of staff for all departments across the organisation.

This month another three members of staff will join the company, increasing the sales and project management team.

Alongside this, The Attic Room is recruiting for two new members to join its creative team.

‘Phenomenal’ rise in jobs at Attic Room

Andrea turns on the style at Image awardsSTYLISTS at a hairdressers with bases in Harborough and Kibworth have been recognised at national competitions.

Moko, which has salons in Church Street, Harborough, and in Station Street, Kibworth, was founded 12 years ago by Anthony Young.

Stylist Andrea Such, who is also the manageress of Moko’s

Harborough branch, achieved a runners-up prize in the national Total Image Awards competition.

The contest involved styling a model and submitting a photo of the end-result to judges.

Andrea and the other finalists were invited to an awards ceremony at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham in late June, where Andrea learned she had taken second place.

Anthony said: “Andrea was up against stylists from all over the country so this was a really good result.

“Most hairdressers choose this career path as they are imaginative, artistic people, and sometimes that can be suppressed by the realities of working in a commercial salon.

“At Moko we encourage the team to enter competitions which allows them to show their flair.”

Stylist Rachel Headley, who splits her time between both salons, is also celebrating after she reached the finals of this year’s Photographic Awards in the under 25s section.

Anthony said expansion plans for Moko means the Harborough salon is moving to a new home in Church Street in the near future.

It will be taking over the Altered Egos shop when it closes.

Andrea receives her runners-up prize at the Total Image Awards finals and (inset) her winning photograph.

Strong jobs market sees recruitment firm expandA HARBOROUGH recruitment firm has expanded to reflect what it calls a ‘strengthening employment market’ in the area.

St Mary’s Road-based Vanilla Recruitment says its expansion, which has doubled the size of its offices and resulted in six new jobs, was prompted by research which showed an upturn in employment opportunities in the Harborough area.

Vanilla director Eloise Shelton said the expansion marks yet another successful step towards her ambitions for the company, which she founded in 2005.

She added: “The recent building work means that we have space to accommodate an extra six staff members at Vanilla, two of whom we have already appointed.

“We are extremely positive about the East Midlands recruitment market – which is why we see this as a perfect time to bring in new employees to join

the Vanilla team.”Vanilla Recruitment is known for its

expertise in commercial, office-based recruitment.

Last year it also established a specialist industrial and technical division.

Eloise added: “With the new appointments we are further adding to our services.

“We currently specialise in commercial office-based recruitment,

which includes accounts, administration, call centre, sales and marketing, and legal staff.

“We will increase the services we offer by adding a sales and marketing division, headed-up by Laura Smith, and a human resources and training division, managed by Liz Seaton.”

Vanilla Recruitment moved to its current St Mary’s Road base in 2007. The office was originally in Coventry Road.

Eloise said: ”Our research has shown

that businesses are growing in the area.“To capitalise on this growth,

Vanilla’s new specialist divisions will focus on providing jobseekers and businesses with an expert point-of-contact that will offer a consultative and a professional recruitment experience.”

For more information, either phone Vanilla Recruitment on 01858 898058 or visit their website at www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk. Alternatively, visit their office at 48 St Mary’s Road.

by Maddie Mapletoft01858 [email protected]

Vanilla takes on six new staff as town employment opportunities increase

‘We are extremely positive about the employment market, which is why we see this as a perfect time to expand.’

Eloise Shelton

Growth

On the up...Vanilla Recruitment staff Charlene Bennett, Jackie Humphreys, Laura Smith, Liz Seaton, Sarah Smith, Eloise Shelton, Sophie Rice and Kathy Bakewell outside their Harborough office.

Check out ourblog for news of

the new web site

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Need a temp?

Call Sarah on

01858 898 058


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sales&marketingdivision

SatisfactionGuaranteed!*

hr&trainingdivision

ProblemSolvedGuaranteed!*

If your recruitment process is proving apunishing affair then why not give Vanilla a call?

Vanilla Recruitment is delighted to announce the launch of our brand new Sales & Marketing division, expertly headed up by Laura Smith.

At Vanilla we believe in a professional and painless approach to your recruitment needs. We provide a specialist service to ensure that your experience with us is a pleasure, and that your Sales & Marketing team is leading you to success!

For a professional & discrete service contact Laura on 01858 898 058or email [email protected]

*No Placement No Fee, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Call for full T&C's

If your recruitment process is proving to be apuzzling experience then why not give Vanilla a call?

