Where do you stand on body language? Hopefully not slouching and with your arms crossed? Body language has become big business. There are many “experts” appearing on TV and in the press who analyse body language in interviews. They tell us what a particular celebrity or politician was thinking, but not saying. In a business […]
Read MoreMastering the art of leadership: qualities of a good leader
As a recruiter of leaders and senior managers, I’m often asked “what are the qualities of a good leader that you look for in candidates?” At this level, it’s often the case that most candidates I meet can probably do the job, at least to some extent. The interview has to confirm that they have […]
Read MoreFP&A Analyst/Modeller
Fully Remote, or Hybrid Salary based on experience plus bonus I’m looking for a financial analyst with experience of creating and developing financial models using Anaplan. This is a new role in a large marketing services business. There are two main functions in the role: You will be working in a small team, but will […]
Read MoreOperations Manager – Events supplies & services
I’m looking for an experience Operations Manager, or similar, who ticks all the above boxes to join a fast growing business that supplies sustainable, reusable, recyclable, products and services to the events industry. This includes major festivals, sporting events, tours, concerts and major venues. The company already supplies many leading events including Glastonbury, Twickenham, and […]
Read MoreHead of Sales
Robotics, Production Automation Systems Automotive OEMs and 1st tier customer baseGenerous six-figure package & benefits + car | Significant career opportunity Are you an ambitious sales leader with experience of selling industrial or factory automation systems to automotive OEMS and 1st tier suppliers? Are you looking for an opportunity that will give you great scope […]
Read MoreCommercial Director: retail interiors
Midlands | c £90,000 plus incentives and package Are you looking for the opportunity to: Reporting to the Managing Director, you will be accountable for all the above – and much more. As the catalyst for change you will be given responsibility creating and delivering a strategy to make this happen. This is a new […]
Read MoreManaging Director – outsourcing
Managing Director – MSP MSP/RPO | Engineering, Digital & Technical Services | Major clients Career defining opportunity | Negotiable Salary and package | Hybrid – South East base The Opportunity This is a highly autonomous role in an established Managed Service Provider business with vast potential for growth. You will be leading a small, talented, […]
Read MoreGroup Consolidation & Reporting Accountant
UK Home based | £60-70,000 We have an urgent requirement for a qualified accountant to take responsibility for the multi-currency consolidation process for this international services business and the production of financial accounts and reports for the Group and subsidiaries. This is a hands-on, technical accounting role, producing monthly consolidated results and reports. You’ll work […]
Read MoreHead of HR – Apply now
I’m looking for a talented, internationally oriented, Senior HR business partner who has the ambition and commercial experience to make a significant contribution to this global marketing services business. You will look after the Europe and Middle East business regions, comprising around 200 people in several countries. With broad HR experience, you will be focused […]
Read MoreUK Sales Manager – hospital & laboratory equipment
Home based with nationwide travel required Negotiable salary plus bonus, car etc. This new role creates the opportunity to lead and grow sales for one of the leading suppliers of turnkey solutions, equipment and consumables to the mortuary, post-mortem and funeral services business. It offers you the chance to create and deliver a new business […]
Read MoreBusiness Development Managers
Midlands/North of England home-based | £40-60,000 plus bonus plus car/allowance Are you a sales-oriented, target-driven business development manager with experience in products related to fit-out, commercial interiors, interior design or associated building materials? Here’s a chance to make a contribution to the growth of this well-established, but ambitious designer and manufacturer. You will be given […]
Read MoreSpecification sales manager – hospitality interiors, London
Specification Sales Manager Hospitality/commercial interiors productsHome-based, London areaGreat career opportunity Negotiable salary + incentives + car Specification Sales Manager | Home-based, London area | Commercial Interiors products I’m looking for an experienced, sales-focused, business development manager to develop and grow sales with specifiers, architects and designers in and around London. This is a great career […]
Read MoreBusiness Development Manager – Food processing and catering packaging
This offers a real career opportunity with a very successful producer of sustainable single-use packaging for the food processing and catering sectors. The company designs and manufacturers injection moulded and thermoformed products in mono-materials and compostable moulded cellulose and is leading the way in product development for sustainable consumption. In this brand-new position, created to […]
