Heard about the 5 minute marketing event organised by Irish Women in Business via Tara's post on IGOpeople. Reach target audiences, recieve feedback on your performance, make new contacts and reach more customers is what's billed on the schedule so if it delivers even half of that you'll be on to a winner given that it's one of many free seminars available to members, a snip at only 50 euro for annual membership.

Where: Bank of Ireland, Tallaght
When: Wednesday 24th June 2009
Time: 4.30pm to 6.30pm

They're also holding a draw on the evening for IWIB members. Select Digital Print have offered a Starter Pack Stationery Set comprising of business cards, comp slips, letterheads worth €300 to one lucky member who participates and is creative with their 5 Minute Marketing pitch OR vouchers/flyers/postcards for your business.

Labels: Entrepreneurship, Flexitimers, Out and About, Social Media

Came across this post on, one of our members, Deirdre's Spellcheck editorial services ezine. It outlines the 6 most common mistakes of social media marketing which are Large Following, Content, Endless Promotional Messages, Joining on a whim and the double whammies of thinking that social media should replace all marketing activity and indeed that is is free. Deirdre has fleshed it out in more detail and given credit to the original author. Worth a visit if social media is on your agenda.

Labels: Flexitimers, Social Media

I was asked to fill out an exceptionally badly designed customer satisfaction survey yesterday. From what I could gather (from the loaded questions, leading response options and multiple bias), the purpose of the survey was to provide the company with an empirical justification to get rid of their print brochures and rely more heavily on their website so they could indirectly save the world/environment (and reduce their print budget). Their findings will recommend just that because the wording and inherent bias of the questions will only elicit these findings. Which begs the question why didn't they spend the resources on a print run of the brochure or make a donation to an enviro-org?
There is a moral to this story:
The danger of outsourcing or even in-sourcing activities to people that do not have the appropriate skill set to carry it off.
What I would recommend is getting a professional researcher to work out with them what they want to find out, what is the most appropriate research method and then the same professional can design, collate and present the findings for approximately the same time and money.
In previous roles and throughout my professional life, I've been a contract researcher doing both academic and commercial projects. It's not a black art, it's not particularly difficult but it is an acquired taste or skill. However, unfortunately most people across all disciplines think they can just knock up a survey in 20 minutes and they probably could but I will guarantee you that it won't deliver any information, what you'll be left with is a huge amount of data and nothing to base meaningful decisions.

I don't know whether the person behind this survey was a member of staff or a hired-in researcher, but what I can assume is that the company in question did not get the best person for the project because they limited themselves to their own network.

Every company, large and small, has been a victim to this mindset - better the devil you know and it's prevalent across all disciplines - horrid graphic design, sub-optimal web design, IT etc. etc.
Today we can't afford mediocrity and it's time to start exacting the best possible value for our time and money. So instead I would recommend casting the net a little wider, tendering out to a group of skilled professionals and allow yourself be impressed by their knowledge and experience rather than their address book. There are lots of online and offline networks out there, Flexitimers is one of them, use us but if not use our competitors because I just can't bare to see companies paying (time and money) for poor product in these recessionary times (pardon the cliche).

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, FlexiTips, freelancing, Opportunties for contracting, Recession, Smart Work

Short and to the point article caught my eye today. It makes the simple point that introducing flexible working to an organization has very positive benefits and I would add that in these economic times - it makes a very positive contribution to the bottom line. Employers should outline and focus on the task they need completed and not when and how its done.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, Smart Work

Article in yesterday's Irish Times highlights the obvious advantages for both parties regarding interim employment for executives. That is hiring experienced professionals flexibly. This might be on a part time or contract basis. Why has this not taken off in Ireland? U.S companies have been hiring in experts for years - in times of boom and bust. Its used as a way of checking their thoughts and plans with an expert or using the expert to carry out something specific that needs real depth of experience. Do Irish management teams see this as a threat or as an admission they don't know it all? Besides the expert view - flexible consultants come at a reduced cost and are often more motivated. Recruitment companies are saying its on the rise ........but using agencies means paying for it.....remember Flexitimers is FREE and full of flexible professionals - sound like a match?? YES!

