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childcare in retail

The realities of juggling childcare while working in retail

Posted on | by Editorial Team

With the summer holidays upon us, our Director of Grocery Retail, Nikki Murran, reflects on the realities of juggling childcare while working in retail and looks at what the government could do to help parents and carers in this situation

This summer we planned out our childcare for my 8-year-old – it was like a military operation; involving spreadsheets, booking summer camps (these can be harder to secure than Taylor Swift tickets!), carpool agreements with neighbours, and roping in of grandparents to make up the difference. It was going to be a balancing act, but we were confident we had it covered and my kiddo would likely be a football star by the end of it. (Based on the number of hours he would be playing and the amount of money we were spending anyway!)

The first day of the first camp started with thunderstorms and a cancelled camp. Thankfully Nana was happy to help, and we figured it was a once-off. Day 2 he fractured his wrist. After the doctor explained it was 4-6 weeks of downtime my devastated son asked in the car – what about football camp? GAA camp? Golf camp? Hurling Camp? Athletics Camp?  “What indeed!” I thought!

We went back to the spreadsheets, back to the grandparents, and back to our bosses. We both shifted our summer to add a little working from home and within a few hours – problem solved.

It made me think, though – what if I was still working in retail? Working from home would not have been an option. What if we both were? What about the 300,000 people working in retail in Ireland this summer? How many of them have kids? What do they do on thundery days or when an arm gets fractured, or a chickenpox appears?

In a recent survey conducted by Excel Recruitment, it was found that 6 in 10 workers feel the cost of childcare is unaffordable. The survey also found that 58% of couples with children said their partner had to give up work due to the cost of childcare – and in 62% of these cases, the person that left the workforce was female.

My 3-year-old daughter is in a wonderful creche – they love her, she loves them, they paint, dance, go to the beach, the park, and plenty more. It’s expensive, like a second mortgage expensive, but they have early drop-off and late collection. However, it still means that one of us does a later shift so we can drop – and the other does an earlier shift to be back in time for collection. If one of us worked in retail, I can’t help but wonder how we would manage.

How do single parents, working in retail or hospitality juggle it all? How do they find childcare at the weekend? In evenings? On Christmas Eve? New Years Eve? All these peak trading days?

With a continued staffing crisis, and Ireland reaching its lowest level of unemployment in 20 years it’s imperative that all is done to ensure those willing to work are given the opportunities to. But with the current cost of childcare and the lack of childcare outside office hours, we are blocking a large cohort of available talent from the retail sector.

The government should do more, it should fall to them to make childcare more affordable, give better support to childcare providers, incentivize more flexibility from employers, and look for more novel approaches to combat this issue.

However, the government moves slowly, and the staffing crisis is upon us now, so it falls to retailers to look for workarounds. In recent months, more and more of my clients are adjusting their hiring practice to welcome part-time staff for full-time roles. I have placed a handful of Deli Managers working 4 days, an Assistant Manager who needs Wednesday nights and Thursday mornings off while his partner (a Nurse) does her long shift, and a Store Manager who needs most Saturdays off as he coaches his daughter’s GAA team. These candidates would have been unplaceable a couple of years ago, during a time when retailers were demanding full flexibility from employees. But the time has arrived where it is now employees demanding this flexibility from employers!

The main tool retailers have in their arsenal to tackle this issue is their store rota. What is working for many retailers is doing the rota weeks in advance, rather than just for the following week – often this extra notice is enough for parents to adjust childcare needs. I’ve also heard of successes with partnering, particularly in local stores – where a role is divided between two staff members – both with kids in the same school – here, they split their job, and both worked a 3-day week – covering the store for 6 days rather than 5 and they minded each other’s kids on the respective days off – it was a win-win for all.

From the feedback we have gotten from retailers making these adjustments – the best advice on offer seems to be open-mindedness – ruling nothing out and spending just a little longer on the scheduling and giving staff more input into the rota from the outset. These tweaks may cost a little time each week, but ultimately may result in a more dedicated, loyal workforce – seems a worthwhile trade to me!

You can check out this feature in the most recent edition of ShelfLife Magazine here. For more information call us on 01 814 8747 or email nikki@excelrecruitment.com

You can view all of our live jobs here

 

Grocery Retail Recruitment Q&A

Grocery Retail Recruitment Q&A

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our Director of Grocery Retail, Nikki Murran, featured in a recent edition of ShelfLife magazine’s Recruitment Q&A to answer some of the most prevalent questions within the grocery retail sector.

Q: In today’s competitive marketplace, retailers are finding it difficult to secure experienced staff. What would you say are the main factors behind this and how significant is this issue currently within Ireland’s grocery industry?

