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Shirley Parsons Associates is a specialist Health and Safety Recruitment agency. Our blogs are an opportunity to engage with you about Health and Safety, Occupational Health, Environmental, Risk and Quality as well as recruitment as a whole. Shirley and her team genuinely understand the market in which they work, highlighted by the fact that we are the only specialist Health and Safety agency headed by a CMIOSH Safety professional.

Not getting positive feedback from applications, want to know why?

Posted on May 10, 2012

So you want to know why you are not getting positive feedback from applications, and you want to turn this around…? Then you’ve come to the right place. There are a number of reasons why you may not get the feedback that you are looking for and hopefully the points below will demystify this situation.

The phrase “you can’t judge a book by its cover” can also be applied to a CV. However, an unattractive CV, where it is poorly laid out or is in an incorrect format, can make it difficult for recruiters to determine whether or not you are suitable for the role. In order to overcome this, see our blog called “Advice on Writing your CV” to ensure you have the correct structure and are including the correct information. As well as being the perfect fit, having a well-structured and clearly-sectioned CV makes it easier to match you to the job specification. This will ensure you are a top priority on the call list.

Secondly, ensure that the CV (and any additional information you send in) matches the job advert you have applied for. I know that it is impossible to write down your whole work history on 2 sides of A4; however, every role is different and requires different experiences so tailor your CV to the application. To save time when writing applications, have a long CV on record with all of your information so that it is relatively easy to pick and choose the relevant information. On the same note, limited or no experience in the sector you are applying for will ensure you are waiting longer for feedback, with the increased chance of receiving negative feedback.

Quick tip: If you have no health and safety experience, are looking to get into the industry and kick-start your career, look out for our next blog on “How to get your foot in the door of Health and Safety”.

A sure-fire way of receiving negative feedback is applying to several positions in different sectors and at vastly different salaries. When it comes down to applications, you need to make sure you are suitable for the role as sending out applications to any and all health and safety jobs is just a waste of the recruiter’s time and, more importantly, your time.

Due to the current economic climate, it is common knowledge that redundancies have been made in the industry. This has caused an influx in the number of candidates in the market and means that there is increased competition for jobs. This increased competition means two things: firstly, clients are being more specific with their requirements and, secondly, candidates are dropping their salary expectations and going for more junior roles. With this in mind, there has never been a more crucial time to ensure that the roles you are going for are the right ones.

If you follow these points and are still unsure, put yourself in the mindset of a recruiter. Imagine receiving 50 applications for one position and having to cut it down to the 5 CVs which you are going to send. How well does your experience measure up to the job specification? Are you in the right location? Is the salary being offered realistic for your next position?

At Shirley Parsons Associates it is our aim to deliver a professional match-making service to our candidates and clients. So bear this in mind when applying for roles.

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IOSH Conference 2012 – Manchester Central

Posted on April 10, 2012

I recently attended the IOSH conference which took place in Manchester this year. I went up with Shirley and my colleagues Shona Turner, Darren Brooks and Matthew Bransby. In my opinion Manchester Central was a great venue, there was a good buzz around the conference this year and I would say it was the busiest I have attended.

As one of the best events of the health and safety calendar, it is always a good opportunity to network both in between the presentations and around the conference, and of course look around the exhibition. It was also great to meet up with lots of my contacts who were up in Manchester for the 2 days.

There was a good cross section of presentations this year with plenty of insightful conversation in the breaks. Those I spoke with who were part of the various panel debates had very much enjoyed the opportunity, finding the discussions engaging and highly interactive.

Some of the conference highlights from those I was speaking with were around the topics of getting a better understanding of risk rather than hazard. Others found the increasing notion of the importance of health & safety culture and behaviours throughout organisations encouraging.

Overall I think it was a successful couple of days for all who attended. I was especially pleased to have completed a feedback survey for IOSH at the conference and as a result was randomly drawn as the winner of a Kindle, so thank you IOSH!

We already have the dates in the diary for 2013 when the conference is back in London.

