memcom 2019 awards
Now that entry for the 2019 awards are open, Julian Smith, Director of I am recruiting, takes a... Read More
Blog
Reaching out to you in the Big Give
Please donate to Glad’s House via the Big Give Christmas Challenge and your donation will be DOUBLED. Glad’s House... Read More
The best (and worst) times to schedule an interview
When it comes to scheduling interviews, we don’t always get much of a choice. Even if we’re given... Read More
What makes a good temp, and what temping could do for your career…
As part of I am recruiting’s Temp of the Year 2018 competition, Julian Smith takes a look at... Read More
Why try before you buy?
Temporary staff are often the unsung heroes of an organisation, and that’s why we’ve decided to put them... Read More
Who’s afraid of a little networking?
Striking up a conversation with someone you don’t know isn’t difficult. In the days before social media took... Read More
Interview Strategy: The Dos and Don’ts
Here are I am recruiting’s ultimate “dos and don’ts” for any interview situation. We’re all capable of making ‘rookie... Read More
How do I write a good covering letter?
Covering letters. Can there really be just four things you need to write about…? Whether you call it a... Read More
Do you remember the temp who…?
By Katie Gerrard, Senior Consultant at I am recruiting There’s been big changes in temporary recruitment since I first... Read More
I am recruiting temp of the year
Who are you going to enter…? As the market-leading recruitment agency for the membership and not-for-profit sector, we... Read More
Building confidence – the difference between failure and success
Guest blog: Lucy Gower. Lucy is founder and director at Lucidity. She is a coach, trainer and consultant specialising... Read More
How to harvest the 2018 vintage…
By Julian Smith, Director of I am recruiting What do wild garlic, asparagus, elderflower and bright graduates have... Read More
5 Biggest Hiring Mistakes You Need to Avoid
Author Bio: Daniel Ross is part of the marketing team at Roubler — a cloud based HR and... Read More
Recruiters: Networking our way to notability
By Katie Gerrard, Senior Consultant at I am recruiting One of my favourite tasks is calling a candidate... Read More
How can we savour positive emotions for longer?
Guest Blog from Former Life Coach of the Year Charlotta Hughes I’m writing this as the snow is... Read More
What a difference 20 minutes makes…
With 6 days to go before the deadline for entries to this year’s memcom Excellence Awards, Julian Smith,... Read More
The 5 Stages of Leaving Your Job:
How the stages of leaving your job in essence really do mirror the stages of grieving… In all... Read More
It’s time for the recognition you and your team deserve!
The annual memcom membership excellence awards celebrate the success of professional associations, membership organisations and the wider non-profit... Read More
Achieve Your Dream Career for 2018 – how to stop the kinks in the road becoming roadblocks.
Guest Blog from Former Life Coach of the Year Charlotta Hughes New Year’s Resolutions. We do them... Read More
What are interviews essentially for?
We ask the question most hiring managers will have thought of at some point – why do we... Read More
We reveal THE top thing employers are checking for in an interview…
Following on from his articles on hacking your CV and how to write Cover Letters, Specialist Recruiter James... Read More
Ready for the office party? If you don’t go, you’ll never know…
Strategic Business Networking® specialist, Darryl Howes MSc, looks at how to navigate the seasonal office party and take... Read More
Employers are from Mars, Candidates are from Venus – the delicate art of job negotiation.
By Julian Smith, Director, The I Am Group Recently, I saw a LinkedIn post from somebody who... Read More
Don’t be an expert; be a student.
Opinion piece, by Charlotta Hughes It is commonly advised to present ourselves as the strongest candidate in... Read More
Hack your CV: Top 5 Tips for making your CV stand out from the rest
Specialist Recruiter James Liddell explains how you can give your CV the best possible chance to get in... Read More
End of interview questions to help you clinch that job…
By Anna Rivers, Marketing Manager for The I Am Group One job sticks out in my memory... Read More
How to avoid being bitten when swimming with sharks
By Julian Smith, Director of I am recruiting I thought I’d use this month’s blog to shine... Read More
Why is it important to give feedback when it’s a “no”?
