HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THINK GLOBAL RECRUITMENT!

It was big celebrations at the Think Global Recruitment HQ in Edinburgh this week, not only have we secured new positions for a number of professionals seeking international moves but we also celebrated our 13th Birthday. It was the 7th July 2000 that the company was formed and ever since then we have made it our mission to IMPROVE LIVES of everyone we work with.

From a team of 3 that had a small office space in Edinburgh to now having a penthouse HQ that looks onto Edinburgh Castle and having placed professionals all over the World from Australia to Canada and everywhere in between.

It is an exciting time to be part of the company as it continues to grow and develop. We recently launched an International Oil and Gas division to go along with the International Accountancy and Finance.

We have also recently started a series of webinars where we present information to professionals who are looking to gain advice on many different areas of the recruitment process whether it is internationally or locally. To keep up to date with when the next webinar is please click here and we are more than happy to take suggestions as to content and subject matter that we discuss.

Here's to success for the next 13 years!

Cheers!

TGR HQ

THINK GLOBAL RECRUITMENT LAUNCH GLOBAL RECRUITMENT WEBINARS

Last month Think Global Recruitment launched ‘Global Recruitment Webinars’ allowing the company to invite industry leaders in both recruitment and accountancy to present to professionals on a host of topics.

Presented by Abigail Stevens (Managing Director– Think Global Recruitment), the first webinar discussed ‘Interview Preparation’ and was presented to an enthusiastic audience. Covering the full interview process from phone, video and all the way to face-to-face, Abigail has almost 20 years recruitment experience and has conducted literally thousands of interviews both for internal and external vacancies, covering a whole variety of roles and therefore knows every potential pitfall and is excellently placed to advise professionals seeking advice.

Although a new service line for Think Global Recruitment it is something that the company hugely enjoyed setting up and promoting. Abigail Stevens received great feedback from the participants. They all agreed that they felt far more confident and prepared for any interviews in the pipeline. All attendees that supplied feedback noted that they are more aware of how imperative it is that you tailor each application to the role and company that you are applying for.

Some top tips that were discussed in detail were:

TOP 10 TIPS TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. Research - Read up on the company and do your research. Look at web site, financials, media page etc (keen)
2. Key Skill - Know what key skills are required and whether you have them (capable/confidence)
3. Practice - Practice answering difficult questions - Put yourself in the interviewers shoes
4. Salary - Never bring up the topic of salary before the interviewer does.  It is often best to discuss salary at offer stage. Ensure they know its not all about money (keen)
5. Most important - The interview practice is invaluable. It’s better to turn down an offer than be rejected. You may decide mid-interview that you really want the role but interviews feedback shows you have already blown it by that time (first five minutes)
6. Recap - Recap through your experiences.  Know your key achievements
7. Sell Yourself - Be confident in an interview but do not rely on your CV.  Remember to sell yourself.
8. Turn weaknesses into positives
9. Questions - Prepare questions before the interview (keen)
10. Closure - Ask what the next step will be and   indicate that you are keen (keen)

  

The GlobalRecruitment Webinars are an opportunity for professionals who are considering their next career move to receive first-hand advice on such things as ‘Interview Preparation’, ‘Living and Working on Offshore Islands’ and ‘Living and Working in Emerging Markets’. We are always open to suggestions on subject matter and topics that can be discussed so please feel free to leave a comment in the space below of any suggestions of topics.  We look forward to meeting you there.

The next two webinars cover the following:

Interview Preparation - 11th July 2013 at 10:30am GMT
Living and Working on Offshore Islands - 18th July 2013 at 7pm GMT

WORLDWIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPERIENCED ACCOUNTANTS

There is a world of opportunity out there for experienced and qualified accountants,   maybe not as much as pre global down turn; however, there are still plenty of roles available if you look across the global market. Accountancy is still a profession that is in high demand.

The main effect of the current economic climate for experience accountants seeking a new role is that potential employers are focused on finding specialists and often have very specific skills/experience criteria they seek to match. 

 

There is another interesting swing around the globe also worth noting.  Insolvency is in high demand in a number of countries, including Australasia and the Caribbean and on the reverse side Transaction Services is in demand in Europe.  

Language skills, in particular fluent German or French, can be a ticket to secure very interesting, sought after roles throughout Europe, including Switzerland. Alternatively, Mandarin and a proven track record of career progression is appealing to employers in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, whilst Arabic speakers can enjoy an excellent career throughout the Middle East.

