That expression ‘talk is cheap’ is a powerful one.  The idea that words mean less than actions was the intention of this expression but in actual fact, talk can be expensive, it can be valuable, it can be discounted and it can also be cheap.  It depends on the words you use and the value you attach to yourself, your subject and the value you attach to what you do, as you talk about it.

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It’s the dilemma that’s so common now - when you’re  “Out of the Office”, how “Out” of the office are you?  Following on from Part1 and the importance of putting some helpful structure to your email ‘out of office’ bounceback, a simple-to-follow formula of Acknowledge/Inform/Guide is useful and hits the spot. It’s also the safest bet to show your clients, customers and colleagues how professional, helpful and thoughtful you are. You are, aren’t you?

Depending on how you’ve decided to handle being away by doing one of the following:

• Read your emails regularly whilst you’re away, twice per day for example
• Have someone read them and then sort out the ones you need to read when you return or
• Read them all but only when you return you can just slot your information in and then lean into enjoying your holiday.

Here are a few simple samples to slot your words into:

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It’s often the last thing on your mind and the final thing you do (if you do it at all).  The holiday time can be a frenetic build up to the last day in the office and suddenly it’s handover time.   It’s really easy to either leave this important piece completely and ‘hope for the best’ or to do it in 30 seconds and think it’ll be good enough.

The ‘important piece’ I’m referring to is this.  How you decide (or if you decide) to manage your emails and inbox whilst you’re on holiday.

You’ll notice I said ‘how you decide’ because it is a decision you make and it’s one that affects the quality of your holiday and the ease of your ‘re-entry’ after your holiday.

If you’re travelling on business it’s different.  Keeping in touch via your phone/remote email is easy enough now and a gap in timezones is usually manageable.  There are still some steps you can take to make that easier and these are steps which buy you a huge amount of credit from those who are emailing you.

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We were recently forwarded a very pertinent article, written by ere.net, regarding counter-offers and why candidates should never accept one. Here is the article:

For the sake of this article I’m going to assume you know how to qualify your candidates from the moment you speak to them until they’ve signed the offer letter and started. I’m going to assume you’ve been communicating effectively with them throughout every step of the process and have been asking quality questions to ensure you’re not getting “sunshine blown up your skirt.”

There’s nothing 100% foolproof and guaranteed, but good methods of pre-qualifying candidates regarding counteroffers will make your life less stressful and more financially rewarding. In addition, if you are straight in your qualifying methods you may even weed out the candidate who would accept the counteroffer and possibly leave you hanging.

First, I know the word “never” is a strong one. I don’t use it lightly or without substantial consideration as my world, both personal and professional, is gray. In this case I believe accepting a counteroffer is positive in a fraction of the cases and it’s just not worth the risk.

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We felt incredibly proud to see Kay White, featured on episode 14 of Maximise Potential, at the very Top of the Amazon best-seller lists, after the launch of her first book titled “The A - Z of being understood.”

Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

Are you an ambitious professional looking to make your next move? Do you want to build strong, profitable relationships with ease? Give me five minutes and I’ll tell you how to be an influential and savvy communicator.

Discover simple steps to dramatically increase the effectiveness of your communication so people are inspired to give you what you want. Find the ways and the words to engage and persuade people and make more lasting and profitable relationships, quickly and easily. Save time, money and energy as you go about your business.

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For all engineers employed within the Food Manufacturing industry, we saw this encouraging article (on the Food Manufacture website) regarding the future of the industry:

MP John Stevenson admits that Westminster has under-estimated the importance of food manufacturing in times past, but believes that times are changing.

As chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Food & Drink Manufacturing Group, Stevenson accepted that the industry had sometimes been under-represented by Westminster politicians.

He said:

“But I think that is changing. There’s recognition that the food and drink industry survived the recession relatively well. It’s an important part of our economy and it employs a heck of a lot of people. Every part of the country has large or small manufacturer.

“I think it’s rising up the agenda. There are quite a lot of issues surrounding the industry such as sustainability and health.”

Made in Britain

Parliamentarians are being urged to nominate their products for a government-led scheme celebrating the UK’s manufacturing expertise. The Made by Britain list will eventually feature one product for every constituency in the country.

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Further to our recent article titled Automotive Engineering Jobs in Wolverhampton and the West Midlands, it has just been announced that Wolverhampton has been chosen by the Jaguar Land Rover Group to open the Company’s new 800,000 sq ft engine plant.

Jenrick Engineering’s Automotive Recruitment Specialist, Jane Sutton, spoke of the impact this will bring to the area:

“This is the biggest single investment in West Midland manufacturing since BMW launched its engine plant at Hams Hall more than a decade ago and will have a massive impact on the automotive engineering job market for the area.

You can already feel the buzz and confidence that the news is creating, and it will definitely encourage a new generation of people to enter the automotive engineering sector.”

If you are an automotive engineer and you would like to know more about the current job opportunities that are available in the West Midlands and Wolverhampton area, please contact Jane Sutton directly at Jenrick Engineering’s Burton Office, on (01283) 548 121.

Here is the full article:

Jaguar Land Rover has chosen Wolverhampton to base its new 800,000 sq ft engine plant in the biggest single boost to West Midlands manufacturing for a generation. (more…)

It was extremely pleasing to see the economic resurgence within the West Midlands recognised in the latest Purchasing Managers Index from Lloyds TSB.

As a specialist engineering recruitment agency in Burton and the West Midlands, we have been seeing very positive employment growth, both in demand for contractors and also permanent staff, across a variety of different engineering sectors.

If you are an engineering professional, seeking a new job role or contract, we would encourage you to view our latest engineering jobs or register your CV for future engineering jobs, as there an increasing number of  employment opportunities available.

We have listed more details on the West Midlands PMI report from Lloyds TSB, below:

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Below you will find some top tips to help maximise your career which you can also listen to on an exclusive careers podcast we recently created.

WHY?

• On average we receive 70 applications per role, most of which have the appropriate qualifications to do the job.
• However, Clients only want us to recommend the 3 very best for interview.
• As a result, we look for key differentiators in the CV. Something that makes a candidate stand out.
• The tips that I am discussing today are the types of things that will enable you to stand out from the crowd and gain the interviews you really want plus make yourself more visible within your existing company.

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There is some encouraging news on full and part time jobs in the automotive industry at the moment from Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BMW, according to a recent report that we read on e4s.co.uk.

JLR has pencilled in a new £67 million facility in the West Midlands which could add more than 1,000 Wolverhampton jobs to the local economy.

Wolverhampton is, however, just one of three sites that JLR is considering, with the other potential UK possibility being South Wales. Another option for the car company is that they will build the new engine plant overseas in India. At the moment, though, experts and sources close to JLR think that the full and part time jobs will be created in the United Kingdom.

Jane Sutton, Jenrick Engineering’s specialist recruiter for the automotive sector, added:

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