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RECRUITMENT \\\ Forwarders look to niche markets


The role of a freight recruiter is changing and becoming even more challenging as forwarders look to niche markets to increase the profit margins. Not only is there heavy demand from the leading forwarders for generalist sales professionals but we are seeing an increasing amount of vertical market specialist


requirements.


This can be anything from defence, aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, perishables and


Your next career move is on the Internet


pharmaceuticals. The days are over where a


job spec for a freight forwarding sales executive is invariably for a generalist. We also see some of the larger


Over the course of the last ten years the internet has taken over as the main source for jobseekers looking for the latest career opportuni- ties. Over 90% percent of UK Freight Industry placements are from candidates sourced from the leading internet job boards. We are seeing more and more TV advertising campaigns from the generic sites in order to attract more candidates. The way organisations re- cruit is changing and if you want to attract the best candidates you need keep up with times.


forwarders recruiting trade lane managers or route development managers,


depending on the


company’s terminology. The vertical market or trade


route specialism is designed to give the sales professional more focus


Industry-specific sites are the most likely way way forward. Our own site - forwardingjobs.com – has seen a massive uptake since it launched a few weeks ago and in the space of a few weeks has at- tracted over 1,000 candidates. Four major freight operators have now placed their vacancies on the site – Expeditors, WTA, UPS and WFS - and there are now over 300 jobs advertised on the site, prob- ably more than double the number of freight-specific jobs on any of the general sites. The number of job applications doubled in August compared with July, even though August is traditionally a very slack month.


The logistics industry would have to find half a million recruits between now and 2017, says Dr Mick Jackson of Skills for Logistics. Most of these people would be needed simply to replace


retirees, even before


beginning to consider growth in the sector, the chief executive officer of the industry sector skills council told a press conference in London on 12 September. Moreover,, despite the recession, there were still severe skills shortages in many areas, especially drivers. To help tackle the problem, SfL had identified ‘clusters’ of


logistics


In time, we expect that the site will become a gauge of the health of the freight industry job market, and candidates would even be able to use it to check whether their salary levels are keeping pace with the average in their area or sector. It would also give a degree of trans- parency to the jobs market; unlike agencies, we have no interest in hiding the names of potential employers – or inflating salary levels.


employment – for example around major ports or airports – where it would reach out to schools, colleges and other establishments and try to “build a pool of new talent, people who want to work in logistics rather than in a shop, a pub or a care home.” Clusters identified so far were


As one leading employer told us, the advantage of industry-specific sites is that the applicants they get are much better aligned to their needs – there is no need to spend time and money filtering out the perhaps five out of six jobseekers with no experience of the indus- try whatsoever.


Daventry, Taffs Well in South Wales, Bellshill in central Scotland, Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland and Trafford Park near Manchester. It was likely that future clusters would include major port and airport areas, Dr Jackson told FBJ.


I believe that, increasingly, most jobs in the industry will be filled through websites like this – leaving perhaps the 20% most specialist positions to be filled through head dhunting services. I also see int rnet recruitment in the industry going global in the next few years. We are planning to launch forward saiingjobs.com in the Netherlands next year but we have already had a massive response from Dutch and belgian job-seekers applying for UK jobs, and they are going a long way towards bridging the sales skills gap that has existed in this country, despite the recession.


“to raise the self-esteem of people working in the industry” and SfL has gained funding to set up a Logistics Guild – due to be launched in September – which would act as a network for ‘operatives’ in the industry, including freight forwarders. “If we can build the self-esteem of the 2.4 million people who work in logistics, we can make it an industry in which people want to work,” said Dr Jackson. The supply of training had improved over the years from the admittedly “dire” levels a few years ago, but employers need to be more involved in the process. “We will be working with the fledgling National Skills Academy for Logistics to evelop the right tools for the job,” he d.


Air Freight Clerk - Manchester Headford Consulting are currently recruiting for a well- established, top 20 forwarder in the Manchester area who are looking to expand their Air freight division. The candidate we are looking for will need to have: • Previous experience working for a freight forwarder on either imports or exports


• Excellent customs knowledge – creating documentation and performing customs entries


• Strong communication skills and the ability to build lasting relationships with clients and suppliers This is a fast paced and rewarding role offering fantastic progression opportunities and the chance to enhance your skills within the freight industry.


Salary: Negotiable


groups that had just been launched would in future help employers make better-informed decisions, he said. These would be made up of groups of employers that would help determine what skills were needed for various sectors, and at local level. There would be a group


Business Development Freight Forwarder Oil and Gas - Aberdeen


A leading Aberdeen based Freight Forwarding office is looking to recruit a Business Development Manager to join their existing team The BDM will be responsible for - • Meeting Revenue targets (2 X Costs) • Face to Face meetings to ascertain client requirements • Supply Quotations when requested and completing tendering process’


My client is a well-known force in the Aberdeen area so the successful person will have the full backing of a reputable business. Salary is highly negotiable


On a positive note, while the image of the logistics image was one of the chief barriers to recruitment in th past, but its image has improved markedly in recent years, said Dr Jackson. Good work by UPS in the Olympics build-up and the Eddie Stobart TV series had helped to raise the industry’s profile, he said.


