Elaine Courtney shares insights into the world of recruitment at Liverpool John Moores University, with the Lord Mayor of London & the Chamber of Commerce Business Growth Programme

It’s been a busy time for Elaine Courtney, Director of Liverpool’s Courtney Recruitment as she has been invited to speak as an expert at numerous events, panels, and meetings over the last month.

Elaine commented “It’s been great to get out into the business and student community and use my time to give something back to the future generation as well as input into the future of the Financial and Professional Services sector, as I work with some many clients and candidates in this sector.

“It’s fantastic to be able to be part of, and make a contribution to, the conversation and subsequently the plans that go into place to support our students, our local SMEs and also our Corporates.”

Starting with a request from Liverpool John Moores University, Elaine was asked by HR Lecturer, Helen Klepper to present to a group first year HR students on 21^st February to give them an overview of the recruitment marketplace, CV skills and recruitment processes, as well as tips on how to approach getting a job themselves once they complete their course.

Helen commented “The HR Team within the LJMU Business School works with local businesses to ensure that our students not only develop their academic skills but also prepare themselves for employment. We are grateful to Elaine from Courtney Recruitment for not only speaking to our first-year students about recruitment, interview skills and employability but also taking an active part within our online employability event in which we built relationships between students and local employers. We hope to continue our ties with Courtney Recruitment and thank you for your contribution and enhancing the student experience.”

Secondly, Elaine was asked to present at LJMU’s ‘HR Networking & Employability Event’ on 28^th February which was led by Senior Lecturer Dr Patricia Jolliffe PhD, MA HRM. The purpose was to give the students an insight into some of the career path options that are available to HR professionals, whether that’s in the private sector, public sector or 3^rd sector. It enabled students to ask professional questions about their roles and discuss the pros and cons of working in their current and/or past HR sector. It provided a safe and comfortable space for professionals to share and students to learn and connect.

One of the hosts at the event Dr Deborah Callaghan commented “It was really interesting, informative and personal. The students will have massively benefit from Elaine’s advice and wealth of experience.”

The third invitation was extended to Elaine as a guest at a prestigious a roundtable discussion about ‘People and Purpose’, organised by Professional Liverpool and the Growth Platform, in the presence of Vincent Keaveny, the Lord Mayor of London and other respected business leaders held at Griffiths & Armour on 24^th February.

Elaine discussed and led on her thoughts and experience which contributed to the Lord Mayor’s agenda which was to discuss how to achieve a purpose-led and people-focused UK Financial and Professional Services sector; the conversation was focused on how we as a business community can do more to facilitate and support socio-economic mobility. Elaine shared her thinking around ways in which she feels the larger business in our city could pull together to really work closely with not only graduates, but school and college leavers, people of varying background and educational attainment levels to help bridge the gap between education and the working world.

The final event took place on 10^th March and was the Business Growth Platform Programme organised by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce. The morning event was a great turnout and Elaine covered the following:

• The current employment marketplace is tricky – But there are things you can do
• How do I define exactly what we’re going to need when we take someone on?
• What should a recruitment process involve?

Her overall conclusion to the event was that qualifications don’t always make a candidate suitable, and no experience doesn’t always mean the candidate is unsuitable, which is a key message she urged all employers to take away from the event. Elaine commented, “Hire for attitude, train for skill”

To find out more about Elaine, where she will next be speaking and how Courtney Recruitment can help your business recruit or help you achieve your career goals in accountancy or office support roles, check out LinkedIn or visit courtneyreedgroup.co.uk/recruitment

Leading Liverpool Recruitment company warn of historically steep rise in permanent and temporary job vacancies

Liverpool’s Courtney Recruitment are strongly advising businesses to reassess their offering in what is an historically competitive marketplace as we enter 2022. A candidate-short arena means employers are rethinking how they attract, onboard, and retain excellent employees.

Recent reports by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) indicate three key findings, including steep increases in permanent placements and temporary billings, candidate availability falling, and substantial pressure on starting pay.

