​Hiring activity growth slows again in July amid increased economic uncertaintyIn this month’s report from KPMG & REC, there has been a marked slowing down in hiring throughout July, following the news of more doubt around the state of the economy. With pay pressure rising, companies are feeling the pinch with the cost-of-living increases, but salaries can’t keep up with the pace, with salaries being at their lowest point of increase in 11 months. Continuing the trend from March 2021 to now, the supply of workers across the UK fell during July. Although happening much quicker than the average, the rate of reduction was the slowest seen in 15 months. The availability of permanent and temporary workers eased compared to June. However, there are still extensive reports of skills shortages, fewer foreign workers, and hesitancy to change roles due to the uncertainty of the economy leading to concerns over job security.The demand for staff is finally slowing down, with more roles being filled for the first time since March 2021, along with the Total Vacancies Index falling from 67.8 in June to 65.0 in July. When considered by job type, the latest data showed that the need for permanent staff increased at a slightly quicker pace than that of temporary workers. However, both permanent and temporary vacancies increased at the slowest rate for 16 months. The Total Staff Availability Index remained below the 50.0 mark, showing a fall in overall candidate supply for 17 consecutive months. The drop in available candidates remained quick and was driven by the fall in permanent and temporary candidates.With the economy currently being so uncertain, filling permanent vacancies is still an issue to some degree. However, starting salaries are currently on a slow, but continuous increase. Many firms are commenting that the higher starting salaries are due to the lower number of available candidates. On the other hand, temp wages are currently at a 13-month low, with the cost of living and candidate shortages being so significant.For more information on how Meridian can support your team grow, get in touch today

​Meridian Business Support are proud to be sponsoring the Darley Park Weekender!Back and bigger than ever before, the Darley Park Weekender brings three days of fun with a mix of music and family events. Taking place over the August Bank Holiday, events include the brand new 80s Mix Tape, featuring Carol Decker, Nik Kershaw and legendary Pat Sharp, along with chilled Balearic beats with Classic Ibiza and Derby's annual summer highlight (with fireworks!) at The Darley Park Concert.Meridian's Derby team have joined forces with our HelloFresh Derby team to give back to their community to support this event. Meridian's Derby Branch Manager, Selina Day, commented:"Meridian has been supporting the community for many years by helping people find jobs in Derby. Me and my team are really excited to be sponsoring such a wonderful family event and hope to see some friendly faces, as well as make some new friends, during the weekend."If you are attending these events, please make sure you say hello to our team at their stand!For more information about our Derby branch, like and follow their dedicated Facebook page Meridian Jobs in Derby.You can find more information about our HelloFresh Derby jobs here.

​On Thursday 28th July, we were excited to welcome the Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester, Donna Ludford, to launch our brand new Head Office in Dakota House, Manchester. The Team moved into the new Head Office earlier this year following a collective design project with Maria Hatton, designer at Eatock Design & Build . The team at Eatock helped us to bring our vision to life by creating a bright, collaborative workspace for our team to work in, something we felt passionately about given the disruption caused by the pandemic over the last two years Our Head Office is the centre of our many Meridian operations across the UK and having the Lord Mayor attend the launch was a huge honour for our team, with many of them attending in person, including several of our key clients and fellow occupants of Dakota House, plus the extended members of our team who attended virtually to celebrate from across the country. Following a tour around the different departments within the office, the Lord Mayor discussed her past experiences as a temporary worker with our team and took time to learn more about the work we did. The Lord Mayor commented:“You have got such a dynamic working environment here and it reflects Meridian as a company. As we all know, it is the little things that make a company great to work for – such as being able to bring your dog to work! Those little things matter to people and I can see how invested Meridian is in supporting its team.”About the office launch, Meridian CEO, Derek Skelton said:“We always strive to put our people first and ensuring they have collaborative and welcoming working environments is a key element in them feeling happy and comfortable coming into work. Meridian’s first office was in Altrincham, and whilst we now have over 33 locations across the UK, Manchester will forever be our home. On behalf of Team Meridian, I was delighted to welcome the Lord Mayor to the Grand Opening of our Head Office and look forward to our continuing contribution to our community.”

