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We look after clients in the following towns within Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire:
Aldermaston, Aldershot, Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Bordon, Bracknell, Camberley, Farnborough, Farnham, Fleet, Frimley, Hartley Wintney, Hook, Newbury, Overton, Whitchurch, Winchester, Winnersh, Wokingham, Yateley and the surrounding areas.
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Candidate Advice
3 Surefire Strategies to Boost Your Professional Confidence
It’s natural to feel nervous before an interview, but however wobbly you’re feeling inside, you need to portray professional confidence that shows a prospective employer that you are the ideal person for the job.
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Confidence is key when it comes to presenting your best professional self in a job interview. Of course, your skill set, work experience and qualifications are all important, but believe it or not, confidence is more likely to give you an edge over other candidates than competence!
But when you’re looking for a new job and feeling naturally nervous it can be a challenge to present your most confident self. If you’ve been made redundant, you’ve had a bad experience, or you’re just not a particularly confident person, it can be more of a challenge.
According to a recent article in Harvard Business Review, “To feel more authentic demonstrating confidence, you may first have to convince yourself. Ask yourself: What am I good at? What was my greatest success so far? Why should others be led by me? What do I know that they don’t? If you have a hard time answering these questions, you have a problem — how should you convince others of your expertise if you aren’t convinced yourself? People who appear to be confident, are often thought of as more decisive, competent and attractive.”
So here are some tried and tested strategies you can use to increase your professional confidence and help you ace your next interview!
Get a boost with body language
When you prepare for an interview, the focus tends to be on how you’re going to answer questions you might be asked. Your posture and how you sit aren’t necessarily what you might be thinking about, but it’s really important to remember that around 55% of what we communicate is determined by our body language.
If you hunch over, slouch or appear small due to nerves, an interviewer might think you feel unconfident and powerless. When you stand tall and take up more space, people will interpret your body language as confident.
Not only does your body language tell other people about you, it also influences how you feel about yourself.
In her Ted Talk, Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy, shares her research on the effects of body language. She found that standing in ‘high-power’ positions such as the classic ‘Wonder Woman’ wide stance with your hands on your hips, for two minutes before a job interview, can improve your confidence levels.
This is because this pose increases testosterone levels and reduces cortisol, which increases how assertive you feel and reduces your stress-levels.
So, before a job interview, try to find a private space where you can do some ‘high-power’ poses for two minutes and bump up your confidence!
Manage your mind-set
Confident people tend to be more optimistic and have a positive mindset, so begin thinking in terms of ‘challenges’ and ‘opportunities’ rather than problems.
It can be easy to be thrown off kilter when something doesn’t go to plan, but rather than see it as a problem, consider it as an opportunity to try something different and demonstrate your ability to adapt. It’s good to have examples of these situations in mind before you go to a job interview so you’ll be less flustered if something goes awry.
You may be asked a question such as, “can you describe a time you’ve failed?” Instinctively, you may feel reluctant to give an example because it sounds like a negative and you don’t want to tell a prospective employer about a time you’ve failed.
It’s important when you’re asked questions like this to think about the interviewer’s reason for asking it. It’s not intended to trick you or trip you up, they want to learn about how you manage situations when they go wrong and how you put things right when you’ve made a mistake. Do you handle them confidently and positively?
Don’t shy away from admitting a failure, but always explain how you reacted positively and learned from the experience.
After you’ve attended an interview, you’ll likely receive feedback from the interviewer. It’s important to remember that this is a normal part of the job hunting process. So when you receive feedback with suggestions for improvement, take it as it’s intended - an opportunity to learn and improve for your next interview and not as a criticism of your performance.
Work with an experienced recruiter
At Priority Appointments, we work with candidates just like you to provide all the preparation you need to present your best professional self.
We get to know exactly what you’re looking for in a role, and because we know our clients so well, we can match you to a company with a culture you’ll fit in well with
Check out our latest and greatest opportunities here.
Get in touch and speak to one of our friendly team today on 01256 334575 or email office@priorityappointments.co.uk and we’ll help you feel confident for your next interview!
Do's and Don'ts When Writing your CV
The way you write your CV can have a huge impact on whether it is read, let alone whether it gets you that all-important interview.