Vanilla Recruitment is delighted to announce the launch of our HR & Training division. Recruiting for permanent and interim HR & Training professionals across the Midlands and expertly headed up by Liz Seaton.

At Vanilla we believe in a professional yet simple approach to your recruitment needs. We provide a specialist service to ensure that your experience with us is a pleasure, and that all your HR & Training recruitment problems are solved.

For a professional & discrete service contact Liz on 01858 898 058or email [email protected]

*No Placement No Fee, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Call for full T&C's


Vanilla have helped thousands of candidates over the years. That’s thousands of happy people who have hopefully landed their dream job! But we still have many, many great candidates who have registered with Vanilla and are still looking for the role that’s right for them.

We think all our candidates are ‘stars’, but some stars shine that little brighter! Here are a few of the ‘brightest stars’ currently looking for work through Vanilla. If you think they could find their dream job within your company please get in touch and we will do our best to make it happen!

To learn more about Vanilla’s ‘star candidates’ then please call Sarah Smith on 01858 898058 or email [email protected]

Lindsey

• Experienced Office Manager• Strong secretarial & administration• Accurate typist, advanced levels Word & Excel

Rosie

• PA/Legal Secreatary• Very flexibile & dedicated• Available part time

David• Excellent Customer Service• Extremely accurate, great attention to detail• Dedicated and reliable

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Here’s a short selection of some of the great vacancies we are currently recruiting for. If you’re interested to find out more detailed information for any of these jobs, or to discuss other exciting opportunities we can offer then please get in touch on 01858 898058 or check the jobs page on our website www.vanillarecruitment.co.uk

Vanillajobsfind lots more job opportunities on our website

Regional ManagerLocation : MidlandsSalary : £50,000 Plus excellent benefits and bonusDuration : Permanent

Are you looking for a challenging new posi-tion within a fast-paced, growing business in the retail sector? Do you have excellent communication, people and operational management skills? To succeed in this demanding and exciting role you’ll have previous regional manage-ment experience gained within the retail sector. For more information on this position call now in confidence and speak with Eloise or email [email protected]

New Business Dev.Acc. Manager POP/POS Location : LeicestershireSalary : £30,000-£50,000 Duration : Permanent

An exciting and rare opportunity has arisen to join an award-winning team within Leicester. For more information on this posi-tion call now in confidence and speak with Kathy Bakewell or email [email protected]

Marketing Executive Location : LeicestershireSalary : £25,000Duration : Permanent Marketing Exec required ideally with multi site experience. We are look-ing for someone experienced, able to work on their own initiative with a proactive and motivated outlook. For more information on this posi-tion call now in confidence and speak with Laura Smith or email [email protected]

FinancialAccountant Leicestershire

£30,000Permanent

Prod Scheduler /Sales Support Leicestershire

£18k-£20kPermanent

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Interviewing for a job can cause us to say and do things that we regret. In each edition of the magazine we’ll share a few (anonymous) examples that made us smile at the Vanilla offices of ‘how not to succeed in a job interview’.

The candidate was asked to bring several copies of his CV and three references to his interview. He called back an hour before the interview and asked to reschedule, saying his references couldn’t come with him to the interview.

Q : "What is your greatest job skill?"

A : "My computer illiteracy." After arriving for an early morning interview, a job seeker asked to use the interview-ers phone. She then faked a coughing fit as she called in sick to her boss.

Q : "What motivates you?"

A : "I’ve got a big house, a big car and a big credit card balance. Pay me and I’ll be happy.”

Sometimes interviewers ask a question to see how a candidate can think creatively. Here’s a good example of quick, lateral thinking... The interviewer asked “I shall either ask you five easy questions or only one really diffi-cult question. Think well before you make up your mind.”The candidate thought for a while and said, “My choice is one really difficult question.”The interviewer replied “Well, good luck to you, you have made your own choice! Now tell me this...What comes first, the Chicken or the Egg?”The candidate quickly answered “It’s the chicken!”“How?” the interviewer asked.To which the candidate relied ”I’m sorry, but you told me that you will not ask a SECOND difficult question!”

A big thanks to this month’s anonymous contributors. If you have any funny stories to share about your work disasters or interview calamities then let us know and they might just appear in the next edition of Vanilla Lights.

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Vanilla Recruitment Magazine - Summer 2011

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Transcript of Vanilla Recruitment Magazine - Summer 2011