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, freelancing, online recruitment, Opportunties for contracting, Smart Work

Interleado's Managing Director Peter Cullen experience on Flexitimers is exactly what we are aiming for so we were delighted with his feedback. Peter said "I found the the process very user friendly and quality of candidates very high. The main reason I tried Flexitimers was to see - Does this work? Do professional job seekers use this service. And the answer is Yes they do!"

Peter was looking for "a couple of experienced professionals that had experience in online marketing, specifically in the niche of SEO. I was looking for candidates who were flexible and ideally wanted to work for themselves". After 3 days he has agreed to start working with two of the candidates and we've agreed to start working with each other.

So from one employer to another Peter asks - "why pay for leading jobs boards that want to sell you a package for thousands when Flexitimers has the type of staff that make sense in Ireland today?"

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, Smart Work

Flexitimers are attending the IIA Congress tomorrow in Dublin. There's an excellent line-up of speakers including representatives from Realex Payments, dotMobi, Google and Facebook.

I'm also involved in one of the break-out sessions where, along with my colleagues from the IIA Social Media Working Group, we'll be running a workshop entitled 'Establishing a Social Media Strategy in 45 mins' so if you're looking for a hands-on whistle stop tour of blogging, tweeting and general social networking well this is the 45 minutes for you. Hope to see you there.

Labels: Flexitimers, IIA SMWG, Out and About, Social Media

The following interview with Joy Redmond Marketing & Operations Director of Flexitimers kindly syndicated from JobsBlog.ie

About Flexitimers
Flexitimers is a self-service project board enabling companies to connect with consultants, freelancers, small businesses, contractors and specialists/experts for professional project work in Ireland.

The site is completely free for both professionals and companies to use. Flexitimers is a closed network; employers or other professionals cannot search through profiles. Profiles are only viewable to employers whose project matches your profile.

Ivan: New Flexitimers site is launched, the media love it, and the response has been very positive. How happy are you with the media coverage?
Well obviously we're very pleased and I think the reason is because Flexitimers is a good news story during recession overload. Everyday we are hearing and reading about the recession, job losses, redundancy and market uncertainty. Flexitimers is good news for a few reasons. Firstly, we have hit on a previously untapped sector with the recruitment industry in Ireland being a mix of web2.0 and project work which is very new and hugely necessary. Secondly, project and indeed flexible work tended to be quite siloed for example IT and design sectors largely but our intention was to offer flexibility to a broader occupational base. Traditionally I suppose IT and design were easy outsource targets because the output was so tangible but there is no reason why any company cannot outsource less tangible operations/functions such as PR, sales and marketing, admin, legal and financial roles. It all goes back to people skills and effective management and just because someone is sitting in your office 40 hours per week doesn't always translate into an optimal solution. Thirdly, we practice what we preach: I live in Wexford and co-founder Dervla Cunningham is based in Dublin and we have managed to research, develop and launch a business by working remotely.

Ivan: The Recruitment industry in Ireland is changing. What role will Flexitimers play in the future?
Of course the recruitment industry is changing because it had to, it is a bit like the construction or property sector during the boom which was synonymous with over-charging and under-delivering. Today, no company can afford to pay for mediocrity whether that is in suppliers, staff or services.
To get back to recruitment, we believe the employment model is changing and the focus will be less on hiring full time permanent staff but will be more project driven. It is a win-win situation for employers because they get to pick and choose the best people for each task and manage their overheads more effectively.
Flexitimers' role is to provide companies with access to a pool of skilled and experienced professionals who are actively seeking project work. Traditionally companies tend to find project workers through their own networks but this is random and unfortunately the best people aren't necessarily within your reach. On Flexitimers you can hire beyond your network and not compromise on quality or caliber. I suppose, Flexitimers confounds false economy and mediocrity.