So here are some tried and tested do’s and don’ts to bear in mind when you’re writing your CV:
DO… Write your CV with your potential employer in mind. Look at the advert or specification and think about what the job involves and what the employer needs. Find out about the main services the employer provides.
DON’T… Hand-write your CV. This looks unprofessional and old fashioned.
DO… Tailor your CV to the job you are applying for. Your CV shouldn’t detail your life story but it should be adjusted to suit the job you’re applying for, focusing on the skills you have that are important for that particular job.
DON’T… Include negative information. Failed exams, divorces, unsuccessful business ventures, driving bans etc don’t need to be mentioned. Don’t lie, but don’t give the interviewer any reason to discard you at this stage either.
DO… Make sure your CV is clear, neat and tidy. Ask someone to check your spelling and grammar (remember your CV is selling YOU, so don’t affect your chances by making careless mistakes). It should be easy to read with space between each section. Don’t include too much information – keep it short and use left-justified text as it’s easiest to read.
DON’T… Make your CV any longer than two pages – you can leave out information that is less important. You don’t need to include referees – just state they are available if required. Don’t go into detail about all of the jobs you have had since school, just the relevant ones. Add information about your most recent qualifications, but summarise the rest.
DO… Place the important information (personal statement and work history) at the beginning and include experience and educational achievements in reverse order. Talk about experiences and interests that might be of use to the employer: IT skills, voluntary work, foreign language competency, driving skills, hobbies and interests that show you’re a team player and have organisation/leadership skills.
DON’T… Don’t bother with the list of schools you went to with results unless you are new to the job market. Also, don’t include a long list of hobbies, or an overly-detailed work history. Think about demonstrating what you have achieved by applying the skills you have worked at, and explain the benefits your clients have enjoyed as a result of your work.
DO… Use positive and friendly language. Describe your work achievements use words such as ‘launched’, ‘managed’, ‘co-ordinated’, ‘motivated’, ‘supervised’ and ‘achieved’. Include specific outcomes to prove your claims. For example, ‘This reduced the development time from 7 to 3 days’ or ‘This improved the company’s internal structure, and enabled us to reduce overheads from £35,000 to £23,000 per year’.
DON’T… Use jargon, acronyms, technical terms and internal phrases unless essential. And of course, be truthful – employers have ways of checking what you claim is accurate.
DO … Ensure that the relevant information on your CV matches your LinkedIn profile as many employers will check this.
Once you’re happy with it, send it over to us to have a look at – we may have the perfect job for you! Click here to send us your CV.
Looking For a Job? How to Wow at Interviews
Find out How to Wow at Interviews by downloading our short guide to securing that dream job!
An interview is your opportunity to sell yourself, to find out more about the position you’re
applying for and the company as a whole. Priority’s guru Emma Chamberlain, Lead
Consultant for Commercial, shares her experience on what makes a great interview.
When you attend an interview with a prospective employee, they want to find out
about you: what motivates you, whether you will fit in with their team and, of course,
whether you have the skills they are looking for.
An interview is a two-way process and is as much about you finding out whether the
job and company are the right fit for you as it is about selling yourself to the employer.
So whilst it’s important to always be yourself at interview, there are some simple rules
that you can follow that will help you to wow the interview panel and stand out from
the competition.
7 Reasons Why Becoming a Recruitment Consultant Could Be Your Best Career Move Yet!
Are you looking for a new professional challenge? Are you a people person? Do you want to earn a great income?
A career as a recruitment consultant could be perfect for you!
What does a recruitment consultant do? 
Recruitment consultants are job match-makers - matching candidates to roles at client companies.
As a recruiter, you’ll build relationships with companies and work with them to understand the roles they’re looking to fill and develop an understanding of the company culture.
You’ll source candidates for jobs, attracting talented applicants by writing great job advertisements, following up on referrals and applications.
After interviewing, screening and advising candidates, you’ll recommend candidates you’ve matched to a role to the client. If a client selects your candidate for the job, you could earn a commission.
Part of your job will be to bring new client companies to the business, pitching the value of the services your agency offers.
Why become a recruitment consultant?
1. Earn a great income
A career as a recruitment consultant can be very financially rewarding. In addition to a base-salary you’ll have the opportunity to earn commission and bonuses.
