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Why spend any time on employment contracts? Money, for a start

When you change jobs, you might notice your new employment contract is different to the last one. Apart from different logos and fonts, it's worth checking for any significant differences quickly – maybe more or less holiday than you’ve…
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When social media turns ugly

Want to moan on Facebook about your workplace? First step: unfriend your work colleagues. If you don’t do that, then you cannot complain when you go into work and find out that people are not happy with you – and you might be facing a telling…
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Empty chairs and no candidates?

Trying to hire is a gamble at the best of times, but lately it’s been a little bit of a nightmare. It’s a combination of various things, including the obvious (the B word) and that so many people are just treading water while we continue…
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Employ full-timers only? You’re missing out

As the economy picks up and your business is expanding, it may be worth considering employing new staff on a part-time basis. Maybe you need more help but cannot justify the costs of a full-time worker? If you are replacing staff, do you really…
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Why didn’t I get an interview? 8 top tips

I’m spending hours every week reading applications and CVs at the moment. Time and time again I am coming across the same common mistakes that tick the ‘no’ box. So have a read through my list of bugbears and you never know it might…
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Working at home or everyone in an office?

My colleague Brian recently wrote a blog about the difficulties of hiring locally and thinking about relocating staff to work for you, with some handy tips and food for thought. But, as I sit in my kitchen, working remotely, I question why…
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“We can’t get local candidates”

Some job searches are tougher than others. Advertise for a part-time admin role and you’ll get 20 CVs in a day or so. Start searching for a developer with specialised skills or for a senior role with precise definitions of industry, product…
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Life after university: getting a job

What next? Once the hangover clears (and it could be a while) you may find yourself shivering and alone, underwhelmed and unprepared for the world of work that you have inevitably been thrust into. How do I know this with such graphic detail?…
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Worried about losing your job?

Changes at work can feel like they happen out of the blue, sometimes as companies react to events – good or bad. Often the decisions to look for new kinds of customers or restructure to have different roles have been discussed, debated and…
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Special offer for our clients

We regularly run a practical "greatest hits" training course for busy managers, to improve your skills and confidence in a wide range of areas. We like to offer special services for our clients when we can. So instead of the usual course fees…
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Thinking about an apprentice?

The Apprentice is back on our TV screens and I confess I’m not a huge fan. With my HR hat on, I find the tasks, arguments and competitiveness cringeworthy and end up throwing the remote at the screen in frustration. I do appreciate it is entertaining…
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Brian talks about people, ideas and cake

Want to watch Brian talking about hiring people, growing businesses and types of cake? Brighton Summit is a special business conference run by Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce. More than 250 people are coming and there are various workshops…
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Social media and work: tips and training

Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media sites are changing our lives: keeping in touch with friends and relatives around the world, making new friends with shared interests and communicating quickly about whatever seizes the imagination. The…
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“Greatest hits” training for busy managers

We’re running a practical "greatest hits" training course for busy managers, to improve your skills and confidence in a wide range of areas. Avoid walking into legal disputes when you are recruiting, developing people or dealing with problems…
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Pay well? Tell everyone

Do you pay employees at least £7.85 an hour? If you’re not sure, that’s a salary of £15,100 - £16,300 depending on the length of your working week (based on 37-40 hours a week). If you’ve answered yes, and most digital media companies…
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5 tips to help you interview

Ever met someone and then realised a while later that your first impressions weren’t 100% accurate? Perhaps because they were more polite than normal or for some reason they were making an effort, then relaxed when they got to know you. If…
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Recruitment – hire the best

Every company has to recruit new people - whether you're replacing someone who's left, expanding the company or just need someone with new skills. Brian and Melissa ran a recruitment and interview training course for Brighton and Hove Chamber…
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Top 10 for creating new jobs

Brighton and Hove is in Britain's top 10% areas for creating new jobs. The Office for National Statistics business register and employment survey ranks Brighton and Hove 38th out of 380 local authority areas in Great Britain for employment…