Elaine Courtney shares insights into the world of recruitment

It’s been a busy time for Elaine Courtney, Director of Liverpool’s Courtney Recruitment as she has been invited to speak as an expert at numerous events, panels, and meetings over the last month.

Elaine commented:

“It’s been great to get out into the business and student community and use my time to give something back to the future generation as well as input into the future of the Financial and Professional Services sector, as I work with some many clients and candidates in this sector.

“It’s fantastic to be able to be part of, and make a contribution to, the conversation and subsequently the plans that go into place to support our students, our local SMEs and also our Corporates.”

Starting with a request from Liverpool John Moores University, Elaine was asked by HR Lecturer, Helen Klepper to present to a group first year HR students on 21st February to give them an overview of the recruitment marketplace, CV skills and recruitment processes, as well as tips on how to approach getting a job themselves once they complete their course.

Helen commented:

“The HR Team within the LJMU Business School works with local businesses to ensure that our students not only develop their academic skills but also prepare themselves for employment.

“We are grateful to Elaine from Courtney Recruitment for not only speaking to our first-year students about recruitment, interview skills and employability but also taking an active part within our online employability event in which we built relationships between students and local employers. We hope to continue our ties with Courtney Recruitment and thank you for your contribution and enhancing the student experience.”

Secondly, Elaine was asked to present at LJMU’s ‘HR Networking & Employability Event’ on 28th February which was led by Senior Lecturer Dr Patricia Jolliffe PhD, MA HRM. The purpose was to give the students an insight into some of the career path options that are available to HR professionals, whether that’s in the private sector, public sector or 3rd sector.

It enabled students to ask professional questions about their roles and discuss the pros and cons of working in their current and/or past HR sector. It provided a safe and comfortable space for professionals to share and students to learn and connect.

One of the hosts at the event Dr Deborah Callaghan commented

“It was really interesting, informative and personal. The students will have massively benefit from Elaine’s advice and wealth of experience.”

The third invitation was extended to Elaine as a guest at a prestigious a roundtable discussion about ‘People and Purpose’, organised by Professional Liverpool and the Growth Platform, in the presence of Vincent Keaveny, the Lord Mayor of London and other respected business leaders held at Griffiths & Armour on 24th February.

Elaine discussed and led on her thoughts and experience which contributed to the Lord Mayor’s agenda which was to discuss how to achieve a purpose-led and people-focused UK Financial and Professional Services sector; the conversation was focused on how we as a business community can do more to facilitate and support socio-economic mobility. Elaine shared her thinking around ways in which she feels the larger business in our city could pull together to really work closely with not only graduates, but school and college leavers, people of varying background and educational attainment levels to help bridge the gap between education and the working world.

The final event took place on 10th March and was the Business Growth Platform Programme organised by Liverpool Chamber of Commerce.

The morning event was a great turnout and Elaine covered the following:

• The current employment marketplace is tricky – But there are things you can do
• How do I define exactly what we’re going to need when we take someone on?
• What should a recruitment process involve?

Her overall conclusion to the event was that qualifications don’t always make a candidate suitable, and no experience doesn’t always mean the candidate is unsuitable, which is a key message she urged all employers to take away from the event. Elaine commented, “Hire for attitude, train for skill”

To find out more about Elaine, where she will next be speaking and how Courtney Recruitment can help your business recruit or help you achieve your career goals in accountancy or office support roles, check out LinkedIn or visit courtneyreedgroup.co.uk/recruitment