At Priority Appointments, we offer uncapped commission and regular incentives and benefits. Our incentives are tailored to the person, so we offer you opportunities to earn something you really want.
Team members also benefit from non-contributory private healthcare, life assurance and free parking.
2. Change people’s lives
You help change people’s lives for the better! Successfully placing a candidate in a job they love is so rewarding!
As well as finding a candidate their dream job, you have an impact on the success and development of the client companies you recruit for.
We pride ourselves on getting to know the company culture of every client and finding candidates who will fit in and thrive.
3. It’s exciting!
Recruitment is a fast-paced industry with plenty of variety and a lot of excitement - you’ll never have a dull moment!
There’s no real ‘typical day’ in the life of a recruitment consultant, you could be speaking to an existing client, winning new business, sourcing candidates online or interviewing candidates in-person. There’s always something to do and you’ll never be bored!
4. For the challenge
If you’re a tenacious self-starter who loves a challenge, you’ll thrive as a recruitment consultant. You’ll be responsible for your own clients, for bringing in new clients and for sourcing candidates for roles.
In recruitment, you’ll work towards targets and goals as a team and as an individual. Priority Appointments offer ad hoc, monthly and quarterly incentives.
5. Career progression
Your career in recruitment can progress quickly. You don’t need specific qualifications or a set amount of experience, your progression is determined by your hard work, initiative and making the most of opportunities for professional development.
At Priority Appointments, we invest in our team, our professional development scheme goes right up to director-level. We offer regular external training opportunities to team members to develop skill sets and maximise earning potential.
6. Entrepreneurial spirit
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and value your independence, you’ll thrive in recruitment. You’ll be responsible for your own clients and schedule.
As an independent agency, Priority Appointments team members are given greater autonomy and decision-making power compared with many other recruitment agencies.
7. You love people!
Recruitment is a people-orientated business and you spend most of your time communicating with a diverse range of people, from candidates to CEOs and hiring managers. If you’re a people-person, you’ll be in your element!
We are a tight-knit team and as well as working hard, we play hard too! We have a lot of fun at Priority Appointments, at work and also on our team nights out - going out for meals, an evening bowling or taking a trip to the spa!
What skills and qualifications do you need?
You don’t need any formal qualifications to become a recruitment consultant. Previous recruitment experience can be an advantage but it’s not a necessity.
Many successful recruitment consultants have backgrounds in sales or Human Resources because the jobs require very similar skill sets.
Although you don’t need set qualifications, some personality traits and skills are very valuable for a recruiter to possess.
Our years of experience have shown that these are some of the top assets of a successful recruitment consultant:
1. Attitude - keep it positive!
A positive, can-do attitude is important for staying motivated and it’s absolutely essential for such a social job.
2. Professionalism
Respect, integrity and honesty are core to professionalism. At Priority Appointments, we practise ethical recruitment and hold ourselves to very high professional standards.
3. Relationship building
Strong, trusting relationships are crucial to a successful career in recruitment. Recruiters who take the time to nurture and develop professional relationships tend to be most successful.
4. Negotiation skills
Negotiating skills are an essential asset as you’ll need to negotiate candidate salaries, client fees and contracts.
5. Tenacity
Determination and persistence are great traits for a recruiter to possess. Things won’t always go your way and you’ll need to be determined to get them done.
How can you become a recruitment consultant?
Get in touch today!
Priority Appointments is an independent, growing and ambitious recruitment agency, and we’re looking for great people to join our team!
To start your career in recruitment send us an email with your CV attached to office@priorityappointments.co.uk or call our friendly team on 01256 334 575.
Understanding Agency Workers Rights - Infographic
The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) has published a useful infographic which clearly explains the rights of Agency Workers.
An ‘agency worker’ is defined as someone who is engaged by an agency and supplied to work under the supervision and direction of another business, so temps and contract workers will all come under this heading
You can download a copy of the infographic here.
Recruiter Advice
Uncover Hidden Gems: How to Find the Skilled Candidates You Need
Do you struggle to find great candidates with the specialised technical skills you need? 
It’s not surprising! Low unemployment rates, an increasingly competitive job market and a lack of skilled candidates in the manufacturing, distribution and engineering sectors all contribute to the challenge.