More often than not, the biggest frustration for candidates is not getting any feedback when it’s a “no”.... Read More
Specialists do it better
The recruitment market is awash with agencies these days, often promising lots and delivering little. There are so... Read More
If in doubt…paddle out…
By Julian Smith, Director, I Am Recruiting. Something different just happened to me on my recent... Read More
Why be flexible?
By Julian Smith, Director, I Am Recruiting. Greetings from Lisbon! I’m writing this blog in a small... Read More
Maximising Your Chances of Job Hunting Success
Charlotta Hughes is a professional Life Coach with over 15 years experience in the field. She won Life... Read More
How to spot a bad recruiter: a candidate’s guide.
Specialist Recruiter James Liddell explains how to spot a bad recruiter and how to avoid them. Much like... Read More
Job-seeking – work on your PECS!
When job-seeking, whether you’re writing a CV, a cover letter, completing an application form or at interview stage,... Read More
Looking for a new recruit? How to make recruiters work for you!
By Julian Smith, Director, I Am Recruiting. The recruitment industry doesn’t have an equivalent of the ‘Magic Circle’,... Read More
Employee engagement – are we doing all we can?
By guest blogger Victoria Zuza. Anyone who has ever dealt with employee engagement programmes can tell you how... Read More
Success and Enjoyment when Networking
Guest blog by Natalie Enn – From A Seed Coaching The very use of the word networking can conjure... Read More
How to network in ten easy steps (and why you should)!
We’re always being asked at the I Am Group about the best tips for networking so we thought... Read More
5-minute CV Makeover By Julian Smith
Why bother? Some people manage to get jobs through their networks, and might drift through life without ever... Read More
What’s the best way to make people care about our ideas?
Tap into emotions to convey your point. We’re wired to feel things for people, not abstractions A story... Read More
What’s the best way to make people care about our ideas?
Tap into emotions to convey your point. We’re wired to feel things for people, not abstractions A story... Read More
What’s it like working in a professional membership body?
In the first of a new series of blog posts, Specialist Recruiter James Liddell explores what working in... Read More
5 work-productivity tips you can start today
This week marks the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year. This got us thinking about... Read More
Event Review: ‘Storytelling’ with Lucy Gower
Last week, at the monthly I Am Networking event, we had the pleasure of listening to Lucy Gower,... Read More
10 Creative Ways to Host a Fundraiser Event, By Sarah Hill
Fundraisers are types of events which are used not only to raise money for a particular cause, but... Read More
How do we give our ideas credibility?
Psychologically sticky ideas are believable – they have both ‘internal credibility’ (they make sense, and are not self-contradictory)... Read More
How to Have a Better Day as a Small Charity CEO, by Jane Hudson Jones
Small charity CEOs are champions of time management, and can truly make the most of a working day.... Read More
Concrete ideas
The third step to making our ideas stickier is to make them more concrete. An idea which is tangible... Read More
How to Win an Award, by Debbie Hockham
First of all, you’ll need to enter! Have you noticed how some organisations seem to have won loads... Read More
Breaking Patterns
What is it about some stories and ideas that makes them unforgettable? Have you ever come across a... Read More
How to get a job in a major children’s charity, By Laura Howley
Tell us a little bit about the organisation you represent I work for the Corporate Partnerships department of... Read More
What’s Your Excuse for Not Being More Confident? By Charlotta Hughes
Guest blogger, coach and author Charlotta Hughes, shares her first blog of 2017! Charlotta will be speaking on... Read More
How to leave your day job, By Lucy Gower
About 18 months before I left a ‘proper job’ I asked myself, ‘If I’m going to leave employment... Read More
What has results focus got to do with finding a job you’ll love (that will love you back)?
This is the fifth blog post of a series written by our guest blogger Laura Sly. In the... Read More
What has critical thinking got to do with finding a job you’ll love (that will love you back)? by Laura Sly
In the first part of this series, I described the “missing piece” for most people when they’re thinking... Read More
Finding a way to make meaning, not just money by Marlies Kimpe – Growth Manager at Chuffed.org
Tell us a little bit about the organisation you represent I joined Chuffed.org in October last year.... Read More
What has optimism got to do with finding a job you’ll love (that will love you back)?