​Starting a new job is very exciting and an achievement to be proud of. However, the anticipation of a new job or working environment can sometimes be a nerve-wracking experience, but something that is completely normal to feel. Rest assured, you’re not alone in feeling that way. We have broken down some ways to combat those first-day nerves and tackle your new role head-on. Here are some tips on how to combat those new job nerves:1.      Research the company as much as you can prior to starting. Utilise platforms such as YouTube and TikTok if the company has channels and try to get a feel for the business and its culture.2.      Speak to your new manager prior to starting and ask any questions you may have regarding your first day.3.      Take some time to prepare beforehand. In the time leading up to starting your new role, try and find some time to brush up on necessary skills or do some reading around the role so you are fully prepared for the role. Have your clothes laid out and your bag packed so there is no need to be rushing around before your first day. 4.      Ask lots of questions! The best way to learn is from the people who know the company the best, and they will always be on hand to answer any questions to help you progress in your career. With a clearer understanding of your role and the company, you will feel more confident in the long run.5.      Take notes throughout the day. On your first day, there will be a lot of important information to take in – some of which you may forget amid nerves.6.      Don’t expect to know everything straight away. Everyone has to start somewhere, and you will learn as you go throughout your new role.7.      Practice your routine ahead of time. Got a new commute? Test it out before your first day and get to grips with the journey, whether this is looking up alternative routes or researching the traffic levels at rush hour.Once you settle into your new routine and your new role, it will become second nature. Never hesitate to reach out to those around you with any queries you may have about the company in general or the role itself.If we can help you to find your next role, check out our website for all our current vacancies and get in touch now!

​Starting off a job hunt can sometimes be the most difficult part of the search, as the question arises – where do I even begin? With so many job vacancies out there, the process can become overwhelming with too many options to choose from. Check our best ways to find a job:Start with your CVOne of the best ways to find a job is to start by ensuring you have an accurately written CV. There are many tools online to advise you on how to write the most eye-catching CV, and you can always check out the Meridian Career Toolkit for support.Let us do the hard workOnce you have an up-to-date CV, your job search can ultimately begin. If you are unsure of which role or sector you are looking for, using websites like ours at Meridian and utilising recruitment agencies can help you to narrow down your search to a role that will fit your location and the type of role that will best suit your qualifications. At Meridian, we have sector-specific recruiters who offer a bespoke recruitment service and will help to find a role in the sector most suited to you.Don’t give upPersevere throughout your job search. When using the likes of Meridian and recruitment agencies, utilise the help they offer. Having a recruiter matching you to a particular role takes away from the endless hours of scrolling through job websites. However, there are other avenues to explore when searching for jobs. Many companies extend their own job search to events such as careers fairs to meet the wider public and make their services more known to people who may not have heard of them. In recent months, the importance of developing a personal brand has become significant across social media platforms. In doing this, you can build online connections and join online networking forums to find jobs in many different sectors.Be open-minded when looking for a new role, especially if you are unsure of the exact role you are looking for. Use it as a great opportunity to consider the multiple options that are presented. For example, if your skills don’t tick every single box on the job advert, don’t entirely dismiss it, as another skill may be something that is more desirable, based on the needs of the business.Make use of people and online platforms that can help you with your job search. If you are looking for your next role, check out our website now and see how we can help you.

​As a business, it is important that your people reflect those within our society in order to better engage and support customers. Diversity and Inclusion is a hot topic with businesses right now. Equality and non-discrimination in the workplace are important ethical issues for companies whilst also being required by UK law. Companies have a duty to recruit and treat employees fairly and without discrimination.Whilst this is sometimes easier said than done, ensuring you have a diverse and inclusive hiring process can ensure that you are hiring the right people for the right roles, eliminating biases and creating a fairer process. The team in the company should reflect the society in which we live. Ensuring that companies have a diversity and inclusion plan within the hiring process is vital. This means to guarantee that hiring is based solely on merit and not on biases around a candidate’s age, race, religion, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics that are unrelated to potential work performance.​Diversity can fall into two categories:Inherent– defining the traits and characteristics we are born with – gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religion, and culture.Acquired– considering the changing aspects around us, including education, developed knowledge, skills & values, and political values.​There are many ways to put a diversity plan in place for hiring and candidate sourcing:Rewording job posts.According to ideal.com, studies have shown that the language that is used in job adverts can deter people from applying for roles. Detailing what the applicant will have to accomplish within the role will give the candidate a realistic view of the job roles and will therefore attract more to apply. The use of masculine style can be seen as a deterrent for women to apply for such roles, the words ‘dominate, challenge, and ambitious’ are seen to be words associated more closely with males dominated roles and could be seen as the ‘masculine-type’ language that can deter women from applying for certain roles.​Conduct an audit of the current hiring processConsider the current hiring process and identify any issues that may arise in terms of diversity. When an audit is conducted, two questions should be answered – what are the strengths in our diversity hiring? What diversity challenges are in our hiring process? All job adverts should go through a diversity and inclusion check before being posted to fit in with the company’s diversity policy. Look through past recruitment adverts and makes changes to them to attract a broader range of candidates. If language is directed towards one demographic, others may be put off from applying. However, if there is a specific demographic in mind for a role, explain why that group are a better fit for the role.​Rethink the ways in which CVs are reviewed.The focus of reviewing a CV should be turned to the performance objectives involved in the role. When reviewing CVs, blind screening them initially should always be considered – this involves reading the CV with no identifying details of the applicant. Blind interviewing has also become a tactic in recruiting, where applicants will answer questions through a text-based interview rather than a face-to-face one, keeping the recruiter completely in the dark about who the potential candidate is.​Diversity in the workplace is something so important and is something that at Meridian we continually focus on during our hiring process. Always discuss such issues with HR teams within your business if you have any queries or suggestions on how this can be improved within your company.Our HR team are always on hand to advise with any queries around diversity and inclusion in the workplace.​If you are looking for your next role, our job listings are updated daily on our website at meridianbs.co.uk/jobs

