View from the Hill

Not just a new year but a new decade too! A look back on the old.

It's that time when one tends to reflect on the year gone by. In this case, not just a year but a whole decade. It seems only yesterday that I was standing out in the cold waiting for both the start of the new millennium and the famous 'River of Fire'. Many of us will have made predictions then for the first few years of the millennium but I doubt that we would have predicted the steep rise in all things financial (bar interest rates) that pushed house prices into the stratosphere and also encouraged many to think there would never be a down turn!

In the latter half of 2008 there were rumblings and we heard the words credit crunch for the first time. BBC News became almost unwatchable - the graphics dominated by a vibrant red graph in free fall. The word recession was whispered but quickly replaced by credit crunch if anyone in any sort of authority was listening! Lehmans became a notable casualty and then it became clear that all was not well in the world of work.

Recruitment business that weren't operating in relatively recession proof areas (social care, nursing, midwifery) certainly noticed a change. We did. Almost as if a tap were turned off on 1 January 2009 temporary jobs dried up as organisations thought very carefully about whether they need to replace leavers, cover for absence or start new projects. (There are many reasons to have a temporary worker - not just for holiday cover!) Soon our broader client base cut permanent recruitment. Posts were frozen and there was little activity in any of the varied sectors in which we work. March, usually a busy month as clients use up budget allowance was quiet and in April all recruitment activity was down by around 75% on the previous year.

So what has happened since? I hear you ask.

Well things have changed slowly and are much more positive now as we head for 2010. (I don’t want to hear the word double dip - but it is still feasible that things could recess again). Jobs being notified to us are twice that of March and April, but still forty or fifty percent down on the average for 2008. Interestingly though, the jobs are different. They tend to be 'one offs' - come from different clients and are often at a much high level than our average roles. Temporary contracts are being offered for longer periods of time again.

We certainly had to make changes, after so long desperately seeking candidates it was a novelty to have too many and to be in the situation of sourcing roles that they could fill. We turned our business processes around and found new ways of working that accounted for the different emphasis. Additionally we examined everything we did (and bought) carefully and realised that in good times organisations carry far more fat than they realise. There is no shame in that as much of it is not wasted, just not totally necessary to run the business. My aim was not to shed staff as good trained people have a value that is inestimable. So we cut elsewhere. We found creative ways to market and advertise at no cost (that saved two peoples wages), and we forwent our weekly desk massage, reverted to tap water, renegotiated the electricity, changed phone suppliers, the rent and other 'fixed' costs thus saving two more people. Fizz on Fridays and fruit on Mondays remained sacrosanct, however.

When the words credit crunch first appeared back in 2008 we made the decision not replace anyone who left. In hindsight that was a good move. We were not put in a position of enforcing departures to trim numbers. In fact we kept our faith and launched a new division - market research recruitment - bringing in a new team member to develop that.

I'll always be glad that we had no debt as it meant we were able to make our plans on our own terms, not those of others - who ironically in times of hardship are reticent in declaring what they will do for you.

We look forward cautiously to welcoming both the new year and the new as yet un-named decade. We've had a great 'naughties' albeit with the gloss taken off somewhat in the final year. We've kept our team, our clients and our candidates and hope soon to see the balance tilt in favour of the job seekers. It will be with Prosecco not Champagne that we toast as the clock strikes midnight on 31 December. But we're not proud and good Prosecco is just what we like. If 2010 is half as good as the Prosecco then we will all be happy

Season greetings to you all and our very best wishes to you for 2010. - Sue

Creativity is...

a clever way to solve a problem? One definition says it is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations. I agree with the latter but the former doesn't have to happen. Let me explain... 

After a busy day in the office, thoughts of the sofa and last week's The Thick of It on iPlayer were very attractive to me, but no, I had committed to attend the CILIP Career Development Group's (CDG) workshop on Creativity. And I'm so glad I went. It was coordinated by Maria Cotera, CDG President, and Amanda Birungi, committee member, and our speakers were Miranda McKearney and Sandeep Mahal from The Reading Agency. 