Kerrie Brindle- Divisional Manager

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The Competency Based Interview

Posted on April 2, 2012

Following on from the top 10 interview tips I thought I would delve deeper into competency based interviews as these are becoming an increasingly popular way to interview candidates.

The competency based interview is centred on the concept that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. It is regarded as an objective and fair method as candidates are not assessed and compared against each other but instead rated according to the competencies required. Competencies are used to split a role into the desired requirements which are essential in order to be successful in the position. Questions should be asked regarding past behaviours, the main things learnt, the potential for adaptability, and your understanding of the position.

Good preparation is crucial to getting through the interview. You cannot go in without having thought thoroughly about your answers. However you don’t want to be rigidly over prepared as this will impact on your flexibility to answer questions that you were not expecting. It is of vital importance therefore that you read the job description in detail and are aware of the key skills that would be essential in fulfilling the role. You will be asked to provide detailed examples of past behaviour and scenarios that you could be faced with in the future.

Some core areas will include:

• Leadership/Management- what qualities make you a good leader? What is your leadership style? Examples of you leading/managing? Project management skills, your thoughts on delegation and past examples to back this up

• Team work- what role do you take within group projects? How did you get along with all team members? What do you personally bring to a team/How do you add value?

• Conflict/pressure- how do you react to pressurised situations? Examples of tough decisions made? Example of a situation not going your way? How you dealt with the conflict? What strategies/methods do you use to de-stress?

• Interpersonal- communication skills, the ability to persuade/influence, decision making ability, negotiation skills, listening capabilities

• Motivation- what drives you? How resilient are you? Where to do you want to be/career development aspirations? What specifically about this role will motivate you?

• Analytical skills- numerical understanding, problem solving ability, attention to detail

• Ability/achievement- what accomplishments are you most proud of, and why? Give an example of a time you recognised a problem in the company, what did you do?

To ensure success follow the STAR model:

SITUATION- the situation/problem faced – this gives the interviewer the background information so that they can set the scene

TASK- describe the task that needed to be achieved

ACTION- action took and any problems that were overcome- your direct involvement, what you set out to do and why?

RESULTS- the outcomes achieved- what you learnt from the situation

Common mistakes to avoid:

• A specific example is not used- you over generalise and do not provide enough detail

• Don’t say we, the interviewer is only interested in what you personally contributed to the task

• The candidate says they have no experience of this skill- remember it doesn’t need to be purely work examples think back to everyday situations that can be applied such as parenthood, educational settings

This approach will ensure that you have clear focus and direction and the interviewer can follow your thought process in a logical way. Briefly describe the situation and task and use your time to focus your answers around the action and results. The interviewer will be more interested in what you have learnt from the situation or what you would do differently if you were placed in the same scenario again.

Remember to avoid sweeping statements that you can’t prove. The main objective of these types of interviews is to provide evidence that you have the competencies the role requires. Be confident and remember to smile!

Good luck, hopefully these tips will ensure you are successful at the interview.

Michelle Baginski
Marketing and social media co-ordinator

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Work Gender & Equality

Posted on March 28, 2012

This was my first visit to the London Metropolitan branch since they moved location to The Kings Fund in Cavendish Square.  The new surroundings seem to work well with a comfortable, relaxed area to network in before the main discussion.

The first speaker of the night was David Biggins, an IOSH Recruitment Officer.  He was there to promote a new Workplace Shadow Scheme that has been successfully piloted in the food and drink division.  Essentially this is an opportunity for up and coming graduates to gain first hand practical experience in the workplace.  Working with a number of universities including Middlesex, they are giving employers the opportunity to take on a graduate for a 6-12 week period.  The employer will not be required to pay the individual but is encouraged to cover all reasonable expenses.  So far approximately 15 placements have been successfully completed and a number of these have resulted in permanent job offers for the individuals.  This seems to be a very practical and effective idea from IOSH and will clearly be of benefit to future graduate candidates.