Ivan: The way we live and the way we work is not the same. Flexitimers seems to be accommodating this and applying it to recruitment?
Absolutely, as the line goes 'nobody ever said on their deathbed, I should have spent more time in the office.' But there is one key point I want to make here: just because you want to work flexibly doesn't mean you have to compromise your career. Take part-time work for example, typically available only in retail, catering and administrative jobs. Like I said earlier, Flexitimers is broadening that occupational base. How? We provide professionals with access to flexible positions i.e. contract, temporary, freelance, consulting and telework across a variety of roles so we're there to help anyone who has just been made redundant to earn income while they're in between jobs. Furthermore, more and more of these interim project workers who join the site for interim or stopgap work find it works better for them so now not only have they flexibility but also they're expanding their profile, career and portfolio.

Ivan: Flexitimers - what is the next step? What is the plan for the future?
I could tell you but I'd have to shoot you afterwards! Only joking, big plans and plenty of exciting developments. I suppose the biggest news at the moment is that our service is FREE to use which again reflects the dramatic changes in the recruitment industry. We'll of course want to build our brand and awareness over the coming months. In the background we are working on expansion plans both in terms of functionality and geography. I speak French, Spanish and basic Dutch so who knows, maybe I will be teleworking from a sunnier climate!

About Joy Redmond, co-founder of Flexitimers
Joy Redmond started her career in 1996 as Marketing Director of Newmedia, one of Ireland's first web design companies. She remained agency side working with Zartis.com and Campaign HTDS before moving client side to become online marketing manager of IngredientsNet.com (a joint venture between Fyffes and Glanbia). Before setting up Flexitimers with Dervla Cunningham, Joy was a lecturer in E-business, research and marketing in the Dublin Institute of Technology and was Course Director of the Masters in Business & Entrepreneurship. Joy also is a busy project worker doing consultant marketing and research for many blue chip companies in Ireland such as Bank of Ireland, eircom, NTL, Poster Plan and JCDecaux. She is a mentor on the Wexford County Enterprise Board and a member of the Irish Internet Association Social Media Working Group.

Joy: Thanks Ivan, a pleasure doing this interview, keep up the good work.

Labels: Flexitimers, Media Coverage, online recruitment, Recession

The wait is now over, the Flexitimers' 'Thinking Outside the LunchBox' movie is now live. This video was produced thanks to Enterprise Ireland innovation vouchers in conjunction with Institute of Art & Design Dun Laoghaire and Glimpse Digital.



Credits:
The concept of this movie was developed by Dervla Cunningham and Joy Redmond of Flexitimers with Ger Fox from IADT and Andy Clarke from Glimpse Digital. Inspiration came from RTE The Business presenter/writer John Murray's book 'Now that's what I can jargon.'
Actors: Amy Redmond, Stephen Rooney and Shane Nestor. Script by Alan Kinsella.

Labels: Flexitimers, Social Media

Flexitimers are speaking at the Goose Forum tonight about the trials and tribulations of outsourcing - the why, how and where. According to James Kennedy, the event organiser, the audience will be made of a small gathering of people interested or embarking on web ventures so I'll be there to talk about three things:
Starting up a web business in Ireland - help and tips
Outsourcing as a viable means of getting the job done and
Flexitimers as one of the platforms out there to connect companies to a pool of skilled and experienced freelancers, contractors and consultants.
The event takes place in the Maldron Hotel, Cardiff Lane at 6.30. More information available here.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, Out and About, Smart Work

Flexitimers has also improved the profiling on the site - You can now learn more about the professionals you want to connect with. For example, professionals can now upload a photo / image, add a link to their website/blog and upload their CV / Portfolio.


Changes you should note:

1. Users will now login using a username. You can still log in using your email address and then create a username by clicking on 'Edit My Details' in My Account.
2. All email addresses must be verified. You will be sent a verification code.
3. You can now upload a logo or image.
4. You can now attach a project spec/brief which be downloadable

Labels: Flexitimers, FlexiTips

WHY?
Because these skills lend themselves to freelance and project work and can typically be outsourced.

HOW?
Many of the categories have changed and some have been removed to focus on the business skills in demand namely Sales and Marketing, IT and Multimedia Design, Consultancy, Training Financial, Legal and Admin services to start-up and established businesses.

WHEN?
This weekend so log on and update your company profile.