Audit experience in the financial services sector will secure that offshore experience, weather it is the Channel Islands, Caribbean or Luxembourg.   

Audit remains the skill in the largest demand. Mainly because CA firms are the biggest employer of accountants and they need a large number of auditors to service clients who have to be audited.  In the current market employers generally require experience of auditing the relevant sector their clients are in.

The demands of employers have definitely tightened up. Historically they would be happy to cross train sectors and provide language training.  

However, it is highly likely criteria will open up again as the economy stabilises again.  Previous financial down turns and recessions have seen a high demand for experienced accountants in the following years and there are signs this will happen again.  Although many firms tried not to decrease the number of trainee accountants they hired in recent years, they had no choice in the end. We are also seeing statistics that show new generations are not choosing accountancy as a career, which will lead to a further shortage.

A recent survey published by the Education and Employees Taskforce targeted 11,000 13-16 year olds in a bid to chart the job aspirations of teenagers against the employment market from now to 2020. It stated that less that one in 30 young people are currently considering jobs in banking and finance which will result in experienced accountants being in even more demand.

A report conducted by Markit, surveying the UK job market has documented a rise in the need for both permanent and temporary accounting/financial professionals from 2012 to 2013. The report which collates data supplied by recruitment agencies also noted that the key skills that are in short supply in accountancy is ‘Accounts, Audit Managers, Credit control, M&A, Tax and Purchase ledger’.

       

With the job market gradually improving both internationally and domestically and the need for experienced accountants and their skill set greater, the openings for accountants is on the rise and the opportunities are better and will continue to increase. Having an ACCA qualification is your ticket to opportunities all over the world and the future looking far more positive than it has in recent years.  

Written by Abigail Stevens, Managing Director, Think Global Recruitment

ACCOUNTANCY WORLDWIDE ONLINE WEBINAR

Dear Reader...

OK, so, some blatant advertising below...However, I just didn't want anyone to miss out on this.  

Everyone know's they have a strength at something and interview preparation is most certainly an area I receives excellent feedback on.  I thought I should share the extensive experience I have in this area.   If you sign up and do not feel you received value for money from this Webinar, please do let me know and I will refund your registration.

Happy to receive feedback after on this blog.

Kind regards,   Abigail 

ACCOUNTANCY WORLDWIDE ONLINE WEBINAR

 Interview Preparation for Career Progression(Video/Phone/Face to Face) 

Thursday 6 June 20137pm UK time 8pm Central European/South African time 

Presenter:  Abigail Stevens, Managing Director,Think Global Recruitment

Fellow Recruitment and Employment Confederation

Interviewing can be nerve racking enough, but sometimes the thought of doing it by phone or video conference can be even harder to get your mind around. This valuable, not to be missed webinar will not only cover the various types of interview techniques for face to face interviews, but also tips on getting through a telephone or video interview.

The topic of discussion will be ‘Interview Preparation for Career Progression – Video/Phone/Face-to-Face’ and will be delivered by Abigail Stevens who has around 20 years’ experience assisting professionals secure roles throughout the globe.

This amazing opportunity will give professionals who are interested in advancing their career, now or in the future, the opportunity to find out what it is required of them during the interview process, providing hints, tips and advise on potential stumbling blocks.

This webinar that could improve your life costs just £10 (c. 11.70 €) to attend. To register and pay please follow this link:

http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/6797789371

To allow us to tailor the presentation for the audience or if you have any questions please contact Gordon Barclay via email – gbarclay@thinkgr.com or telephone +44 131 260 5850.

We look forward to registering you for this special event.  Please feel free to share this with others that would be interested in attending.

EVENT INFORMATION

Presenter

Abigail Stevens FRIP

Program Title

Interview Preparation for Career Progression (Video/Phone/Face to Face)

Presenter Biography

Abigail Stevens is professionally, exam and time qualified as a full member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). Having spent 8 years working in marketing, Abigail moved into the recruitment industry in 1996 and founded Think Global Recruitment in 2000. In the 18 years since Abigail has placed accountants at all levels, all over the world and has experience of living and working in Australia,England and Scotland. Throughout her career Abigail has traveled extensively conducting presentations and networking with global organizations and institutes and has presented to ICAS and ICAEW members as well as MBA University students, she has visited; UK, Ireland, Wales, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, Holland, Spain, Prague, Poland, Boston, LA, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Grenada, Australia (lived 3 years), Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Bali, Thailand, Cambodia, New Zealand, Egypt, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, South Africa, Canada.

