New year new Digital jobs 2012!

Today is my first day back in the office. Already the avalanche of new Digital Jobs has landed. Digital stops for nothing not even christmas and at the moment the jobs are coming thick and fast. PPC / SEO / Digital Planning & Buying & Social Media jobs lead the way, but if you work in any area of digital and want a new job then 2012 should provide numerous opportunities.
At Digital Minds we work differently (check out our website) www.digital-minds.co.uk and it is not all about putting people in jobs. We welcome speaking with anyone who wants help and advice. We can give you useful information on you salary and if it fits with what others in similar jobs are being paid. We can help prepare you for a salary review - no pressure to move jobs just good advice that will help you and then  down the line if you are looking for a new Digital role hopefully you will remember us!
Here are a few examples of the roles we currently have on offer:-

PPC £25 to £55k
SEO £25k to £45k
Social Media £20k to £40k

We also have a great reward scheme / referral scheme (see website for info) which pays £500 to £2000 for successful recommendations in 2012. If you know someone looking it pays to give me a shout!

So 2012 looks like being a busy one in Digital Recruitment. Remember pick the recruiters you work with wisely, most work on commission, a lot will send your CV's to companies without your permission. Plenty of good ones out there that will add great value to your search if you take the time to find them.

Simon Halkyard
Director
Digital Minds

New cash rewards from Digital Minds!

DIGITAL MINDS REWARDS FOR CHRISTMAS 2011...

We are always thinking up ways of rewarding our candidates & the people who refer people to us & help us raise our profile via social media. If you have any questions about our reward scheme or would like to find out more about Digital Minds contact simon@digital-minds.co.uk in the meantime get involved with the promotions below. someone will win an iPad2 and our reward scheme pays out ££££ each month!

1.    Refer a Digital candidate to Digital Minds and receive up to £1500* if they are successful in gaining role via us.

2.    If you register with us exclusively & ‘like’ our Facebook page, If we place you in your next role you will receive a cash reward of up to £1500*

3.    Share one of my job tweets with your Twitter network before Dec 16^th & be entered into our iPad2 raffle for Christmas! (one entry per person)

4.    Share one of my job updates with your LinkedIn connections before Dec 16^th & be entered into our iPad2 raffle for Christmas! (one entry per person)

5.    ‘Like’ our Facebook page before Dec 16^th & be entered into our iPad2 raffle for Christmas! (one entry per person)

*Reward scheme pays a minimum of £300 & a maximum of £1500 all dependent on the candidate’s salary.

5 things you can do to attract the best Digital talent!

Tales from the recruitment industry...

5 things you can do to attract the best digital talent!

We all know that digital is a growth market and a candidate driven market so it is becoming more and more important for you to ensure you are doing al you can to attract and secure the best talent. Here are 5 things you may find useful…

1. Promote your business:- sounds simple enough but you would be surprised how many clients think an interview is all about the candidates promoting themselves and telling them why they should be hired forgetting about promoting their company. This is crucial, especially in a candidate driven industry such as Digital & in roles such as PPC, SEO & Digital Planning & Buying. These digital candidates have option, they have multiple offers, fail to promote your business and prepare to lose the best talent to the companies that do! Should always be 50% 50%.

1. Enthusiasm:- it is not just about promoting your business – it is how you promote it. One of my favorite quotes is. “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good they think you are,” On the surface this can sound a shallow quote but what it means is how you say something matters and if you say it with passion and enthusiasm you will make more of an impact. Often clients will be interviewing candidates back to back and will be asking the same questions over and over again so it’s easy to become lethargic. I have had candidates many times make a decision based on the enthusiasm and passion of the person they interviewed with and would be working for.

1. Have a clear structure:- What I mean is ensure that candidates who come for an interview are treated well from beginning to end, that the experience of interviewing with your business is a positive one. Regardless of if they join you they will speak with others about their experience, we all know how tight knit a community digital is. Candidates are often left waiting in reception with no explanation as to why. Often they walk through an open plan office on their way to the interview room and what they see and hear or don’t make a big impact. I have had candidates turn down jobs because when they walked through an office that had a poor atmosphere, it was quiet, people did not look happy etc. Sounds a minor thing but what candidates see and hear is vital. Moving on to the questions, don’t just use the same old questions – mix it up, add in something fun, make yourself different. I have one client who asks candidates what their favorite film, TV show, band, is at the start of the interview in order to break the ice and gain an insight into the candidates’ personality. The first 5 to 10 minutes of the interview is all about building rapport, it will have a significant impact on the tone of the rest of the interview.