In a year when resources are stretched and money is limited, how can we develop ourselves, our staff, our services & our businesses? Creative Thinking. This phrase could so easily be seen as a negative... it has connotations of "cooking the books" but it is overwhelmingly positive. Creativity is relevant in all workplaces, not just those of artistic and zany people. By being creative you don't have to "transcend traditional rules" but you can do those same every day tasks a little bit better. There's no need to think about blue skies or even outside a box, but by using a few simple tools you could quickly and easily improve services.

An interesting discussion point was how to manage creativity. How does your manager foster creativity in you? We talked about our current conditions for creativity and what we thought would be ideal. We ended the evening by doing a lift pitch - 3 minutes stuck in a lift with The Boss, what would you say? Sue, I've got some ideas!

Surely the best way is to create an environment where everyone is expected to be creative? Then you also foster recognition, which creates an inspirational environment. It's actually a happy, colourful and achievable circle. 

I could write for ages, so inspired am I, but my train is pulling into my station and I'm also fast approaching what I think is a sensible length for a blog post! So, my closing thoughts.

I think creativity is:

• passion 
• imagination 
• opportunity
• inspirational
• in all of us - yes, every single one of us is creative, if given the freedom
• a very powerful and readily available tool!

- Suzanne Wheatley

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
      What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
      Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
      Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
      What's in a name? that which we call a rose
      By any other name would smell as sweet;
      So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
      Retain that dear perfection which he owes
      Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
      And for that name which is no part of thee
      Take all myself.

The passion that a name commands lies dormant until such time as someone acts.  SLA (Special Libraries Association) have spent a considerable amount of time, effort and money to carefully research a potential new name to reflect the values of their vast collective store of talent and skill.  This comes under the classification (there I've used a library word) of Alignment.  Kate Arnold, SLA Board Europe member is one of the Alignment Ambassadors for SLA Europe.  She is keen to encourage debate on the suggested name.

The name put forward for a deciding vote is Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals (ASKPro).  The blogs are overheating, (SLA blog), the SLA Europe discussion list has woken from a slumber.  It is good to see debate and feel that passion of others.  We pray a happy ending for all who care and have put such effort in.  A thankless task.  Or Not?  Go have your say.

For never was there a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. 

- Sue Hill (and our Will!)

 

Commonality in Diversity - The Big Issues

We all face the same challenges. Who is “we” and what are the challenges? The latest, and very delicious, SHR Breakfast today brought together public and private sectors, knowledge, information and libraries. Despite the external challenges of financial constraints and ever increasing regulation, one of the biggest challenges facing our profession might be summed up in the word “perception”. Does your CEO know what you do? Shouldn’t it be your responsibility to change that? Looking at our guest list today you would perceive that the issues faced by each organisation and company would be wildly different but to our surprise, and pleasantly so, there was a lot of commonality and a lot to be learnt from each other.

In discussion, we learnt that one of the major impacting factors on knowledge and information services is the expectation to do more and do better with less – less funding, less time and less resources. Looking at your existing resources, the most valuable of all, your staff, there is a need to employ the very best. Would it surprise you to hear from employers that job applications have doubled, but the quality hasn’t? Sadly, I suspect not. We not only have to justify our services, but we have to justify ourselves in jobhunting. Simply sending a CV will not work!  

What struck me most about our fascinating round-table discussion was the passion to break down the silos, to share, to learn from each other and to cross-fertilise. How do we do this? By networking, joining together to find our voice. Without exception there were nodding heads when Sue Edgar raised the notion of the need for good leadership in business and that it is vital to get a mentor or a coach, it being critical to keep you moving. By getting a role model or mentor outside knowledge & information, you are already well on your way to encourage the move away from silos.  

And whilst we didn’t have time to answer the question “where is the future of the profession”, we did agree that we need people who have worked across all silos and that we urgently need to connect our "different" professions.   The thought of an Umbrella organisation providing services and a central voice for the many and diverse information groups to rally around was mooted and generally liked.

- Suzanne Wheatley, Recruitment Manager

Networking across government

Last Tuesday I attended a 'Getting to know you' day organised by NGLIS (the Network of Government Library and Information Specialists) and I wanted to report on some of the opinions and experiences which the speakers shared with the group.

