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

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

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 went along this morning to the Sonru.com launch in Enniscorthy Enterprise & Technology Centre. The guest list consisted of who's who of Wexford business, and people working in web/tech and enterprise support. Edward Hendrick, Sonru's founder provided us with a demo of what will prove to be one of the most innovative and cost saving e-recruitment tools on the market today. 'Sonru is a smart, convenient, more economical tool for remotely interviewing people online' .Essentially, it's a tool for recruiters to automate initial screening of candidates and the case studies on their website catalogue the time and cost saving benefits.
Left: Fergal O'Byrne, Chairman & Edward Hendrick Director of Sunru.com with Paul Kehoe T.D. who officially launched Sonru.com.

Chris Horan, CTO Sonru, Maiken O'Byrne, Tom Banville, Wexford CEB & Fergal O'Byrne, Chairman Sonru

Labels: online recruitment, Out and About, Smart Work

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

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