If you are on the hunt for a new job – you definitely need to make use of LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a professional social media platform and most people have a presence on it – so it is a powerful resource for finding a new job. LinkedIn is free, unless…...

Why candidates are rejecting your job offers?
Do you find that more candidates are rejecting offers than accepting them? The recruitment process can be highly time consuming, even if you use a recruitment agency to find candidates. Interviews take up a lot of time out of your working day and it can be extremely disheartening when you…...

What to do when an interviewee is struggling during interview?
The mere anticipation of an interview can make anyone nervous, but what do you do if you are struggling to get any information from the candidate? Interviews like this can be awkward for both parties, but it is important for interviewers to know how to react in these situations, so…...

What to do if an employee is underperforming?
Most managers don’t particularly enjoy having to confront an employee about issues they may be having, but if an employee is underperforming – it is time to take action and find out why. If these situations are left without action, they can quite easily become worse so it is important…...

Top 10 reasons why you should use a headhunter
Headhunters, in simple terms, are recruiters - but not all recruiters are headhunters. Another term for what headhunters do is “Executive Searching” and this is it in a nutshell - they search for the ideal candidates at executive and senior management level. But they don’t just match people to companies;…...

Top 6 qualities to look out for when choosing a specialist recruiter
A specialist recruiter can be hugely beneficial to your business. It saves you the time and hassle of sourcing candidates yourself and of course, you get the experts who know how to find the very best talent, or at least they should! Many specialist recruiters claim to be the best,…...

The Cost of a Bad Hire
Hiring the wrong person for a job is not only financially expensive but also a total waste of time. HR hours are lost on advertising and interviewing, not to mention the training investment which is inevitably lost when the new employee is swiftly shown the door. Trigger the process all…...

The truth about counter offers
Most of us know the hard and fast rule: never accept a counter offer. We may also be aware of the statistic warning us that 80 percent of those who accept a counter offer will leave the company within six months. But do we understand why? We explore the simple…...

The importance of employer branding
Employer branding is not just about graphics and logos, it is about the image a company portrays and the experience customers have. In a competitive market, it is imperative for businesses to have a strong brand, especially when it comes to recruiting talented individuals into the business. Your employer branding…...

The Importance of Building a Good Relationship With Your Specialist Recruiter
The next time your phone rings and a recruitment agency is on the other end; think carefully before you hit that disconnect button! Instead of considering it a nuisance call, think about the potential benefits it could offer you. Whether or not you are actively looking for a new role,…...

The benefits of working exclusively with one specialist recruiter
The engineering and manufacturing sectors are notoriously challenging sectors to find talented staff for and this is why many companies enlist the support of recruitment specialists. You are spoiled for choice when it comes to choosing a recruiter to work with, but rather than having a list of different options,…...

Struggling to Find the Right Successor?
Every business, in every industry around the world will at one time or another, lose good staff. Whether it is for personal or professional reasons, losing a talented employee can be difficult and so can filling that position with someone equally talented. This can cost a business both time and…...

Passive candidates and how to attract them
One of the main pressures bearing down on organisations around the world is satisfying the constant demand for talented staff. It’s unrealistic to expect the most talented candidates to be looking for a new role at the same time you are hiring. Often the most talented candidates are happily engaged…...

How to tell that an employee is ready to leave?
When you recruit a new employee into your business, there is never any certainty that they will be there for the long term, no matter what they may tell you during their interview. Losing a good member of staff can cause unrest within the business and can also lead to…...

How to retain top performers?
After the recession, employers had their choice of candidates and could afford to offer lower salaries while still retaining staff. However, there has been quite a dramatic switch in a relatively short space of time and it is now very much a candidate market, especially in certain industries. This means…...

How to poach the best talent?
The first thing to realise about poaching talent from competitors – is that it’s not wrong! Business is business and much like you wouldn’t have a second thought about taking a client from a competitor, you should think the same way about talent. This is particularly prevalent in the engineering…...