Writing an accurate job description is the first step in hiring the best candidate for your role, as this is the initial reflection of the company that your potential candidate will see. Recruiting can be very competitive, so having a standout job description can help you to win the best candidate for your role. Writing an accurate and concise job description will help you to gain the best applicants and therefore find the best person for the role.However, although having the key information within the job description is important, writing a novel on the job expectations will not provide the right applicants – that’s if they get to the end! Keep job descriptions to the point and choose the points that will be most relevant to someone on their job search. Utilise keywords, for example, the location of the role, the level it will be, whether that be junior, executive, manager or such like – be clear!Here are some of the best tips to ensure a clear and concise job description for your job ads:1.      Have a clear title that directly describes the role, don’t make it ambiguous, and make it easily searchable.2.      Describe the company culture and working environment.3.      Make sure the job description is as unbiased as possible so as to attract a diverse group of candidates. Websites such as www.gender-decoder.katmatfield.com can help you with this. Include all requirements so people are completely aware of what is needed to be considered for the role.4.      Detail the most important skills needed for the role and which ones are just good to have – break down into the ‘must haves’ and the ‘nice to haves’5.      Include information about the position, including the working pattern, whether flexible working is available and how long the role is (contract, short-term or potential for a permanent role).6.      Promote the perks and positivity around the position, such as training that is available for development within the role, working remotely, and events the company may host for example.7.      Create realistic expectations for the role and working environment.8.      Review prior job adverts and see which ones generated the most interest and which didn’t perform as well, and tailor new ads to fit the successful template.9.      Detail a day in the life of the role so applicants are aware of what they will have to do if successful.Make sure to put your company's touch on the job description, such as your EVP, as this will help people to learn about the kind of company they will be applying for and will be able to decipher whether they are the correct fit for your company. Finding new members of the team is always great, make their experience a positive one!If you are looking for your next role, take a look through our website and see all the current job listings we have available. Listings are updated daily meridianbs.co.uk/jobs

The Great Resignation of 2021 saw workers quit their jobs at historic rates. There are multiple schools of thought as to why this happened, but common themes include reasons such as the pandemic, Brexit, furlough, and a mass re-evaluation of personal circumstances. Whatever the reason, we know it is a concern for many businesses in the UK. Research has found that some 32% of senior decision-makers have said the phenomenon has impacted their ability to recruit and retail staff, with 31% having trouble retaining their existing employees. It is, therefore, no surprise that staff retention is a top priority for many businesses. Whether you have experienced the impact of the Great Resignation or anticipating it, the key to ensuring as little damage as possible is done, is to focus internally. Here are some of our top tips for doing so. Truly listen to employee engagement surveysMany businesses conduct annual engagement surveys, but how many senior leaders take the time to both listen and act on the results? Employee engagement surveys are not a box-ticking exercise, they offer genuine insight into your employees’ world and offer you the chance to have open and honest conversations with your people. Ensuring leadership are not only visible but approachable and listening can help with staff retention as your teams will believe that positive change will happen where needed.​Listen to your leaversToo often it is easy to dismiss the words of our leavers. Exit interviews are vital when considering how to improve staff retention in the future as they give an insight into what an employee experiences within the company, which may not be seen by managerial staff. Ensuring job satisfaction for all employees is a key aspect of staff retention, with many attributes contributing to a happy workforce.Focus on onboardingAt Meridian, our Learning and Development (L&D) team make sure that all new members of the team have a coherent introduction and orientation to begin the onboarding process into the company. When employees learn the company culture and where their role fits into the team, it helps to introduce staff to the environment that they will be involved in.The L&D team also provide options for training and development within the business, whether this be internal training courses or externally provided apprenticeship courses that aid the development of skills and knowledge to further a person’s career. To many, this is also an attractive perk, as the opportunity for skills and knowledge development is not always offered. ​Revisit employee benefits (and talk to your staff)A pool table, beer Fridays, donut Mondays. As a recruitment company, we have seen a good many employee benefits in our time. However, if the benefits do not truly matter to your people, they can be viewed as an example of the Company not listening to them. Holding regular reviews of your employee benefits where you ask your people what is and is not working for them not only shows you are again listening to them but ensures that the benefits mean something. ​Refocus on outputSince the pandemic, a change in working patterns has taken over the world of work. Hybrid working has become a huge part of businesses, helping to firstly, keep people protected from Covid-19 ,19, and secondly, in discovering that the same work can be done remotely as in an office environment. This can give people more of a work-life balance in saving a daily commute and having more space to focus outside of a busy office space. In terms of staff retention, flexible working is an attractive offer for many, without having this as an option, some employees may be more inclined to leave a role that does not offer flexibility. Focusing on output rather than input can often help make this change easier for businesses. Creating a strategy of staff retention is not always easy but having one in place is crucial to a business. Making employees feel valued will help your employer brand, but also keep staff happy within the business and hopefully improve staff turnover.