Elaine Courtney, Director at Courtney Recruitment said “We work with many businesses across the region, recruiting as and when they need to hire. However, the conversation, and process has changed of late. It has become very apparent that the shortage of people looking for work now has driven a need to adapt recruitment practices significantly, in terms of timescales and sourcing methods. What is more noteworthy is that job seekers seem to be looking more closely at their next potential employer, and more carefully considering if this is the type of company they want to join; the job seekers are also more vocal in the conversation regarding remuneration.”

The recent REC report highlighted the following:

Starting salaries for permanent workers and temporary hourly pay continued to rise rapidly in December, with the respective rates of inflation holding close to record-highs. Panellists frequently mentioned that starting salaries and wages had risen as demand for staff continued to outstrip supply.

Elaine continued “This, coupled with a fiercely competitive market means we are encouraging businesses to be clever about their employee attraction packages, the interview process, the onboarding process, and importantly as well their staff retention efforts. To gain any advantage, employers need to think about how to become an employer of choice, and about how to ensure that they can offer job seekers not just a job but a satisfying role at company that feels like the perfect fit. It's like a whole new playing field out there now, and something for which the Courtney Recruitment and Courtney Executive team are happy to help businesses strategise to ensure successful placements”

Courtney Recruitment, established in 2015 and their sister Courtney Executive brand launched in 2021 work with large and small businesses via their unique twenty-six stage process to place candidates from office support staff through to Directors and Senior Leaders, with a 97% fill rate, much higher than the industry standard. And with the need to work smarter and move quickly to fill vacancies, the Courtney team are encouraging those struggling to find suitable candidates to rethink their strategy and seek advice from a recruitment expert.

Elaine concluded “Even if you are not ready to recruit just yet, my advice is to start your planning now, start earlier than you typically would, seek advice from someone who understands and operates within the employment market on a day-to-day basis on how to adapt your recruitment strategy and implement it now!”

Christmas Celebrations at Courtney Recruitment

To conclude an incredibly successful year at Courtney Recruitment during which the team expanded and larger prestigious city centre offices were occupied, Courtney Recruitment have a full December schedule of festive fun planned.

Starting on 1st December, at the new offices in the Honeycomb Building, Edmund Street in Liverpool, the team have been decorating the offices to set the tone for the rest of the month. 2^nd December has seen the first official team meeting in the new offices, with Christmas themed hot chocolates and goodies for everyone. Christmas jumper day on 10^th and team night out on 11^th follows before 14^th sees donations being made to Radio City’s Mission Christmas to ensure every child wakes up on Christmas day to a present. This will culminate on 22^nd December with a Christmas brunch with festive games and a team Secret Santa before the team take a well-earned Christmas break.

Elaine Courtney, Director of Courtney Recruitment said “We are a close-knit team, and as a team we decided to really go the whole hog to celebrate Christmas together. The programme of events was decided by the team, including our newest recruits who joined as part of our expanding team. Mission Christmas has always been something close to our hearts and we are proud to be supporting for yet another year, as it’s heart breaking to think there are children who may wake on Christmas day to no presents. We also strongly believe in the importance of a happy team, as without them we wouldn’t be able to achieve the ongoing growth we are experiencing, so really celebrating Christmas with a full schedule of celebrations is important as a thank you to the team who have worked so hard all year.”

Courtney Recruitment continue to grow and expand into prestigious City Centre offices

After continued significant growth and demand from clients, The Courtney Reed Group who last month launched their new division Courtney Executive has this month expanded into larger new offices in the prestigious Honeycomb Building on Liverpool City Centre’s Edmund Street.

The offices have been designed to accommodate the growing team as well as facilitate client and candidate visits in a friendly, spacious environment, designed by their own staff to their requirements.

Courtney Recruitment was set up by Elaine Courtney and Stuart Reed to offer a unique, consultative, recruitment partnership service to businesses looking to expand their team, a service for which demand has soared in Liverpool and beyond. This is likely as a result of the result the company creates, since its inception the company has delivered above industry level 97% fill rate for vacancies.