How to Identify and Retain your Top Employees?
Recruiting talented individuals into your organisation can be challenging enough, but you also have the additional headache of trying to keep them there. As it is a candidate’s market, talented individuals have a choice and many will be open to the possibility of moving jobs, if the terms are appealing…...

How to ensure you hire productive employees?
When it comes to hiring new employees, it is not enough just to recruit based on an individual’s experience and skills, you also need to ensure they will be productive. Of course, this is never guaranteed but there are ways to suss out the intentions of candidates and whether they…...

How Talent Mapping Can Help Grow Your Business
When it comes to recruitment, many companies leave it to the last minute and this can leave them with unrealistic expectations. The recruitment process can be a lengthy one and if you really want to ensure you get the right person to fill your role, it is important to take…...

Hiring the Right Culture Fit
The hiring process is not just about finding a candidate with the right skills and experience for the job, it is also about ensuring they fit in with the culture of the organisation. If the culture fit isn’t right, it can lead the employee to become disengaged and it can…...

Are you listening to your team? You should be.
One of the biggest misconceptions we have about communication is that listening is a passive activity. How many times have we heard someone say, or said ourselves, “I’ll come along to the meeting, but I’ll just listen”? We understand listening is an essential quality of leadership, but most of us…...

5 ways to ensure successful onboarding for new recruits
As engineering and manufacturing firms will know, getting the right talent through the door is challenging and having the candidate sign on the dotted line, is just the start of the journey. If you don’t make an effort to make them feel comfortable from day one; you may soon find…...

5 key elements of an effective job description
It is essential to compile in-depth job descriptions for your business; not just for the purpose of recruiting candidates, but job descriptions will also be used throughout the duration of the new recruit’s employment. At any stage, an employee may ask to see their job description, they may be also…...

Hot Topic – Autonomous Shipping with Simon Cuthbert
Terry Mallin: Welcome to this weeks manufacturing ignition podcast. Thanks for tuning in, and I hope you enjoy this weeks show. I'm delighted to be joined by Simon Cuthbert, who is the Senior Vice President for the supply chain for Rolls Royce Marine. Terry Mallin: Simon has an executive responsibility…...

Manufacturing Hot Topics – Effective Visibility of Your Manufacturing Company
Announcer: You're listening to Manufacturing Ignition Hot Topics, bringing you right up to date on the latest trends and discussions within UK manufacturing, sponsored by Bonfire Recruitment, helping manufacturing leaders across the UK to attract the best talent for their manufacturing company. Ignite your business or career today by visiting www.bonfirerecruitment.com.…...

Why Is Leadership Important with Peter Hawkins?
Terry Mallin : Welcome to this week’s manufacturing ignition podcast, thanks for tuning in as always and I hope you enjoy this week’s show. This week I’m delighted to be joined by Peter Hawkins who is the managing director of Park Cake bakery in Bolton. Peter has been running sales at the MD…...

What does great leadership look like?
Great leadership depends upon our level of self-awareness, our willingness to learn and our acceptance that our actions and attitude influence everyone around us. When we assume a leadership role, all of our behaviour counts. Our ability to recognise and develop the qualities we naturally possess and a willingness to…...

Team work makes the dream work! Learning from Team Lichen!
Have you ever noticed how many trees have Lichen. You know that grey or green moss-like plant that grows on bark and rocks. Did you know that Lichen’s have even been sent up to space and continued growing and functioning. They are one of the most successful organisms in the…...

Should I ask for a pay rise?
You have been working for the same employer for a number of years without any glimmer of a pay rise – so is it time to ask the question? If your employer doesn’t have an incremental salary scale in place, you may never have the potential of getting a pay…...

How to make a success of your new manufacturing role?
You have just landed your dream manufacturing role and want to make sure you really excel in it, but how do you ensure success? In most jobs, you will be on probation for the first few months, so you need to make sure you are at your very best during…...

The highest paid time management tip ever!
The best paid time management tip stories goes like this. Charles Schwab was a steel mill Magnate in the 1930s and asked a time management guru, Ivy Lee, for his top tip. Ivy Lee gave the tip and said he was so confident of his advice that Charles can try…...