tfpl blog

BIALL Conference 'Planning for the Next Information Generation'

by Tracey South

The 39th Annual conference of the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians (BIALL) will take place next week (12th - 14th June 2008) in Dublin.

The conference - Beyond the Pale: Planning for the Next Information Generation- will examine where likely trends will take legal information managers and researchers over the next 5 to 10 years.  In particular it will look at the questions:

• Has the current generation of legal information professionals a different perspective on their work than earlier generations?
  

• What are the implications of future growth in the use of electronic resources and the digitisation of data?
  

TFPL will be at stand 36 in the exhibition. Tracey South, Contract Recruitment and Philippa Anderson, Permanent Recruitment will be attending.  Any clients and candidates visiting the exhibition are welcome to come and visit to discuss all things legal! We will be holding a raffle and the lucky winner will receive a magnum of champagne. 

How to temp in Knowledge Management

Gwenda Sippings (Knowledge Manager, Southwark Council) led a workshop here at TFPL last week.  25 of our registered temps working in the KM field attended.

What are employers looking for?

Gwenda challenged the group to guess the skills that employers had asked for when advertising several recent KM roles.

There was a significant difference between the skills the group thought that employers wanted, and the skills the employers had actually asked for.

• The group came up with a list that was dominated by technical skills. (e.g. website management, KM tools, Sharepoint)
• The adverts issued by employers were dominated by soft skills. (e.g. communication skills, change management)

This led to the conclusion that people underestimated the value of their transferable soft skills which looking for jobs and were actually capable of a wider range of roles than they imagined.

How to make the most of joining a new organisation

One key challenge that  temporary knowledge managers face when you take up a new role is that there is often no defined outline of what is expected and of what your day to day tasks would be.   The positive side of this is that temps have an opportunity to really make the role your own.  Temps stand outside of the established office politics, and because of that are able to go out and talk to different people.   Gwenda's advice was to ask lots of questions.  Find out who is who, what makes the organisation tick, and what the organisation needs from you.  By doing this you can take control of your role and of the contribution you make. 

For more information about temps training events or temporary recruitment contact Katy on katy.crosse@tfpl.com

The future of RM

Earlier this week, we hosted another free training course for our registered temporary workers.  The course, ‘From EDRM to Google Docs: what does the future hold for records management?' was led by James Lappin.

Around 30 of our temps heard James compare three different models for managing electronic documents  (EDRMs, Microsoft SharePoint and Google Docs).  The advantages and disadvantages of each were examined.

‘I thought James Lappin's presentation was excellent. I was particularly impressed with how the presentation was structured and the content thought out.’

‘James is clearly an excellent trainer and able to relate his knowledge of systems in a relaxed manner which makes the information easy to absorb.’

For more information about temps training events or temporary recruitment at TFPL contact katy.crosse@tfpl.com

New job for 2008?

The start of the year is a traditional time for reflection as well as planning for the months ahead.  It's not surprising, therefore, that a number of knowledge, information and records management professionals, along with ICT and sales and marketing professionals, spend January beginning an active search for their next role. 

Despite predictions of an economic downturn, January at least has started really positively here.  Both the number of people registering with us as candidates and the number of roles we are recruiting for, have increased by 10%.   

If you would like an informal chat about the opportunities on offer at the moment, please contact luisa.jefford@tfpl.com

Enhancing your cv!

We hosted another free training event for our registered temporary staff last night.  Around 20 people heard consultants Jayne Eaton and Katy Crosse share hints and tips about revamping a cv.

The evening also included a mini cv surgery and advice on how to make an impression at interview.  Attendees were given a list of sample interview questions and a sample cv.

For more information about training events for temporary staff, contact katy.crosse@tfpl.com

Christmas message from TFPL Recruitment Temp Team!

December saw lots of festive fun for the temp team  - starting with the CIG Christmas party at the sumptuous One Whitehall Place.  We partied away with many of our clients and candidates and it made for a lovely evening.

This event was closely followed by the Online Exhibition and the debut of our brand new stand. This year was very busy due to the conference being a sell out and it’s always good to catch up with everyone. The new mugs and orange juice went down a treat as well!

We have enjoyed a busier period in the last couple of weeks with clients looking for new staff in January and we’re seeking experienced researchers in particular, so please recommend any friends or colleagues to us who are looking for work.

Thank you to all our candidates who have worked for us in 2007 and we wish everyone a happy Christmas.

Training for our temps!

We run regular (free!) training events for our temporary recruitment candidates. 

On 1^st October, 24 temps came to listen to 'An introduction to business research' delivered by Chris O’Hare. This hour long session provided attendees top tips, such as understanding basic business structures, common business enquiries, as well as useful websites and resources for the up to date researcher.

For more information about temps training events or temporary recruitment at TFPL contact katy.crosse@tfpl.com

Recruitment trends

A most interesting read in the Guide to Recruitment Consultancies brochure that fell out of People Management magazine this week.  It seems the trend across recruitment is 'characterised by an ongoing skills shortage, where demand would continue to outweigh supply'.  The article goes on to introduce some [new to me] recruitment terms.  How about gazumping (or buy-backs) which means a willingness to make a counter-offer to high performers who wish to leave an organisation.  The article then quotes additional research which concludes that students are promiscuous when it comes to keeping their job options open. 