Our main speakers for the evening were Susan Morag (HSE professional at Unite) and Katie Haire (Head of Vulnerable Workers Team at the HSE).  Their presentation was based around the difference between men and woman’s health and safety issues and if it would be appropriate to take a gender specific approach to producing policy.  Recent studies have identified that typically male issues in the workplace have tended to be safety related often acute in nature but with immediate effects.  In comparison female issues tend to focus on the health side, problems are often gradual from the onset but can accumulate over time.

Both parties argued that there should be a capacity to adopt a gender specific approach to safety.  A neutral gender approach may not highlight the particular issues facing both sexes.  This point opened up some interesting debate around the issue and is clearly a growing area of concern in the industry.

Duncan Cooke- Recruitment Consultant

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Top 10 interview tips

Posted on March 6, 2012

No matter what the job, the sector or the level of position, interviews will determine whether or not you get that dream job. Interviews have been around for years, and they are here to stay at least for the foreseeable future. So the question you are asking is how can I make sure I’m successful at an interview? Here are the top 10 tips:

1. Take care of yourself- Have a good night’s sleep, eat properly and relax before leaving for the interview. Allow yourself plenty of time so you are not rushing and forgetting items that you should be bringing with you such as paperwork and proof of identity. Preparation for unforeseen circumstances is essential, for example traffic and road works, leave early to ensure that you are punctual. Turning up late does not make a great first impression!

2. Preparation is key- Make sure you have the company’s contact details in case you are running late. Review your CV and the job advert before attending the interview. Make sure you know the role and responsibilities in depth, as you will be asked to provide examples and answers to hypothetical scenarios. Research the company, go to their website and get a feel for their culture and the type of person they are looking for. Prepare some questions to ask the interviewer otherwise you will look unprepared, disinterested or worst of all uninformed. Make sure you have researched specific industry news for the job, as you will probably get quizzed on this. Remember to bring a notepad with the questions listed so that firstly you don’t forget and secondly if they have been answered you still look prepared.

3. Make that first impression count- the first 30 seconds are crucial in influencing the interviewer’s perception for the remainder of the interview. You need to be professional in appearance, wearing smart clothes even if the normal office attire is more relaxed. Be polite, smile, make good eye contact and offer a firm handshake. Remember that 80% of communication is non-verbal, a lot can be inferred from your posture. Avoid folding arms as this will be seen as a defensive strategy. Although nerves will set in you need to stay calm and put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes. What would you think of yourself if you were interviewing? Are you creating a positive impression?

4. Be yourself- while certain etiquette is expected, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. If you get that job you will suffer in the long run as people will have different expectations from you. This is a waste of resources and money from the company’s perspective and it will not look good for future applications if you leave after only a few days or weeks.

5. Cut the waffle- rather than answer questions straight away gather your thoughts and then answer after thoughtful reflection. A focused and relevant answer is of far more value than a rushed, ambiguous answer that may not even answer the question. This will only frustrate the interviewer. Do not discuss your previous employer in a negative way, it is unprofessional and you don’t know who their contacts are within the industry.

6. Positivity- if an interviewer sees a positive and enthusiastic attitude this is more likely to get you the job. You need to show enthusiasm for the role, the interviewer needs to feel that you are the only suitable person for the role and a good cultural fit for the organisation. If you think positively this will ultimately impact on the answers you give and the confidence you will demonstrate.

7. Examples- The advert will detail certain behaviours that are required, you need to have detailed examples to demonstrate that you hold these desired qualities, this is especially important when it is a competency based interview. If asked for an example of something not going to plan or a weakness, put a positive spin on your answer. Remember that the interviewer wants to see your potential room for improvement. It is more important to see that the flaw is under control rather than just a weakness you are aware of but not acting upon. The test is whether or not you can take responsibility and have learnt from it. The interviewer isn’t worried if you’ve made a mistake they want to see that you have learnt from it.

8. Competency based questions- the tried and tested STAR technique will help you give a focused answer, try and use this approach when possible.