Here are some tried and tested strategies to help you overcome the skills-shortage and successfully fill open positions with ‘hidden gem’ candidates - those people many agencies overlook but who could be exactly who you’re looking for.
1. Upskill your candidates
Have you ever searched for the right candidate, only to wonder if it would have been quicker to train up someone who has almost all the skills you need?
You may be right! Recruitment is time consuming.
The process of writing job descriptions, sifting through CVs and holding interviews can be frustrating when the perfect candidate you’re looking for isn’t available, and you need to repeat the process.
It can also be costly to the business not having an employee in the role throughout the recruitment period.
Companies often find that training up new candidates in specialist skills can be far more cost-efficient than waiting for the right person with everything they’re looking for to come along.
2. Recruit the right attitude
“You don’t hire for skills, you hire for attitude. You can always teach skills.”
Simon Sinek, in his book, Start With Why, makes a compelling case for hiring candidates who demonstrate motivation to develop and grow, rather than hiring skilled-up candidates who require motivation.
Employers in the UK consider a positive attitude to be one of the five most-wanted attributes in a candidate.
An employee with a positive and proactive attitude can have a significant impact on a company’s bottom line. This can result in lower absenteeism levels and a much more positive outlook should a stressful situation arise.
People tend to gravitate to more positive people and like being around them, making joint projects more enjoyable and productive.
At Priority Appointments, commitment to our brand values is absolutely essential and we recognise the value of a great attitude.
When we were looking for a Recruitment Consultant to join our Industrial and Technical division, we met a candidate who had no experience in the recruitment industry but demonstrated an attitude and enthusiasm to learn that impressed us so much we decided to invest in training him up.
He’s now a successful recruitment consultant and valued member of our team!
3. Access our vault of skilled candidates
In the medium to long-term, we understand the importance and urgency of accessing the right candidates with the right skills at the right time.
So, as your recruitment partner, we’ll provide you with access to our diverse and ever-developing portfolio of skilled candidates including CMM Inspectors, Account Managers, Forklift Drivers, Sales Support Administrators, CNC Machinists, Marketing Executives and Electronics Engineers to name just a few.
When we put a candidate forward for a role, we match them not only to the requirements of the position, but also the culture of the business, ensuring they’ll be a great fit for your team.
Our Recommend A Friend scheme, incentivises our candidates to refer their contacts to Priority Appointments, increasing our talent pool and network of skilled candidates and ensuring we have an additional supply of great candidates.
4. Take a creative approach
In some cases, it’s necessary to take an alternative approach.
When a client came to us to fill a System Design role, despite months of work by other recruitment agencies, a candidate who matched the specific criteria they required hadn’t yet been found.
Once we were appointed, we worked with them to gain a clear understanding of the requirements of the position.
With a deep knowledge of the role and candidate market, we explained the benefits of considering not only experienced candidates, but also top graduates.
Andy Gibson, Merronbrook Ltd., was delighted with the candidates we presented.
“Our System Design role had been open for four months and we were frustrated that no other agency could find someone who met the very specific criteria for the position required. We then appointed Priority Appointments and were very quickly presented with three graduates, with experience gained through a placement year, who had all the skills and enthusiasm needed. Priority opened our eyes to top-level candidates that other agencies overlooked.”
With our consultative approach, deep understanding of the market and experience placing specialist roles in the manufacturing, distribution and engineering sectors we’re able to support organisations to find the candidates with the skills they want and need.
If you don’t have the time to uncover skilled ‘hidden gems’, we can help you find them.
Call us today on 01256 334575 to discuss your recruitment needs and to find out more about the candidates we have available to work right now!
Filling Jobs in Basingstoke: A Marathon, Not a Sprint
Tracy Welch shares her top three tips to help businesses which offer jobs in Basingstoke, Alton, Camberley, Andover, Winchester and the surrounding areas to build the right team for long-term success
Our home town of Basingstoke is a pretty buzzing place to live and work right now. Given our location just between the M4 and M3 and the easy access the area offers from Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, it is no wonder that so many local businesses are seeing many of the benefits of the overall improvements in the UK economy.