This is the third blog post of a series written by our guest blogger Laura Sly. In the... Read More
What has compassion got to do with finding a job you’ll love (that will love you back)? by Laura Sly
This is the second blog post of a series by our guest blogger Laura Sly. In the first... Read More
How to Find a Job You’ll Love (that will love you back) by Laura Sly
This is the first post of a blog series by guest blogger Laura Sly. There’s a missing piece... Read More
Trustee Matching – Trustees’ Week
As part of Trustees’ Week, the I Am team held a charity trustee matching event on Tuesday 7th... Read More
What would it mean to you to Live Your Purpose? by Hollie Carr
Have you ever had that feeling that there must be more to life? Have you ever felt lost,... Read More
Hearts versus minds: the importance of being emotionally intelligent when managing change by Karen Fearon
Since Daniel Goleman’s book popularising the concept in the mid-1990’s, emotional intelligence, or EQ as it is commonly... Read More
Lifelines by Jane Hudson Jones
Since the inaugural Small Charity CEO Support Network event (must find a catchier name for this – suggestions... Read More
How do you get people to act on your idea?
A key to making an idea sticky is to tell it as a story. Stories encourage a kind... Read More
Should leaders get emotional?
Think about the leaders and individuals that you admire, what is it about them that inspires you the... Read More
How to be resilient – Event Review
Guest Speakers: Hannah Massarella and Nicola Arnold Our monthly drinks and networking event this month revolved around the... Read More
How do we pack a lot of meaning into a little bit of messaging?
The first step to take in order to make our ideas ‘stickier’ is to keep in mind that... Read More
Making our ideas stick – The Curse of Knowledge
The book ‘Made to stick’ by Chip and Dan Heath very cleverly tackles the problems revolving around the... Read More
Values-led leadership: 8 steps to lasting success, by Clare Baker
The ‘post-Brexit’ world brings more change and uncertainty than ever before. How far do these pressures challenge your... Read More
Recruiting on a Budget: how to get noticed and attract great employees to your small charity
So the board have approved the budget to recruit a new member of the team, (no mean feat),... Read More
Small Charity Week Trustee Matching
As part of Small Charity Week, the I Am team are running a charity trustee matching event on... Read More
CEO Interview Series – An Interview with Vicky Ferguson, CEO of International Children’s Charity Glad’s House
Tell us a little about the organisation that you represent. Glad’s House works with homeless children and young... Read More
Why We Set Up ZAP – A Networking Group for CEOs of Small Charities, by Jane Hudson Jones and Marina Pacheco
Can you tell us a little about the organisations that you represent? Marina: My first CEO role was... Read More
How I Got the Best Job in the World by Nicola Love, Philanthropy Manager at Save the Children
Tell us a little bit about the organisation you represent I recently started working for Save the Children... Read More
How to avoid burnout By Katie Duckworth
Things can get super stressful when you work for a charity, can’t they? There’s too much to do, in not... Read More
Seven Questions You Should Consider When Thinking of a Career Change By Simon Ash
How to change careers; some advice from a job coach Work is a reality of life. The vast... Read More
Mental Health 2.0: Positive Disruption for a Great Cause By Tiffany Missiha, Connectwell
Q: What happens when you put a seasoned Communications & Marketing Professional into the mix at the Front... Read More
Equality, Inclusion and Employee Engagement by Jasmine Gartner
Diversity isn’t just about the protected characteristics of the Equality Act of 2010. It’s also about employee engagement... Read More
Squeeze me! Squeeze Me! How to get the most vital thing done every day By Katie Duckworth
I’ve just come off a coaching call with one of my non-profit clients. She’s dynamic, dedicated and efficient... Read More
Why So Many Organisations Struggle to Innovate by Lucy Gower
In a fast changing world, innovation is a business strategy for survival, yet many organisations struggle to innovate.... Read More
The Loneliness of the Small Charity Chief Executive by Jane Hudson Jones
You wake at 5am, bleary eyed, from a troubled night, the alarm saving you from sinking back into... Read More
Fundraising Regulation: What you need to know and do by Mike Zywina
On 4 February 2016, the Small Charities Coalition and the Institute of Fundraising jointly organised a public forum... Read More
Save our charities – before it’s too late!
