Charlotte Rigby

Holiday season is over – hurrah for the job market! 😍 September is traditionally a really busy month for recruitment and so I thought jotting down my top 5 tips for getting cut through in the market would be welcomed! 1) Networking! For senior hires in particular, so much rests on your network or having people to vouch for you and recommend you. Most people have an ‘ick’ when they think about networking but start gently with asking for coffees with previous colleagues you’ve got on well with. I always tell people to imagine the situation the other way around – you’d be more than happy to help someone and have a coffee if they asked you and so it’s the same feeling in reverse. 2) Make sure your LinkedIn profile is optimised as an SEO tool for recruiters to be able to find you in their search. I have several tips on this if anyone wants to reach out for more advise, but as a starter for ten – your most recent job title on LinkedIn will be the one that governs whether you come up in recruiter’s searches. If your current job title is a little weird and wonderful, I’d make it more classic and standard. If you have changed it to saying ‘freelance’ or something open ended if you’re not in a full-time position then revert back to your old job title to ensure that you give yourself the best chance of appearing in a recruiter’s search. 3) Stay on the radar of recruiters. We speak to so many people, that it’s not always easy to remember everyone in detail. Just drop a line every month or so to the people you’ve met/had chats with to remind them you’re still on the market, how your search is going etc. It will help make you one of the first people to be called when new roles come up. 4) Controversial potentially, but also play the game with recruiters! The people who are helpful to us in terms of introducing us to people etc will be the people who stick in our minds the most to try and return the favour. 5) Don’t just rely on making a faceless application to a job. Do still send the application through the correct channel, but also reach out to the hiring manager for the job and send them a more personal message to help you stand out from the crowd. If you’re looking for a new role, or hiring then please do reach out. We have over 1000 5* Google reviews for a reason 🤩

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In big recruitment firms,  “𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩” is broken. Here’s why... Over the last 5 years with one client we had: >5 key consultants work with the client >10+ supporting team members >Delivering across a blend of permanent, contract, and consulting hires Result? That client scaled rapidly, worth 24bn JPY (~$16.3m USD) in recruitment value. No single recruiter could deliver that outcome! >It takes specialization. >It takes collaboration. >It takes solving problems across multiple hiring models. That’s the real value clients pay for. Steven Li follow for more cyber security recruitment content in Japan

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Salary is an important consideration when negotiating a job offer, of course it is. But let's not neglect the importance of the overall package. According to our salary survey, here's a breakdown of how many people receive the following benefits: Guaranteed bonus – 12% Discretionary bonus – 78% Education allowance – 37% Housing allowance / accommodation provided – 25% Company car / car allowance – 12% None of the above – 12% So only around 1 in 3 people get an education allowance. If the average education allowance is AED 40,000 per child (as per the survey), and you have two children, then this is an extra AED 6,666 per month in your pocket. Let's say your salary is AED 60,000 without this benefit. If you move into another role for the same salary but with education you get an automatic 10% pay increase! I think too many people focus purely on the core numbers. Bolt-ons/benefits are particularly prominent in senior packages, where you can easily receive 50% on top of your salary when all added together. Conversely, the policy can always change, so there has to be some caution around these. If you can get a salary increase and have the choice, I'd always pick that over benefits. Message me if you want to receive our full salary report to make sure you're getting paid fairly for the job you do.

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Recruiters, don’t be blasé about your billings & commission structure when you are interviewing for a Recruitment position. When you’re interviewing with an agency, your numbers matter. So if you don't know them before you meet an Agency or speak to someone like me: find out. Or if you are a temp recruiter that isn't measured on revenue, it could be number of hours billed per week or day, or temps out. But know them. Be armed with that information. Because it helps you. It also helps you build your desk. We know you aren't billing/placing what you were 18 months ago. If you share your billings and are able to explain your commission structure and how much you have earned in comms, (or not earned) every Leader and Manager in the room will do the maths. Because we work it out backwards, starting with the comms you have earned. If you've earned a certain amount of commission, and your structure pays, for example 30% monthly and your salary is $80k, we can work out what you've billed. If the figures don’t add up, it’s obvious and it damages your credibility and honesty. Instead, approach it like this: Be transparent. The market has shifted. No one expects you to be billing what you were two years ago. Owning that reality shows maturity. Know your structure. Understand your commission scheme and be ready to explain how your earnings were calculated. Highlight your value. If your numbers dipped, explain what you did to adapt whether that’s client development, smarter sourcing, or candidate care. Agencies don’t want a fairy tale version of your billings. They want an honest recruiter who understands their desk and can talk about performance with confidence. 🥰 check out my list of recruitment jobs here. https://lnkd.in/gyyscyX

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5 ways to ditch your best recruiter 🫡 Thinking of pushing out your top biller? Here’s a handy guide ⬇️⬇️   🫵 Micromanage them to death Hover over every call, second-guess their judgment, re-write emails, and remind them how you did it back in the good old days. Works like a charm.   🎯 Set KPIs for KPI’s sake Who cares if they’re bringing in the most revenue? Make sure they still make 50 calls a day!   🔨 Give them broken tools Outdated CRM? No access to LinkedIn? No automation? Perfect   🙅 Offer zero support Want a healthy pipeline? Don’t bother with marketing. No client intros. No admin. Let them juggle everything   👊 Create constant turf wars Pit them against others in the team, create an environment where your recruiters won’t share candidates/clients/info – nothing like a bit of healthy competition Are you a manager reading this and feeling personally attacked? I’m sorry to say you may be creating a toxic environment 😭 Are you a recruiter reading this thinking, is this post about me? Message me ASAP 🥲 Recruiters don’t leave recruitment They leave environments that make it impossible to succeed #recruitment #agencylife #recruitertips #rec2rec #recruters  

