The catastrophic collapse of Thomas Cook last September was painful to watch from a distance, so we can only imagine what it must have felt like to be one of the thousands of employees who lost their jobs overnight. Neither bosses nor staff want to see mass redundancies.

But should the worst happen and you find yourself summarily jobless, or if you’re a business owner who’s been forced to shed a large number of employees at short notice, what steps can you take to ease the damage?

Call the experts 

The best course of action if you’ve been made unemployed unexpectedly is to seek the help of those who are able to find the right job for you, fast. Did you know that Frontline Recruitment held an open day for former Thomas Cook employees two days after the company ceased trading? We were on hand to have a friendly chat, offer employment advice and place people in the best roles to suit their skills profile. Being made redundant can make you feel all-at-sea and unsure of where to turn, but it always helps to give tried-and-trusted employment experts a call. After all, we’re great listeners and we’re here to help.

Get signed up 

Our website allows you to sign up for job alerts via email. These are tailored to match your skill set and experience, so it’s well worth signing up if you feel your employer might be in trouble. That way, you’ll have access to a wealth of potential job opportunities that you can browse at your leisure. If disaster strikes, you’ll know where to turn.

Employers can benefit too 

Every company owner knows that the world of business can be volatile, to say the least. Things can change for the worse at a moment’s notice, but happily they can also improve very quickly. If you find yourself in a situation where you’ve laid off a chunk of your workforce only to win some lucrative new business, necessitating a fresh recruitment drive, never fear. staffbay.com can put you face-to-face with the ideal candidates to suit your needs, on a grand scale. Our extensive database of employees is a resource no boss can afford to ignore.

With the last of the Sherry consumed and the detritus of Christmas cleared away, thoughts often turn to new beginnings. The New Year seems like a natural time to make a major life change such as changing your job, but taking that step into the unknown can be daunting. Here at Staffbay.com we’re experts in helping you find the right job based on your experience and specific skill set. Here we present our top tips for New Year jobseekers.

Assess your options… and do your homework 

When making such a big step it’s important to be prepared. What kind of job do you want and what skills and qualifications will you be expected to possess? Are your skills adaptable? What kind of employer are you looking to work for? It’s a good idea to have a serious think about these questions the moment that nagging “new job” feeling hits – otherwise you’ll find yourself playing catch-up.

Luckily, at Staffbay.com it’s easy to do your homework on your next potential boss. Our database of trusted employers is only a mouse-click away. You’ll be able to see exactly what employers want and what their company is all about. Sign up for a profile today and make your New Year job search a whole lot easier.

Stay positive 

If you find yourself looking for a new job fairly regularly it can be easy to get downhearted. It might be easier said than done, but it’s important to think positively. Dwell on your strengths. What have you always been good at? In what ways can you demonstrably add value to a business? What are your greatest successes? If you get bogged down thinking about your limitations you’ll be more likely to produce a weaker CV or profile, and you might get hobbled by a lack of confidence in an interview.

In the New Year, take a positive outlook and resolve to be kinder to yourself.

A little reinvention won’t hurt

The world of employment is dynamic and constantly evolving. Everybody needs to reinvent themselves from time to time – even CEOs. Especially if you’re looking to pursue a new career path, taking that extra qualification or after-hours training class is a must. Put yourself ahead of the pack by learning a new skill, or sit with your CV and think carefully about the information you want to include. There are always ways to present your skillset in a different, better light, and remember – lots of skills are transferable.

Trust the experts  

If you have any doubts about the kind of job you’d like and want instantaneous access to a wide variety of employer profiles, contact Staffbay today. We are hugely experienced at finding people the job that’s right for them. Sign up or call us today for a confidential consultation.

Social media is part of the fabric of 21^st century life. It has become all-pervasive, and you can be sure that employers will view job candidates’ social media profiles in order to sort the best from the rest. What can you do to make yourself stand out, and what should you avoid when building your online profile?

Choose your platform 

There’s a big difference between social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, which is designed for professionals. Most people will have a Facebook and Twitter account these days, but it’s a good idea to compartmentalise work and social aspects of your life when creating an online persona. LinkedIn is effectively a platform for your CV, and a well-constructed profile will show potential employers that you’re serious. Remember to list every last bit of experience you’ve gained, and make sure you take time to build your network. A well connected individual is an asset to any business, and you want to stand out from the crowd.