By Julian Smith Warning: I’m about to get political. If you are a supporter of the Daily Mail,... Read More
Falling in LOVE with Public Speaking – By Annik Rau
Getting really good at public speaking and presenting is not something that happens over night. In fact it took... Read More
Turn your trustees into fundraisers – event review
Paul Marvell, Guest Speaker Turning your trustees into fundraisers was the theme of our recent networking event where... Read More
What has critical thinking got to do with finding a job you’ll love (that will love you back)?
This is the third blog post of a series by our guest blogger Laura Sly. In the first... Read More
8 Tips for Telling a Good Story
By Lucy Gower Human beings have shared knowledge and learning for centuries simply by telling stories. In fact... Read More
How to Get More Meetings with Major Donors using your Phone – 9 Tips and Tricks!
By Rob Woods Get clear. More appointments per month with current and potential donors can only lead... Read More
How to Build Resilience by Fiona Buckland
By Fiona Buckland The analogy of a pearl is a good way to think about resilience and how... Read More
Summer Internships By Minhal Shamsuddin
Are you a first year student trying to gain some experience? Do you need to build your CV?... Read More
CV and Cover Letter Tips
This is a summary of the top tips for CV and cover letters that was tweeted out... Read More
Being a Young Trustee by Felicity Christensen
Whilst the average age of a trustee in England and Wales is 57, a rising number of younger... Read More
How to Create a Shining CV by Josie Hai Diep
Do you sometimes struggle with knowing what to put on your CV that would appeal to the employer?... Read More
Maximising Impact and How to Network
By Tony Koutsoumbos, fundraising and communications careers specialist This month’s networking night at the I Am Group trialed... Read More
Making Good Decisions – Cognitive Biases and Logical Fallacies
By Tony Koutsoumbos, Fundraising Specialist for the I Am Group Last night I delivered a talk on the... Read More
Chatting to Rock Stars and Asking for Money: the Lessons of NLP for Major Donor Fundraisers
Imagine standing in the Ritz, nervously waiting for your all-time hero for walk through the door. They arrive... Read More
PEARLS of Wisdom…
By Julian Smith I recently wrote a blog based on one of my short presentations I give to... Read More
If you want to impress, then work on those PECS!
By Julian Smith I’ve spoken on topics such as ‘how to write the perfect CV’ and ‘how to... Read More
How to write a persuasive cover letter in 15 minutes
Why am I writing this? I am a recruitment consultant: my job is find talented people who are... Read More
Changing the World one chocolate bar at a time
The I Am Group proudly hosted Charlotte Borger, Communications Director of the fair trade confectionery company ‘Divine Chocolate’,... Read More
Voice of Experience: asking for money and boosting productivity
“ask someone for money they will give you advice, but ask someone for advice and they will give... Read More
The tickler, the pulse-taker, and the initiator: learning how to network at the I Am group
No this is not the set up to a joke, but a snapshot of the many eye opening... Read More
Mindful Networking at the I Am Group
Last night we kicked off our first networking event of the year with a refreshingly interactive talk on... Read More
Everything’s coming in 3’s today…. as we celebrate our 3rd birthday!
Three of the best! We’re celebrating our 3rd birthday today and we’d like to thank you and everyone... Read More
Why being vegan isn’t that strange, by guest blogger, Philip Mansbridge, UK Director at IFAW
I just read that there’s a green cat wandering around Bulgaria, that someone just paid $78k for a... Read More
Professionalism: Starting Your New Job! It’s a Breeze – Isn’t It?
Susie Kay, our guest blogger, looks at professionalism in the workplace. Congratulations, you have worked hard, your CV... Read More
Career Changers & the Invisible Brick Wall…
Last Thursday, we were treated to another tour de force from the excellent John Lees. He was with... Read More
You too can be Trustee – Guest Post by Bilwa Iyer, Reaching Volunteering
Have you ever considered trusteeship? Many of us volunteer our time to causes that are close to our... Read More
Could you be a Trustee?
