Restrictive covenants

Restrictive Covenants Advice Needed

I’m currently facing a 12-month restrictive covenant in my contract (under UK law) that feels quite limiting. I’m seeking some informed opinions on how to approach this situation. Should I challenge it, consider leaving the sector (which I’d rather not do after 10+ years of experience), or explore opportunities in other countries?

The covenant specifies that I cannot solicit or attempt to solicit any restricted business from candidates, prospective customers, or customers, with “restricted business” being defined as recruitment in the finance sector.

Any guidance or advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Best way to connect with recruiters via LinkedIn

Tips for Effectively Connecting with Recruiters on LinkedIn

I’ve been reaching out to numerous recruiters after applying for positions, hoping to get my foot in the door for an interview. After submitting my application, I usually send a polite connection request on LinkedIn, and most of the time, I’m accepted.

However, I’ve encountered a challenge: when I follow up with a second message asking for a conversation to learn more about the role and its challenges, nearly 95% of recruiters don’t respond.

I’m starting to wonder if my message might be the issue. I’ve tried different approaches—varying tones, wording, and formats—but I still seem to be hitting a wall.

Does anyone have some proven tips or strategies that could help improve my outreach and increase my chances of getting a response?

Should I stay or should I go

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

Hey everyone,

I’m a 26-year-old male who’s just moved in with my partner and I’m eager to start saving for a house.

I’ve been working at my first company since graduating from college, and I’ve been there for about 3.5 years now. I specialize in full desk IT staffing, primarily focused on .NET stack roles. This means I’m primarily limited to finding positions for .NET developers or SQL roles, and I have to pass on Java, QA, and other opportunities since I can’t provide kickbacks to other teams.

Last year, I earned $92K W2 while billing $500K (the total fees, without accounting for what my firm takes). My company is a large national firm with over ten offices, and my local branch has roughly 30 people.

So far this year, I’ve billed $382K through permanent, contracting, and consulting fees. I’ve secured 28 new job openings and made 10 placements. I’m on a $70K draw that is spread over 13 pay periods (it takes about four weeks to collect), with my commission structured at 13% of the fee, plus an additional 3% if a teammate completes a deal.

As a team, we’ve generated $913,176 in billing this year. To date, I’ve received $70K in gross pay, including my first commission check of $6K, and another $6K from two pay periods that were paid out last month.

I genuinely enjoy working with my colleagues, although it can be challenging due to the high turnover among entry-level staff, which sometimes leads to emotional situations on the floor.

I have a few questions:

1. Am I being fairly compensated?
2. Is it a good idea to consider moving to another firm where I wouldn’t be on a draw?
3. Should I give up the few pass-through roles that come my way?
4. Would it be better to find a firm where I can work across multiple technologies instead of being limited?
5. Any general career advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Opportunity to craft my job title – Purchasing, Recruiting and Personnel…

Title Crafting Opportunity: Purchasing, Recruitment, and Personnel

I’m excited to have the chance to shape my job title! To give you some context, I’m a 58-year-old male, married, with children and grandchildren. I’ve been through the empty-nester phase, and I hold a doctorate degree.

For 21 years, I worked as a school administrator, including roles as principal and central office leader. My primary responsibility was hiring—teachers, assistant principals, maintenance staff, and others. Over that time, I interviewed and hired approximately 1,500 people, which has been the core skill I’ve carried into my post-education career, alongside employee relations and discipline. Despite this experience, I don’t have formal HR training, as I relied on the HR department to assist during the hiring process.

I transitioned from education to the manufacturing sector, becoming a purchasing/procurement manager at a mid-sized light manufacturing company in Arizona. I’ve held this position for ten years, reporting directly to the company president. The company generates around $200 million in annual sales, and I earn $135K, with an agreement to reach $150K in the next two years, supplemented by a small bonus and a company phone.

My boss tends to micromanage and has a sales background, which sometimes leads to challenges. However, he’s been successful, and we have a good working relationship. Five years ago, after the CFO unexpectedly passed away, my responsibilities expanded significantly. Given my background in hiring, I was asked to find a new CFO, and shortly after that, I also recruited our Arizona plant manager. Over the past five years, I’ve hired between 75 to 100 employees across various roles, although I don’t handle factory floor staff or office personnel in other states.

Additionally, I’m now heavily involved in employee discipline and serve as a sounding board for various employee concerns, earning the informal title of the “company therapist.” Despite all these responsibilities, my official title remains “Purchasing Manager,” and I don’t directly supervise any staff, which has posed its own set of challenges in my hiring efforts.

Now, I have the opportunity to become a Vice President within the company and I’m tasked with writing my own job description. While my core functions—procurement (80% of my job), hiring, and employee relations—will remain unchanged, my compensation may allow for a quicker path to $150K. I won’t have an assistant or a chain-of-command role.

I’m considering several titles that reflect my roles, particularly since I still oversee significant purchasing duties. My current landscape with HR needs careful navigation as well. Here are the options I’m contemplating:

1. Vice President of Purchasing and Personnel, Chief of Staff.
2. Vice President of Purchasing, Chief of Staff.
3. Vice President of Purchasing and Personnel.
4. Vice President and Chief of Staff.
5. Chief of Staff.
6. Other suggestions.