1. Feedback:- Clients are often found lacking when it comes to providing quick feedback. This is especially true when clients do not want to move forward with a candidate. Again remember the people you interview will speak with people in the industry and if you don’t provide detailed feedback you will leave a poor impression on them. I have had many candidates turn down interviews because their friends have had poor experiences with them previously. Good or bad always give clear feedback and do it quickly. Candidates really appreciate it and it makes you stand out.

1. Improve your technique:-Ask the recruiter what the candidate thought of you and use the feedback to improve your interview technique. Nobody ever really asks me this but I wish they did, digital is so candidate driven that any edge you can get will improve your chances of securing the best candidates – the candidates who have multiple offers. Interviewing is not a natural situation to be in and if you can be humble enough to accept that you may have flaws in how you interview candidates you will benefit. I have a couple of clients who are very focused on improvement and they have me sometimes sit in on interviews and to give my opinion afterwards. This is something we do free of charge and is really useful. I have interviewed 1000’s of people of 10 years and a recruiter can give you some useful help and support.

So that is 5 things that clients can do to help them attract & secure the best digital candidates. Digital is the fastest growth sector and if you can make improvements you will reap the benefits. More often that not candidates have multiple offers, don’t miss out on the best digital talent because you are not prepared or promoting your business effectively.

At Digital Minds we only work in Digital and we feel we are different to most other recruiters, operating in a different way, a consultative way that benefits candidates and clients. If you are looking for a new digital job in:- SEO jobs, PPC Jobs, SEM jobs, Display jobs, Digital Planning & buying jobs, Social Media Jobs, Mobile Jobs, Affiliate Jobs, BD Jobs, Web Development jobs or any other digital job please get in contact for a confidential conversation.

Simon Halkyard

simon@digital-minds.co.uk

10 awesome questions to ask at interview!

Tales from the Digital Recruitment Industry

10 Awesome questions to ask at interview!

Regular readers of my blogs will know I am always going on about preparation for interviews and making sure you maximize your opportunity to impress. Here are 10 useful interview questions to ask…

1. Has the company received any major awards or recognition recently?

2. What are the current and long-term goals for the company?

3. What would be expected of me in the first 90 days and my first year?

4. How does this specific position fit into the company’s current and long-term plans?

5. What is the most important responsibility for this position?

6. Was my manager promoted from within the company or was he/she an external hire?

7. What are some characteristics of people that perform well under this manager?

8. Is this a new position?  If not, where did the previous employee in this role go?

9. Have any of the executives at the company worked their way up into their current role from entry level or mid-career positions?

10. Are there any other questions that I can answer for you? Anything from the interview you felt I did not cover in enough detail?

I could put 100 questions on this list but all of the above are useful, sensible questions that will broaden your understanding of the role and provide insight into your suitability for the position.

All I do is recruit in the digital industry and I am always available to digital candidates who want to chat. PPC jobs, SEO jobs, SEM jobs, Display jobs, Digital Planning & Buying jobs, Mobile jobs, Web Development jobs, Social Media Jobs, Affiliate Jobs, Business Development jobs and most other jobs within Digital. However most of the people I speak with are not even looking for a new job they just want more information on the digital recruitment market or how their job balances out against similar digital jobs in other companies. We are different to most recruiters, we don’t earn commission we are not targeted sales people. We simply like to speak with people in the digital industry and hope that by building long term relationships when you are looking for a new role you will remember the help and support we have provided previously. For more information on Digital Minds give me a shout anytime. Simon Halkyard (simon@digital-minds.co.uk)

Simon Halkyard tales from the recruitment industry: Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for...

Simon Halkyard tales from the recruitment industry: Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for...: Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for Interviews... My job in essence is a simple one; I make matches. I match a role with a c...

Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for interviews...

Tales from the recruitment industry. Preparing for Interviews...

My job in essence is a simple one; I make matches. I match a role with a candidate. That’s it. It’s the candidate part that makes it difficult!

 Every person is different and every person reacts differently in an interview situation.  Some thrive. Some panic. The end result is that on a regular basis the most talented person does not get the job. The key to a good interview is preparation. By this I don’t mean look at a LinkedIn profile and the company’s website. Real preparation needs to be much more in depth. ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ is a well known quote and it is true. You may move jobs 3, 4, 5 plus times in your life, you will probably spend more time at work that you do at home, so how you perform in your job will impact every aspect of your life. If you are happy in your job, you have a much better chance of being happy in your private life not to mention your financial life. Basically getting a new job is one of the most important things you will ever do. So it should make sense that you prepare fully.