S- Situation (describe the situation faced- context)
T- Task (example of the task that needs accomplishing)
A- Action (your action/direct involvement, what you did and why)
R- Results (outcome of your actions- what you accomplished and learnt)

This should allow you to structure your answer in a way that not only answers the question in a clear and concise way, but is clearly targeted and provides proof to the interviewer that you have the skills to be successful in this role.

9. Seek clarification- 90% of interviewers ask challenging/non-expected questions. You must remain in control and get the interviewer to repeat if necessary. Clarification is better than providing a vague or incoherent answer or something that doesn’t even answer the question. Asking questions around the points shows an interest for the role, it highlights that you are an engaging individual who has a genuine interest in the organisation and the position.

10. Close the interview/feedback- the opportunity has now arisen to discuss the role in detail, which should provide insight as to whether or not this role is for you. You should raise any concerns or queries at this point. Once the interview is over be sure to get feedback on how you performed as this will provide constructive and objective opinions which will be extremely useful in the future. If you have been put forward through a recruitment agency then call your consultant with your feedback. This will make the process quicker and more efficient. The agency will then notify you of the interviewer’s feedback.

I hope these tips help you prepare for your next interview, and I wish you luck in getting that role.

Competency based questions can be challenging so we recommend that you practice these with someone before attending, we can assist with this.

Michelle Baginski
Marketing and social media co-ordinator

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APS/IOSH meeting 16th February – London

Posted on March 2, 2012

My colleague, Shona Turner, and I went to the joint IOSH/APS meeting in London recently. The talk was focused around the risk of fire in timber frame construction.

Having approached the meeting as a complete novice with regard to construction, my eyes were opened to the fine technicalities (and mathematical formulas) involved in calculating the risk of fire. The meeting consisted of two talks, firstly from Paul Scott and secondly from Martin Milner. Both talks appealed to the scientific aspect of my brain with a couple of points which particularly stood out to me.

Firstly, a bit of background knowledge. There are 3 types of wood:
- Type A: Standard timber frame
- Type B: Reduced fire spread frame
- Type C: Fire spread resistant frame

Type A, albeit the least expensive, is the least effective with regard to fire management. Type C, on the other hand, being the most expensive and equally the most effective with regard to fire management. (The point was made that Type C actually goes a long way to putting the fire out not just containing the fire or slowing down its progress.)

Amongst other things, there are two factors which contractors have to worry about: the safety of their team and surrounding premises; and the cost of the build.

The emphasis, through both talks, was put on the ‘Mitigation’ of fire-risk rather than the ‘Avoidance’. For example: due to the current economic climate, to avoid the risk of fire completely by using Type C wood would be too expensive. So, instead, Health and Safety professionals have the challenge of balancing the safety with the cost.

An interesting example of this was given where a mix of all 3 types of wood were used on one project. This resulted in a substantially lower cost for the build while keeping employees and the surrounding buildings safe.

What was good to see in this talk was the problem solving approach to the issue at hand. This approach is becoming more and more prominent in the health and safety industry at the moment. It will be good to see what other problems this type of construction will face, and the solutions that this group of people will come up with.

An all-round good presentation from both gentlemen, I look forward to the next meeting on the 15th March.

Hilary Smith
Recruiter

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Renewable UK Health and Safety conference 2012

Posted on February 9, 2012

On the 1st February my colleague Matthew and I went to the annual Renewable UK Health and Safety conference in Manchester.  It was an excellent, informative and extremely cold couple of days!

One of the speeches that still resonates with me after the conference, was the Opening Address of Maria McCafery.  She spoke about how renewable energies are moving from ‘alternative’ to ‘mainstream’ energy sources. We the UK are on a cusp of a carbon revolution. She spoke about how, in a rapidly increasing market, where we are employing increasing numbers of new workers that it will be hard to maintain a safe working environment.  This to me highlights the importance of health and safety within wind energy, as for this industry to succeed; we need excellent safety professionals to drive it forward.  This is especially important, as Maria pointed out, to combat anti-wind protesters.  As illustrated by the coverage of Scotland’s severe winds this winter, when the media is involved, one incident hurts the reputation of the entire wind industry.

