Recruitment Insights, Career Advice & Workplace Trends - June 2026

  • What to Do If You’re Overqualified for the Jobs You’re Applying For

    Posted on Monday, June 29, 2026

    Job hunting can feel confusing when you know you have strong experience, yet you’re struggling to secure interviews. If you’re repeatedly being told you’re “overqualified” or hearing nothing back, it can quickly become frustrating and disheartening. Being overqualified is not necessarily a bad thing. In many cases, it’s about how your experience is presented and whether employers understand your ...

  • Make Training Pay & Boost Skills

    Posted on Friday, June 26, 2026

    If you were asked to review your training strategy, would you defend it as an investment or just a compliance or policy-meeting exercise? UK businesses lose an estimated £416 million annually on inefficient staff training that delivers only minimum compliance instead of meaningful skill development. That represents around 21 million lost working hours a year better spent on high-value activity. ...

  • Is It Ever OK to Leave a Job Off Your CV?

    Posted on Wednesday, June 24, 2026

    Most people assume your CV must include every job you’ve ever had. But CV writing is about relevance, clarity, and telling a coherent story. So yes, sometimes leaving a job off your CV is completely fine. The key is knowing when it’s sensible, and when it could cause more problems than it solves. When it’s usually OK to leave a job off If you’ve had a role that adds no value to the job you’re ...

  • Is It Better to Apply for Jobs Directly or Through a Recruiter?

    Posted on Monday, June 22, 2026

    Looking for a new job can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re trying to decide the best way to approach your search. Should you apply directly through company websites, or work with a recruitment agency who can help connect you with opportunities? Obviously, we’re biased! But the truth is, both options can work well depending on your situation, career goals, and the type of role you’re ...

  • How to Stay Visible in a Hybrid Workplace

    Posted on Friday, June 19, 2026

    Hybrid working has changed the way we build relationships at work. You might be doing a great job, hitting deadlines, and supporting your team, but if you’re not physically around as often, it can feel harder to stay on people’s radar. The truth is that visibility matters. Not because you need to show off, but because career progression often depends on being recognised, trusted, and considered ...

  • How to Run Meetings Properly (and Stop Them Wasting Everyone’s Time)

    Posted on Wednesday, June 17, 2026

    Meetings are meant to make work easier, but too often they do the opposite. Sessions drift off topic or end without clear decisions. When this happens regularly, it drains energy and slows everything down. The good news is that with a bit of structure and discipline, you can turn meetings into something genuinely useful rather than a calendar filler. Why meetings go wrong Most unproductive ...

  • How to Manage Upwards

    Posted on Monday, June 15, 2026

    Being a great PA or EA isn’t just about managing diaries and booking meetings. A big part of the role is learning how to manage upwards. That means understanding how your manager works best, helping them stay organised, and building a relationship based on trust and communication. If you can master this skill, you’ll become invaluable in your role and make your own working life much smoother too. ...

  • How to Explain a Career Break Without Feeling Defensive

    Posted on Friday, June 12, 2026

    Taking a career break can be one of the best decisions you ever make, and it’s more common than ever. Whether it was maternity/paternity leave or an extended break for travel, there are many varied reasons for a break in your CV. But when it comes to job hunting again, it can also be the one thing that makes you feel a little anxious. If you’ve been out of work for a few months or a few years, ...

  • Building Confidence After a Bad Interview Experience

    Posted on Thursday, June 11, 2026

    A bad interview can really knock you. Even if you were qualified, well-prepared, and genuinely excited about the role, one awkward moment can leave you feeling deflated for days. You might find yourself replaying your answers, cringing at what you said, or worrying you’ve not got the ability to progress in the job market altogether. But we promise you that one bad interview doesn’t define you, ...

  • Career Moves Driven by Dissatisfaction – Why That’s an HR Problem

    Posted on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

    If you think people predominantly change roles to chase promotion or pay, think again. Recent data shows career moves are increasingly being driven by genuine dissatisfaction with people’s current work lives, not simply higher ambition or better packages. For HR teams and business leaders, this subtle but important shift is an organisational risk and an opportunity. The Dissatisfaction Trend – ...

  • Does Anyone Still Write a Cover Letter?

    Posted on Monday, June 8, 2026

    If you’re applying for jobs and staring at that optional “cover letter” box or wondering if you should use a “cover email” as you send off your CV, you’re not alone. Plenty of candidates wonder whether it’s outdated, ignored, or just another hoop to jump through. The truth is that cover letters are still around for a reason. But they’re not always essential. So, does anyone still write a cover ...

  • Do You Know How Your Workforce Really Feel About You?

    Posted on Friday, June 5, 2026

    When it comes to understanding what people really think about working for you, there’s often a big difference between perception and reality. As a leader or HR professional, you might believe your workforce feels positive about their experience, but research suggests the reality can be very different. Addressing this gap isn’t just about being nice; it’s strategic, and it matters to performance, ...

  • Strategic HR in a Time of Tribunal Delays

    Posted on Thursday, June 4, 2026

    It’s a challenging landscape for HR professionals and business leaders right now. The backlog in employment tribunal cases continues to grow, with tens of thousands of unresolved cases stretching waiting times and increasing legal exposure for employers. Forward-thinking people strategy has never been more important. Why the Backlog Matters to Your Organisation The latest data from employment ...

  • Why Your Managers Are Burning Out (and What It’s Doing to Engagement)

    Posted on Monday, June 1, 2026

    Employee engagement has been on a slow downward slide, and it’s now becoming a business-critical issue, not just a “people” issue. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report paints a worrying picture: global employee engagement has fallen to 20%, down from its 2022 peak of 23%. That might not sound dramatic, but across the global workforce, even one percentage point represents around 21 ...