Labels: Flexitimers, FlexiTips

Flexitimers featured in an article in the Sunday Times yesterday about the growing trend towards portfolio careers i.e. people working on several projects at the same time rather than a full time position with just one company. And the trend is growing hence the new term 'giganomics' where 'professionals rely on series of 'gigs' to make a living'. The concept is not brand new as management guru Charles Handy wrote about this almost 20 years ago. In fact, one of his books The Elephant and the Flea, was a huge inspiration to us when setting up Flexitimers. Anyway, with the rapidity of recent market changes and subsequent job losses, we're going to be hearing a lot more about portfolio workers. The

Labels: Flexitimers, Media Coverage, Recession, Smart Work

Busy few days ahead for Flexitimers wrt public speaking. First up, tomorrow at midday it's Bizcamp Limerick which is made all the more relevant with the latest news about even more job losses in Dell. So well done everyone involved for pitching in and organising an event that hopes to foster enterprise in a region so affected by the downturn.
Then we're helping out in Flexitimers' alma mater NovaUCD on Tuesday (11-12) where they're hosting an open day to coincide with Dun-Laoghaire-Rathdown Enterprise Week. Hopefully see you at one or both events.

Labels: Flexitimers, Out and About

Times are changing and we must change too. Flexitimers is now FREE to use. We're passionate about helping companies to find flexible professionals and helping skilled professionals find work. The matching system on the site helps employers screen candidates and remember - if you want to hire 'under the radar' you can use words to describe your company as opposed to the company name. So how does it work? Well as soon as you register, we'll upload credits in your account and you can post a job or project. Feel FREE to use the service.

Labels: Flexitimers, jobs, online recruitment, Recession

Flexitimers are heading along to Bizcamp tomorrow in Dublin. Bizcamp stemmed from barcamps which are user generated un-conferences enabling entrepreneurs to talk, share and network. I'm really looking forward to it. We're giving a talk at midday if you're around.

Labels: Flexitimers, Out and About

Flexitimers hooked up with a few people yesterday - fellow staff, potential strategic alliances and also Krishna De - one of Ireland's top branding and social media strategists. We've been working in the web business since 1996 and in marketing since before then, but having said that - we can't and don't know it all so enter Krishna who's going to help on some very specific projects. I remember hearing Denis O'Brien speak a few years ago and he said it was good to know your strengths but also more importantly your weaknesses. So if you in any way doubt your ability in a specific area, it might be a good idea to hire in someone with that expertise even for a half day workshop to identify the gaps and point you in the right direction. Today, without sounding like a recessionista, we can't afford to hire at will but we don't have to go without either. A mentor, freelancer or indeed outsourcing can be the solution to this quandary and won't break the bank. Also think about the potential output for a small investment in your time a few hourly rates. I'm sure you'll find it more than pays for itself.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, online recruitment, Out and About, Smart Work

Flexitimers went along to a brilliant session entitled 'Marketing on a shoestring' kindly organised by Wicklow County Enterprise Board. The seminar was eBranding Guru Krishne De
who had so many great ideas on how to market and sell without any or
much marketing budget. The event shows how truly worthwhile the Enterprise
Boards in Ireland are in helping business upskill and remain competitive.

Labels: Flexitimers, Out and About, Social Media

Dick O'Brien very kindly wrote an article about us in yesterday's Sunday Business Post. It presented Flexitimers as an attractive service for these challenging economic times with its low costs and access to a skilled flexible workforce. Today, we're seeing more and more companies faced with head count cuts yet who still have projects to complete and need interim staff. You can find them on Flexitimers and there's a one-off cost, no daily rate and none of that nasty sales pressure.

Labels: Flexitimers, Media Coverage

We had a very interesting meeting recently with the CEO of Staff Balance, Ciaran McGowan when we spoke of the synergies between our companies to help businesses minimise staffing costs, maximise efficiencies and improve staffing flexibility. We've touched on this topic before, for example in our recent post about the recession being even more of a reason to hire smart. Staff Balance provides a scientific way for companies to deal with the downturn. The original idea for Staff Balance came about in more prosperous times when it was difficult and costly to recruit people but Ciaran is finding it applies equally in these current difficult economic conditions. Today, more than ever, companies are seeking to understand the staffing levels needed to service the business through its peaks and troughs. Their scientific approach saved their most recent client 12% of its total annual payroll and provided the means to predict staffing requirements based on changing business volumes and activity. Armed with that information management can work through Flexitimers to secure their staffing requirements. Makes sense to me.