Basingstoke is one of the country’s Business Improvement Districts (BID) under the brand ‘Basingstoke Together’. The BID is designed to encourage local businesses to work together to improve the town’s economy by leveraging their joint buying power and attracting more commercial spend in the area. Investment continues to grow, with several new business ventures in the area.
Our neighbouring town of Hartley Wintney is also getting in on the act, and had its moment of fame with starring role in one of the episodes of the BBC series, ‘Best Bakes Ever’!
However, the potential downside of this prodigious growth is that businesses are finding it hard to source the people they need to help their companies to capitalise on the opportunities that a buoyant market offers.
So how can you ensure that your business will be one of those which benefits from all the inward investment and media attention in and around the Basingstoke area?
Well, as the hundreds of local people who take part in the annual Basingstoke Half Marathon in October will tell you, the secret to success over the mid to long term is to have a strategy that will enable you to stay the distance, as well as dealing with challenges in the short term. Here are our top three tips to help you get the right teams in place so you can stay the distance in the race for growth and success:
1. You need the right team in place to support long-term success, not just for a short sprint. As an employer, you need to plan your recruitment strategy months – or even a full year ahead if you want to secure the best candidates. The Recruitment and Employment Confederation regularly publishes reports on the availability of key staff and over the past couple of years this has consistently shown that businesses around the UK are worried about the anticipated shortage of permanent and temporary staff with many firms reporting difficulties in finding people with the right skills in the technical, logistics and professional/managerial sectors in particular.
2. You need the right resources for every step of the race. Whilst a long-term strategy is key, every business needs to also ensure that it has the right staff to deal with seasonal fluctuations, short-term rushes or to meet tactical business needs. A good plan is to work with a trusted recruitment partner who can help you find agency workers to deliver short-term access to the key skills your business needs, whilst also supporting your long-term goals.
3. You need advice and support from experienced professionals you trust to help you achieve your goals. By working with a local recruitment partner who knows the area; understands your business and has access to people with the right skills, you can maximise your chances of securing the right people for your business for both permanent and temporary posts much more quickly. If you choose a recruitment consultancy that has a strong local reputation, you will also have a much better chance of getting the sort of candidates who are interested in staying for the longer term, helping to save you time and money compared with appointing short-term staff. In a climate where finding candidates for permanent roles continues to be a challenge, it is more vital than ever to work with a recruitment partner who can help you find and attract the right people.
At Priority Appointments, we know about staying the distance: we have been finding great jobs for people in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire for almost 20 years and our knowledgeable team has over 60 years’ combined experience.
Our specialist Office and Industrial recruitment consultants take the time to find out what you need, talking to every candidate and visiting every business we work with, so we can accurately match people to the local permanent, temporary or contract vacancies that are right for them.
For a no-strings chat about how we can help you fill your Basingstoke-based jobs, do contact us on 01256 334575.
Understanding the UK’s Minimum Pay Scales
The National Living Wage is frequently in the news, with even large and reputable companies under the spotlight for not having kept up with regulations and incurring fines for underpaying some staff.
This has highlighted how important it is for companies of every size to understand their obligations and comply with the regulations.
The UK has two compulsory minimum pay scales in place, governed by two different sets of regulation:
- National Living Wage (NLW) regulations came into effect in 2016 with the goal of ensuring that all over-25s will be paid at least £9 per hour by 2020.
- National Minimum Wage (NMW) has been in force since 1999 and applies to employees under 25.
Rates for both the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage are reviewed annually by the Low Pay Commission.
In April 2018, the National Living Wage increased to £8.05 per hour and will rise to £8.50 per hour by 2019.
Penalties for employers who flout the regulations are punitive. If an employee can prove that they have not been paid correctly, HMRC can issue a fine and insist that employers pay any arrears. If these monies are still unpaid, the employment tribunal could impose fines of up to £20,000.
Voluntary ‘Real Livi
ng Wage’ Scheme
To complicate matters further, there is also a voluntary scheme known as the 'Real Living Wage', run by the charity the Living Wage Foundation, which aims to set a recommended minimum pay-scale based on the cost of living. This is independently calculated each year and applies to all employees over 18.