A: There is any number of factors contributing to the staffing crisis, but I feel the most obvious issues are as follows:

Supply has decreased: We started the pandemic from a place of near perfect unemployment but the pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) allowed candidates to opt out of the workforce for an extended period of time. This caused a proportion of the retail sector to return home to other European countries during the pandemic and the last two years has seen a number of candidates leave the retail industry to pursue roles in other sectors.
Demand has increased: 2020 saw an additional €2 billion in grocery sales and still, to date, we are seeing an additional €200 per household per quarter being spent in the grocery sector. The DIY retail trade has also seen a substantial increase in many stores with no slowdown in sight and reports of pent-up demand still in play from 2020/21.

Q: How can your knowledge and experience within the FMCG industry help retailers to circumvent the current recruitment challenges?

A: Excel Recruitment has been recruiting for and supporting the Irish retail sector for the past 20 years. When it comes to retail recruitment, no other company has more experience in the Irish market. We are a team of retailers, recruiting for retailers. With over 85% of our business coming from repeat customers, we know we’re providing an excellent service. We take the time to understand the needs of each store by thoroughly screening the candidates from our extensive database and our team also provides honest feedback to clients and candidates throughout the recruiting process to ensure the perfect match for the role.

Q: What advice would you give retailers to ensure their employment packages stand out from competitors and can attract the best talent available?

A: Some of the key factors to take into account are as follows:
Tailor each package depending on the role / candidate
This is where we’ve seen the best successes in the market. It’s important to understand what each potential candidate is looking for in their next career move. Time and again, clients are tempted to offer more money to candidates. However, by understanding a candidate’s motivations – you may find that additional annual leave, healthcare discounts or reduced hours are more likely to secure your preferred hire.

Think outside the box
Small benefits like discounts on local gyms, canteen discounts, extra days of annual leave for birthdays, free tea, coffee and newspapers go a lot further than you may think! These small inexpensive perks are a great way to attract candidates. Be sure to list all your perks – no matter how small and include them with every job that you are looking to hire for.

Profit share
With basic salaries going up, this can be an ideal option by putting in place bonuses linked to a store’s profitability. You can offer outstanding on-target earnings without impacting your store’s wage budget.

Q: From the job candidate’s perspective, how will you help them to prepare for their best interview performance?

A: We tailor our candidate preparation depending on each individual, and the role that they are going for. By getting to know each candidate and by understanding their past experience/future ambitions, we’re positioning ourselves to support the candidate through each step of the hiring process. This can be anything from helping them to phrase answers, giving them the company background, suggesting the best stores for them to visit beforehand or teaching them how to conduct a virtual interview. And sometimes, we’re just simply a sounding board for a candidate to voice their concerns.

Q: It has become increasingly common for employers to hold multiple interviews. What specific advice would you give candidates when embarking on the second or third round of interviews?

A: I would recommend to clients to get all decision makers to sit in on the first interview so that you can conduct a thorough first round. This allows us to move at a faster pace in this overheated market and leaves no need for subsequent rounds. However, if you are a candidate who is called back for additional rounds:

  • Treat it like the first round! You may be meeting a new interviewer – and it is imperative you come across as well prepared, professional, interested and engaged as you did in the first round.
  • Don’t worry about repeating information from the first round – often the previous interviewer is anxious for the new interviewer to hear what you had to say.
  • Prepare and recap on your preparation for round one. Think about any questions you would like to have asked and prepare answers for any questions you felt you underperformed on during the previous rounds.
  • They liked you in round one, so relax, be yourself and enjoy!

Q: As we tentatively emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, do you believe that staff shortages will significantly lessen in the next 12 months?

A: No, looking forward, I can’t see any factors in play that will dramatically increase supply or decrease demand so it’s hard to see how these shortages will cease in the near future. Having said that, I do believe there are still great people available in the retail industry, if you know where to look. It’s essential to have a strong recruitment partner now more than ever to recruit talent for your business, and we will continue to help our clients and candidates in whatever way we can.

You can check out all our live retail jobs here. For more information you can contact Nikki on 01 814 8747 or email nikki@excelrecruitment.com.

 

Cost of replacing employees

The True Cost of Replacing an Employee

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in the April edition of ShelfLife magazine to discuss the true cost associated with replacing employee’s. Check out what he had to say below:

Encouraging an employee to reconsider their decision to resign from a company, can help save a great deal of time and money further down the line, writes Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan.