Labels: Flexitimers, Out and About, Recession, Smart Work

If you're looking for some hugely negative reporting of Ireland's economic climate, then look no further than the article published in the Irish Times last Friday. It covers all the 'low hanging fruit' such as the construction industry, commuter towns, financial services and the retail sector. It was appalling planning and sheer lack of business acumen that saw phenomenal growth in most of these sub-economies in the first place - inflated house prices and its poorly conceived subsequent urban/rural sprawl along with the larger than life home decor sector were never sustainable. The financial services sector encouraged these practices. So yes, it's not that it's all doom and gloom, we're just back to basics - sound business. It reminds me of the post .com bubble bursting of 2000 when funnily enough smart business came to the fore and people stopped investing in spotty teenagers' 'ideas' rather than sound business plans and projections. So, of course there are lay offs and redundancies and the damage that goes with that, but on the other hand - there are still plenty of businesses (small and large) thriving today - unable to keep up with demand and these are Ireland's unsung heroes who weren't offering supernormal profit and an opportunuty to get extremely rich very quickly, no they're profitable enterprises adding value to our economy and society and long may they prosper. And really it's not all doom and gloom, Ireland is hugely entreprenurial and we're going to see lots of new businesses popping up offering services to 'cut costs' and 'work smart' because we have to. Start by using Flexitimers and cut costs and work smart by using a flexible workforce.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, Recession, Smart Work

The title of the above article is the same title that appeared in The Irish Times last week and its becoming more and more apparent as we enter a global recession how true if companies want to remain competitive. Prof Cary Cooper who is an expert in organisational psychology spoke to the Irish Times ahead of delivering a paper to the 21st Annual James Smiley Lecture to the faculty of occupational medicine at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. In a recession some employers may be tempted to give less autonomy to their employees but he believes this is wrong and that most jobs are service based and can be done away from the office at varying times which reduces stress and anxiety leading to better productivity. We at Flexitimers could not agree more!!!

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, jobs, Smart Work

Labels: Flexitimers, Media Coverage, NovaUCD Start up Awards

Flexitimers attended the Big Debate in City Hall last Wednesday and were fortunate to put a question to the panel. The panel, which was chaired by by respected broadcaster John Bowman, consisted of Jay Bourke (Cafe Bar Deli), Martin Murray (Interactive Return), Brian Carey (Sunday Times), Marc Coleman (Newstalk), Mark Fielding from ISME, Damian Young Head of Small Business, Bank of Ireland, Paula Fitzsimons, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor author and Pat Lynch, Chairperson of Dublin City Enterprise Board.

Q: Did the panel think that companies (under pressure to cut headcount) were more likely to outsource activities or use part-time, freelance and contract staff in order to remain competitive during these challenging times?

Summary: there was unanimous agreement that companies must outsource and use flexible staff to stay in business.

Quotes:
Marc Coleman - 'there is no doubt, no option that companies will have to outsource / use agency staff'

Pat Lynch 'your largest overheads walk in to your company on two feet....businesses must control these costs', 'It (outsourcing and using flexible staff) is a good business strategy'

Jay Bourke - If you're not letting people go, you'll go out of business, outsource right away'

Brian Carey 'It's a growing trend in Irish businesses'

This is good news for Flexitimers and particularly good news for employers out there facing the challenge of headcount cuts yet who still have projects to complete. Flexitimers offers these employers access to a pool of highly skilled and experienced professionals who are available for part time, contract and freelance positions and projects.

You can see more pictures and coverage of the event by clicking this link.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, jobs, Out and About, Recession, Smart Work

For some reason there is still the few held that part time or flexible work is not 100% serious or committed. This view is changing because it is becoming more and more obvious that it does make sense - in fact it makes more sense than full time for certain jobs or tasks (it was obvious to many of us before!).