Read MoreSales Manager & Business Development Manager Contract/Commercial Textiles
Sales Manager – UK& IrelandBusiness Development Manager Contract textiles | Specifiers, Architects & Designers | Home based to c£75,000 plus bonus, plus car (Sales Manager)c £50,000 plus bonus, plus car (BDM) I’m looking for a UK & Ireland Sales Manager and Business Development Manager for a long-established, but “challenger”, brand in the contract interior textiles […]
Read MoreTerritory Manager – musical instruments
Territory Manager – UK & Scandinavia Can you make musical instruments fly? Prestige musical instruments | Home based – UK | Extensive travel “A leading manufacturer” is an overused phrase in job adverts, but it really does apply in this case…. bfpeople is retained by a truly leading name in high quality orchestral/band instruments to […]
Read MoreFinancial Modelling Analyst
SENIOR Financial analyst/modeller UK – remote | £50-75,000 plus bonus I’m looking for a Financial Modelling Analyst who is ready to take their next career step in financial and business analysis and modelling. You’ll have the opportunity to lead on challenging and fast moving projects, supporting end to end business strategy and decisions for this […]
Read MoreDirector of Group Accounting and Consolidation
Director of Group Accounting & Consolidation London/flexible | £120-£140K plus benefits Can you manage complex international financial accounting, reporting and compliance AND deliver transformation? This well-funded, ambitious and acquisitive marketing services group, with current revenues c£150m, is offering a rare chance to play a major role in its next stage of development. Based in London, […]
Read MoreWork life balance: how do we restore it as we come out of lockdown?
It’s around 15 years since I ran my first workshops on remote working and “Managing remote workers”. The company was looking into how it could cut office costs, but the Managing Director and others on the board were nervous about letting people work from home. They wanted to know how they could move to remote […]
Read MoreAre there too many business experts?
The world – and LinkedIn in particular – seems to be full of business experts. People who have the ultimate solution to your problem, whether about leadership, coaching, sales, hiring, AI and technology, and countless other issues we all face as business owners, employees and individuals. Some of them, no doubt, have earned their expert […]
Read MoreIf 2% of your staff drive value in your business. Do you know who they are?
Talent Wins, the book by Dominic Barton, McKinsey&Company’s Managing Partner, suggests that as few as 2% of your workforce create the most value in your business. And those people are not necessarily in the top-tier of your organisation chart. So, do you know who they are? Those crucial people in pivotal roles can be the […]
Read MoreLockdown Employment Survey – the results
Almost 1200 people completed the bfpeople Lockdown Employment Survey during June 2020. We received responses from most industries and most job roles – people who were employed (working on site, working from home and furloughed), self-employed and unemployed. Their views offer a snapshot of employment in Lockdown Britain in 2020 – more than 99% of […]
Read MoreLeadership coaching topics: the most common leadership challenges
We looked at the leadership coaching topics that are most frequently covered with our executive coaching clients. These are the most common leadership challenges that we deal with in working with new and experienced managers and leaders in a range of industries. It gives a clear indication of the competencies and skills that sponsoring organisations […]
Read MoreDoes the truth matter anymore?
Does the truth matter? Mark Twain once wrote “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story.” That’s a fine attitude for a fiction writer, but for most of us who work, run businesses, or are in public life, it has generally been considered that being “economical with the truth” is not […]
Read MoreHow to prepare for psychometric tests
We are often asked how to prepare for psychometric tests. The answer depends on whether the individual is referring to ability/reasoning tests, situational judgment tests or personality questionnaires. “Psychometric test” is a term often applied to all these, although not all psychometric exercises are “tests”. However, it helps to understand what you are being asked […]
Read MoreYour leadership style: the key to succeeding as a manager
“What’s your leadership style?” It’s a common enough interview question. But the answer is rarely insightful, or helpful to the interviewer. “I have an open-door policy” or “I’m tough but fair” are frequent responses. Those stock answers may well satisfy an inexperienced interviewer, but they tell us nothing about what your actual leadership style is. […]
Read MoreThe truth about “great” interview questions
There’s a lot of nonsense spoken, and written, about interview questions. A recent LinkedIn post about how “great” the “sell me this pen” question is, had accumulated 36,513 likes and more than 2500 comments at the time of writing this. Of course, it’s not a great interview question – unless you want to hire someone to […]
Read MorePsychometric and behavioural assessment: just a snapshot or a real insight?