Ireland is in the midst of the “Great Resignation” with employers witnessing a higher churn in employees then most can recall. We know there is a staff crisis in hospitality, but there is also a looming crisis for labour in the retail, industrial, warehousing, transport, and health sectors. Workers are leaving their jobs in record numbers and new roles, due to demand with the re-opening of society, are being registered at a faster rate than we have ever witnessed in Excel. This is leaving businesses scrambling to replace employees, often at a major cost to the business.

Job postings consistently rising

The trajectory of job postings for the retail sector is on a consistent upward trend, having more than doubled from 1,578 in February 2021 to 4,258 in February 2022 (data courtesy of Indeed). Retail will be the next sector to be faced with a serious and damaging staffing crisis, akin to that currently being suffered in hospitality.

The industry data paints a stark picture – between 2019 and 2021, the number of retail job seekers per retail job vacancy had been increasing year on year. However, since then it has dipped significantly and in February 2022 there were 39 job seekers per job, down from 78 job seekers per job in February 2021. What’s more, the number of employers with active retail job vacancies has now nearly tripled in the 12 months to February 2022 when it stood at 1,360 employers – up from 488 employers in February 2021.

Re-evaluating priorities

Over the course of the pandemic many people were out of work and/or on reduced hours – they had more time on their hands to really look at their careers and their life, and what they want from both. As a result, we’ve seen thousands of workers change careers, upskill in their current industry, and/or just make the decision to strive for a better work-life balance.

That dynamic, combined with the fact that the industry has also missed out on approximately two years of new candidate intakes – due to workers either leaving the sector during Covid because of lockdowns and working restrictions, or indeed leaving the country – has left supply as a major issue, which continues to deteriorate.

The true cost

Depending on the complexity and seniority of a role, the actual or real cost of employee turnover can be estimated to be between 33% to a whopping 200% the employee’s annual salary.

Before allowing an employee to resign without any effort to get them to reconsider, employers should be aware of all the possible costs of replacing an employee.

The more obvious costs such as advertising, the recruitment process, executive and human resource professionals’ time spent interviewing, recruitment agency costs, background or reference checks, rejection of unsuccessful applicants or indeed interim temporary workers hired to plug a hole, all add up to a considerable number of man hours and burn rate interviewing.

But these are not the only costs; you must consider lost productivity, lost sales, lost turnover, lost knowledge, and new hire learning errors along with training time. These are the hidden costs of losing good employees.

Whiplash changes

The talent market has undergone whiplash-like change in the last 18 months, with companies shedding their workforce last spring and then spinning into a hiring frenzy this summer. It’s no surprise that many employees are looking for new opportunities or at least revaluating their career priorities.

Oftentimes, when an employee looks to leave, they should not be retained, as fresh talent can often add unmeasurably to a business. However, management need to understand the total cost of ownership in employee disengagement and attrition before making a decision not to try to retain talent.

‘Stay’ interviews

There are two recent trends that are worth looking at. The first is the ‘stay’ Interview. Here, instead of the usual six-monthly appraisal, companies engage with employees asking them why they continue to work for them and what they need to continue to do so.

Intercom, the Irish-founded tech communications platform with more than 800 employees, is a great example of this, with managers holding special meetings with each of their team members encouraging them to stay.

Boomerang employees

The second trend is boomerang employees: employees who return after leaving a company. A new LinkedIn Workforce Insights survey shows that this keeps rising.

Boomerang recruits amounted to 4.3% of all job switches last year, up from less than 2% in 2010, according to LinkedIn data. Fully trained, culturally compatible employees returning to their employer can’t be a bad thing!

If you would like to check out the full April edition of ShelfLife magazine you can do so by clicking here.

management mistakes

Management Mistakes: Part 2

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in this month’s issue of ShelfLife magazine discussing the final part of the top management mistakes series. Check out what he had to say below:

Continuing last month’s series on management mistakes, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines 11 more errors managers should avoid in the pursuit of keeping staff members happy, motivated and productive.

When candidates come to Excel Recruitment looking for a new role, we zone in on their ‘reason for leaving’. We want to understand completely why the candidate wants to move job, so that we can find the right new job for them. One of the reasons that comes up consistently in the top five is frustration with a manager or poor management. Here are the second set of the top bad management mistakes that can drive an employee out the door.

For all those managers out there interested in improving their ability to manage others, take heart in the fact that you’re only human. I know I for one have made every single one of these management mistakes at some point or another in my career. Let’s start with another personal favourite of mine!

1) Belittle their team over things, both significant and insignificant:

When a soft deadline is missed, this manager raises it at a staff meeting by throwing their hands up and remarking about how everyone’s incompetence will ensure the closure of the organisation! The dramatic manager who makes mountains out of molehills is a prime example of a bad manager. While a good manager should never ‘lose it’ with the team, they may be forgiven for doing so in a crisis, but not for something insignificant.