An article in the Irish Times recently made some very good points:

The article outlines a report by Cranford School of Management and a British charity, Working Families. It found a positive relationship between flexible working practices and employee performance. "These findings are important because they show both performance-related and longer-term benefits from flexible working" said Report co-author and strategic human resource management specialist, Dr Clare Kelliher". The article finishes with the line: "Flexibility seems to run both ways: a flexible workforce will also demand flexible organisations and employment patterns".

This is exactly the raison d'etre for Flexitimers.com.

Flexibilty makes sense and helps employers maintain or increase productivity, increase loyalty, retain good employees and reduce the payroll bill. Who can argue with that??

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, Smart Work

Another interesting article featuring the National Productivity Centre and the Irish Management Institute on productivity in a recession says "in the midst of the financial upheaval enveloping the economy at present, the onus is on companies to react quickly and decisively. They must increase their productivity and become more innovative in order to stay competitive and, ultimately, increase their bottom line".
The knee jerk reaction has been to look at cutting employees left, right and centre but once this is over and there is still work to be done hiring full time/permanent staff is daunting to say the least. Enter Flexitimers - a way to hire excellent, experienced staff with no pretence - you are hiring them for a flexible job or project. You have hired them to get X job done in Y time. Simple as that. Using a site like Flexitimers - quick and low low cost is the only way of hiring skills in a market like today. For more on this article click here.

Labels: Flexible Recruitment, Flexitimers, jobs, Recession, Smart Work

I recently read this article on how HR Managers are using the web to find staff online and I thought this is EXACTLY what Flexitimers is all about.

Of course in the end the normal HR/Recruitment process of meeting and vetting the person face to face must happen but the advantages in terms of time and cost in finding candidates online simply cannot be disputed. A survey carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 2005 found that technology is used across a range of HR functions and this is rising and rising.

The two big advantages that Flexitimers has over its competition is that is person to person; direct from employer to professional - with no time wasting, budget eating middlemen. Secondly (and more importantly!) its QUALITY. Flexitimers is about people who are skilled, experienced and can get the job done. The complaint we often hear from employers is that the job boards return hundreds and hundreds of CVs but that the people are all too junior. This has turned off any senior or experienced people from putting their CV online. Until now!! Flexitimers is focused only on experienced people. This means employers now have access to a whole new group of people. Happy matching!

Labels: Flexitimers, online recruitment, Smart Work

The Irish Times article profiling Flexitimers.com was spot on in highlighting the advantage the site offers to employers in this uncertain economic time. The article points out that many employers maybe looking at hiring "flexible professionals" for previous full time positions - "employers may be reluctant to hire additional full-time staff, but still have work or projects they need completed on a flexible basis".

The cost benefits of a " flexible professional" over a full time employee are obvious but the low cost of posting a job or project on the site will also help business owners or HR Managers maximise their spend on recruitment.

The article also points out the different target markets the site will appeal to - contractors and freelancers accross all industries, professional women who have certain family committments, retired people who had professional careers etc, many of these groups had up to now been ignored by recruitment comments - this means Flexitimers.com offers employers access to a pool of professional people who, given their need for flexibility and stage of their career may not be on the books of the recruitment agencies around town.

Think about that - a new group of professional flexible people wanting work - now that makes sense today!

Labels: Flexitimers, jobs, Media Coverage, online recruitment, Smart Work

Flexitimers was born out of need: a need of employers to hire people (but not full time permanent people) and people who wanted work (but not full time permanent basis). As Employers, Business Owners or HR Managers we know you are always looking for good staff - especially when the economy is slowing down. Flexible professionals make good economic sense. Think about it - could 'Flexible Professionals' make sense for you?

1. Flexible professionals cost a lot less than full time staff
2. Flexible professionals come in and get the job done
3. Flexible professionals can be used only when you need them

Flexitimers is the only place you will find a group of professional people looking for flexible work. This is because they have been ignored by recruitment companies. Recruitment companies have had it too good for too long - seriously, if it's time to tighten our belts then it's time to find a new innovative way to hire good people - WELCOME TO FLEXITIMERS.

Labels: Flexitimers, jobs, online recruitment, Smart Work