I’ve always described the assessment process to participants as “taking a snapshot” of them. A good psychometric and behavioural assessment is a study of their observed and recorded behaviour at a specific moment in time. This might be how they responded to the questions in a personality questionnaire, what they said or did in a […]
Read MoreGDPR – How it affects you and what we are doing
GDPR – what is it? It is likely that you will be aware of GDPR (the General Data Protection Regulation), the European regulation that will replace the Data Protection Act from May 2018. At its heart is the need for organisations to be more transparent about how they use personal data in their business. This […]
Read Morebfpeople sponsoring APSE Award
bfpeople is delighted to be supporting this year’s Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Annual seminar. Held on 6th and 7th September at Oxford Town Hall, the seminar brings together speakers, exhibitors and delegates to showcase the latest in local government developments. In addition to exhibiting over the two days, bfpeople is sponsoring one of the categories in […]
Read MoreLeadership: how important is looking the part?
How important is looking the part when applying for a new leadership job? This is a subject that comes up often when working with employers during recruitment projects and with individuals who are seeking new roles. We all know that clean and pressed clothes for an interview is a basic requirement, but does it go […]
Read MoreDesigned an organisation-wide bespoke assessment centre process
This leading food products group has several factories across the UK. Each plant has its own General Manager and a HR Manager, responsible for local recruitment. The group wanted to standardise its recruitment process for all management level staff, and required the design of a bespoke assessment centre approach to replace the variety of techniques employed across […]
Read MoreHas the assessment centre had its day?
If you’ve ever watched The Apprentice you’ll know the format: “candidates” complete a series of work simulations to establish the most suitable for a new job or business partnership. It might make good entertainment but, as a selection process, it has rarely been successful. The problem is that the assessment process has not changed. The […]
Read MoreAre your interview questions a strength or a weakness?
One of the most used interview questions is “What are your stengths?” This is closely followed, of course, by the inevitable, pointless, question about weaknesses. These stock questions reveal little about candidates, who are mostly well-rehearsed and trot out equally stock answers… How many times have you heard that your candidate is “a perfectionist” or […]
Read MoreFirst interviews: 6 tips for the perfect match
It’s Valentine’s Day and there’s no rest at bfpeople towers as we continue our work in finding leaders and developing talent – creating more perfect relationships in the workplace. The path to the perfect long-term hire, like the path to true love, is rarely easy going and it’s often said that the first interview is like […]
Read MoreWhy is it so hard to keep your new year resolutions
Can you keep your new year resolutions? It’s a brand new year and many of us will have resolved to make changes this year: to “get fitter”, “lose weight”, “be more confident”, “have a better work life balance” or “get a new job” are typical examples. If you have made new year resolutions, you’ve probably […]
Read MoreAre your candidates committing CV fraud?
There is a lot of CV fraud around… Tonight, the BBC Apprentice show has its infamous Interview round where candidates are grilled about their career history and business plans. Audiences delight in the fiction exposed in the candidates’ CVs and their boastful brags being shot to pieces as the candidates squirm and try to explain […]
Read MoreHow do we plug the creative skills gap?
Matt Hancock, the government minister responsible for the creative industries, spoke recently (read his full speech here) about how important the sector is to Britain’s future. He promised ongoing commitment to the industry and this is good news, of course. But his speech comes at a time when skills are diminishing and good people are […]
Read MoreGetting value from psychometrics in recruitment
I’m frequently asked about the use of psychometrics in recruitment. I hear a range of views and a good deal of scepticism about their use. Whatever sector of retail you’re in, you’re likely to need leaders who are smart, innovative, flexible and great with people. How do you assess candidates against these qualities in an […]
Read MoreSpending your recruitment budget wisely
“Do you use Powerpoint?” “Yes. I do.” “Great. Because this job really needs an advanced knowledge of Powerpoint to design and make presentations to staff and the board. Um… Er… How are you on Employment Law?” It was at this point that I splashed my coffee in the lounge of a well-known Business Centre just […]
Read MoreDeath of a (good) salesman?
Having just spent several long days at a sprawling trade exhibition, I’m left with the sense that good sales skills are harder to find than ever. It’s seems that we really are witnessing the death of a (good) salesman to paraphrase Arthur Miller. New business is tough to find. Almost every company I speak to wants to […]
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