UK grocery | Home-based, with regular UK and European travel | Salary negotiable plus up to 20% bonus, car allowance, and benefits Our client is an established plant-based chilled food brand with more than 30 years of heritage. Part of a family-owned European food group, the brand has a strong reputation in its home market […]
Read MoreTen skills every new manager needs to learn
The first step into management is one of the most exciting (and daunting) moments in anyone’s career. However, not every new manager will have the skills needed to make them a great manager instantly. Everyone wants to be a great manager, but it’s not easy. Suddenly, you move from being responsible only for your own […]
Read MoreHow to support a new leader in their first 100 days
Some organisations think the job of hiring and onboarding a new leader stops when they’ve accepted the offer and turned up on day one. In my experience, that’s exactly when the real work should start, and exactly where some employers quietly stop trying. Two hires, two outcomes A few years ago, I completed a search […]
Read MoreProgram Manager – engineered products
East Midlands based | Major OEM account | Great career prospects OK – this is not your typical job advert… but then it’s not a typical PM job. There are three main components to it… You’ll be working with an international aerospace company and running the delivery of an existing contract with their major OEM customer. That means looking after the main KPIs – cost, quality, delivery, and keeping the customer happy. That’s the part you’ll probably expect if you’re a PM now. You’ll also be responsible for growing the account: spotting new opportunities within it, building relationships beyond your day-to-day contacts, and contributing to the company’s sales activities with other major customers internationally. Additionally, you will support the global sales team with pricing, building cost models, and writing quotations for new opportunities as they land – and they land frequently. Oh, and you’ll need to be a qualified mechanical engineer. Because the technical conversations about design modifications with customers need to be credible, not just commercial. Most people are strong in one of these three areas, competent in a second, and light (at best) on the third. That’s why this role is hard to fill. Is it program management, is it sales, is it bids and proposals? It’s actually a bit of all three. But that’s what makes it interesting. Also interesting is the long-term career progression that this role offers – which we can talk about further down the line. Who am I looking for? To do this well, you’ll need a mechanical engineering qualification and a background in a relevant engineered-products environment. Real experience of managing a substantial project or programme, and genuine commercial exposure – pricing, quotations, tenders or proposals you’ve actually built, not just seen. You’ll also need evidence that you’ve grown a customer relationship or spotted an opportunity within one, rather than just maintained it. I’m looking for someone with confidence with numbers and commercial judgement under pressure, and the ability to be commercially and technically credible with stakeholders at all levels in large international customers. Aerospace OEM experience is ideal, but if your background is in automotive, defence, capital equipment, or other high-value engineered-products, with real experience of major-customer relationships, that’s also of interest to me. You’ll need to live within reach of the East Midlands. This role needs someone who’s genuinely done all three parts of the job – delivery, account growth, and the commercials – even if one is stronger than the others. If all that sounds like you, do please apply and make me – and my client – very happy.
Read MoreWhat to expect when a candidate gets a counter offer
It’s a scenario every recruiter and hiring manager knows well… I had spent a few months completing a difficult search for a Creative Director. Although we had a strong shortlist, there was one candidate who was clearly preferred by me and the client. For weeks he had been measured and deliberate throughout the process. He […]
Read Morebfpeople opens an office in Ayr
Ayrshire has always been a place where industry, ingenuity and community matter. From its roots in mining, ironworking, textiles, engineering and rail, the region has a proud record of making, building and moving things forward. That heritage remains relevant today – not as nostalgia, but as part of a culture defined by practical capability, resilience […]
Read MoreDirector of Business Development
Fund Services/Management company | highly negotiable 6-figure salary plus substantial earnings potential | UK – fully remote I am retained by an independent, private equity-backed management company to find a senior Sales / Business Development Director to lead its growth in the UK market. This is a genuine build role. The business provides AIFM, UCITS […]
Read MoreQuantity Surveyor
West of Scotland with travel | Great career opportunity | truly negotiable salary I am retained by a fast-growing, ambitious contractor working across specialist installations, refurbishment and joinery projects, looking for a qualified Quantity Surveyor to take ownership of commercial performance across live contracts. This is a role for someone who wants to be close […]
Read MoreHow executive recruitment finds leaders who actually make a difference
When I started the search 18 months ago for a CFO for a manufacturing business going through major expansion, the client’s original brief was clear: they wanted a qualified accountant, manufacturing experience, and a strong systems background. Pretty standard stuff. What we learned in our subsequent conversations was something much more: they needed someone who […]
