International Day of People with Disabilities 2020

December 3rd marks International Day of People with Disabilities. A key date in our calendar to create awareness and celebrate people with disabilities. 

EllisKnight International Recruitment are proud to support this annual occasion joining together with Recite Me to raise awareness of the importance of creating a future where people with disabilities experience equal opportunity and face no barriers.

The 2020 theme is 'Not all Disabilities are Visible' which focuses on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions, among others.

According to the WHO World Report on Disability, 15 per cent of the world's population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with disability. Of this number, it's estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition.

To support everyone online with visual and nonvisual disabilities, we have created an inclusive website to enable all staff, customers and other website users to customise their online experience.

Joining Recite Me makes clear our mission to create an inclusive digital world enabling everyone ease of access to our online information and resources. Over the past 12 months Recite Me have seen over 2million people using the Accessibility toolbar, viewing over 10 million pages in a way that best suits their individual needs.

When visiting our website people are able to use our inclusive toolkit to create a unique user experience. These accessibility and language support options include text to speech functionality, fully customisable styling features, reading aids and a translation tool with over 100 languages, including 35 text to speech voices and many other features.

Try it! Press the button  located on the upper right side of our webiste. 

Together we can build an inclusive online world. This starts by creating awareness on an individual or organisational level and helping others to understand the opportunities presented by inclusion, we can all make a positive difference together.

Useful Links:

• Read our accesibility statement here.
• Read our inclusive toolkit user guide here. 

The recruitment industry's about to get shamed into eradicating the shady practices it's become known for.

"The Ethical Recruiter" podcast is a weekly episodic show that promises to get people thinking about how they can affect positive change within the workplace, and therefore ultimately improve the overall employer-employee relationship.

It's targeted towards bridging a divide between companies and potential employment candidates.

It will do this by featuring a mixture of staff, and high-profile business leaders, who will share their stories of how forward-thinking contributed to their own successes.

As Director Patrick Graham suggests in the show's trailer, "it's about helping (businesses) with their decision making or planning and shaping who you are."

EllisKnight, a Pangbourne-based recruitment firm is the first to become Planet Mark-certified, and there's a reason they've got there.

At the centre of their brand is the consciousness they demonstrate both as a business and individuals. They're very driven towards philanthropy, championing B1G1 (Buy one, give one), and indeed that charity's founder Masami Sato is one of the show's first planned guests.

Director Paul Smith was the one who come up with the idea of a podcast for Ellis Knight. And he was clear from the beginning that he didn't want a podcast about recruitment. He wanted it to be about far more than that.

"If every business made a small change or were inspired by a guest or something we've done and we've given that platform to make a good, positive difference... that's a worthwhile podcast to host", said Paul Smith.

And the company means business. Unlike many marketing departments who decide to start a podcast, this isn't a show made by simply placing a phone on a desk and talking into it.

They've brought in the help of a professional podcast production company, Oxfordshire-based Podknows Productions. As a result, every episode is recorded using professional-grade equipment.

But it's not all seriousness.

A lighthearted aspect of the show comes in the form of the fun-loving banter they have with their other Director, and friend, Dave Holby-Wolinski, otherwise known as "Dave the rower" by adoring fans in his home town of Basingstoke.

Listeners will be treated to stories of Dave's foray into the world of acting, and the many hilarious stories he has to offer about such topics as football and his relationship with TV broadcaster Anne Diamond! You'll need to listen, to learn more about that!

The Ethical Recruiter podcast is available on all major podcast apps, including Apple, Google, and Spotify. Links:
Here's how to subscribe via Apple Podcasts!
Here's how to subscribe via Google Podcasts!
Here's how to subscribe via Spotify!

Last week, we celebrated the Living Wage week 2020; where accredited employers spread the word about all the benefits that brings to pay above the minimum wage to their employees. Also, more now than ever, it was a powerful campaign to encourage more organisations to join the movement and promote a better income capacity for everyone.

What's the Living Wage?

The Real Living Wage campaign is an independent movement of businesses, organisations and people who believe a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay. Employers choose to pay the real Living Wage on a voluntary basis - it provides an ethical benchmark for responsible pay.
The real Living Wage is the only UK wage rate that is voluntarily paid by nearly 7,000 UK businesses who believe their staff deserve a wage which meets every day needs; the weekly shop, or a surprise trip to the dentist. Over 250,000 employees have received a pay rise as a result of the Living Wage campaign.