There are currently around 4,500 accredited employers who support this scheme from very large employers, such as Google or Burberry, through to small, independent businesses. The charity says that by choosing to opt in to the voluntary Living Wage, organisations are more likely to attract the best staff.
As a reputable consultancy with some 20 years experience, we understand the nature of the local job market, which means we can offer you guidance on the optimum hourly pay rates and salaries to attract the best candidates.
For more information about setting appropriate pay rates, contact Tracy Welch at Priority Appointments on 01256 334575 or email us.
How To Find 'Hidden Gems'
In an economy where unemployment is at its lowest rate since the 1970s, finding great candidates is getting harder.
But by taking the time to get to know candidates and look beyond their CV, it’s possible to find people who may not be an obvious choice but who do have the skills and attitude you’re looking for.
We call these candidates, ‘hidden gems’ and we have plenty of experience in finding them!
What is a Hidden Gem?
Our ‘hidden gems’ are candidates who don’t, at first glance, tick all the boxes or meet all the on-paper requirements, but when we get to know and learn more about them, we find that they could be a great fit for some of our clients.
Cathy is one of our hidden gems who was overlooked by other agencies. Due to family circumstances, Cathy had been out of work for some time. She lost confidence after being rejected by other recruitment agencies for her lack of recent experience.
We took the time to get to know Cathy and worked with her to help boost her confidence.
As we’re also committed to understanding our client’s ethos and values, we knew immediately that she would be a great fit for one company in particular.
Cathy excelled in her temporary position as a part-time receptionist and when nominated by her employer, she won the Temp of the Month Award!
See career gaps as a positive not a negative
Employers often frown upon career breaks or long periods out of work, and when a CV has glaring gaps on the date front, it can be tempting to dismiss them straight away.
But to find the gems, we consider career breaks in a different light and take the time to get to understand the story behind their CV before writing a candidate off.
Someone who has taken a career break has potential advantages including:
- Time out to go travelling can develop a range of life skills including a confident demeanour and the ability to adapt to unfamiliar environments
- A career break to raise a family shows commitment and dedication
- Being made redundant and waiting to find the right position shows gravitas and someone who does not make decisions lightly
- Undertaking temporary or volunteer work in any sector shows a strong work ethic.
Over-qualified should not mean out of the running
A candidate may have had a high-powered job in the past, but it doesn't mean they are looking for the same position in the future. If a CV hits your desk for a part-time role, or a position that is way beneath someone’s previous pay-grade, consider the potential reasons for this.
Many well-paid, highly-qualified individuals decide that their work-life balance is more important that the number on their pay cheque. These are real hidden gems, as they can bring serious skills and high-level experience to a business without demanding hefty wages or positions of power.
We first met Paul when he was in a senior role for one of our clients, so we were his first stop when his company relocated and he started looking for a new job. He decided his new role should be better suited to his ideal work-life balance. Once we knew he was available, we didn’t even wait for a suitable job to come in, we proactively found him one!
Because we know our clients really well, we decided to speculatively present Paul to one in particular even though a position wasn’t currently on offer and on paper he was over-qualified for a role as a supply chain supervisor in manufacturing and distribution.
It turned out to be a great match for Paul’s needs and our client jumped at the chance of having someone with Paul’s vast experience and expertise on the team - a win-win result!
Mature members of staff are a welcome resource
All too often it is easy to assume that lower-paid positions are only attractive to younger workers at the beginning of their career. However, more mature candidates may be looking for roles that better suit the work-life balance they are looking for and may value that over pay-rates.
Look outside your area
Many candidates will be prepared to take on long commutes or even relocate completely if the position is right for them. It’s important not to assume that a candidate’s location make them unsuitable for the position.
Consider company culture and brand
Sometimes the best fit is not the candidate with the most relevant experience, but instead the one with a passion for the job, eminently transferable skills and a personality that’s a great fit with the company’s culture and ethos.
Don’t dismiss candidates who don’t tick all the boxes at first glance, hidden gems need to be sought out and could be just waiting to be found!
If you don’t have the time to hunt for and find candidates who are hidden gems please get in touch, we’ll be very happy to help.
For more Recruiter Advice and tips, follow us on LinkedIn and download our short guide for recruiters, How to Create an Awesome Candidate Experience.