2) Passive aggressiveness, reminding the team of the power they hold over them:

This manager does things like often making “jokes” about firing people, then laughs it off, like they want to show their team that they have a great sense of humour, but, at its heart, this behaviour is bullying.

3) Active aggressiveness:

In a team huddle, this manager makes comments such as: “I know you have all performed really well and the business is performing, but we are only as good as last month and if anyone drops the ball, they will know about it.” Using direct threats and fear as motivation does not have a place in modern professional management.

4) Cross personal boundaries:

The risk of crossing personal boundaries arises easily in social occasions involving work. How many employees have woken up the morning after the dreaded office Christmas party with a completely different impression of their manager, who drank too much with the staff or became their pal at the party, before reverting to the previous relationship status come Monday morning as the boss.

5) Physically invade people’s spaces:

No physical contact is permissible anymore. If a member of staff is upset in front of their manager, while human nature might illicit a response like a hug, this is a no-no. A bad manager invades an employee’s space. The employee takes a step back and they take a step forward. An employee asks for personal space, and they don’t give it and stand too close when talking.

6) Delegate autonomy, without meaning it:

They tell you they want you to make the decision. They don’t want to be involved or indeed need to be, because you have the experience, and you are driving this project. They then take your decision, and go and change everything, without bothering to explain why. This is so deflating for staff.

7) Play favourites with team members, and make it obvious:

This manager takes the same team member out for lunch every week; they make a big deal of their birthday, but not others. They play favourites and do not operate in a fair and equitable manner. This causes resentment and a poor team environment.

8) Criticise team members in front of their team:

A critical tool of performance management is to criticise a team member away from their peers. This should be done outside of the process. Criticism should be given one-on-one and should always be constructive. Whilst public humiliation means everyone gets to learn, it is a sure way to make an employee have a browse through job boards.

9) Become defensive at the slightest constructive feedback:

The bad manager asks for feedback in meetings and then bullies and belittles everyone who opens their mouth. Then when people don’t contribute to meetings, they act passive aggressive about it: “I guess no-one has anything to add and we’ll just have to go with my plan.”

10) Multi-task while interacting with others:

This behaviour of a bad manager is very insulting to the team member. Clearing email while in an important conversation or taking calls mid meeting makes team members feel their input is not respected or indeed needed.

11) Take credit for employees’ ideas and work:

No decision is made, or action is taken, that isn’t the idea of the manager. A bad manager will only carry out an idea that they believe is their own. How many managers have you had whereby you had to make them believe an idea was theirs to get it implemented!

If you would like to read the full March 2022 issue of ShelfLife magazine you can do so by clicking here.

Management Mistakes

Management Mistakes: Part 1

Posted on | by Editorial Team

Our CEO, Barry Whelan, featured in this month’s edition of ShelfLife magazine talking about the mistakes managers make. See what he had to say below:

Securing great talent is harder than ever in today’s competitive market, so it is vital management don’t alienate staff by adopting the wrong attitude or techniques.

Here, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines 12 of the top mistakes to avoid:

When candidates come through Excel, looking for a new role, we zone in on their ‘reason for leaving’. We want to understand completely why the candidate wants to move job, so that we can find the right new job for them. One of the reasons that comes up consistently in the top five is frustration with a manager or poor management. Over this month and next, I will be outlining 30 of the top bad management mistakes that drive an employee out the door.

For all those managers out there interested in improving their ability to manage others, take heart in that you’re only human. I know I for one have made every single one of these management mistakes at some point or another in my career. Let’s start with my personal favourite!

1) Be inconsistent and unpredictable:

This manager likes to keep people on their toes by being totally inconsistent in terms of communication (both style and content), expectations, feedback and long-term vision for the organisation. All the employees’ nerves are shot from playing workplace Russian roulette!

2) Move the goalposts:

This manager changes their expectations every time you meet with them. They give out to employees for not meeting the new expectations they have just told them about and for instead wasting all their time trying to meet the expectations they set last month. They look for constant validation!

3) Involve themselves in every decision:

This manager does not let any decision be made without weighing in, no matter how small, and no matter how long it will be before they have time to review the matter. They are hands on…no problem is too small that needs their faultless problem solving!

4) Correct small mistakes to demonstrate how clever they are:

The classic insecure micro manager will review and approve emails or business correspondence, then change their mind over inane word choices. They will randomly ‘correct’ already correct grammar or spelling on documents given to you to sign in pen, ensuring that even once you understand it’s correct, it has to be re-printed!

5) Refuse to give any feedback:

The manager who won’t give any feedback, either positive or negative, ever, but will overreact completely when people fail to correctly understand what they want!

