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You’re hired!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on You’re hired!

As many of you already know I’m a huge fan of tv show The Apprentice, with us all getting into the swing of 2016, now is a fantastic opportunity to talk all things apprentice!

Recently on of my site managers advised me that they wanted to double the amount of apprentices that we have throughout the business from our existing eight. As you can imagine, I was overjoyed to hear this, given that investing in tomorrow’s talent is something I champion!

There are a whole host of benefits to recruiting apprentices into your business and every need is different so the reasons for our approach with apprentices is to bridge the skills gap that we will have in future years. Having a loyal workforce (some of which are celebrating 40 years in their roles this year!) we would lose a substantial amount of knowledge along with their skills if they were to leave the business and with them being in specialised roles, it is important that they pass on their knowledge to future employees so that there is a smooth transition when they leave.

Apprentices are not just for larger businesses but they also build smaller businesses. There are options to gain a grant through the government and they learn whilst they are in their role with their company. The combination of work and education is invaluable experience for the apprentice and whilst working alongside experienced professionals, they are able to identify the differences between school and the working environment, these are skills that they learn from the people they work for, this is something that education cannot teach them so it is up to us as professionals to encourage more businesses to hire apprentices.
Big corporate schemes or small businesses hiring an apprentice all helps to invest in future talent and who knows, you could be hiring the next Alan Sugar or Michelle Mone!
To find out more about how to hire an apprentice please visit: https://www.gov.uk/topic/further-education-skills/apprenticeships

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Make 2016 your most successful year yet!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Make 2016 your most successful year yet!

With a brand new year comes 365 fresh pages to fill! As with many resolutions and their good intentions, after a few weeks they can start to go by the wayside and we start to lose interest so here are my tips on how to succeed at setting those goals and achieving them:
  1. Write your goals down

Grab a diary or even a whiteboard (if you are a visual like me!) and write them down, by simply having them written down can increase your motivation, think of them as pinning them to the paper so you have a firm grip on them and remain focused. When you set the goals be realistic, break the actions into smaller pieces to work through one step at a time and most of all be patient, Rome wasn’t built in a day!

2. Believe in yourself

This is one of the most important things to keep ahead of the goals is to believe you can do it, if you don’t you’ll be disappointed and are less likely to achieve the goals you set out. Confidence is key and by believing you can do it, you may just surprise yourself!

 

3. Go for it!
Post it notes are fantastic, make them your new best friend!! Write out the smaller pieces of your goals on to post it notes and place one to achieve each day, put it somewhere familiar to you – mine actually go by my kettle on a mug as it’s the first place I go to in the morning (I am a self-confessed tea junkie!) that way you’ll remind yourself of that step that needs to be achieved. Let’s see those post it notes – send me your pictures of your post it’s and I’ll put them up on the blog!   

Let’s go for it together and make 2016 our most successful year yet!
 Good luck!

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In the press!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on In the press!

This article was released in my local paper last week (I had no idea until our PR agency told me this morning!).

This emphasises the need for more HR professionals to get involved in Steps Ahead in 2016. I’m so proud of my mentees and what we’ve achieved together this year, I know that next year will be a successful year for them.

I hope you enjoy reading this and I look forward to updating you all in the new year! 

 

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Merry Christmas!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Merry Christmas!

Short and sweet update just to wish you all a very merry Christmas! 

Thank you for all your support, comments and suggestions over the past couple of months. I’m looking forward to posting more on my blog in 2016 and sharing some really exciting things with you! 

From my family to yours, merry Christmas and all the best wishes for the new year! 

Business, Career, Career Woman, HR, Human Resources, Uncategorized, women in business

Brace your diaries for 2016 networking!

by Natalie EllisLeave a Comment on Brace your diaries for 2016 networking!

Pink Diary

There have been so many exciting developments over the past few weeks that I would really love to share with you all. 2016 is shaping up to be an exceptionally busy year already so I am frantically trying to get organised (once I have moved house and unpacked those boxes this weekend!).