Program Summary

Together we will explore the full interview process and how to successfully secure that opportunity of your dreams.  

We will cover not only generic tips, but specific techniques for the international interview process including telephone and video interviewing.  Interviewing can be nerve-wracking enough, but sometimes the thought of doing it by phone or video conference can be even harder to get your mind around.   This Webinar will leave you feeling confident and capable of carrying out the very best interview you can and allow you to put your questions to an expert in the field.

Think Global Recruitment does Oil and Gas

Having successfully recruited exclusively for the international accounting and finance sector for over 12 years, Think Global Recruitment is delighted to announce that we are operating in a new sector. We have now got a division actively recruiting into the international Oil and Gas industry.

With this new division comes a new team, with a new team comes new clients, new clients lead to new jobs and with new jobs leads to a world of new professionals that are looking to take their career international! This excites all of us at Think Global Recruitment as nothing gives us a better feeling then meeting new people and discussing the ways in which we can improve their lives. We are a recruitment consultancy that has been built upon ensuring that we give the best service to the professionals we work with and the companies that we recruit for.  

Managing Director Abigail Stevens has been investigating this avenue for some time and has decided that now is the best time to launch it, she said; “Having successfully used our model to assist companies recruit the best Accountancy and Finance talent across the globe, we felt we could use the same model for another sector.  We wanted a sector that was not as reliant on the same economic factors, but one that sometimes found it hard to find the professionals it required on its doorstep.  That’s where we can come in and source for those hard to fill vacancies by providing applicants from overseas with the right skill set and motivation to make the move.  Oil and Gas ticked all the boxes.”

Furthermore, Operations Director Cramond Perry who has over 15 years experience in the Oil and Gas sector is equally optimistic with the path that Think Global Recruitment have taken when launching the new sector of the company and said; “ I've always been impressed by how international the teams were in the oil and gas industry generally and how mobile and flexible most of the workforce are prepared to be. I enjoyed seeing more of the world at the same time as progressing my own career and am looking forward to supporting this sector which is currently booming on buoyant commodities prices and a severe skills shortage.”

Andrew Sharp has been assigned the task of establishing the Oil and Gas department and with extensive experience not only recruiting into this sector but also on an international scale, Andrew is a great fit to make a success of  this new venture.

Having assisted hundreds of professionals to make the ever daunting international career move, nobody is better suited to give advice not only on the role and company that each professional will be applying for, but also the in-depth advice on the location and social opportunities that each location provides. Think Global is not only about helping find that perfect job for you, but also about helping you find the location that suits you best; socially, financially and professionally and that is why our vision is “Improving Lives”.

NEW ZEALAND – OPPORTUNITY AND EXCELLENT LIFESTYLE

ABIGAIL'S AUSTRALASIA  TOUR - MARCH 2013

COUNTRY 1 – NEW ZEALAND – OPPORTUNITY AND EXCELLENT LIFESTYLE

Awesome New Zealand!   Thanks to typical Kiwi hospitality, my journey started in the modern harbor  City of Auckland.  Within an hour of landing I was boarding a boat to go across to Rangitoto Island  – an extinct volcano with a fantastic view of Auckland.  The boat journey itself was great, with a panoramic view of the city, in the sun.  However, running up then down the volcano was a lovely way to stretch the legs after a long flight.  After which we had a BBQ on the boat, before heading back into Auckland. 

                   View from Boat back at Auckland

The next day I was in a string of meetings with potential employers of accountants.   There are a number of varied really interesting opportunities across New Zealand.   The thing that stood out the most when speaking with employers was that they are very enthusiastic about how the companies they work for look after them.  Companies appear to concentrate on a work life balance, through to providing fruit for staff and a large number of social events.

Another consistent theme seems to be that all the businesses are based in lovely, modern buildings, with good views of the lovely city and its harbor.  I could imagine myself having lunch breaks on the harbour before returned for an afternoon’s work, leaving at a reasonable hour and then off to the gym.

I then headed down to Wellington.  The capital city, also with a lovely waterfront.  Home to the government, most work opportunities there will be either working for the government or providing a service to it.  

However, instead of being a ‘stuffy’ capital, the city has an air of cosmopolitan about it.  Excellent restaurants from Waterfront Sea food and wine bars to trendy funky Mexican to American breakfast diners. 

Wellington is a very hilly city.  It reminds me of Cape Town for the mountains that surround it and of Chicago because it is such a windy city.  However, you don’t have to run up the hills, as I did, you can even take a tram to the top to get the view’s.  