Read Morebfpeople at the HRNetwork Conference
When I first learned that the HRNetwork Conference was being held at Murrayfield Stadium, I couldn’t help but smile. After all, what better venue for a people consulting business to make its debut at the conference than the home of Scottish Rugby – a sport where teamwork, strategy, and getting the right people in the […]
Read MoreTeam dynamics assessment for business improvement
When Mark first called me to talk about his leadership team it was clear how frustrated he was. Mark is the Managing Director, and owner, of a small (around 150 people) design and manufacturing company. Over a few years he’d assembled a team of experienced leaders in their disciplines with strong track records. I had […]
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between coaching and mentoring
Janine, one of my clients, called me wanting a mentor for one of her rising stars, a talented operations manager who was being considered for a bigger role in the near future. “He just needs someone senior who’s been there,” she said, “to show him the ropes.” When I actually met the manager, though, it […]
Read MoreThe perils of overanalysing body language in interviews
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 MoreThe qualities of a good leader recruiters look for
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 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 MoreThe most common leadership coaching topics
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
I sometimes give psychometric feedback to job candidates and the results from the personality questionnaire profile just doesn’t match the person I’ve interviewed and am with at that moment. The results are often a mess: contradictory, inconsistent, clearly someone who has second-guessed every answer rather than simply responding honestly. One candidate told me last week […]
Read MoreWhat’s your leadership style and how effective is it?
“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 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 MoreDoes “executive presence” really matter for leaders?
How important is “executive presence” and “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 […]
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 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 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
A coffee, a stranger, and a masterclass in how not to interview “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 […]
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 […]
Read MoreRecruiting a full sales team
A B2B supplier of high value, capital goods asked us for support in recruiting a team of sales people for a specific project. The business was launching a new range and needed to rapidly increase awareness and achieve penetration in its target market. We were asked to support the company in recruiting a full sales […]
Read MoreLocal government leadership: council bosses lead the way
The results of leadership research carried out by bfpeople shows that bosses in local government have better leadership judgement than those in other industries or professions. Council chief executives achieved the highest overall leadership judgement in the analysis of more than 17,000 professionals who completed the Leadership Judgement Indicator (LJI) a psychometric test widely used in […]
Read MoreWhy good candidates are hard to find
Good candidates have never been easy to find. What’s changed is why. There was a time, when I started in executive recruitment, that a well-placed advert in the national or local newspaper (yes, it’s that long ago!) would produce a solid field of candidates for most vacancies. That stopped being true some years ago. The […]
Read MoreSales training for technical specialists
How we provided sales training for technical specialists without calling it “sales training”. When a large software company decided to move the responsibility for selling maintenance and upgrade packages from the sales team to the technical project management staff, it didn’t expect the outcome. The board of directors decided it was important to keep the […]
Read MoreBad sales calls
It’s early in the morning and I’m in the office – the only one here. The office phone rings, so I answer it: Caller: “Mr Hamilton, please”Me: “Yes, that’s me.” There follows several minutes of scripted monologue from the caller about how I “can’t afford to miss” the opportunity of entertaining 10 guests at a […]
Read MoreRemote working: Food for thought or recipe for disaster?
Flexible and remote working is a topic that is often in the news and a Virgin Media Business Survey shows, not surprisingly, that “most employees would prefer working from the comfort of their own homes.” There is also a big drive from the government to extend the right to request flexible working for a wide range of […]
Read MoreA sensitive leadership restructuring
The one where we managed a sensitive leadership restructuring process A public sector organisation needed to undertake a significant leadership restructuring at the most senior level, bringing about major change and reducing the headcount of the operation. In a changing political environment and with drastically reduced funding, it was clear that “what worked before” for […]
Read MoreCreating a talent pool
Creating a talent pool of staff to save time and money A UK university had an ongoing requirement for high quality administration staff. They were needed for the various faculties and departments across the large organisation. It found it was advertising for the same types of skills in the local press every week. There was considerable duplication […]
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