Stuart Reed, Director at Courtney Recruitment said “We are an ambitious and thriving company and wanted to future proof our ongoing growth with the move to larger offices which can accommodate our growing team and client base. We are excited to be moving and look forward to further expanding our own team as we move into 2022, a year which definitely looks bright for the ongoing success of The Courtney Reed Group”

Elaine Courtney, Director of Courtney Recruitment added “As with everything we do, it’s our amazing team which makes things happen, they are so driven to get the job done, and to do it right. They will not ever compromise on quality, and they really do ‘live’ our guiding principles. As we grow, it allows us to continue that very inclusive culture that we have, where we talk to our team about what they would like, so they feel comfortable and happy at work. The move to larger offices has allowed us to accommodate people’s wish lists, whether that be to be by a window, facing the door, creating the staff breakout area, or even inputting to our doggy area as we become a true home from home for our staff’s canine companions! The new office address is 2^nd Floor, Honeycomb, Edmund Street, Liverpool, L3 9NG, and to find out more please visit:  https://courtney-staging.pixeltreemedia.co.uk/

Successful Recruitment company launches global executive search division led by veteran expert Peter Hunt

Following a period of steady and significant growth and demand from clients, The Courtney Group has this month launched its brand-new executive search and head hunting division ‘Courtney Executive’.

Led by veteran head-hunting expert Peter Hunt, who has over 25 years’ experience in senior level executive recruitment in the national and international market, Courtney Executive will specialise in senior level appointments in the banking, finance and accounting and legal sectors.

Courtney Recruitment was set up by Elaine Courtney and Stuart Reed to offer a unique, consultative, recruitment service to businesses looking to expand their team or fill existing roles across Liverpool and beyond. Since its inception the company has delivered above industry level 97% fill rate for vacancies. With such exacting standards and a desire to fulfil client needs, Courtney Executive and bringing Peter on board as new Director was the obvious decision.

Elaine Courtney, Director at Courtney Recruitment commented “Our clients talk to us on a regular basis and as is always the way we work, we listen to them. They have a requirement for senior level appointments and wanting to offer our clients a quality solution launching our new division - Courtney Executive Recruitment, following Peter’s appointment as Director, is an exciting part of our ongoing growth plans. We welcome Peter’s immense experience in the domestic and international markets and welcome clients old and new looking for a head-hunting service.”

Peter Hunt, Director of Courtney Executive said “Elaine and Stuart have demonstrated their desire to provide an excellent service to both clients and candidates alike and I’m delighted to come on board to lead the development of the Executive Search division as it launches. I look forward to getting started and assisting in the appointment of crucial hires in businesses from SMEs to International companies.”

To find out more please visit https://courtney-staging.pixeltreemedia.co.uk/executive-recruitment/

Industry-leading Courtney Recruitment continue to expand and support businesses across the Liverpool City Region

Courtney Recruitment was set up by Elaine Courtney and Stuart Reed to offer a unique, consultative, recruitment service to businesses looking to expand their team or fill existing roles across Liverpool and beyond.

The business has seen phenomenal growth and having doubled in size over the last 3 years, continue to expand their own team and will shortly be moving into larger, state of the art offices in Liverpool City Centre. As a well-established business, much of their success and growth has been through recommendation and repeat business, a testament to the trusted partnership they have built with clients and candidates throughout the Liverpool City Region over time.

The team, who between them have over 50 years combined experience in the recruitment industry, pride themselves on the work culture they have created, which is not only family (and dog!) friendly, but offers duvet days, day one lunch with the Directors, an open door ‘no idea is a daft idea’ environment and staff socials, as well as the more traditional staff training and development and private medical care.

Courtney Recruitment’s approach includes consultation with both clients (to define exactly what is required in terms of skills, experience and cultural fit) and candidates (to listen to what the candidate really wants from their next career move). Their unique and a 26-stage process means they can report an industry-topping 97% fill rate for vacancies.

Elaine Courtney, Director at Courtney Recruitment commented “With my passion for people and recruiting for my candidate’s long-term career, or my client’s business growth plans, the success of our company is wholeheartedly down to my team. I’m always proud to see them do well and encourage them to develop. When starting our business out from home in a make-shift office I never dreamed we would expand as we have and continue to do so. I’m always on the lookout to speak to those interested in a career in recruitment, as well as clients and candidates, as this perfect 3-way match is the best way I can ensure we continue delivering the excellent service we do.”

About Time Too!!

As a bid writer and business owner, it’s always good to hear
about positive steps being taken by the public sector to improve the
procurement process, and one such change has just been announced.

