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April marks the start of Stress Awareness Month 2021, and the theme this year is ‘Regaining Connectivity, Certainty and Control’.​Stress Awareness Month raises awareness of stress and the way in which it is damaging the health of people across the globe. High levels of stress can be extremely detrimental to our mental health, often leading to anxiety and depression. Likewise, many people do not realise the impact stress can have on our physical health too. Heart disease, insomnia and digestive problems are just a few of the physical conditions that can be linked to high stress levels. As such, it's critical that we take the time during this national awareness month to look at how we can manage our stress levels.12 months on from the first national lockdown, it is said that 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope (Mental Health Foundation).​This could be due to a number of factors:​Worries around health and contracting COVID-19Concerns over job stabilityLack of satisfaction in personal life due to social restrictionsIncreased workload due to organisational changesBelow are 3 tips on how you can manage your work-related stress during Stress Awareness Month and beyond.How to manage work-related stress​1. Communicate with your employer​People working from home may be experiencing a lack of connectivity with their employers when it comes to workloads and occupational wellbeing.​​Despite how quickly many employers have adapted to remote working, your line manager may not be as aware of how well you’re coping with work-related stress. Whereas before it was easy to check in across the office, now it may not be the case.​​It’s important that you are open and honest regarding your workload and how you are coping so your manager can help reduce any work-related stress. Likewise, if you have a problem you are struggling to overcome, use the technology provided to you (MS Teams, email, over the phone) to speak to the appropriate person(s) and not suffer in silence.​2. Keep work time and personal time separate​As we mentioned in our article ‘how to effectively work from home’, try not to extend your workday too far over what you planned, as this might lead to burning yourself out and starting to see your home environment as a stressful place. Keeping work time and personal time separate should make you less stressed when you aren’t working.​3. Take part in the 30 Day Challenge ‘Regaining Connectivity, Certainty and Control’​To help combat the effects of stress, the Stress Management Society have introduced a 30 day challenge: Pick one action each for your Physical, Mental and Emotional Wellbeing to carry out every day. It is said that is takes 30 days to turn an action into a habit. So the objective is at the end of April, any actions you have started during the challenge that are aiding your stress levels, you will easily be able to incorporate into your daily routine.​For more information on how to take part in the challenge, visit the Stress Management Society website here.​​

ATA Recruitment have chosen to support local charity Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People for the 5th year running ​Rainbows provides specialist respite, palliative and end of life care to children and young people with life limiting or life-threatening conditions and support to their families and friends. Based in the East Midlands, Rainbows is the only support function of this kind in the region, making it an essential lifeline to the community. ​We have raised over £8,000 for Rainbows in the past 4 years. Whilst the pandemic has slowed us down in regard to fundraising events, we have got many activities planned for 2021. From quiz nights over MS Teams to team bike rides on Strava, we are prepared to do all we can, even if it has to be done virtually. ​As part of our Being Socially Responsible strategy, we are looking to do more than just raise money. New starters that join ATA Recruitment will learn about Rainbows in their company induction alongside our own core values, showing them exactly why we have chosen to continue to support them as our primary charity. ​Likewise, all ATA recruitment employees are provided with 2 days paid volunteering leave that they are encouraged to use. Whilst each employee can use this time in a variety of different areas, we will provide our staff with ideas and inspiration of how they can use this time to benefit Rainbows should they wish to. ​We will be using our business expertise to offer various resources to Rainbows free of charge, such as our online instant video platform, ATA Connect, that they can use for any internal recruitment during the pandemic and beyond. Our specialist team will also be providing interview training, as well as writing and posting job adverts for the charity to support them with their internal recruitment. ​We will continue to keep you updated on our fundraising activities via our ATA Recruitment blog and social media channels. In the meantime, please share and support our cause by donating to our Just Giving account if you are able.