I would appreciate your thoughts on which title might be the best fit and any general advice you may have. This could also include career guidance if you think I should consider opportunities outside of this company.

Thank you for your input!

Need Help Developing Impactful Job Interview Questions

Seeking Assistance in Crafting Effective Job Interview Questions

Hello everyone!

Quick Overview: I’m looking for guidance on formulating impactful interview questions for candidates applying for a new position in our organization.

We’ve recently created a role for a Contracts and Procurement Administrator that will report directly to me. This is my first time being involved in both developing the position description and leading the hiring process.

We are seeking a candidate with around 5 years of experience for this junior-level position—not entry-level. Currently, I manage these responsibilities alone in our organization, but I successfully advocated for adding another team member.

The new hire will handle essential tasks such as issuing purchase orders and change orders, managing suppliers, and more. This will allow me to concentrate on strategic initiatives. Therefore, I need to ask insightful questions to help identify candidates who can truly perform the job well.

I’m looking for someone who is capable of independent work, can enforce procurement protocols, and can identify and propose solutions for process inefficiencies. Since our team works primarily remotely, the ideal candidate must be both self-sufficient and trustworthy.

What questions can I ask to ensure that candidates possess a strong understanding of procurement and contract management? I need to evaluate their ability to manage responsibilities in my absence, especially during times when we have RFPs in circulation.

I realize many applicants can present themselves well in interviews but may lack practical knowledge, while others, like myself, might struggle in interviews yet are very knowledgeable about the work. What impactful questions would you recommend to help me identify the best candidates for this role rather than those who are just good at interviewing? Thank you for your help!

Best lead generation tool for finding Australia-based contacts?

What’s the best lead generation tool for locating contacts in Australia?

I’m on the hunt for a reliable tool to help me find contact information for professionals specifically in Australia. I’ve previously used Lusha, ZoomInfo, and RocketReach for APAC and US contacts, but I’m curious to know which one performs best for Australian contacts. Any suggestions?

How much of a fee do graduate schemes take

How Much Do Graduate Schemes Charge?

Hi everyone,

I’m nearing the end of my data science graduate scheme, which I began just two months after finishing university. The program was structured with 3 months of training at an annual salary of £22,000, followed by a 9-month placement where I earned £25,000 annually. During the initial training period, I participated in five in-person courses over three days each, received interview coaching, tackled case studies, and successfully completed my SAS base exam—all covered by my company.

As my contract is coming to a close, I’m preparing to negotiate my salary with the company that has decided to keep me. I’m curious about the approximate amount they might be paying the graduate scheme company for my placement. I expect it to be significantly more than the £26,000 total I’ve earned, considering the costs of training, providing me with a laptop, ongoing support, and securing my placement.

Any rough estimates would be greatly appreciated as I prepare for my salary negotiation!

A bit of background: I graduated with a First in Mathematics and Data Science and have a year of experience. I can code in SAS (1 year), Python (7 years), and R (3 years). Hope that context helps!

Call expectations and requirements.

Call Expectations and Daily Responsibilities

I’ve recently transitioned into BD recruitment and am now tasked with making 100 calls daily. Out of these, I need to connect with the right person for 10 business calls, alongside preparing 8 speculative CVs. Additionally, my role includes candidate qualifications, RTMs, and holding 2 client meetings each week.

I can’t help but feel that making 100 calls every day is quite demanding, especially while trying to keep up with my spec CVs and administrative duties. On top of that, we often have meetings that eat into our time, and there’s an unspoken expectation to stay late, as leaving at 6 pm doesn’t seem to sit well with management.

To stay on top of my pipeline, I also spend time job spotting and identifying the appropriate contacts for conversations each day.

I’m curious about what others in the industry typically handle on a daily basis. Is this level of expectation standard practice?

UK Nurse Recruitment

UK Nurse Recruitment

Hello everyone,

I’ve launched a recruitment agency focused on staffing nursing homes across the UK.

I initially tested the waters while working full-time, and I managed to secure roles by sending out 100-200 emails.

I’m curious to know if this venture is still profitable. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Simplifying the recruitment and making it fair for all parties

Streamlining Recruitment for a Fairer Experience

Hello everyone,

I’ve been developing a startup concept for the past few months and would greatly appreciate your insights. My aim is to create a recruitment process that’s more equitable and transparent for both candidates and companies, with a focus on IT positions.

Here’s the plan: Typically, recruitment involves three key assessments—technical skills, soft skills, and cultural fit. My system is designed to tackle the first two aspects, leaving companies to solely evaluate cultural fit before making a hiring decision. Do you think this approach could be effective? I understand there are nuances, but if you have confidence in the assessments, would you be inclined to adopt this system?

Additionally, even with trust in the assessments, would your organization still feel the need to conduct further technical evaluations?

The system will also ensure that only five candidates who best align with the company’s criteria are shortlisted. To aid candidates in their growth, companies will be required to provide constructive feedback to those who are not selected. Would that be beneficial in your opinion?

Thank you very much for your input!