The email distributed by Crown Commercial Services this
morning states that:

“From 1 September
2019, any organisation that bids for a central government contract in excess of
£5 million per annum will need to answer questions about its supply chain
management and payment tracking systems. This will include details about
payment practices, processes and performance including the percentage of invoices
paid within 60 days.

Suppliers who are unable to demonstrate that
they have effective systems in place and can ensure a fair and responsible
approach to payment of their supply chain may be excluded from bidding. If you
already publish data in accordance with the Reporting on Payment Practices and
Performance Regulations, you can simply submit this report as part of your bid.”

Whilst this will come as no consolation to ex-employees and
subcontractors of companies such as Connaught, Rok and more recently Carillion,
the move should be seen as a first step in ensuring that contracts awarded by
the government (and hopefully the wider public sector to follow) create a
positive and lasting legacy for SME’s and the wider community.

Having worked for multi-nationals for much of my working
life, I have seen from both sides the great imbalance between the buying power
of large organisations and the ability to enforce payment terms upon them by
smaller suppliers of goods and services. The move announced today may well be a
small initial step but if this sees a wider shift in terms of procurement
processes from local authorities, housing associations and other public bodies,
then it will be a welcome one indeed.

Common issues for companies looking to get involved in tendering

Tendering for public sector business can open up a world of opportunities for new start-ups and SME’s, in all of its various forms. The composition of documentation, from simple Requests for Quotation right through to multi-million-pound opportunities going through the full OJEU tender process, can have a profound effect on the ability of firms to tap into this market, in terms of resource, time and capability.

So what are the key factors holding companies back from getting involved within the public-sector market, and what are the key ways to combat them?

• Guarantee: there is NEVER a guarantee that any company will be successful in winning public-sector business, and this fact tends to put off those companies who would have to invest scarce time and resource to complete documentation, even for smaller contracts. No tender services company worth their salt will ever provide such a guarantee, and so the choice to begin tendering represents an investment in the development of bids over time. This is not to say, of course, that companies cannot win their first tender. There are examples of immediate success available right across the country in a huge array of sectors, but this is by no means something that happens by accident.
• Uncertainty: sometimes the will is there to get involved, but a read through the Standard Selection Questionnaire or ITT document leaves the reader with a sense of uncertainty as to whether they can either put in a compelling submission or, in some circumstances, what the specification for the expected goods or services actually is! For the first of these, I would tend to trust gut feeling and wait for a more obviously suitable tender opportunity to come along, instead of using valuable time on a bid in which your uncertainty may come across. Where there is an issue with the specification, it is ALWAYS best to seek guidance from the tendering authority prior to a decision being made. Most tenders will have a method identified for asking questions and authorities usually see it as in their interests to respond in a timely fashion.
• Technical: this can cover anything from lack of required accreditation or insurances through to inability as a new firm to provide case studies or evidential information on past contracts and successes. Whilst it is true in some respects that technical deficiencies within a bid may mean a fail, the revised Public Contracts Regulations 2015 do contain measures designed to counteract these issues where possible. Make sure to keep your company’s information up to date on a regular basis, even if you are not actively tendering for business, because if that all-important tender does appear it is best to be ready! Remember also, that the importance of social value in tenders can sometimes be a distinguishing factor, with some tenders now awarding up to 15% to suppliers local to the area of contract delivery, and those who are active in their efforts at community engagement and other social factors.

Even for large companies, there are always reasons not to go for a particular tender, but the key is to establish effective decision-making processes and ensure that you understand the likely requirements for a compelling bid within your industry.

For more information on any aspect of tender, call Courtney Tender Services on 0151 601 6263

Love me tender…........

With St. Valentine's Day fast approaching, we thought we'd take a look at how tendering can be such an emotive word!

The word tender can inspire many different emotions, from outright fear to absolute contempt, depending on an individual’s knowledge, experience and understanding of the process. This gets some people palpitating at the very mention of the word. So, what are the key facts that you need to know to get started in the world of tendering?