​​How to make a great first impression on a recruiter​In my role as Talent Acquisition Manager and after years of working within the recruitment sector, I have seen a lot of job applications! I never want to miss out on a potentially fantastic candidate, so I always ensure I review every application sent to me. ​Due to the popularity of the recruitment sector, the number of applications I receive is usually in the hundreds. This makes it near impossible to pick up the phone and speak to every single person who has applied. Because of such a high number of applications, I use a ranking system which allows me to identify the most suitable candidates to contact first. ​As a rule, I am a firm believer that a CV does not always do a candidate justice. A piece of paper can never fully represent a person, their achievements, their personality or their ambition. However, here are a few CV tips that will ensure your application stands out from the crowd and that you are at the top of a (probably very long!) call list:​A cover letter; A short cover letter highlighting the key achievements in your CV that make you suitable for the position you are interested in will go a long way. You are showing the Hiring Manager that you are keen on the position and making the effort to pitch yourself. Where possible look for a direct email address as this will ensure your application goes straight to their inbox and you will get noticed. Try and avoid using a generic cover letter; make the company feel like you want to work for them specifically.​Target your application; There is nothing wrong with applying for roles in multiple sectors, this is your job search and you should explore your options. If you are unsure about which direction you want to take, you should tailor your CV to each specific sector. This also allows you to highlight the key skills you have that are relevant to that sector alone, meaning you will have more of a chance of attracting the attention of the person reading it.​Be clear and concise; Try to keep your CV to a maximum of two pages. Take out any irrelevant information and use bullet points where appropriate to condense the information you are providing. Ensure your most recent work experience is listed at the top of your CV and your academic achievements and contact details are clearly visible. People often over complicate their CV. Make it as easy as possible for us to understand your background and why you are right for the role we are advertising.​Spelling, punctuation and grammar checks; It sounds obvious, however so many people do not give their covering letters and CV’s a thorough check before applying for a job. In this day and age you can avoid many of these mistakes by using spellchecker which will highlight and change any grammatical errors. First impressions count, so make sure something as small as this doesn’t make you stand out for the wrong reasons. ​Use our CV help and cover letter advice to get yourself noticed – and one step closer to the job of your dreams!​Due to growth, we have a number of Recruitment Consultant jobs in both Leeds and Leicester. We are keen to speak to ambitious individuals. Whether you are a recruitment novice or an experienced recruitment professional, we could have the exciting new role you have been waiting for.​For a confidential conversation about what we offer, get in touch today! Either call me directly on 07920 595 229 or send your CV to rachael.bailey-frost@ata-recruitment.co.uk.

​ATA Recruitment's Annual Regional Maintenance Salary Report 2020 is available to download​With over 50 years experience in the provision of recruitment solutions for manufacturing and engineering, ATA Recruitment have established themselves as market leaders. Not only do we pride ourselves and providing a quality service, but we like to share our market expertise with you too.​You may have already seen our permanent salary survey report detailing the average salaries offered to our candidates in 2020. The recruitment of Maintenance Engineers across the UK is a huge proportion of what we do, so we thought we would give you a more detailed breakdown of the market.​2020 was a challenging year for everyone due to the pandemic and economic uncertainty caused by it. However, the need to attract and retain good quality Maintenance Engineers is still an ongoing challenge for our customers.​We continue to see a widening skills gap in the market, and the rapid growth of markets such as automated distribution has seen companies constantly reviewing and increasing their salaries in an effort to remain competitive.​The data we have collected has come from a large cross section of the market for both SME’s and large blue chips in industries such as:FoodAutomated DistributionConstruction MaterialsFMCGGeneral Manufacturing.​We hope it gives you a benchmark for where you are in the market, please get in touch to discuss the findings of this report in more detail.​Download ATA Recruitment's Annual Regional Maintenance Salary Report 2020​​Get in touch ​If you would like to discuss the findings of the report in more detail or if you’re looking for a maintenance recruitment specialist to support your business, get in touch with ATA Recruitment. ​If you're looking for a new opportunity or want to hear about future positions, sign up to tailored job alerts and our blog to receive more content like this straight in your inbox. ​​