I couldn't find this article online yet, but there is almost always something worth reading in the online version of the magazine. 

New addition to the TFPL contract recruitment team

Claire Thompson started last week as our newest addition to the contract recruitment team. Here is a very brief bio from Claire.

"I graduated in Philosophy at Essex University in ‘92 and quickly established an editorial career. Working for firms that included Sweet & Maxwell and the British Standards Institute, I’ve edited everything from legal material to standards covering steel nails and prosthetic limbs! I moved into recruitment what now seems like an age ago (over 7 years) and specialised in the Human Resources and Editorial sectors. Within the Contract /Interim team at TFPL I’ll be focusing on developing the content creation and acquisition side of the market, which is where my experience in editorial recruitment will come into its own."

Changes in the library and information profession

If anyone can grab a copy of this week ' s CILIP Gazette there is a great feature called Time for information people to push back (sorry, no online link).  The job market for information professionals is changing, our director of recruitment Darron Chapman makes some interesting points regarding the need for “information professionals to reinvent themselves, push the boundaries!”

People are expecting a wider scope of services and other professions are moving into information management. We can now often include IT, new media and content management in this space, therefore it is time the information professional reclaimed some the territory!

TFPL abroad

Are you looking for work in Europe? Want to put your excellent language skills to work or just think its time to work outside of the UK? Maybe you have friends abroad looking for work? We regularly recruit in Europe (and sometimes further afield), here are a few of our current vacancies, for a full list please go to our website.

Sales Executive – Germany
A leading international financial news and information publisher is looking for a sales person to sell for their German publication based in London or Germany.  The role will involve new business development as well as strategic account management of existing relationships within the corporate sector in Germany.  Working within a sales team you will have complete autonomy to manage your own business.  You will travel to meet clients where necessary in order to demonstrate the products strengths.  You will be used to working in a busy sales environment, target driven with a successful track record in media sales.  Experience of working in an international environment and fluency in German is an advantage.

Sales Executive – Vienna
A leading provider of news, real time data and financial information is seeking a sales person in Vienna.  The role will be selling the client's high value financial information products and services to the investment banking sector (European banks, Private Equity firms and other corporate financial companies).  You will be networking within existing clients sourcing new opportunities as well as developing new business.  You will do this through regular client meetings and following up on leads from a qualified database.

New Business Development Manager – France
Our client, a leader of business and company intelligence, is looking for an experienced new business development person to focus on the German marketplace.  The aim of the role will be to develop new business strategically across the Professional services and Corporate marketplaces.  The role will concentrate on not only selling their main products but also bespoke solutions inline with client requirements.

Email your CV to iprecruitment@tfpl.com or call +44 (0)20 7332 6000 for more information.

Who is managing information?

TFPL published their white paper  'Who is managing information?: information responsibilities in the digital world' this week.  It includes an 'Information Management Framework: responsibilities in the digital world'.  This Framework suggests 6 responsibility clusters:  information strategy; enterprise information architecture; information governance; creation and acquisition; communication and publication; information exploitation and use.  You can download the report and Framework  from our website www.tfpl.com

This is a topical subject.  There are number of streams on information skills and career development at the Online Information Conference this week and we will be presenting some of the conclusions of our white paper at a free seminar on the TFPL stand.  The recently formed IM Group are also presenting a seminar on IM skills as part of the IMS exhibtion. 

Do let us know what you think of the  Framework and you ideas for its development via the blog, by email, discussion at Online - or call us.

Law Librarian in Norfolk

The legal department of a financial services company requires a full time law librarian for 3 months to cover for a staff secondment. This busy information department receives a wide range of legal enquiries each week from various legal teams and from many different business areas within the organisation. Key responsibilities will be supporting the Legal Information Manager on specialised research requests involving in-depth investigation, ensuring that all resources are delivered on schedule across the legal function and monitoring subscription and purchase agreements with suppliers, publishers and business contacts,  developing and delivering training sessions on legal research and online sources, providing support for electronic publishing initiatives on the intranet and legal knowhow sites and managing and developing the Legal Information Assistant. You will have previous law library experience and have used online databases.

Email your CV to temps@tfpl.com quoting ref: 20723JE or call +44 (0)20 7332 6000 for more information.

Financial Information Company is Seeking a Senior Research Analyst

A globally respected financial information company is seeking a senior research analyst for the credit strategy team.

This senior level role will involve 50% research, 30% direct client contact and 20% internal liaison.  You will be researching ratings information and capital markets to provide commentary and analysis to clients.  You will contribute to regular publications and focus on the British and Continental capital markets.

You must have in-depth experience of working in the capital markets arena and an understanding of credit markets.  You need to be familiar with the credit rating process and the role of ratings within the marketplace.  You will have excellent IT skills, a background in research and analysis, excellent communication skills and experience of writing for publications.