Following this the keynote address of Judith Hackitt of the Health and Safety Executive, highlighted an area which I find particularly important.  Judith spoke about how the rapid expansion of the renewables industry is leading to a skills gap.  This is for me, working in recruitment, a poignant statement.  As a new emerging market there is only a select number of people in the UK that have previous experience within the renewables industry, where will new recruits come from as the skills requirement increases? Will it be a case of training up graduates, or looking for people from the oil & gas, construction or civil engineering industries?  These are the questions that renewables companies are going to have to start asking themselves as without a specific recruitment plan, companies may find it hard to secure a good health and safety culture and high quality health and safety professionals.

Following this, I attended the Design and Project Management session, Leadership & Engagement and What’s Next for Renewables.  I found these sessions extremely informative, and have gained a huge amount of knowledge of the renewable industry, and the part health and safety plays within this industry.

I would like to say congratulations to E.ON Climate & Renewables for winning The Crown Estate Renewable Energy Health & Safety Award for 2012. This was for their shallow gas case study at the Rampion offshore project. Also, another congratulations to Mainstream Renewable Power for their innovation in their Hornsea Met Mast project, and for continuing to strive for best practice.

I look forward to the next conference, it has definitely been one of the professional highlights of my year to date.

Grace Decker
Recruitment Consultant

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Road Safety

Posted on January 20, 2012

Recently myself and my colleague Liam Tiddy attended the London IOSH meeting, which focused on Road Safety and Fuel consumption.  This topic was particularly poignant for me as before Christmas I had a fairly severe ice related road accident on my commute to work, so I was interested to hear more about the topic.  Ian Brooks, the initial speaker spoke about London specifically.  He expressed a concern of how London will cope with population increases, where 5,000,000 extra journeys will take place.  One particularly interesting fact was that of all road traffic accidents, 30% were journeys to work.  As a result he expressed the importance of looking at your HSE policy, and whether it covers work related road safety.  This is an interesting question, as this area can be overlooked, he argued that the commute to and from work is the responsibility of the company, not just business related travel.

David Mercer, the second speaker went on to discuss his Masters research in relation to the bus company he worked for.   He argued that in the UK transport companies are not good at carrying out route cause analysis, and that this is key to discovering what we are missing in work related road traffic accidents.  So what did he discover? Well, that to reduce work related traffic accidents you should complete a root cause analysis, recruit good drivers, give them comprehensive training, have robust management systems in place and develop good driving standards, carry out performance reviews and reward safe driving practice.

The meeting provided interesting facts and I have gained new insights into road safety. After having attended several IOSH meetings I feel intrigued as to new areas that potentially could come up. I look forward to my next meeting.

Grace Decker
Recruitment Consultant

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The Athlete’s Village visit

Posted on November 25, 2011

I was recently lucky enough to win a pair of tickets for London 2012. Fantastic! I was pleased to say that I would be going to the Games next year. Disappointingly the event I was seeing wasn’t at the Olympic Park itself. As we have a number of Health and Safety professionals contracting through us at the Athlete’s Village, I thought I would take the opportunity to go and see the build in progress instead.  I have gone past the site on the DLR train before but nothing can prepare you for the vastness and sheer scale of the project. After all, it is one of the biggest construction projects in Europe. At its peak there were 12,000 contractors on site. Now at half that number, it is still hard to imagine the site is winding down soon as it is still bustling with activity.

I arranged to meet one of our recently placed contractors on site on 23rd November. On the train in, the fog was thick. What a day to pick! I wouldn’t be able to see a thing. On arrival at Stratford I was greeted by the new Westfield Shopping Centre, all lit up for Christmas. After being sent in the wrong direction to the Park security gates, I eventually found the right entrance but heard those fateful words – ‘your name’s not on the list’! This was soon rectified by a phone and radio call to the people in the know. Next step – visitor’s pass. I was met by my contractor with handfuls of PPE and a signature to pass me through as a visitor. All kitted out we proceeded to the airport style security checks. I was through!