Hello, I’m Celene (pronounced like Celine Dion but don’t ask me whether I can sing… unfortunately I wasn’t blessed with the voice of an angel). I’m the Digital & Design Marketing Executive and a part of the lovely Marketing Team here at Meridian!  I’m based at Head Office in Dakota House. My job responsibilities consist of implementing the cross-channel digital marketing strategy in-line with our business objectives and values. That means I find ways to reach and connect with our clients and candidates across multiple channels including email, our website, and web channels via paid Facebook and Google advertisements. In addition, I’m responsible for maintaining the Meridian Website and micro-sites like our internal intranet and managing job boards for our consultants. I also support our consultants with designing recruitment advertising materials such as leaflets, brochures, and branding.I began my career in customer services which helped me develop my communication skills and that’s where I realised that I love working with fantastic teams. I was aware of my passion to do something creative while working in customer-facing positions, but I had no idea what it may entail professionally. A few years went by, and I wasn’t feeling fulfilled by the work I was doing so I decided to focus on discovering my dream career. I started pursuing digital marketing classes after combining my passion for digital media with my love of art and design as well as my interest in insights and analysis. From there, I enrolled in WYK Digital’s accelerated Digital Marketing Training Programme, which aims to prepare students to launch careers in the performance marketing sector. Following my graduation from the programme, I landed my first ‘big-girl’ role when I was hired by m/SIX, a media agency, where I ran paid advertisements across social media channels for some huge clients. This gave me the knowledge and confidence to develop my career which led me to become a Digital Marketing Exec at Meridian. This truly is my dream job! Being new to the recruitment industry, it was eye-opening to learn about the different laws and practices that govern recruitment agencies to keep our candidates and businesses safe through Meridian's induction sessions. It was also wonderful to hear about all of Meridian's departments and how they cooperate to maintain Meridian as a top-notch agency. It made me realise how many moving parts are required to keep the business functioning and gave each team a sense of value. My initial attraction to recruitment is the way it blends my background in customer service with my love for helping people. I enjoy being a part of the system that helps match the appropriate candidates with the right clients, which is the foundation of recruitment. Meridian is a well-known company that has garnered a great deal of recognition and many awards. Even before I started, I could see a strong sense of family in the employee posts on LinkedIn and in several videos where Meridian employees discussed their experiences. I can confirm that the Meridian ‘family’ vibes are genuine after being here for almost three months – it really does feel like a big family! I am looking forward to getting started on our new website project and honing my talents as a digital and design marketer while tackling projects I’ve never experienced before is exciting for me.A big shout out to Sarah, my Manager, and Sophie the Content Executive for being the best team – it’s a pleasure to work with you both each day!

​In this month’s Report on Jobs from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) there has been a noticeable slowing down of perm placements, with all other areas of recruitment seeing an increase throughout the month. At its slowest rate for 16 months, permanent placements are seemingly struggling due to a marked candidate shortage and concerns about the rising cost of living.Following a steep increase in vacancies in May’s report, the level of vacancies is now slowing down to a more manageable pace for companies to get a handle on. This is based on temporary and permanent vacancies.The UK is currently seeing lower candidate availability, with this declining rapidly throughout June. This is seen to be due to lower levels of unemployment across the country, fewer foreign workers, and candidates being unwilling to consider new roles due to the increases in the cost of living and other uncertainties within the economy. This has seen a marked impact on salaries, with salary inflation at its lowest increase since August 2021.Although the whole of the UK is seeing a lesser uptake on permanent roles, the North of England is seemingly struggling the most, with London seeing the sharpest increase in temp roles being filled.Chief Executive of REC, Neil Carberry commented:“The labour market is still strong, with demand for new staff high. That said, today’s data show that we are likely to be past the peak of the post-pandemic hiring spree. That pace of growth was always going to be temporary – the big question now is the effect that inflation has on pay and consumer demand over the course of the rest of the year. Whether we will see the market settle at close to normal levels, or see a slowdown, is unpredictable at this point.It is important to note that plenty of hiring is happening in this tight market – there are candidates out there for firms who get it right. Skilled recruitment professionals are at the heart of this, making a difference to opportunity and growth for companies and workers.”For more information on how Meridian can support your team grow, get in touch today.