6) Make everyone run on their schedule:

They will be 20 minutes late to every meeting, leave early, and then get angry when a minor decision is made without having their input. They insist on being the final decision maker for every aspect of every project, but then don’t make decisions in a timely manner; instead waiting until the eleventh hour and making everyone scramble to get the work done.

7) Spend time on less important things so that they can ignore more important things:

The manager who insists on doing tasks someone else could do while unmade decisions pile up on their desk to the point of nearly halting anything getting done.

8) Refuse to let people do their jobs, then give out to them for it!

How many times have we met candidates who were hired for a job that they were not allowed to do! I met a graduate the other day who was hired as an accounts assistant but ended up selling products on the showroom floor.

9) Treat people the same, regardless of their experience:

A good manager must adjust to their audience, don’t treat 10+ years experienced employees the same as those with less than one year! This is a sign that the manager does not have the confidence (or experience) to manage experience.

10) Don’t learn new skills or improve existing ones:

This boss feels, why should they learn stuff when they have people to do stuff! They fail to learn even the most elementary technology like email attachments, making their staff do that in addition to their own work.

11) Only communicate the trivial:

This manager can’t deliver big news that is in any way negative. They communicate on small, insignificant things and don’t tell anyone about challenges in the business, changes in process or even positive news.

12) Build a sense of importance by talking about how busy they are all the time:

This manager constantly tells their team how busy they are, how they had to catch up by working all weekend. They have to remind everyone how they are busier and thus work harder than everybody else. Often these are the same people who talk excessively at work.

If you wish to read the full ShelfLife Magazine February 2022 Issue, you can do so by clicking here.

BRIAN NIXON, HEALTHCARE RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT

A thought to Covid-19 and healthcare recruitment

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Covid-19 has had a profound effect on all our lives over the past few months. As we move through the phases of exiting lockdown, our attention is focusing more and more on the long-term effects the pandemic will leave behind. One thing I do hope for is that the outpouring of public appreciation and respect for our country’s frontline healthcare staff will not be forgotten quickly.

Global awareness

Through social media, health workers have collaborated across the board on a scale never seen before. Unfortunately, this was often about sourcing desperately needed supplies of ventilators and personal protective equipment for staff. We are all used to hearing about the trolley crisis and staff shortages, but this allowed us, the general public, to see the human faces behind the problems in a way we never had before. We were also introduced to many of the others who form the backbone of our health service from household staff to direct care workers.

Professor Arnie Hill of the Royal College of Surgeons raised the idea that our recent insight and exposure to the industry has greatly expanded people’s interest in healthcare as a career path. Health has moved to the forefront of global consciousness, with Tony Holohon and Tadhg Daly becoming household names and terms such as basic reproduction rate becoming part of our everyday vocabulary. Is it a reasonable assumption that we will see a greater interest in health-related courses over the coming years?

Next generation of student nurses

The last couple of months have been particularly challenging for our students especially those who had been due to sit the Leaving Cert. They were one of the groups most affected by the virus with the lack of clarity for months before the final decision to use predicted grades. H-Pat applications were of course closed in January before Covid came to prominence however nursing and other medical fields may see an uptake in demand for September. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation renewed its calls for extra undergraduate nursing places to avoid even more severe staffing pressures in the future. The INMO has also said it is likely there will be a drop in overseas recruitment because of the coronavirus pandemic resulting in extra pressures on nurses and midwives in the years ahead.

April’s announcement that fourth-year nursing students who are currently working as interns in hospitals are set to move onto the HCA pay scale was most welcome. Many observers believe the pay cuts which had been implemented in various formats since 2009 had contributed to the surge in nurses qualifying and moving abroad and to the difficulty in recruiting nurses to work in Ireland. This has in-turn contributed to understaffing and overcrowding in our hospitals and pressure on our nursing homes.

Home carers

As we celebrate National Carers Week from June 8th, it is both sobering and inspiring to hear the tales and struggles of Ireland’s home and family carers who are notable frontline healthcare staff. It emphasizes the depth, breadth and diversity of roles which make up our “healthcare frontline”. With an expected increase in investment in healthcare globally over the next few years, it seems that it will become ever more challenging for the state and private employers to attract and retain the right people.

Brian Nixon leads the permanent recruitment division of Excel Healthcare and specializes in the recruitment of Nurses and other senior roles within healthcare. To discuss recruitment and how we can help, please call 018717676 or email brian@excelrecruitment.com

Excel's best bits 2019

EXCEL RECRUITMENT: THE BEST BITS OF 2019

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

2019 saw us enter our 17th year in business and was truly one of our biggest and most exciting years to date. We’re proud of everything our team has achieved this year and just want to thank every client, candidate, supplier and most of all each our team members who have made all our achievements possible. 2020 is already set to be even bigger for us but before we launch into the next decade, we want to take a moment to reflect on some of our biggest successes this year. So, here goes….