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More senior professionals are resigning without a job lined up........ and it's not as reckless as it sounds. This year, I’ve spoken to a growing number of candidates who’ve handed in their notice without a new role secured. It’s a bold move, but increasingly common, especially in finance. Why? Because job hunting for a permanent role has become a full-time job in itself. Between interviews, assessments, and networking, it’s no longer something you can squeeze into evenings and weekends. For many, stepping away from a role is the only way to give the search the time and energy it deserves. And it can pay off. In January alone, five Finance Directors I know resigned without a job to go to. Fast forward to now: four are in permanent roles, and one is thriving in a long-term interim assignment. That’s a 100% success rate, and a reminder that sometimes, backing yourself is the best strategy. Of course, this isn’t a one-size-fits-all decision. It’s personal..... and it comes with risk. If you’re considering it, I’m always happy to offer career advice or just be a sounding board. Drop me a message — even if it’s just to talk it through. #FinanceCareers #JobSearch #CareerAdvice #Recruitment #RobertHalf #LeadershipMoves

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Ready, Steady… Stop. It happens more often than we care to admit. A client gives the green light to recruit. The job spec is finalised, the role goes live, candidates are shared for consideration, then.. silence. Annual leave takes place, there's radio silence and processes stall. Meanwhile, great candidates are left in limbo—waiting for feedback, unsure if the role is still active, and naturally… exploring other offers. In today’s market, speed matters. So does communication. We understand holidays are essential. But releasing a job and disappearing for two weeks without a clear process or point of contact? That can do real damage: ✅ Top candidates drop out. ✅ Your reputation suffers. ✅ Your employer brand takes a silent hit. ✅ The same role has to be re-briefed—and re-advertised—weeks later. If you're planning time away, a simple fix goes a long way: 🔁 Align with your recruiter on timelines. 📅 Delegate decision-making while you're out. 📢 Communicate with candidates upfront. Candidates don’t expect instant hires—but they do expect clarity. The best people never hang around. Plan your hiring like you’d plan your holidays—thoughtfully and with follow-through. #HiringInIreland #GalwayJobs #RecruitmentTips #ConnachtCareers #IrishJobs #cpl #cpljobs #cplgalway

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When we founded Alexander Daniels 15 years ago, we couldn't have imagined we’d build such a loyal team. Many of our colleagues have been with us for over a decade — which in recruitment, and in business generally, is something I feel incredibly fortunate to say. It seems strange to call them colleagues, because in truth, so many are now our friends. But here’s the reality: along the way, we’ve also lost some truly great people I would have loved to keep. Not because they weren’t performing, or because the culture didn’t fit — but because they needed new challenges we simply couldn’t offer at the time. And that’s okay. One of the hardest lessons as a leader is understanding that retention isn’t about holding on to everyone at all costs. It’s about building an environment where people want to stay — and also recognising when someone needs to spread their wings elsewhere. Sometimes the best thing you can do for a talented colleague is to let them grow beyond your business. When it is right for someone to stay, here’s what I’ve learned about keeping your best people engaged for the long haul, not just through my own journey, but also from the many great CEO's and Leader I get to work with: ✨ Clarity of mission – People stay when they’re connected to the bigger “why”. ✨ Growth opportunities – Even in a startup, you can give space for learning and stretch. ✨ Recognition – A genuine thank-you is more powerful than a bonus. ✨ Flexibility and trust – In today’s world, this isn’t a perk, it’s a baseline. ✨ Listening – Not just at review time, but through ongoing, honest conversations. Retention isn’t about perks, although we've had some great ones! It’s about creating an environment where people feel valued, trusted, and challenged. And when they do move on, it’s about celebrating their growth, not resenting it. What’s the one thing your company does that makes great people stay — and how do you handle it when they choose to leave? Do you measure retention? #Leadership #Retention #Startups #ScaleUp #Talent #Culture #Team

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Mid Year Market Temperature Check 💡 🎤 The current feeling from candidates is definitely one of frustration, over the last 12-18 months in the UK we have seen vacancy's decrease, unemployment increase and businesses under tremendous cost pressures when it comes to hiring. We have seen more restructures, redundancies and offshoring than there is building and hiring, pair that with more days back in the office being mandated, less people are moving roles and those vacancies that are available are extremely competitive to difficult to land the offer. Within Internal Audit, Risk & Controls specifically, Assurance professionals are working on the new Failure to Prevent Fraud legislation, Corporate Governance changes, the IIA Standards as well as their day job (!!) so people are feeling stretched and stressed but without the option to increase the team / use more co-source due to budget constraints only adding to this feeling of frustration. My advice to those candidates that have been in the market for a while, or new to the market is to 'try' to remain positive. The market is definitely tougher for candidates at the moment but this H1 at Michael Page, we have placed a record number of candidates into positions showing people are still getting the jobs they want! I would recommend partnering with an agency you trust, take on their feedback and allow us to manage your searches. We can help give you up to date market intel, CV advice and most importantly help to bypass the '300' direct applicants you're all seeing on the job profiles. Unfortunately for some, this is a market where you might have to sacrifice on your expected salary, job title and days in the office so also be aware of this. As we enter August (a typically very slow month due to annual leave and people enjoying the summer) try to remain positive, sharpen that CV and reach out to a specialist agency as it is our job to navigate this every day. There are unfortunately some that act unprofessionally often promising they're working on roles they haven't been briefed on but trust your gut and act with caution. Darragh O'Donnell Michael Page

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