The new rates are officially announced:

• The London Living Wage is currently £10.85 per hour. This covers all boroughs in Greater London.
• The UK Living Wage for outside of London is currently £9.50 per hour.

*The rates are calculated annually by the Resolution Foundation and overseen by the Living Wage Commission, based on the best available evidence about living standards in London and the UK.

The EK team has a meeting every Friday specifically to talk about their CSR, sustainability, and charitable efforts, to spread awareness throughout their staff.
Last Friday meeting, as part of the Living Wage week celebrations, the team decided to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 'No Poverty' donating via B1G1, with the following projects:

• Shaun - Provided Music Training for a Child (3 music training sessions to help vulnerable children).
• Emma - Supported an Entrepreneur in Africa (5 dollars to support entrepreneurs in Africa).
• Stephanie - Provided Better Schools for a Better Life (50 days of access to improved schools and learning opportunities).
• Maddie - Gave Families a Bank Account to Prevent Child Trafficking (180 days of access to a community bank for a migrant family in need).
• Declan - Gave a Meal for the Homeless (3 nourishing meals to homeless people in South Africa).
• Sam - Protected a Colombian Child from Sexual Exploitation (20 sexual exploitation prevention workshops to children in Colombia).

Read more about our CSR & Sustainability efforts, partnerships and impacts here: https://www.ellisknight.com/csr-and-sustainability

This year, World Mental Health Day is more influential than ever. People from all over the globe have been affected by the pandemic in many levels within their lives.

Currently, the pandemic has transformed the world we live in; and certainly, the way we work. As recruiters, we are well aware that people have been doing their best to adapt to their circumstances: unemployment, overworking, stress, isolation and juggling between being a parent/home-tutor, all whilst trying to hit work targets.

Psychosocial support and mental health national plans need to address the mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on citizens. It is, therefore, of great significance and importance that the theme for World Mental Health Day 2020 will be: Mental Health for All: Greater Investment & Greater Access - Dr Ingrid Daniels, World Federation for Mental Health President.

If you are looking for information and support towards improving your mental wellbeing, Coronavirus and your mental health, tips for everyday living, and more, please visit Mind for better mental health; they have a vast library of useful resources.

Do you want to support?

There are incredible mental health charities that you could help with a donation; please find the complete NHS Mental Health Charities Directory here.

Are you seeking help?

Please call your local GP or visit for guidance: NHS Urgent Support.

We are the first recruitment agency to join The Planet Mark community. 

Berkshire-based recruitment agency EllisKnight International is the first recruitment agency to join The Planet Mark community committed to sustainability certification, reinforcing its pledge to support exciting local and national organisations with their talent acquisition strategy.

EllisKnight Recruitment's total carbon footprint in the year ending April 2020 was 49.0 tCO2e and the relative carbon footprint was 6.1 tCO2e per employee. The company's total carbon footprint is currently the equivalent of 43 return flights from London to New York.

As an ethical company, EllisKnight International prides itself on its ability to help others and place tremendous emphasis on environmental sustainability, community support, charitable fundraising and providing its talented team with an environment to flourish within.

Patrick Graham, EllisKnight International co-director, says: "We are absolutely thrilled to now be a Planet Mark certified recruitment business. We are so lucky to have an amazing team who all understand the necessity for us all to do what we can to help the environment and as a result, we hope this makes us a better place to work too. It's so important to us that we only partner with organisations that share these values."

I'm delighted to have EllisKnight International join us at The Planet Mark. The next generation of talent is increasingly conscious of their prospective employers' environmental credentials. By working with likeminded individuals in both directions of its supply chain, EllisKnight International is propelling the sustainability agenda in the recruitment industry and beyond. The team's enthusiasm in demonstrating the sustainable measures it has in place is remarkable, and the talk is backed up by some really robust policies. EllisKnight wants to do business differently and position itself as a leader in the recruitment industry, and it is well on the way to achieving these goals. - Steve Malkin, founder and CEO of The Planet Mark

Please click on the image to read more details about our certification:

EllisKnight International is taking affirmative action to reduce its carbon footprint through a number of measures including recycling initiatives, water management, energy-saving lighting and vastly reducing business travel.

