danmcguire

The Apprentice - Is this really the best we've got?

Apparently 20,000 people applied for The Apprentice this year. That's an awful lot of applications for one job. The most applications for a job that went through our system in 2007 was 1200 and we processed almost 15m ads.

So my question is this... are these 16 people really the best the BBC could find? Are they the best we have to offer? Our future shining stars just waiting to be discovered? I think not. The standard of this series is, frankly, laughable.

There is only one person I would even consider hiring for Broadbean and that is Alex. I'd have him on my sales team but not as a manager. The rest of them would not get through the door. Claire is like a poor man's Ruth Badger (and that really is saying something), Raef is a joker (entrepreneur my arse, who honestly knows a self-respecting "entrepreneur" that applies for a job on TV?) and as for Kevin... I'm certain he is a plant just to add entertainment. Kevin The Apprentice... more like Kevin from Roland Rat.

In a time when business is the in thing and young people are being switched on to the idea of becoming an entrepreneur when they grow up this show is not setting a good example of what it takes to succeed and it bloody well should be.

The tasks on the show are good and give the candidates all the right opportunities to show their skills. On almost every occasion they fail miserably and there can be only one reason for that, they don't have it in them.

Perhaps the real problem lies with the BBC's interviewing capabilities. (Or should I substitute interview for audition?). Is this show about business or is it just "good TV"? It seems to be a little confused about which camp it's in. If it's the latter then it has achieved its aim. If it's the former, as the previous series' were, then it has mimicked it's candidates by failing to impress.

How are you engaging with the next generation job seeker?

Here at Broadbean we do a lot of work in schools and with young people. We talk to them about a range of things but particularly planning for leaving school, the hidden importance of doing well in exams, career choices, the Internet and, of course, the online recruitment industry both as a job seeking tool and career choice. The average age of people at BB is only 24 and as such the young people we work with often find it very easy to relate to us as our people (youngest is 18) are only a few years older. Because of this we enjoy a close relationship with them.

Recently we invited them to take part in some research. We polled 311 15-16 year olds of both sexes in 3 London schools. Here's what we found:

- 90% had access to the internet at home
- Rather worryingly 28% of boys and over a fifth of girls had gone to meet in person someone they had met online
- Most used the internet to download music and access social networking sites but hardly any used it to help with homework
- 1 in 10 boys admitted to looking at “inappropriate” or “adult material” specifying hardcore porn sites such as 89.com and Youporn.com as their favourites (emphasis on the word "admitted" there I think!)
- Less than a fifth would look for a job online

There's obviously a lot of talking points there but I'll leave the thinking on how to control kids meeting people they've met online and looking at porn to people who specialise in that.

For me, the fact that less than 20% of kids who will leave school this summer would look for a job online is a problem for OUR industry. We pressed them a little harder off the back of these results and the main reason they wouldn't look for a job online is..... they don't know how.

We're doing what we can to educate the next generation of online job seekers but our reach is limited. Who else is doing their bit? Are job boards doing enough? What can we, as an industry, do to ensure that the internet is the FIRST port of call for the younger generations of job seekers?

It's apparent that the education system is not doing enough in this regard and I believe it is our responsibility to help support schools and colleges by providing them with relevant expertise and resource.

When I was at college I got taught how to write (on reflection a crap) CV and had some mock interviews but the only advice on job seeking was "get yourself down to the careers office" who gave me a list of mostly useless office junior roles.

The fact that this group of teens spend more time online than any other hobby (including watching TV) means we already have a captive audience. They just need to be steered in the right direction.

Read the full survey here.

People still posting ads at the wrong time

Remember me? I used to be a blogger!

It's been over a month since my last blog which is the longest period I've gone without adding an entry since I started blogging a year ago. We had a busy month which I'll talk about in a later post but I'm back with a message to everyone everywhere who posts adverts on the web.

My message is this: the best time for applications builds up through Monday to a peak at Tuesday lunch time.

So... despite popular belief, Friday night is NOT the best time to distribute your adverts. It is, however, the most popular time for posting amongst my clients.

On a Friday night we process almost twice the number of ads we do on a Tuesday morning.

Hope that helps!

Recruiters Network - Candidate Experience

The Recruiters Network last Thursday was another great success. We had about 150 people attend and the feedback since has been excellent.

The topic of the day was candidate experience. Alan Whitford, my partner in crime for the evening, and I gave a presentation on ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’ of candidate experiences. I did a pseudo-live (I’d recorded it earlier) ‘mystery shop’ of a major banks apply online form. I went through it in real time to give the audience the raw, unedited experience the candidate would have. I must at this stage say thanks to all the amusing hecklers who filled the planned silences with a unique blend of humour. :-)

There were a number of job boards in the audience who told me they were intrigued to see what happens to a candidates experience after they leave the job board.

As soon as I finished with ‘The Bad and the Ugly’, ‘The Good’ Alan Whitford came riding in on a white horse, beard immaculate as always to talk about what a great candidate experience should entail. He didn’t disappoint. Al is without question one of the world’s top recruitment speakers and it was a pleasure to have him present at our event.

Several hours of networking followed, including an alleged bounce to a late night rave for some of the attendees.

Recruiters Network is back in London in May and we’re going on the road to Manchester and Glasgow before then.

If you’re going to The Recruitment Conference tomorrow I’ll see you there. We’re sponsoring the event and I’m giving a short talk on Broadbean going global.

Spurs are on their way to Wembley!

Ok, it’s nothing to do with the online recruitment industry or Broadbean and I’m really only writing this for my own benefit (and all the Spurs fans out there) but there was no way on earth I was going to let Spurs beating A*****l and making it to Wembley slip under the radar.

So, here we go, just for the record…

SPURS 5

The other team 1

And to all the “it was our reserve team”/“we played our kids”/“I didn’t see it” gang… Arsenal’s starting line up last night cost over £44m. Spurs’ cost £36m.

Well done to the Spurs crowd for certainly the best atmosphere I’ve experienced at White Hart Lane, thanks to the players for giving me the best birthday present ever and cheers to the “loyal” Arsenal fans who left after 60 minutes for making me laugh.

Glad I got that off my chest.

:-)

The next blog will be work related I promise.

Two exciting pieces of news for the online recruitment industry!

Well, as the title says, two exciting things have happened this week: UK Recruiter have launched a job board and I have returned from my epic Christmas trip!

Ok, perhaps the former is slightly more newsworthy and significant than the latter but I’ve got to say it’s great to be back in the office. I love this place and have withdrawal symptoms if I’m away too long! I spent 3 weeks in the US and Mexico - a healthy mixture of business and pleasure – and, rather surprisingly given what I got up to*, feel refreshed and energised for the year ahead. I am officially cashless after two trips to Vegas in December but I console myself with the fact that Peter Gold sent me a Christmas card which I shall cherish for ever.

(Can you tell I haven’t blogged in a while?)

Now, on to genuine industry talk and the real purpose for this entry… Louise Triance, who is easily my favourite person in the South West, has launched the UK Recruiter job board. Colin Minto (now UK MD of Canadian outfit Brainhunter) and Louise have teamed up to provide a great niche board for UK Recruiter’s existing community and I’m sure it will be a great success. The full launch is next week and the site will be Broadbean compatible by then.

Best of luck with the new venture Lou.

* If you’re wondering what exactly it was that I got up to you either 1. Don’t know me that well, 2. Haven’t been to Vegas before or 3. Live in a permanent happy place in your mind.

:-)