Present yourself professionally 

Employers will be looking for evidence of integrity, professionalism and communication skills across all of your social media accounts, and information can be accessed very easily on Facebook if you fail to manage your security settings carefully (see point 3.)

It’s vital to consider the image you wish to portray and vet any content accordingly. We all like to post our holiday snaps on social media, but employers will not want to see you looking seven shades to the wind on that trip to Magaluf. They will certainly be put off by lurid descriptions of your exploits, and you should think twice about posting vulgar or offensive content. Employers want to know that they’re hiring reliable, professional and, frankly, pleasant people. With this in mind, you should also vet other people’s comments on your posts and remove anything unsavoury. Nobody wants to be tarred by association.

Manage your security settings

The best way to prevent employers gaining access to potentially compromising social media content is to diligently manage your security settings. This is especially true on Facebook, where you may find that settings change from time to time. Restricting who can view your posts is a good policy, and you can set your account so others can’t tag you in photos without your approval.

Also, don’t forget your social media history. Facebook allows you to limit the audience for past posts, so it’s worth spending an afternoon removing or hiding any content that shows you in a bad light.

And finally… communication is key 

 The language you use online is vitally important. Communication is key to so many professions, and potential employers will be thinking “can this person express themselves confidently and clearly?” The words you use, even in a throwaway Tweet, can give a strong indication of the person underneath. Don’t shout, and don’t use text-speak – many find it unprofessional and will be wondering whether or not you can actually construct a proper sentence.

When you’re looking for a job, whatever happens – don’t give up 

As the great American author Jack Kerouac once said, “clichés are truisms and all truisms are true”. 

One such cliché that could not be truer in the world of recruitment and job-seeking is the old proverb “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try again”. 

It’s an unfortunate fact that many prospective employees don’t dust themselves off and go again immediately after receiving a knock-back. That’s a problem for two reasons. Firstly, you may find it increasingly difficult to find employment ever again if you simply give up.

And from the employer’s perspective, a lack of resolve is not the most attractive quality to find in a job candidate.

Of course, life circumstances can make it difficult to get motivated sometimes, but, as a rule, employers want you to show willing. 

What we are not talking about here is bombarding the same employer with repeated requests for feedback. There’s only so many times you can be told the same thing! 

Keeping your head up and plugging away is half the battle when it comes to job-seeking, and that’s where we can help out. 

One of the many benefits of staffbay.com is that your profile is customisable. You have complete control. This means that, if you’re finding it difficult to get noticed, you can tweak your CV, bring your details up to date and potentially present yourself in a new light.

And that profile is there waiting to be read by our vast database of employers. It’s a win-win situation. 

In effect, we do the tiresome leg-work that can sometimes get the better of job-seekers. Using our site makes the “try, try, try again” part of seeking employment much simpler, because the employers on our database will come knocking if you match the criteria they’re looking for. Knowing which way to turn when you’ve been knocked back for the nth time is tough, but with staffbay.com you can rest assured that exciting companies are looking at your profile every day. You will be visible to employers at the click of a button. 

Dedication is important in life. Everyone knows you won’t get anywhere or achieve very much if you give up at the first opportunity, especially when you’re looking for a job. So, if at first you don’t succeed… why not sign up to staffbay.com? 

Social media-based recruitment website staffbay.com is reporting a successful first quarter of 2017 after more than 70 companies signed up to use the free service.

Some 74 businesses signed up to staffbay.com in the first three months of the year, and now have access to a one-stop shop for recruitment, bring the total to 4,200. Some 23,000 candidates are now registered with the recruitment portal.

The impressive start to the year comes just months after staffbay.com merged with sister company Frontline Recruitment.

staffbay.com founder and director of Frontline Recruitment, Tony Wilmot, said: "Our decision to merge the two companies has paid off big time, and we're delighted with how the businesses are complimenting each other.

"The merger brings free recruitment solutions to employers where they can interact with candidates direct, watch their personal video CVs, place unlimited jobs and view unlimited candidates."

staffbay.com is unique in that it is totally free for both companies looking for the best quality staff - and jobseekers who want a free and easy way of showcasing their talents to the best employers in the UK.