The next task, he continued, was Too often, training recruitment was


carried out in an ad hoc fashion, he pointed out. Companies would never procure their tyres or forklift trucks in such a casual, uninformed manner as they acquired staff training, he said. SfL chairman Paul Brooks added that training purchasing decisions in many companies were often “pushed down to the operational level” of businesses, which was not ideal. New Occupational Craſt Skill


for international trade, which would encompass freight forwarding. The groups would be chaired


by industry bodies, including the British International Freight Association (BIFA), along with others such as the Freight Transport Association, the Institute of Couriers, Port Skills & Safety, the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) and the Chartered Institute of Transport and Logistics (CITL), although it was vital that actual employers became actively involved in the process. If successful, the Occupational Craſt Skills Groups would, promised Dr Jackson, be “a fantastically powerful piece of information.”


but in certain sectors profit margins can be much higher than general forwarding. As a result of this we are finding


an increasing number of very specialist job specs. We feel it is better for the industry


as it gives sales professionals a clear progression path as the vertical market or trade lane roles tend to be more senior and higher paying. Certainly an excellent career path for a go-getter.


Craig Headford Logistics ‘needs half a million recruits by 2017’


The biggest problem is that as most sites are generic that they only deliver on average 10% of the time. This is why most leading agencies use all of the top ten generic job boards in order to guarantee client delivery.


SfL’s Dr Mick Jackson wants to boost industry’s self- esteem


Issue 6 2012 Hot Jobs


35 Candidates Senior Sales Manager - Belgium - Candidate 19967


Candidate has been managing his own business for the past 2.5 years and is achieving Revenue of €250,000 with a 25% profit. Entering the market to secure a Senior Management role ideally with a Commercial biased


Skills - Customer Retention - Commercial Contact with Customers inc Key Account Status clients Customs Documentation Hands on Management of teams File handling from A - Z Preparation of Monthly results


Salary Sought - €55,000PA Branch Manager - LHR - Candidate 27789


An experienced Branch Manager has become available to the market following several successful years at her current employer. Presently managing an extremely profitable Branch with line management of 5 staff.


Experienced with both Air & Ocean my candidate is looking for a fresh challenge


Skills - Fully responsible for profit and loss - Management of a team of staff Working closely with our Sales staff to develop accounts and ensuring maximum profit Negotiating rates with Airlines Shipping Lines & Haulage Companies Salary - £40,000PA


Senior Air and Sea Freight Clerk – Bradford - Candidate 25971


• Strong quotations and rate negotiation knowledge • Handling air and sea freight shipments from cradle to grave • Excellent customs knowledge • Over 6 years industry experience with a stable career history • Supervisory experience, able to train and motive operations staff


Salary - NEG Senior Import & Export Freight Forwarder - LHR - Candidate 23494


Candidate has been managing his own business for the past 2.5 years and is achieving Revenue of €250,000 with a 25% profit. Entering the market to secure a Senior Management role ideally with a Commercial biased


Skills - Customer Retention - Commercial Contact with Customers inc Key Account Status clients Customs Documentation Hands on Management of teams File handling from A - Z Preparation of Monthly results


Salary Sought - €55,000PA Senior Sales Manager - Belgium - Candidate 19967


An experienced Senior Import & Export Forwarder looking to make a move in LHR





Freight Forwarding & Logistics Industry) • • •


Salary - NEG Senior Export/Import Operator - LHR


Experienced in working within Freight Forwarding • Have experience of working in Airfreight or Sea Freight Exports and/or Imports • Have knowledge of Bookings, Quotes, Customs Entries, Bills of Lading, Letters of Credit and all other shipping


Salary: Circa £35 - 40K DOE - Mobile phone and Laptop supplied to facilitate out of hours work


Hours: 9 – 6 but flexibility required for evenings/weekend work hence the salary


Global Key Account Manager - LHR


Top 10 Forwarder seeks Global Key Account Manager in LHR Requirements to Candidates • Supply Chain Management, including a wide breadth of understanding in 4PL/LLP


• Formal qualification in Logistics, Supply Chain and / or related areas


• In-depth knowledge of assigned industry and good awareness of competitors’ business strategy


• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a global sales environment, selling International logistics and supply chain


Salary - NEG


Air & Sea/ Import & Exports Experience (Over 7 years’ experience in Excellent all round experience of quotations through to invoicing


Fully conversed in custom Entries - ASM Gems (Import & Export) Manage team of three, delegate & overseas shipments


Key Personnel: Simon Neale


Chris Tissier Kelly Hatton


Key Account Manager


Customer Service Manager Account Manager


The Freight Industry Jobsite...


Phone: +44 (0)1454 203795 Email:


info@forwardingjobs.com Web: www.forwardingjobs.com


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