I’ve written blogs before on what becoming a charity trustee can potentially do for your career, so it... Read More
How to choose the ‘optimum time’ to interview
On Friday afternoon I received an email telling me I’ve been invited to interview for a programme which... Read More
Professionalism – choosing excellence
In a series of blog articles, Susie Kay, looks at professionalism in the workplace and the benefits that... Read More
Why interviews fail…
Recruitment – and given that I’ve devoted the last thirteen years of my life to it, you’d expect... Read More
Professionalism – the best starting point for your career
Susie Kay, our guest blogger, looks at professionalism in the workplace. With the prospect of an upcoming election... Read More
What does it really matter if companies hire based on looks?
Julian Smith One of my friends was recently looking for a job in retail, and was told by... Read More
How to find a job you’ll love
We recently interviewed Charlotta Hughes, award winning Life Coach of the Year, on how to find work you’ll... Read More
What does good leadership mean today?
Chris Stephens from national charity, The Children’s Society1 recently gave a candid talk at our charity networking event around the... Read More
Making recruiters work for you!
Julian Smith The recruitment industry doesn’t have an equivalent of the ‘Magic Circle’, so I’m not likely... Read More
Who’s afraid of a little networking?
Julian Smith Striking up a conversation with someone you don’t know isn’t difficult. In the days before... Read More
Taking the fundraising path to transfer sectors
Emma Hudson Time and again I have noticed the same key questions from people desperately trying to... Read More
Getting pr for your charity or cause – top tips from this week’s networking event
Once again, Impact Hub Westminster was alive on Wednesday evening with some of the leading lights of the charity... Read More
Look before you leap…
Julian Smith A long time ago, I hated my job. I loved my colleagues, I loved the... Read More
The importance of spelling… If a thirteen-year old can do it, why can’t we?
Julian Smith Around a month ago, the Scripps National Spelling Bee championship in the United States produced... Read More
How to develop your skills through interning
If you’re thinking about interning or volunteering, Tímea Štrihová, who is spending the summer interning with the... Read More
So what does it take to be a good recruiter….? You might be surprised!
Many people ask me what it’ takes to be a recruitment consultant – which is an entirely... Read More
How to find a job you’ll love career workshop
We recently interviewed Charlotta Hughes, award winning Life Coach of the Year, on how to find work you’ll... Read More
5 Things to do over Easter – and not a chocolate egg in sight!
Ok, so we all like the odd Easter Egg – but as you get older, the appeal... Read More
Green Careers: Finding a Job in Conservation or Animal Welfare
We recently organised a green careers event in partnership with conservation-jobs.co.uk. Here is some of the advice our... Read More
When I grow up I want to be…
An Olympian. No, an astronaut. Or maybe even Bruce Lee. I’m sure when you were growing up your... Read More
Find the perfect charity job: quiz the experts
Career Changing to the Charity and Not-for-Profit Sector One of the most frequent questions we get asked at... Read More
I Am turns 2!
It’s I Am’s second birthday and we’re celebrating in the Hub! What an amazing two years it’s been! ... Read More
How to find a job you’ll love: Generation Volunteer!
Denise Donnelly, who recently returned from a placement with Restless Development in Sierra Leone gives her view on... Read More
Interview with Mandy Johnson, Change.org (Director of Partnerships)
Escaping the City: from Banking to Fundraising Change.org is the world’s largest petition website that allows everyday... Read More
It’s not exactly X-Factor, is it?
**DISCLAIMER: All thoughts expressed in this article are those of Julian Smith.** It’s time that the next generation... Read More
Eight Toughest Interview Questions
Eight Toughest Interview Questions Common questions that are asked in interviews and sample responses from the writers at... Read More
How to Make an Ethical Career Change-Ask the Experts!