Named the first Ireland’s Innovative Supplier at the Hotel and Catering Gold Medal Awards

Accepting the award for Ireland’s Innovative Supplier

Crowned Best Recruitment Provider at the Checkout National Retail Supplier Awards- for the fifth consecutive year!

Won Best Specialist Agency at the National Recruitment Federation Awards

Opened brand new offices in Dublin city centre

Opened our first ever offices in Cork and made plans for Naas and Galway in 2020 (stay tuned!)

Jetted off to Portugal for some team bonding with paddle boarding treasure hunting around Lisbon

Launched our new Pharmacy division and welcomed senior recruiter Barbara Kelly to our team to lead our newest division

CEO Barry Whelan presented to the REI Retail Retreat and REI HR forum on recruitment and retention

We increased our team by 14 and now employ 40 consultants and support staff, an increase of 13 in 2019

Opened the Irish Barista Academy in partnership with Skillnet affiliated to tackle the staffing shortages resulting from Ireland’s booming coffee industry

Developed our online training facilities to better reach more people than ever with our world-class training facilities

Featured in the Irish Times, the Irish Examiner, ShelfLife Magazine and Hospitality Ireland magazine

Travelled to Korea to tackle the chef crisis becoming the industry leaders in the Chef Permit programme

Director Shane McLave and consultant Brian Nixon with Adrian Cummins of RAI in Korea

Streamlined all our HR recruitment into a specialised HR recruitment division headed by Sean Thomas

Again, thank you to everyone who made all the achievements above possible. Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas, particularly all the hardworking retailers and hospitality staff working over the next few days, and best wishes for the new year! Onwards and upwards for 2020!

Arriving in Ireland

Arriving in Ireland: Everything you need to know to start work

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Arriving in Ireland

*** Rolar pra baixo***

Arriving in Ireland or any brand-new country can be a daunting experience for anyone – follow our step-by-step guide below to successfully get registered for employment as well as set up with a Bank Account, PPS Number and Online Revenue.

Registering with Excel Recruitment

We can offer immediate and flexible work in all areas of the Hospitality Industry across Dublin, for candidates who successfully complete our registration process.

For this – you will need to book an appointment at our Capel Street Offices – you can do this by emailing a CV to gisella@excelrecruitment.com

At this appointment, you will need to bring:

  • Passport or European ID
  • Irish Residence Permit IRP– if required. We can only accept the full IRP card and CANNOT offer work to anyone who has a stamp in their passport but has not received the card yet.
  • PPS number and Bank Details – if you already have these, DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE AS WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS
  • Any certificates and qualifications you currently have.

When you register with us, we will talk you through the process of employment from start to finish including the required uniform and training. You will be linked up with your own consultant who will be in touch every week, to book you out to shifts which fit around your schedule.

By law in Ireland everyone working in the hospitality or catering industry must have valid Manual Handling and HACCP (Food Safety) certificates. At Excel Recruitment we can offer these courses on site at our centrally located offices – but we do also accept certificates from all accredited trainers.

Once you have been registered and have the necessary certificates, we will get you kitted out in the required uniform and provide shifts with an immediate start!

How will I be paid?

Excel Recruitment pays every Friday directly into your bank account. For those of you who may have just arrived and are yet to set up a bank account – we can organise weekly cheque payments while you get this set up!

Once you are out working for us, we can also provide a letter of employment which you can take to the bank in order to open an account.

PPS Number

To get a PPS number, you will need to fill out an application form in the PPS Number Allocation Centre, provide evidence of your identity and evidence of why you need a PPS number allocated. You must also provide proof of your address. You can find a list of PPS number allocation centres here http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Once you are out working for Excel, we can also provide an employment letter to take along to your PPS appointment which will act of evidence of why you need the PPS number.

Revenue

If this job is your first in Ireland, you must login to https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 in order to register your new job with the Jobs and Pensions Service. You will need to provide Excel Recruitments VAT Registration Number which will be given to you after you register with us.

Work

The more available you are, the more work we will be able to offer you! We can work around your schedule but are reliant upon the requirements of our clients to determine the shifts available. The most common shift patterns by job category are:

Kitchen Porter/Catering Assistant/Barista – Monday to Friday, 7am to 3/4pm.

Waiter/Bar – Every day of the week – Mornings, Evenings and Weekends inclusive. The more you are available the more work we will be able to offer you.