First off the bat a very entertaining and interesting talk by James Denmead from the MoD whose time in government libraries has provided him the opportunity to become informed on subjects many and varied (from submarines to dwindling global resources), as well as amusing anecdotes as many and as varied.

As the morning went on we also saw talks from Tony Worron and Diane Murgatroyd, both of the FCO, reporting on recent changes undergone by the information department in order to meet changing organisation demands.  These very informative talks show us all that while organisational changes can be difficult and at times emotionally charged, the new challenges created can inspire a team to develop their potential, both as a collective and as individuals.

Between these two speakers came a talk from Janet Cockayne which captured the imagination and encouraged us all to always look for a challenge and not shy away from the unknown and the scary.  Janet also reminded us to think about how new skills can be transferred from one role to another and how seemingly unrelated roads along a career path can complement each other.

After lunch the group, full of friendly and familiar faces, took part in a panel discussion about skills and competencies in the government sector. This is an interesting and tricky subject which we were guided through by Alison Raisin of BIS (whose substantial knowledge of the subject was evident), me adding my two-pence worth and facilitated by Katharine Schopflin who organised the event. What we learned from this session; CPD is important throughout your career and you must be prepared to drive it yourself as well as seeking support from your manager, the importance of a head of profession or other mentor figure in career development, and much more.

A good day and a great example of a special interest group supporting its members.

- Jeremy Clarke

Striking a chord

Calling all researchers and info pros, here is a Friday challenge for you all.

As it is the season to be striking I have a topical question for you and the first person to post a comment to this blog post with the correct answer wins the prize at stake, in this case, a limited edition Sue Hill Recruitment mug.

Question:
In thousands, what is the the difference between stoppage days lost due to strike action in the public sector throughout 1998, compared to those lost in 2008?

Is anyone up for the challenge?

- Jeremy Clarke

Start of a nu term

I sincerely offer a cheer of good luck to Glyndwr University who are offering a new Foundation Degree in Library and Information Practice to be delivered through blogs and social networking.  I must admit that I personally have not embraced the facebook/myspace culture as others have but the idea of open learning being opened up still further sounds to me like an exciting way of facilitating remote education and - with library and information in mind - utilising new technology in practice.  As long as standards of teaching are kept high, all power to them say I.

On the flip-side this got me to thinking about conversations I have had with Information Managers on the subject of recruitment and the opposing stances taken on the value of a professional qualification.  While many of our clients request a professional qualification (let's leave professional associations and accreditation out of this for a moment) to ensure job applicants have the expected standards of subject theory to build upon, others have expressed differing views. 

One legal information manager would prefer to see applicants with a strong business focus (whether this be a BSc in business or commerce, or a year's experience working in non-information role in professional services) as the commercial know-how that comes with this background is considered a better jumping-off-point to build practical experience upon than a library qualification.

Other clients have called for an MBA or a science degree ahead of an information Masters as the skills these qualifications have engendered has been viewed as more relevant to the working environment that applicants would be entering.

But that's enough from me, what do you think?

- Jeremy Clarke

Who should represent the full spectrum of information professionals?

Maybe it's time for CILIP to decide - is it still the Library Association under the skin, or does it want to represent the full spectrum of information professionals?  Doubtless other organisations will be be casting an eye.

Alison Raisin and Peter Griffiths in The Government Libraries Journal (June 09) highlight some interesting points and comment on qualification and competencies. Not just for librarians but also for Knowledge and Information management (KIM) professionals within government. It seems that Library posts within government still need a CILIP recognised qualification whereas roles that encompass Records, Knowledge and other aspects of Information Management don’t.

One interesting outcome of this is the resultant one way traffic in terns of job moves. Librarians can move on out - but KIM people can't move into library jobs. The Knowledge Council is looking to rectify this in part by encouraging KIM practitioners to recognise themselves as part of a professional community and then identify and develop skills and learn how to apply them. The departments need to develop a skills pipeline for the future in conjunction with this.