You have probably heard the saying “it’s not what you know, it is who you know” and this couldn’t be more precise. Networking gives us opportunities to meet people from different industries and backgrounds, it can open doors, expand your knowledge and even present job opportunities just by getting yourself out there.

Maintaining a work life balance when you are passionate about your profession is something that can be difficult to manage so I have to be incredibly disciplined on my time management. Therefore I am starting my spring clean early to get ahead of the game! I have recently started networking locally so in this post, I wanted to demonstrate how important networking can enhance your professional profile as well as giving you connections to people with priceless knowledge.

Recently I was invited by Mike Willis to the Northants Business Club for an evening of networking and I can honestly say that I have never felt such a warm welcome! The club is made up of professionals from varying industries and backgrounds which provides the opportunity to learn, network and do business with other like-minded people. Some are business owners and others like me are from larger companies so it is a really good mix, I was very excited to finally meet Karen Teago from Gravitas HR (after years of speaking with her online!) and Simon Merriman from Solved HR so it was also nice to meet HR professionals who run their own businesses to see what their experiences are like when you go out on your own. I also met many other people including Philip Walding who lectures at Northampton University and likes to tie the taxman up in knots! They were all lovely and I look forward to doing business with them when I set up on my own in the future.

Overall I really enjoyed the evening and I am looking forward to becoming a member, Mike has done a wonderful job in forming the club and bringing so many people together. To find out more about the Northants Business Club please visit their website: www.thebusinessclubnorthants.co.uk

I am also looking to join the Northamptonshire CIPD committee in the spring. It involves helping the branch run events, discuss future trends and keeping up to date with the latest from the HR world. Assisting with your local branch holds a wealth of benefits, it will also help raise your professional profile as well as enhancing your Continuous Professional Development (CPD). You will also achieve wider knowledge of the CIPD, employment law and the future of HR. To find out more about your local branch or to become a CIPD member, please visit their website www.cipd.co.uk

If all that wasn’t enough, there are some very exciting things already in the diary for March, April and May so it looks like I am certainly going to be busy over the next few months. I will tell you more as soon as I am able to so watch this space!

Networking can be a daunting prospect but once you attend your first couple of events you’ll probably find it a lot more enjoyable than you think and always remember that if you are not out there raising your profile, no one else will be doing it for you! Here are my top tips if you are new to networking:

  1. Take your time! Find the right networking group for you, do your research on the content and discussion points. Many networking groups have their previous minutes/meeting details available on their website so you can see if the topics are of interest to you
  2. Get tweeting! Social networks are fantastic to view discussion points from like-minded professionals, Twitter is excellent for this and many groups and companies now have a Twitter page so quick short updates are great to get a snap shot into trends
  3. Bring your stuff! If you are face to face networking, everyone loves a freebie! I took a bunch of Forterra branded pens with me to the Northants Business Club and they went down a storm. Don’t forget your business cards or contact details, most people will also find you on Linked In after the event so do ensure your profile is up to date
  4. Get to know people, introduce yourself and more importantly be yourself. People are not always sold on a product or service, it is generally known that people enjoy doing business with people they know and trust so take your time when getting to know them. Regularly keep in touch to get the most from your relationships and you never know when your knowledge will come in handy for someone else!
  5. Take notes! When you ask for someone’s card after having a great conversation, take notes on their business card after they walk away or immediately after the event. This will help you to be more specific in your follow-up with them
  6. Don’t try too hard to meet too many people. Focus on making a small group of solid connections, meet a few people and ensure you create a memorable dialogue and establish lasting relationships
  7. Join in! Get stuck in and don’t be afraid to get involved. Wait for a natural break in group conversations to introduce yourself as others will enjoy meeting someone new

I hope this has helped some of you to get motivated and get networking, make 2016 your year!

Thank you for reading and keep the comments coming! Sharing is caring so please share with your colleagues, friends or connections if you feel it could help them. Last but by no means least, if there is something you’d like to see featured on the blog, please leave me a comment below!