How's the market? 

The last few months have been testing for us all - our clients, managing the business storm, with painful redundancies, revised business plans and very real worries about their company's current status and future - and our candidates, whether you've been made redundant, or finding career opportunities less readily available ...it's been tough.

The one thing we can all agree is that these are interesting times - some of the most challenging many people will have faced within their working lives. As a recruitment consultancy we are at the coal face of seeing these changes, having a daily barometer of the mood and the market. So what are we seeing now? .... the body blows suffered by many businesses do seem to be stabilising, with many companies having now gone through the pain, and working with a tighter ship, but a stronger ship - and candidates with a more realistic view of opportunities, flexibility on salary expectations, and for some a consideration of career alternatives. There undoubtedly does seem to be a sense of light at the end of the tunnel, that having weathered the storm thus far, things are taking an up. The noticable upswing in contract roles over the past few weeks has also indicated that there is now increasing 'work in progress', and as confidence returns we expect a rise in the number of permanent roles, particularly after the summer break.

This month's newsletter has three articles we hope will be of relevance whatever your current status - giving useful advice on 3 key areas in the job process...
 

1. In any job market your CV is the single most important tool, and in a difficult market place it needs to be more effective than ever - here are tips on how to make sure it's doing the job you need it to...
2. Giving your interviews an edge - with a tougher job market there is undoubtedly more at stake at the interview stage... employers are being more assertive in ensuring that you're going to bring value to their business - here's a few tips to help ensure you're raising your game to meet the mark...
3. In these challenging times motivation in the workplace has rarely been more important...click here for our tips on giving it an essential boost...