Surrounded by numerous tall tower blocks built for the Athletes, I was taken out onto site to see what was going on. The blocks themselves are modern and all slightly different in style. Post Olympic Games, these blocks will be sold off to the private and social housing sector with the addition of kitchens which they don’t currently have.  Standing amongst the mud, what looked like a big hole was apparently being turned into one of the ponds in the garden area. Trees were being lifted in by heavy plant equipment. With a cold winter predicted there seems to be concern over the tree’s condition by next year so amusingly they have tree blankets and mulch to keep them warm over winter!

For the rest of the morning I sat in on a site induction for a Slinger Banksman, went to the Lend Lease offices to meet one of our other Health and Safety contractors and had a spot of lunch in the busy canteen. Being one of very few women wandering around site you can’t help but feel a minority. The canteen even serves over-sized portions to cater for the hungry population!

All in all a good day was had. It was a good insight into life on site. Luckily the fog lifted for me and I managed to take a few photos to show the Athlete’s Village and Stadium from a distance. I look forward to the Olympic Games in 2012.

Helen Curtis
Senior Recruiter

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WorldSkills London 2011- The opening ceremony

Posted on October 14, 2011

The WorldSkills London 2011 opening ceremony was held on the 4th October at the O2 arena in London, prior to the whole event being held at ExCeL London from 5th to the 8th October.  Shirley Parsons and Kerrie Brindle from Shirley Parsons Associates attended. This is the world’s largest, international skills competition with young people from across the globe competing to be the best of the best in their chosen skill. Around 150,000 visitors saw 1,000 competitors from 51 countries/regions competing in 46 skill areas from cookery to electronics over four exciting days of competition.

The opening ceremony was a great experience with the UK hosts starting the event off with an inspiring presentation. The ceremony was extremely entertaining with acrobatics, flags and brightly coloured streamers representing each country in the UK. The shortlisted countries then proceeded to take part in the ceremony. This event was about raising awareness of WorldSkills, and has certainly achieved that. It was a real eye opener to the talent that is present worldwide.

The WorldSkills London 2011 chairman Chris Humphries and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg made speeches, adding credit to this unique event. The organisers pledged that the games would be carried out in an ethical manner. WorldSkills unites the world, with the creation of a positive and motivational atmosphere.

Having supplied the Health & Safety Manager & several health and safety volunteers to work during the competition, it was fascinating to see how the whole event came together and how all the hard planning work achieved success.

The H&S team played a crucial role in ensuring the competitions took place in a safe environment by undertaking H&S inspections of all 46 skill workshops, prior to the competitions being permitted to start and intervening where unsafe practices were observed during the competition. One of the biggest challenges the team had to overcome was ensuring all electrical hand tools imported for the competition were tested for electrical safety and toolboxes checked for  any hazardous substances. Often dealing with language barriers, the team successfully achieved these checks, with 3,500 tools being PAT tested over 2 days.

I would like to thank the organisers for an inspiring Opening Ceremony.  Shirley  Parsons Associates were glad to have been a part of this great event. I’m sure that lessons learned will be of benefit for the London Olympics.

The results are as follows:

Team UK won 13 medals in total, more than ever before. The medals won were:

Gold in Cooking, Bricklaying, Plumbing and Heating, Stonemasonry and Visual Merchandising

Silver in Autobody Repair and Landscape Gardening

Bronze in Automobile Technology, Car Painting, Joinery, Mechanical Engineering CAD, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, and Welding.

Medallions for Excellence were awarded in Beauty Therapy, Carpentry, Confectioner/Pastry Cook, Electrical Installations, Fashion Technology, Floristry, Graphic Design Technology, Ladies/Men’s Hairdressing, Mechatronics, Plastering and Dry Wall Systems, Restaurant Service and Web Design.

This haul put the team fifth in the WorldSkills table, the best Team UK has ever achieved. 60% of Team UK have attended an FE College and 63% are Apprentices.  If you want to look at the results in more detail, go to http://worldskillsteamuk.org/

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