Chefs – 2 distinct options:

Monday – Friday 7am to 3/4pm. Full availability during these times means we will be able to offer ongoing work across Dublin.

Evenings/Weekends – Sporadic availability means we can match shifts to your availability and you will be in many different kitchens across the city.

Chegando na Irlanda

Chegar a um país totalmente novo pode ser uma experiência assustadora para qualquer pessoa – siga nosso guia passo a passo abaixo para se registrar com êxito no emprego, além de organizar uma Conta Bancária, Número de PPS e Receita Online.

Registrando no Excel Recruitment

Podemos oferecer trabalho imediato e flexível em todas as áreas do setor de hospitalidade em Dublin, para candidatos que concluírem com êxito nosso processo de registro.

Para isso – você precisará marcar uma consulta em nossos escritórios da Capel Street – pode fazer isso enviando um CV para gisella@excelrecruitment.com

Nesta consulta, você precisará trazer:

  • Passaporte ou documento de identidade europeu
  • IRP da Autorização de Residência Irlandesa – se necessário. Só podemos aceitar o cartão IRP completo e NÃO PODEMOS oferecer trabalho a quem tem um carimbo no passaporte, mas ainda não o recebeu.
  • Número do PPS e detalhes bancários – se você já possui, não se preocupe se não tiver um, pois podemos ajudá-lo com isso.
  • Quaisquer certificados e qualificações que você possui atualmente.

Quando você se registra conosco, iremos conversar sobre o processo de contratação do início ao fim, incluindo o uniforme e o treinamento necessários. Você será vinculado ao seu próprio consultor, que entrará em contato todas as semanas, para agendá-lo para os turnos adequados à sua programação.

Por lei na Irlanda, todos os que trabalham no setor de hospitalidade ou alimentos e bebidas devem ter certificados válidos de Manuseio Manual e HACCP (Segurança de Alimentos). No Excel Recruitment, podemos oferecer esses cursos em nossos escritórios localizados centralmente – mas também aceitamos certificados de todos os treinadores credenciados.

Depois de se registrar e ter os certificados necessários, nós o levaremos com o uniforme necessário e forneceremos os turnos com um início imediato!

Como serei pago?

O recrutamento da Excel paga toda sexta-feira diretamente na sua conta bancária. Para aqueles que acabaram de chegar e ainda precisam obter uma conta bancária – podemos organizar pagamentos semanais por cheque enquanto você faz esse processo!

Quando você estiver trabalhando para nós, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego que você pode levar ao banco para abrir uma conta.

Número de PPS

Para obter um número de PPS, você precisará preencher um formulário de inscrição no Centro de Alocação de Número PPS, fornecer evidências de sua identidade e evidências de por que você precisa de um número PPS alocado. Você também deve fornecer comprovante de endereço. Você pode encontrar uma lista dos centros de alocação de números do PPS aqui http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Depois de trabalhar para o Excel, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego para levar junto à sua nomeação no PPS, o que servirá de evidência do porquê você precisa do número do PPS.

Receita Federal

Se este trabalho for o seu primeiro na Irlanda, você deverá fazer login no https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 para registrar seu novo trabalho no Serviço de Empregos e Pensões. Você precisará fornecer o Número de registro de IVA para recrutamentos do Excel, que será fornecido a você depois que você se registrar conosco.

Trabalhos

Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você! Podemos tentar encaixar trabakhos de acordo comseus horarios, mas dependemos dos requisitos de nossos clientes para determinar as mudanças disponíveis. Os padrões de turno mais comuns por categoria de trabalho são:

Porteiro da cozinha / Assistente de cozinha / Barista – de segunda a sexta, das 7:00 às 15:00.

Garçom / Bar – Todos os dias da semana – manhãs, noites e fins de semana, inclusive. Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você.

Chefs – 2 opções distintas:

Segunda a sexta das 7:00 às 15:00. A disponibilidade total durante esse período significa que poderemos oferecer trabalho contínuo em Dublin.

Noites / fins de semana – a disponibilidade esporádica significa que podemos combinar os turnos com a seus horarios e você estará em muitas cozinhas diferentes em toda a cidade.

 

Sarah Hurley Excel Recruitment Retail Head Office Recruitment

How to work with your Recruiter to find your dream job

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

As a jobseeker, there can be certain factors to consider when using a recruitment company to help with your job search. Senior Consultant Sarah Hurley, explains how to get the best results whilst working with your recruitment consultant and what to expect throughout the process.