The Benefits of Regulated Recruitment Vs. The 'Gig Economy'
As a leading recruitment consultancy in Basingstoke, Priority Appointments is proud to meet and exceed the Recruitment and Employers Confederation (REC) Code of Professional Practice and comply with all employment regulations.
There is a lot of talk in the media about the ‘gig economy’. It was originally hailed as a model of work that could deliver flexibility and freedom from red tape for both employers and those seeking employment alike.
Gig Economy Issues and Risks
The Office for National Statistics estimates that 15% of the British labour market is now self-employed, with almost 5 million people classified as ‘gig workers’ (2017).
Despite the numbers using online work platforms, there are negative aspects to this unregulated sector of the employment market. There have been high-profile court cases in the media about problems in the taxi, courier and delivery markets in particular which have taken much of the shine off this form of resourcing.
What It Means for Employers
‘Gig economy’ platforms are completely unregulated, with individuals inhabiting a grey area of the market outside conventional employment legislation. For sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, driving or healthcare, where safety is a key concern, using staff via unregulated ‘gig’ platforms poses a serious risk.
By contrast, employing temps through a professional recruitment consultancy offers both employers and workers a regulated framework. This market is overseen by the Director of Labour Market Enforcement and regulated by the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate.
Under the terms of the regulations, consultants 
must:
- Provide written contracts for agency workers
- Not charge a fee to those seeking employment
- Not withhold any wages or monies due or make unlawful deductions
- Not stop a worker from seeking work elsewhere
Choosing a Regulated Recruitment Partner
Recruitment consultants like Priority Appointments, which are members of the Recruitment and Employers Confederation (REC), also have to comply with its guidance and can be investigated by the body and disciplinary action taken if they are found to be in breach.
For employers, the risk of using gig economy platforms is great. In addition to potentially breaching the Employment Standards Agency Inspectorate regulations, it is easy for employers to fall foul of anti-slavery regulations enforced by the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority. You can read more about this important set of regulations and find out how to write a Modern Slavery Policy for your business in our Employer Advice article on Modern Slavery.
Making a Wise Choice
So whilst the status of workers in the gig economy remains unclear, it is a wise choice for employers to choose a recruitment partner which knows their market sector and local business area, and which can demonstrate compliance with all regulations.
Priority Appointments is a member of REC and adheres to all employment regulations, as well as following the REC Code of Professional Conduct.
If you are looking to fill jobs in Basingstoke and the surrounding areas of Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire, please get in touch to find out more about our services.
Congratulations to this year's winners!
We were very pleased to celebrate the finalists and winners of the Inspire 19 Business Awards at the Hampshire Court Hotel recently!
We sponsored the Medium Business of the Year category and our business director Tracy Welch was delighted to present the award to Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt, an architecture practice based in Basingstoke.
Tracy said "The quality of entrants for the Medium Business of the Year category was fantastic, however Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt really did standout as a business that is growing solidly with ambitious plans for the future."
Ayre Chamberlain Gaunt won the best overall winner award too, huge congratulations to them all!
Congratulations to our Temp of the Month!
Well done to Andrew, our Temp of the Month!
Industrial and Technical Consultant, Luke, presented our Temp of the Month, Andrew with his certificate and prize, a £25 gift card for Festival Place in Basingstoke.
“Even though Andrew has only recently started with us, I have been very impressed with his attitude and the way he has picked things up. He works hard and applies himself 100% to a task which is very pleasing, and his happy and bubbly personality is very welcome.” - Frank, Operations Manager.
Thank you for all your hard work, Andrew!
Well Done, Charlotte, our Temp of the Month!
Congratulations to Charlotte, our Temp of the Month!
“Charlotte’s temporary assignment was originally for 3 months and now she has been with us nearly a year and a half! She is extremely hardworking and committed and has been a real attribute to the department.”
Thanks for all your hard work, Charlotte!
Shortlisted Finalists Announced!
We're very proud to sponsor the Medium Business of the Year category in the INSPIRE Business Awards 2019 and we're delighted to announce the Shortlisted Finalists for the Medium Business of the Year category:
ACG Architects
Bakedin
Crayside Consulting
Good luck to all the finalists! The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on Thursday 21st November.