​​Following the Chancellor's budget announcement, we must now assume that the IR35 reforms in the private sector will continue to go ahead as planned on 6th April 2021, and end hirers need to ensure they are all fully aware of how their responsibilities are changing.​​What is IR35?​IR35 is a piece of legislation designed to tackle what the HMRC have called ‘disguised employment’. Using a number of factors, it aims to differentiate between PSC contractors who are genuinely in business on their own account and those who should be considered employees for tax purposes.​​What does it mean for you?​As of April 2021, it will be the responsibility of the end hirer to assess the employment status for tax purposes of all PSC contractors. In line with the legislation, you are required to take reasonable care in doing so, which means you need to properly assess the status of your contractors, provide a determination, and provide an explanation behind your decision.​​What should you do now?​Time is ticking but there is still time to make sure your business is fully compliant with the changes to the IR35 legislation using the following steps:​Assess your workforce. You’ll need to know how many contractors are working through a limited company, where there are, and what they do.Consider your options. There are a number of ways in which you can make your status determinations, including using a third-party provider or utilising the HMRC’s Check Employment Status for Tax (CEST) tool, so you’ll need to decide which one is right for you.Carry out your Status Determination Statements. To get the most accurate assessment on whether or not a contractor should be considered Inside IR35 or Outside IR35, you should be liaising with the contractor themselves and their key points of contact within your business, so communication is key.Pass the Status Determination Statement down the supply chain. Your responsibilities under the legislation require you to pass your decision and the reasoning behind it to all interested parties, namely the contractor and the agency who engages them.Communicate with your supply chain. It’s important to protect yourself by ensuring any recruitment agencies within your supply chain are complying with the decisions you have made and are deducting PAYE Tax and National Insurance Contributions as required.Reassess when needed. You need to assess the IR35 status of PSC contractors any time any element of the worker’s contract or their working practices change. Depending on the nature of their engagement, you will also want to reassess every six to twelve months to ensure you and they are still compliant with the legislation.​If you're unsure about any of the above, or require some advice and support on how to assess your contractors, get in touch with our specialist team as soon as possible to ensure you're IR35 compliant.​

​The ATA Recruitment's Annual Executive Engineering Salary Report 2020 is available to download​With the challenges of COVID-19, Brexit and IR35 still looming, Executive Search and Senior Leadership roles continue to play a key part in business strategies. Companies have taken the opportunity to evaluate their business, headcount, company structure, senior leadership teams and financials. As a result of this, the number of executives available has significantly increased and whilst companies have taken time to reconsider their businesses, candidates alike are also reconsidering their career paths. Candidates are considering positions outside of their core expertise and fully recognise the importance of transferrable skills, creating great opportunities for many businesses to attract new talent.Moving into 2021, leadership roles will continue to play an ever-key role in the direction of businesses and we are already starting to see the demand for expert leaders increasing.​A comprehensive report based on real data​With average salaries and and expert commentary from our specialist consultants and managerial team, we have compiled the Annual Executive Engineering Salary Report 2020 based on the executive and senior level placements made throughout the past 12 months.​Download the ATA Annual Executive Engineering Salary Report 2020​​The report will open in a secure PDF format that you can either view online (web and mobile) and save for future reference. Simply fill in the form below to download.​​​Get in touch​​​If you would like to discuss the findings of the report in more detail or if you’re looking for an executive recruitment specialist to support your business, get in touch with ATA Recruitment. ​If you're looking for a new opportunity or want to hear about future senior and management positions, sign up to tailored job alerts and our blog to receive more content like this straight in your inbox. ​​​​

The ATA Annual Contractor Rates Report 2020 is now available to download​The past 12 months have been an unpredictable time for employers and candidates alike. Many employers have reassessed their recruitment strategies, as the effects of COVID-19, mass furlough and multiple lockdowns continue to have a huge impact on day-to-day operations. Whilst those that can have been quick to adapt and implement a COVID-19 secure workplace, the knock on effects of the choppy economic waters we have seen over the past 12 months are impossible to ignore.​As companies have started to return close to normal, we have seen a real upturn in the requirement for contractors and temporary engineers. Having spoken to our clients, there are several reasons for this rapid increase in the need for contractors and temporary staff:​ Clients have reduced their headcount and as orders have increased, they have needed to upscale quickly, contractors & temporary workers have allowed them to do thisSeveral businesses are still uncertain about the future and would prefer a flexible skilled resource at this time as they return to normalIn certain sectors like food and logistics, the demand for permanent engineers is high. When this demand can’t be met quickly enough, contractors and temporary maintenance engineers have provided an excellent short-term solution​With average contractor rates and and expert commentary from our specialist consultants and managerial team, we have compiled the Annual Contractor Rates Report 2020 based on the thousands of placements made throughout the past 12 months. ​Covering the following disciplines, we have answered some of the most common questions we get asked, as well as providing you with the quantitative data from salary trends:​ManufacturingEngineeringInterim & Shared Services​​Download the ATA Annual Contractor Rates Report 2020​The report will open in a secure PDF format that you can either view online (web and mobile) and save for future reference. Simply fill in the form below to download.​​​Get in touch​If you would like to discuss the findings of the report in more detail or if you’re looking for an engineering recruitment specialist to support your business, get in touch with ATA Recruitment. ​If you're looking for a job or want to hear about future opportunities, sign up to tailored job alerts and our blog to receive more content like this straight in your inbox. ​​​​​​