There can be misconceptions about working with your recruitment consultant and how agencies work. As Recruiters, our responsibility is two-fold. We align our candidate’s experience with our client’s requirements. As a Recruiter, our purpose is to join the dots between the candidate and the company, carefully matching the applicant’s skillset with what the client is looking for. Throughout my buying career, I had mixed experiences with recruiters (both here and in London) and now I’m on the other side, I can hopefully clarify the process and offer some tips to help you make the most of working with your Recruiter and hopefully find your dream job:

Research the Agency and Recruiter

Are they advertising roles in your industry? Are they a specialist agency? Who are their clients? When approaching an agency, you want a Recruiter who already has an understanding of what you do and what your next steps might be. This way you won’t have to waste time explaining the basics. Working with your recruitment consultant who has an in-depth knowledge of the industry and close relationships within it, should know which employers will suit you best, both career and company culture-wise.

Have an up-to-date and concise CV

I screen CVs quickly so it’s best to keep it focused and to the point (2 pages is ideal). You can always elaborate on your experience at interview stage. I often scroll through 3+ pages of a CV and still don’t know what candidates do! Be sure to include the correct dates, and if there are gaps, it’s no problem but do add a line explaining why. Taking time out for travel, kids, looking after a family member etc. is completely fine and can even be of an advantage to you and your potential employer – just don’t try and hide it!

Be realistic

Recruiters help match you with roles that you are qualified for and suited to within their clients’ business. As Recruiters, we advocate for improved salaries, packages and titles etc. on your behalf but you will need to have realistic expectations. Recruiters are tasked with finding the person that most closely fulfils their client’s wishlist and are rarely given the freedom to deviate from this. If you are looking to move into a completely new industry or don’t have the experience for the job you are applying to, there is probably little a Recruiter can do for you. If you’re looking for a €10k+ salary bump but the budget is only €5k more than you are currently on, or if you want the client to match your 30+ days of annual leave when their company policy is 25, you will need to manage your expectations and decide what you can and cannot be flexible on

Trust your Recruiter

Following on from this, as a Recruiter, we will work to get you the best package possible but if we think you are jeopardising your application by being unrealistic, we will tell you. It is a balancing act between getting the candidate what they are worth and also supporting the client’s brief and budget. As Recruiters, we always look for mutually beneficial outcomes for both parties. Clients will try to meet requests where they can, so trust your Recruiter’s expertise when they say a client has hit a ceiling with regard to the package.

Be honest and ask questions

Your relationship with your Recruiter should be a collaborative one. Don’t be afraid to ask questions such as, where your experience or salary sit in the market and what aspects of your CV or the interview you need help with. Be honest with your Consultant about any requirements you have, even if you think it’s minor. If you need flexibility around working hours for the first month of your new job (you could be finishing a course, your child minder could be away etc.) for example, tell your Recruiter at the application stage, so we can manage this on your behalf. That is just one of the advantages of using a Recruiter. They are able to relay your requirements to the client whilst at the same time, maintaining your value as a candidate. Confidentiality between the Recruiter and the candidate is paramount so don’t be concerned about being open regarding potential issues you may have.

Staffing is biggest concern for 69% of Irish food businesses

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

69% Irish food businesses say the availability of skilled workers is a serious concern, according to new research released by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI).

Brexit was shown to be the second greatest future worry for food businesses, with over two thirds (67%) identifying its unknown impact as a business concern going forward. The food businesses interviewed cited particular concerns around increases in costs of supplies, tariffs and exchange rates in respect of Brexit on the Irish food industry. Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI, said: “Our research shows that difficulties in attracting skilled staff and increased regulations and taxes are among the perceived threats that food businesses are citing. At the same time, the final outcome of Brexit is still not yet known almost three years since the referendum took place, and this is also concerning food businesses here.”

The research was carried out by Amárach and looked at the attitudes and feelings of over 200 national and international food business SMEs, including importers, wholesalers, manufacturers, producers, operators and retailers. The research also showed that food allergens and ingredients labelling is the number one concern for Irish food businesses from a regulatory perspective. A majority (73%) were increasingly confident about food safety regulation, believing that Irish produced food is safer now than it was five years ago. Despite the increased confidence, numerous food safety concerns remain for food businesses. The food industry is apprehensive about allergens and ingredients labelling; food hygiene and handling requirements; and other widely noted food safety concerns including the use of hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and additives.

Around one third (31%) of those surveyed do not feel well enough informed in terms of food safety information, despite a high proportion claiming to cover this in-house or via consultants.

If you are a hospitality, food or FMCG manager looking for assistance with your recruitment, get in touch with any of our expert team at 01-8717676. If you would like to enquire more about Manual Handling or HACCP training for you or your team email info@futureprooftraining.ie