 I recently read a blog from Sam at Koozai (which is a perfect example to use http://www.koozai.com/blog/search-marketing/my-first-public-speaking-appearance/  Sam had not done any public speaking and was nervous, which is to be expected. But what she did was ensure she prepared, extensively, in order to ensure she would succeed. I urge you to read her blog. When I read it I thought, wow I wish every candidate went to that level of detail because if they did they would minimise the potential to fail.  Interviewing is not a natural situation, so here are a few examples of useful things to do prior to an interview.

The company you are interviewing with:- What do you know about them? You probably have a website address and a job spec. It’s not enough. What else can you find out about them? Speak with your recruiter get more info!

The person you are interviewing with:- You may have their LinkedIn profile – it’s not enough! I once interviewed someone for a job at Digital Minds who started by saying, “I hear you have a new baby daughter, I have one aged 2 – how you coping with the sleepless nights?” This person took the time to find out something about me that would build rapport and show they had done their homework. I instantly felt a bond with this person who had been in the same situation as me. Simple and effective. Get as much info as you can. Find out about their personality, what they like, what they don’t like.

The interview:- This is the big one. How do you prepare for an interview? The best way in my opinion is to role play. I did a drama degree so I’m always up for role playing interviews! I know many people find them uncomfortable but they are effective. We all know a lot of the questions that will be asked at interview so why not prepare for them, why not role play them to the point it’s like muscle memory. This also takes care of the nerves to a certain extent. You cannot prepare for all the questions but a good recruiter can help you prepare for most.  A good recruiter can and will tell you that you speak too fast, you over elaborate on your answers, you don’t make enough eye contact – the list goes on but better you make your mistakes whilst practicing and have the opportunity to implement improvements.

Make interviewing easier by preparing fully and by committing to the process. Some will be embarrassed to role play an interview; some people take it personally when someone highlights a weakness in there interviewing technique. But if going through this process allows you to go on and secure the job you want it is worth it! If you are going to lose out on a new job, let it be because the other person is better suited, not because you did not prepare fully. For advice on interviewing feel free to contact me. simon@digital-minds.co.uk

If you are looking for a new PPC job, SEO job, SEM job, Social job, Display job, Digital Planning & Buying job, Mobile job, Affiliates job, Web Development front end and back end we can certainly help. My LinkedIn profile gives a good overview of Digital Minds and me personally. It also has recommendations on the page which cover how I operate and work with people. http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhalkyard

Tales from the recruitment industry...Cash incentives for candidate's a new twist on the reward scheme

Digital is probably the best example at the moment of a candidate driven industry. What I mean by that is there are far more jobs available than good candidates and consequently candidates often have plenty of choice and salaries that far exceed the norm. As a recruiter my key function is to source talent and that is getting harder and harder to do. Like a lot of recruiters we have a referral scheme which is successful and has been in place for a long time. Basically if you refer someone you know who is looking for a new role in digital and we place them in a new job we will give you a cash sum from £250 to £1500 and in some cases an iPad2. It works well and we are continuing with it. However we are always trying to think of innovative ways of promoting Digital Minds and we have come up with a new incentive, not especially innovative but hopefully welcomed– this time aimed directly at candidates.

From now on if you register with us by either 'Liking' our Facebook page, or by 'Following' Digital Minds on Linkedin & give us one week exclusivity to represent you and show you what we can do we will give you up to £1500  (depending on level of seniority) when we place you in a job. No catch – if we place you in a job we will happily give you the reward fee rather than to someone who recommends you. This can appear a brash way of attracting candidates and I guess it is. But ultimately we have a reward scheme for referrals so why not for direct applicants as well? The aim of this is to do our job the right way; one week’s exclusivity allows us to work closely with candidates and not rush or be compromised because we are one of several recruiters working with them. So that is the new incentive at Digital Minds. From now on give us a week to prove ourselves and if we do and we place you in a job, not only will you get a great new role but also a nice sum of cash from us as a thank you. Very interested to hear your thoughts on this approach.
If you are looking for a new job in PPC, SEO, SEM, Social, Display, Digital Planning & Buying, Mobile, Affiliates, Web Development front end and back end we can certainly help. My LinkedIn profile gives a good overview of Digital Minds and me personally. It also has recommendations on the page which cover how I operate and work with people. http://www.linkedin.com/in/simonhalkyard

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