Tony added: "As these figures for the first quarter of 2017 show, staffbay.com is speeding up the evolution of the world's recruitment processes and bringing employers and candidates into one anothers' 'world of work" in an instant.

"We're excited about what the rest of the year will bring, and we'd urge all employers looking to speed up to their staffing needs and employees looking to kickstart their summer with a new job to register on staffbay.com."

Unlike other job sites, staffbay.com lets you create unlimited job posts which are instantly live. It’s completely up to you how many job adverts you choose to post, and you can manage them all quickly and easily – all you need to do is sign up for a free account. For added flexibility, anybody from your business can be an administrator, so if you’re busy, this is the recruitment site for you.

When posting a job, there are a vast array of sectors and subs-sectors to choose from, and you can indicate whether the role is full-time, part-time, temporary, or something different. The drop-down menus enable you to pinpoint the exact nature of the job, which means that only the most suitable candidates will be alerted.

There are also three boxes you can fill with qualitative information about the role – one each for the job description, required qualifications & skills and staff benefits.

It’s important to get these sections right, for two reasons. You want to attract the best candidates, first of all, but this part of your posting is effectively an opportunity to showcase what your company is all about.

Getting the job description spot-on is absolutely crucial. You might think the bare essentials are enough, but think again. Of course, it’s best to communicate the key details succinctly, but you should pay heed to questions of style as well. Writing professional, lucid prose is a valuable skill, and a flawlessly executed job description will show prospective candidates – and your competitors – that you mean business.

In the “required qualifications & skills” section, make sure you don’t miss anything out that’s essential to the role, and think very carefully about what you’re looking for. Trade accreditations or academic qualifications? Or both? Which sector specific skills and which “transferable” ones do you want to see (e.g. the ability to communicate effectively)?

Lastly, the staff benefits section lets you indicate what our American friends would call the “perks” of the job, but it’s also a place where you can give a flavour of your company’s culture. Tell prospective candidates what they stand to gain by being part of your business, and not just in terms of pay. As well as traditionally-understood benefits, you might indicate the kinds of development opportunities you offer and describe the social culture at your workplace.

Your profile at Staffbay.com is fully customisable, so you can post jobs in the way that you want to. It really is your call, and with our database of stellar candidates at the tips of your fingers, you can be sure of finding the right candidate. 

When assessing applicants’ profiles, the ability to read between the lines is all-important. Here are our top tips for sorting the best from the rest. 

Beware blaggers 

There is a big difference between somebody who knows the right things to include in their profile or CV and a candidate who is, frankly, a bit of a chancer.  

As an employer and an expert in your sector, you know what the main responsibilities of a particular role are, and what it takes to be a success in the field. So if somebody claims to have completed superhuman workloads and revolutionised their former workplace single-handedly, they are probably best taken with a pinch of salt.  

Learning to spot this type of candidate can save you a lot of time. Especially if you’re assessing a video, look out for overconfidence, florid and/or boastful language, and grand, sweeping claims.  

Putting in a shift? 

Which is preferable – somebody who’s worked for ten companies but left each of their jobs after 8 months, or a candidate that has held relatively few positions but has occupied them for a number of years? There are no hard and fast rules – if you’re dealing in temp work then this is likely to matter less – but if you’re looking for permanent employees, ask yourself: why has this person been unable to hold down a job in the sector?

3. Qualifications 

How many qualifications does a stellar job applicant possess? In some respects this is a sector specific question. In many industries, trade accreditations and good old university of life experience will preferable to traditional academic qualifications. But on the other hand, it depends what sort of candidate you are looking for. It’s your call. Does candidate X have a barrel full of A-levels and three degrees from a top-ranking university? The real question you need to think about is, does that matter to you? 

Experience 

At the end of the day it’s all about experience and the ability to do the job, so it goes without saying that you should always be on the lookout for candidates with a proven track record.  

The hard part for any employer is finding a fool-proof way to sort the best from the rest. Here at staffbay.com, we make all the relevant information about each job candidate available at the click of a button, so you don’t have to do the hard work – simply sit back and watch experienced candidates come to you.