Like many small businesses we have noticed an increase in both the number of unsolicited CV’s submitted in the post and the quality of applicants seeking work.
In the past we have sent a polite letter thanking the person for their enquiry to Hawksmoor and retained their CV on file for 6 months. However in the past few months we have noticed the qualifications of applicants noticeably increased, as even the most qualified graduates have struggled to find vacancies in their chosen field. Alas we are not seeking to increase our staffing levels at this time.
It takes several years of training and experience for graduates to achieve the necessary professional qualificiations in our business, which represents a considerable investment in management time and training costs for employers like us at Hawksmoor.
Nevertheless it seemed inappropriate to send a “Dear John” letter to 3 of these applicants who in any normal market could readily expect to find a graduate position as a trainee investment manager. No doubt they have received many such letters from other firms, it seemed only fair to try and offer something.
After discussing the matter around the office we took the decision to organise an internship day. An opportunity to spend a day with our investment management team and gain as much experience as we can pack in to a day. I am delighted that some of our peers and business associates have also offered their time to come and share their expertise for training sessions on the day.
So our thanks go to Barclays Wealth in Ipswich, Aviva investors, and to Josh Pirt at Cooper Lomaz recruitment consultants who will be giving some valuable coaching and advice.
As a member of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce I know there are other employers offering similar or greater opportunities, with internships or open days, but in these straightened times it is so important that more employers large and small create opportunities for young people. Business generally gets such a poor press, but it is business and entrepreneurs who will get the UK out of this economic mess.
So even if we don’t have a vacancy in the business we can all do something; anything is better than a rejection letter. If our little training day next week does nothing more than provide some inspiration and confidence to persevere, then we will have achieved something. At last count we have 5 graduates attending.