Unavoidable emissions will be offset through projects including two world-leading clean cooking projects in Kenya and Ghana. These clean cooking projects not only cut carbon emissions, helping tackle climate change, but they also improve lives by halving fuel bills for families and reducing exposure to toxic fumes, which kill more people each year than malaria and tuberculosis combined. By cutting fuel requirements the projects also reduce deforestation, protecting precious habitat.

"We are delighted to work with experts in this sector, ClimateCare. They have over 20 years' experience running some of the most innovative and largest voluntary carbon offset programmes in the world. Working with them has allowed us to take full responsibility for our carbon footprint and integrate action to tackle climate change and improve people's lives." – David Holby-Wolinski, EK Co-Director.

"We work with forward-thinking organisations to turn their climate responsibilities into positive outcomes. Our trademark Climate+Care approach helps organisations take a smart approach to address their environmental impacts by offsetting their carbon emissions through projects which also support sustainable development". – Explains ClimateCare's Director of Partnerships, Robert Stevens.

It is essential as an ethical organisation that we continue to drive the reduction of our business travel emissions, office energy, waste and water use. Offsetting the emissions that we have been unable to eliminate allows us to support – among others – the Aqua Clara water purification project in Kenya. This project helps communities gain access to safe drinking water by making affordable household purifiers. In doing so, it reduces the need to boil water – cutting carbon emissions and lowering rates of deforestation in surrounding areas. It's a fantastic project and one that we are extremely proud to support" – Paul Smith, EK Co-Director.

About ClimateCare

ClimateCare is a profit with purpose business which works with forward-thinking organisations to help turn their climate responsibilities into positive outcomes. Since 1997, ClimateCare and its partners have cut over 43 million tonnes of CO₂ and improved 41 million lives around the world.

We have more than 20 years' experience as a leader in the global carbon markets and climate change sector. We work with major public and private sector clients to fund sustainable development projects that reduce carbon emissions at scale, measurably increase the quality of life and deliver towards the UN Global Goals.
ClimateCare also advises on a range of climate change mitigation and adaptation subjects, from large scale implementation to national climate change policies. ClimateCare's award-winning team use their extensive experience to design, structure finance for and deliver impactful projects around the world.

ClimateCare develops cost-efficient, high impact, Climate+Care programmes to tackle poverty, improve health, and protect the environment. ClimateCare is currently ranked the number one B Corp in the UK – B Corp is a global movement of more than 2,500 purpose-driven companies that are using business as a force for good. ClimateCare operates globally from offices in Oxford, UK and Nairobi, Kenya.

Find out more at http://www.climatecare.org/

Interested in offsetting your carbon emissions?
For more information, please visit the ClimateCare website:
- About ClimateCare
- What they do
- Ways to act
- Contact

Follow their journey: Facebook | Twitter | Linkedin | YouTube

  Ex-Military Candidate's Resources  

One of the most common recommendations when going into an interview is: ask questions. But you would wonder why? Well, it shows interest in the role and the company you are applying to.

At some point, during your interview, consider asking some of the following:

• If I got this role, what would you see as my priorities in the first, for example, three months? (Ask this to your future line manager).
• How does this role fit into the company's longer-term plans? (Ask this to your future line manager).
• How would you define success for this position? (Ask this to your future line manager).
• As an employee, how could I exceed your/the company's expectations? (Ask this to any interviewer).
• What do you like about coming into work here? (Ask this to any interviewer).

Some questions that are better to avoid:

• Do not ask about gossip or rumours you've heard about the company or role.
• Do not ask too much about the interviewer.
• Do not ask if they do background checks.
• Do not ask how quickly you can be promoted.
• Do not ask how soon, after hiring you, you can start applying for other positions in the company.

  Ex-Military Candidate's Resources  

Questions

1. Tell us about yourself.
Recommendation:
• Plan on 2 minutes max.
• Consider starting with your immediate situation and why you have left/are thinking about leaving your current job (most relevant).
• Go back to education.
• Then each key role/phase of your professional career back up to your current situation.

2. What do you consider your key achievements? What are you most proud of?
Consider educational, professional, and personal.