From Wellington I took a ferry across to Picton on the South Island .  Now I am sure you are getting the theme, but yes, I did take place in a run around Picton.  What better way to see all these great places.  Picton has the feel of a small sleepy town.  It is pretty and a great gateway to the wonders of this fun filled beautiful island.

   View from Ferry between North and South Island

The rest of my trip consisted of visiting more remote old fashioned hotels, to walking through forests to the lovely pretty town of Nelson, with its stunning long beaches.  Previous trips have included flying in small planes over the stunning Lord of the Rings type scenery, river surfing down the rapids in Roturua, climbing a volcano near Lake Tapo and watching crazy people bungy jumping against the most scenic backdrops.   There is so much to see and do in this beautiful country, I could go on forever!  

Why wouldn't you want to live and work there?

'Working 9 – 5 what a way to make a living' - The change in working patterns

Well, that was the famous song in the late 70’s, when women were working to have it all and were desperately trying to compete in the board room while juggling family life and yes, most people clocked in at 9am and left at 5pm. How things have changed...

Dolly Parton recently brought her musical stage show of the movie to the Edinburgh Playhouse and, having had the good fortune to go along, this feel good show certainly gave me some food for thought. Set in the late 1970’s, there were no computers - just typewriters: no i-phones, iPads or Blackberries - just desk bound devices with curly cables. Our working lives have changed so much since then and although we have far more technology to help make us more productive and efficient, there is still the day to day juggle of professional vs family life that has to be taken into consideration for both men and women. We have relaxed work patterns over the years so there is now no longer a "9 to 5" mentality in most work places. However that brings it’s own pressure in now having the facility to work 24/7 if we so require - another challenge.

Having gone through one of the worst recessions we have ever known, it has made employers and employees reevaluate their life/work balance and there have been some interesting evolutions, particularly over the last 4 years. Employers are more aware that their survival and growth works hand in hand with how happy their employees feel at work as this will also result in increased commitment and aid staff retention.

As such they have been far more responsive to part-time workers as it has been a good resource to save on cash flow while still enabling the job to get done. For a number of roles, working from home has also promised some great advantages, however if this is not done correctly it can be disruptive for all involved.

We have seen a massive surge in the number of people working on a self employed basis doing consultancy work, this creates opportunities that can be mutually beneficial but isn’t always as straight forward as it would seem.

Working on a consultancy basis may seem attractive but you have to take into consideration the back office challenges that working for a larger organisation you may very rarely notice. Admin, IT, Accounts and Suppliers all need to be dealt with no matter how much work you are bringing in and they are the thing’s that usually eat away extra hours or money if you choose to outsource. Most people who give up a job to become a self-employed consultant do so as they want a more flexible working arrangement and to earn more money. However statistics show that in the first 3 years of a business start-up, most people work longer hours than they have ever worked and for less money.

All the flexibility that employers now show, and that we look for in a job, comes down to one key question …. "Are we happy in our work?" Data gathered since 2006 shows that people everywhere feel less confident, motivated, loyal, resilient, committed and engaged. Research, involving 9,000 people from around the world, reveals some astonishing findings. Employees who report being happiest at work:

• Stay twice as long in their jobs as their least happy colleagues
• Spend double their time at work focused on what they are paid to do
• Take ten times less sick leave
• Believe they are achieving their potential twice as much

If you’re really happy at work, you’ll solve problems faster, be more creative, adapt fastest to change, receive better feedback, get promoted quicker and earn more over the long-term.

So in 2013 we will see yet more changes in the workplace, fortunately there should be more opportunities whether that is promotional, working patterns or new jobs coming to the market place as companies put their growth strategies back in place. So to quote another old time favourite song, "Come on along get happy"…..Is this your time for New Year, New Job?

Pauline Dickson is Managing Director of Dickson Lewis, a specialist Accountancy Recruitment Company (www.dicksonlewis.com) and Training and Development consultant for Think Global Recruitment (www.thinkgr.com). Pauline is also the Director for Scotland of the Institute of Recruitment Professionals (IRP). Dickson Lewis is based at Wemyss House, 45 Frederick Street, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 225 2000
e-mail:pauline@dicksonlewis.com and Think Global Recruitment is based at 93 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES Tel: +44 131 260 5850 email pdickson@thinkgr.com.

This article was featured in Families Edinburgh magazine. The full magazine can be viewed at www.familiesonline.co.uk/LOCATIONS/Edinburgh