July 2023
The feedback we are getting from the fenestration and builders merchant trade counter sector is currently mixed, with some companies going into a retrench phase, a good number continuing to perform solidly - and a few of our clients who are out performing the market and growing market share.
However we are seeing a slight uptick in people job seeking due to redundancy or starting to look for new opportunities with more solidly performing businesses – though perhaps more so within BDM, back office and senior levels rather than at trade counter operations level.
For anyone suddenly finding themselves looking for a job opportunity, firstly the good news is that the job market in the sector is still pretty robust and dynamic with a good level of vacancies available. Recent stats show that whilst the unemplyment rate has risen 0.2% to 4%, there are still 1.034 million job vacancies in the UK.
As a recruitment agency a common approach is to ask you to register with us, ideally on an exclusive basis and see if we can place you. However in a redundancy scenario we completly understand that we all have financial commitments and a finite time to secure a new role - so I would advise the following to maximise your exposure to suitable job opportunities:
- Indeed – the dominant job platform in the UK today used by recruiters and in-house recruitment teams. Register a profile, add a detailed and optimised CV and make it open to recruiters to contact you with opportunities that they are looking to recruit for. Set a job alert to make sure that you are emailed about suitable roles as soon as they are added.
- Job Boards – add your CV and set up job alerts with a minimum of 2 other job boards that recruiters are likely to also have access to – likely Total Jobs, CV Library or Reed
- LinkedIn – add a profile if you’re not already listed. Fully complete your profile and add an Open to Work frame to your profile to highlight that you are receptive to approaches by recruiters. Post a professional post highlighting what kind of role you are ideally looking for – you might be amazed at how your connections rally around and pass leads to you.
- Recruitment Agencies – agencies work reactively to find people for vacancies placed with them, and also proactively where they can promote you to suitable companies. With this in mind I would engage with perhaps 2 recruitment agencies that specialise in the sector and are more likely to have contacts suitable to your needs.
- Use your Network – don’t be shy about being forward. Contact past colleagues / line managers and connections that you worked well with to see if they know of any suitable opportunities, or to let you know if they hear of anything.
Looking for CV and interview top tips - please check out our previous blog: Get Hired Tips:
If you are currently looking for a new role please feel welcome to contact MacGregor Recruitment on hello@macgregorrecruitment.co.uk