3. Why are you interested in us and the role on offer?

4. What have you been told are your areas for development?
We recommend to just give one, applying the STAR method. Let the interviewer know: what did you identify and what was the positive outcome/development.

5. Tell us about a time you managed a project, or showed leadership or innovation?
Apply the STAR method. Try to use impressive examples with valuable and positive outcomes. Consider using one of your stated key achievements.

6. Tell us about a time you came up against an obstacle or were faced with confrontation?
Apply the STAR method. Use examples with positive outcomes and/or lessons learnt.

7. What is your management style?

8. What cultural differences do you think you will face between your previous/current employer and this one?
Try to highlight similarities and skills & methods that both areas share.

General principles of answering

Do

• Always apply PEPP:
    o Show that you're prepared.
    o Be engaging.
    o Be positive and describe positive decisions and results.
    o Demonstrate your professionalism.
• Always apply the STAR method when giving examples.
• Always finish on a positive – even when giving a 'negative' example.
• Always be focussed, and interested in the role on offer.

Don't

• Do not volunteer examples of failure.
• Do not answer with irrelevance or waffle – answer the question.
• Do not belittle yourself or your achievement.
• Avoid negatives, after-thoughts, cynical or sarcastic comments, and strong negative opinions.
• Never be confrontational with the interviewer.

STAR Method

An answer structured in these four components shows how you demonstrated skill in a particular context, so the potential employer can imagine how you might operate in their workplace. If you are asked to give an example of a specific circumstance, follow this method:

Situation

• Describe the situation you were confronted with. Why was it important? Why and how were you involved?

Task

• Describe the task which needed to be done to resolve the situation.

Action

• Describe what you did. Be clear about your exact role. Explain what you did, how you did it, and why you made the decisions you did.

Result

• Describe what the result was. Always volunteer examples with positive outcomes. If asked for an example of something that did not work – always use an example where positive lessons were learnt and follow this up with an example of when these lessons learnt were evidenced.

For more question examples that can help you to prepare for your interview:

 ⬇︎  Download here our sample interview questions ⬇︎ 

 SOURCE: Career Transition Partnership (CTP)

  Ex-Military Candidate's Resources  

When you are planning to attend a job interview, you need to do your homework first. We encourage you to have a look at the company's website you are applying to and pay special attention to the following:

• What exactly does the company do?
• How is the company structured?
• What are the current hot topics (company and industry)?
• What are the company's values and principles?
• What does the basic information suggest? Doing well/poorly?
• Who are the key personalities?

Phone interviews:

• Agree a time when you know you can be alone and undisturbed.
• Ensure the interviewer has the correct contact number to reach you on.
• Ensure your chosen location is quiet – no background noise (traffic, chatter, children etc.)
• Ensure your chosen location has satisfactory reception if using mobile.
• Try to use a location with a table and space to spread basic documents.

Face-to-face interviews:

• Avoid cramming in revision immediately before the interview.
• Avoid taking notes into the interview for reference.
• Avoid writing your own notes during the interview.
• Try to dress to fit the company/role on offer, not your old or current one.
• Dress smart or smart casual, even if it's a video-interview. 

  Ex-Military Candidate's Resources  

We made a list of recommendations you that you should keep in mind when writing your CV for a civilian job, as the prospective employers might not be familiar with military jargon:

Military Acronyms

• Try to avoid all Acronyms regardless of if its military or civilian.

Military ranks

• Use your own Rank but don't use the abbreviations. When referring to others E.G. your Commanding officer civilians won't understand the significance of that so try putting it in a way a civilian may understand E.g. Commanding officer (CEO).

Military unit size

• Again a civilian won't know unit sizes so it's worth when referring to your Regiment or battalion adding brackets with an estimated size.
• Writing a CV is a difficult task in particular for the military community as a CV is essentially being big-headed and telling the world how amazing you are, which goes against everything you would have been taught throughout the training.

Less is more

• Keep your CV to a maximum of two pages; you want a short punchy CV
• When describing your experiences don't write a full book, keep the details limited but enough to provoke interest. As that experience may be a key talking point in an interview, which may appear boring and barely stand out on paper but be captivating during an interview.

SOURCE: Career Transition Partnership (CTP)