Email your CV to iprecruitment@tfpl.com quoting ref: 20600CV or call +44 (0)20 7332 6000 for more information.

Increase the Odds

If you are looking for work, you will come across hundreds of job websites, you can look in the press and will I am sure find a whole bunch of roles you think are just perfect for you and 90% of the time you apply for the role and your application will end in the hands of a recruitment consultant. You sigh and get ready for battle, sword in hand you are determined to slay this dragon and get straight to the employer.

But remember your recruiter has at least some relationship with the client as opposed to your nonexistent one, yes they are running a business and have to make a profit, but they are human and if they know and like you, it is simply more likely that they will use the relationship they have to your advantage (and theirs of course, but so what!). Make sure you have explained your skills and why you will be good in this job and why you can do it. Give them something to sell, show them that you are polite, flexible, proactive, all the qualities an employer will be looking for, this will take some of the heat out of the dragon's fire. Does it guarantee you a job? No, but it does increase the odds in your favour.

Content Services Manager required

A European computer entertainment company requires a temporary Content Services Manager, for Online Delivery. The role will involve managing existing teams, providing content services and facilitating the transition from the old content management systems to a new one.

The primary focus will be to ensure that the Online Content Application meets user needs, improves the company's productivity and is adopted across the business. Candidate must have experience of managing content management systems in the media industry and experience of consulting on the implementation of enterprise content management systems.

Knowledge of industry leading ECMS products, such as Teamsite and Documentum is also essential. The role is for 6-12 months maternity cover and is to start as soon as possible.

Email your CV to temps@tfpl.com quoting ref: 20505KC or call +44 (0)20 7332 6000

Consulting Firm in London requires a Senior Knowledge Manager

A Senior Knowledge Manager is required for a city based Consulting Firm in London.

Based within the Business Advisory Services offering, the role will encompass three main elements: Offerings, Methods and Tools; Thought Leadership and Knowledge Management.

You must be degree educated with 5+ years' work experience coordinating resources and managing projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Industry experience within professional services, preferably in a consulting setting either as a client service profession or as KM specialist is advantageous.

Salary £Neg.
Ref: 20410DD.

Email your CV to knowledgerecruit@tfpl.com

Enterprise Content Management Specialist vacancy

A multinational financial organisation in London is seeking an Enterprise Content Management Specialist/Business Analyst to provide expertise for the development of an ongoing research portal. 

Typical duties might include defining the business requirements and specifications, documenting business processes, identifying risks, managing deployment, communication and marketing of new functionality and carrying out knowledge transfer and training.  £Neg.

Please email your CV to knowledgerecruit@tfpl.com quoting Ref: 20369DD

Interview for Engagement

Just got passed a great article from People Management magazine about “How to interview for engagement”, they are suggesting that by doing the right things for existing employees, engagement will increase and this will have a knock on effect on productivity, however it is important to have chosen right people in the first place!

Here engagement is defined as "the extent to which people enjoy and believe in what they do, and feel valued for doing it". So automatically I turned to my colleagues in recruitment and asked them if they enjoyed and believed in what they did, of which most of them said yes they did (I can’t predict how many of those responses were simply fear of what I would write about them), and I must say that we do have an unusually high employee retention rate, so therefore we must be doing something right.

So I cornered Darron who has hired most of these people and asked him if his staff being happy, fulfilled and valued in their role was something he had taken into consideration when hiring. “I definitely look for staff that are going to be happy and fulfilled, nothing altruistic about it. This way they project a genuine passion and excitement about their work to both clients and candidates in a natural unforced way – there is no better PR!”

TFPL's international roles

TFPL are widely known as specialist recruiters in information and knowledge management, library, records management and web and content management in the UK.

We also recruit internationally - here are details of some of our current vacancies.

A Records Manager is required in Frankfurt, Germany to play an integral role in supporting several records management initiatives. £25k. Ref: 19470LS

A leading provider of business and knowledge management solutions is looking for a Taxonomy Consultant to join their team in Paris, France. c.€57-64k Ref: 19837CV

A New Business Development sales professional with a background in the library, publishing or information marketplace is required in Singapore. £26-32k + bonus Ref: 19970LR

A leading international law firm in Tortola based in the The British Virgin Islands require an experienced Law Librarian. £Neg Ref: 20295PA

A leading international aid organisation requires an experienced Information Strategist in South East, UK for a 6 month fixed term contract. There is an element of international travel. £40-43k Ref: 20352LJ

If you are interested in any of our international roles, email your CV to recruitment@tfpl.com

The Silent Interview

I just had to share a fantastic post called “The Silent Interview” by Michael Dragone , where he reminds us that “that during every step of the recruitment process there is always a silent interview being conducted.” Employers will look at  MySpace, LinkedIn and ZoomInfo. He makes some great points that we may be overlooking and the only thing I would like to add is that for those of you who have not done this already, it is worth not only googling your name, but also doing quite an exhaustive online search for yourself so you are aware of what potential employees are finding out about you. Skeletons may stay in closets but they don’t fare so well on the internet!