This opens out many opportunities for those of us in this field. Now is an exciting time to widen our skills and the arena in which we can apply them, when our known world appears to be shrinking as a result of efficiencies through outsourcing, increased use of Web 2.0 technologies and the credit crunch.

It is vital that someone takes up the challenge to harness these new energies and create new larger networks by interweaving the strands of the information profession. Who will do it? Who wants to? Who is farsighted enough to see the benefits for our future information generation?

It is particularly interesting that comments have continued to flow to our blog after the SHR breakfast at the beginning of July at which Professional Associations were the hot topic.  Everyone knows something needs to be done - but who is going to proactively step up and do it? - Sue Hill 

Employer Branding - Are you getting it right?

I recently attended a members evening at the Market Research Society (MRS) where the hot topic was Employer Branding.  The session was chaired by Daniel Wain and speakers were from both the research and recruitment world.  It was a very enjoyable debate and I, as a recruiter, took a lot from it and agreed with much of what was said - if only all employers adhered to it!  A lot of companies clearly think their brand needs no work - not the case!

Recruitment is clearly not high on the agenda of many companies at the moment, so companies have to get their house in order, to ensure that when they do recruit they are somewhere where people want to work.  In the current economic climate, now is the time to use external recruiters to ensure you get the right people.  The process of recruitment must be a two way thing to ensure you become a destination employer.  Recruiters must know how to sell your company and you need to be a champion, briefing fully and letting the recruiter be a part of the business.  A good recruiter will ensure you get the right people who will carry on the employer brand torch and ensure that you only see people who want to work for you, rather than 100 CVs of candidates simply because you are one of a number of companies on the recruiters list.  This will ensure that even unsuccessful candidates become advocates of your company and you do not get the reputation of somewhere where people do not want to work.  Good communication, not over promising and having interviewers of high calibre all help this process.  The key to good recruitment is to be honest, effective and speedy.  Intellectual capital is growing and to ensure you get this, you need to be on top of recruitment and ensuring you are getting the right people in place now.  And once in place these are the people that keep the employer brand flag flying, so that when times are better employees do not abandon the ship. 

Some interesting statistics: (source: CIPD)

• Only 19% of employees would recommend their employer as a place to work, unprompted!
• 86% of UK employers found it difficult to recruit last year
• 53% of leavers have less than two years experience

Employer Branding is a journey and not one which should be abandoned at times of pressure.  With no brand, you have no profile and no reputation. So now is the time to get it right to ensure that you become an employer of choice now and in the future.

Are you getting it right?

- Damon Thomas, Recruitment Manager - Market Research

Umbrella brings the sun and an honour

Up at sparrows' and off to Hatfield on what a previous colleague famously called 'a big train' to exhibit the Sue Hill Recruitment services offering and to speak for my wonderful friends CDG.  A good turnout of 721 delegates - not all of whom made it to our stand, but judging by the disappearing quantities of our famous jellybeans, many did.

Conversations at the stand covered the spectrum of recruitment issues, job hunting and much about professionalism - the latter generated in no small measure by reports of the Borough Market Twelve breakfast meeting. John Feather coincidentally spoke on The Information Society: Does it need the information professions?  John is always controversial and fun so it was good to catch up with him. Lizzie Russell, one of our newest team members, was kept busy talking to prospective and existing candidates and clients as indeed was I, and I am sure Cameron Best will be busy today. 

Despite the numbers of people concerned about their jobs or lack of them the overall atmostphere was positive, showing to me the benefits of professional networking and keeping up to date with current issues.

At 2.15pm precisley I headed off to compete against Paul Sturges speaking on Why is Poo Brown?  Luckily a good number of those eager to change sectors came along to listen to me.  As each person arrived they were challenged to sit next to someone they did not know and who was not from the same sector. Within five minutes the noise was deafening. The power of networking is not to be dismissed! 

I was moved to tears at the end of my session when the lively and vibrant Maria Cotera, current President of CDG awarded me with an Honorary Fellowship of CDG and read the citation in full.  Thank you CDG.  This is an honour I am very proud to accept.  Within this very special group I feel are our future leaders which is why I support them.  We MUST invest in our future.

 - Sue Hill