A tender is, in essence, nothing more than a bid. You will likely need to provide pricing and a proposal/qualitative response to be successful, and the structure is often quite rigid. Most public sector tenders are governed by European legislation (though this is likely to change following Brexit), and many opportunities are advertised via something called OJEU. This is the Official Journal of the European Union, and any public contracts anticipated to be worth in excess of certain thresholds must be advertised through this.

How do you even find tenders to go for? Well, there are a large number of websites these days that collate information on new tenders and detail how to obtain the tender documents. Some of the more common ones are:

• contractsfinder.gov.uk - this is a government run directory of available contracts on which all contracts of over £10,000 need to be advertised.
• https://procontract.due-north.com/Login - this might be more commonly known as ‘The Chest’ in the North West.
• http://www.mytenders.org/Default.aspx - allows direct access to documents for tenders posted on this site.

There are many more sites, some location or industry specific, and some research is advised for those companies not sure where to go!

There are several stages of tendering under the OJEU process. Depending on the type and size of contract, any or all of the following could be used

• Prior Information Notice (PIN) – to indicate that a tender is likely to come out, and provide a date for release if known
• Expression of Interest (EoI) – the first call for interested parties
• Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)/Selection Questionnaire(SQ) – for the tendering authority to evaluate generic suitability of those companies interested in the contract.
• Invitation to Tender (ITT) – the main section of the tender, including the main response and pricing requirements
• Post-tender clarifications – for the tendering authority to ensure that bids have been correctly evaluated. Usually take the form of an interview, presentation and/or site visit.
• Success/unsuccessful notification – all bidders who have submitted a tender are notified of the initial decision of the tendering authority and usually provided with feedback.
• Standstill period – sometimes called the Alcatel Period after the legal case from which the name came. This gives bidders a certain period of time (usually 10 days) to challenge the initial decision
• Contract award – if no challenges are raised, then the contract can be awarded.

This can look like a daunting process to some companies, leading to the fear factor mentioned earlier. It can take months to complete the tender process but effective planning and monitoring can smooth the path to success.

Finally, no matter how all of the above looks, remember that there are people standing ready to help! WE LOVE TENDERS!!!

Give us a call on 0151 601 6263 or 07958 566 154 to find out more about how we can make tendering easy!!

What is holding you back?

From politics to the weather you can’t fail to notice that we are in a state of widespread change now. Brexit, a new US president and even the size of Toblerones … change is inevitable and the fear of the unknown is a phenomenon that most of us can relate to. However, when it comes to business, it can be one of the main factors that can hinder growth and prosperity.

Through our tender -support services, we work  with business owners and managers on a daily basis, who are applying for large-scale tenders for the first time. It fascinates us to discover the reasons why many successful businesses, who are so clearly capable of winning lucrative tenders, are not throwing their hat in the ring more.

Our experience would suggest that one issue that crops up over and over again is fear of failure. You may have to fill in forms, make a pitch, do a fancy presentation and people may snigger, right? What if you mess up and then don’t get it anyway? What’s more, you may not be sure if you can deliver the requirements for the entire lifetime of the contract.

As business owners, we are not particularly good at blowing our own trumpets, so an important activity to make sure that you do regularly, is reflect on and review your progress to understand how much you have accomplished and how far you have come. It is also time to let go of the idea that you always need to be 100% perfect. Sometimes, it is essential to take risks to reap the rewards.

Perhaps, you are busy enough? It Is hard to find enough time in the day to get through your ever-growing list, let alone find time for a work/life balance. Taking the time to build a winning team can be the difference, whether that be staff members or freelance delivery partners. The peace of mind that comes from knowing that you can pull a team together to pull off any project places you in a strong position and ready for take-off.

Another old chestnut – you don’t know where to start, or don’t know the difference between a poor tender and a good tender. A poor tender can often be caused by a business not having the correct guidance during the preparation. From errors to stating the benefits with supporting evidence, a few small tweaks and changes in your approach may be all that it takes. And rule number one – always read the documentation fully to understand what is required of you.

In short, when it comes to the things that are holding you back, we have seen and heard it all; every client needs our help for their own individual reasons. Initially, a friendly discussion will establish your development needs. At that point, we will walk you through a range of affordable options from ad-hoc support to our fully outsourced bid service. Ready to feel the fear and do it anyway? Contact us today on 0151 601 6263 for more details.