Ethical Career Changing One of the most popular questions we get asked is how to go about making... Read More
Survey Results about Trusteeship and Youth
Survey Results about Trusteeship and Youth Survey conducted by Nicholas Fryer on a voluntary basis for Young Charity... Read More
Tips from CEO of Whale and Dolphin Conservation, Chris Butler-Stroud
This week is week 2 of our Ethical Careers Telesummit, which we’re running in conjunction with Devi Clark... Read More
Tips from Career Strategist John Lees
John Lees is one of the UK’s best-known career strategists. He has been featured... Read More
So you want to work for a charity? Do you go for a large or small charity?
Diana Edmunds, Corporate Fundraiser at Tommy’s shares her career story and considers the options of working for a... Read More
Trustee Networking – July 2013
It was wonderful to see so much enthusiasm at last night’s ‘Trustee Networking’. Far from being ‘pale, male... Read More
Thoughts from an ‘I Am Networking’ Virgin…
We woke up this morning, a little bleary-eyed after a wonderful night of networking to find the following... Read More
From teaching ‘I can sing a rainbow’ on a university gap year to breaking into Regional Fundraising for a major UK charity
Charlotte Jones, Community Fundraiser at Marie Curie Cancer Care shares her story of how she carved a career... Read More
It’s about the “what”, not the “who”! by guest blogger Christopher Samuels, Resourcing Manager, CAFOD
Christopher Samuels, Resourcing Manager at CAFOD shares his story on working in HR in the NGO sector. I... Read More
Smarter job hunting in tough times
Careers author John Lees’ latest book is Just The Job!, his first systematic guide to job searching. Finding... Read More
How I got the best job in the world…
How I got the best job in the world… By Guest Blogger, Jo Birch-Phaure, Senior Communications & New... Read More
My boss just asked me ‘network to what purpose?’ – By guest blogger, Margaret Gardner
By Guest Blogger, Margaret Gardner, Marketing and Communications Director, Practical Action My answer ‘I’m not sure but something... Read More
Nine out of ten people don’t follow-up – Guest blog by Graham Wilson
By Guest Blogger, Graham Wilson, https://www.executive-post.info/ https://www.the-confidant.info/ Speaking at a networking event the other day, I did a... Read More
“The Job You Love” – By guest blogger, Brian C. Griffin
By Guest Blogger, Brian C. Griffin So my question is: Is it more creative to write a novel... Read More
My day on: Being a Charity Marketing and Communication Director – By guest blogger, Margaret Gardner
By Guest Blogger, Margaret Gardner, Marketing and Communications Director, Practical Action I have one of the most... Read More
Board Diversity and Young Trustees
Happy Friday, folks! Today’s blog is by our friend and Guest Speaker, Alex Swallow, Chief Executive of the... Read More
Thinking of going alone? Here are a few things to consider…
As a relatively young business, surrounded by other start-ups and budding entrepreneurs, we’re constantly reminded of the qualities... Read More
Changing Sector? Here are some things to think about…
One of the most frequent topics we get asked, here at the I Am Group, is how to... Read More
Advice to Ourselves, in Hindsight…
We were recently interviewed by Devi Clarke, Entrepreneur, Social Guru and Founder of www.mynewleaf.co.uk for a blog article... Read More
A night on INGOs & International Development: Secret Opportunities
Thursday night’s event “INGOs & International Development: Secret Opportunities” lifted the lid on the various routes into the... Read More
Tips for dominating a networking event
How is it that some people seem to ‘shine’ at an event, almost as if they’re controlling it... Read More
To jump or not to jump; that is the question
At our last CV workshop, another very familiar subject came up yet again. The question came from an... Read More
The Selfish Volunteer
Last week, I mentioned volunteering as one of the top 5 things to consider when trying to find... Read More
Networking: It doesn’t have to be a nightmare!
After last Wednesday’s ‘I Am Networking’ event, one of the delegates tweeted to her followers that it had... Read More
The future of recruitment
Here at the I Am Group we often get asked about our thoughts on the recruitment of tomorrow... Read More
How to organise successful events – 10 top tips for perfect events
It is usually said that event managers are like swans – they glide around looking calm and collected... Read More
A Little bit about us…
As we free-fall towards the Christmas break, it’s a traditional time for everybody to stop and take stock of the... Read More