​Returning from the Christmas holidays can be a struggle for many people, not least surviving countless conversations along the lines of “Yes, Christmas was great thanks”, “No, not long enough!” or “Yes I did get some nice presents, please stop asking!”. Having an excuse to get out of the office can really help and, luckily for most of our Agriculture team, we had planned a trip to the NEC to visit Lamma – the UK’s leading agricultural machinery, equipment and technology show. Since the change of venue from the chilly outdoors of the East of England Showground to the slightly more temperate NEC, we were keen to see if there was more to it than just a new location. Here are some of my thoughts and observations about what was definitely a very modern and ‘bigger than ever’ Lamma Show…There was a large growth in suppliers around the fringes and on the smaller stands - from agribusiness consultants to farm traders and everything else that you might typically find at Cereals (the leading technical event for the arable industry). These stands were situated alongside the established large machinery brands and dealerships, which provided much more variety when looking around a show. Rather than gazing from one well-polished machine to another, you felt that you were attending a show that covered most agricultural sectors under one roof. For us, as an agricultural recruitment business, this was great. Being able to put names to faces is really valuable when you deal with businesses all over the UK, so it was a great opportunity to meet a number of clients in one place for a catch-up and chat about recruitment plans for 2020.After a soggy and Somme-like Cereals event in 2019, we left wondering if Lamma could become the event of choice for most agricultural businesses, both large and small. Anywhere that attracts the footfall of agricultural professionals that Lamma does is a place any agri-business will want to exhibit at. Not to mention the confidence that your stand and visitor numbers will never be subject to weather challenges. Coupled with the transport links to Birmingham, I feel that Lamma could be set to grow even further in years to come with ‘beers and lunch in the sun’ at Cereals becoming a distant memory. But part of me hopes not! We’ll certainly be attending Cereals again this year and keeping our fingers crossed for sunnier skies. The agriculture team at MorePeople covers technical, commercial and rural business recruitment in the sector, ranging from Farm Managers to Agronomists to Rural Professionals, and everything in between. The beginning of the year is always one of our busiest periods. If you want to talk to us in more detail about how we can help you as a business, or a candidate looking for a new role, call us on 01780 480530 for a confidential chat or email info@morepeople.co.uk.

​MorePeople's CEO, Guy Moreton, took part in 'Decembeard 2019' to support Bowel Cancer UK. He has raised almost £3,000, which is incredible and will help stop people dying of bowel cancer by funding vital services and lifesaving research. For anyone who doesn't know Guy, in all his years he has never had a beard, and the longest he has ever grown one for was seven days as a student over 35 years ago! Before Will Thomson joined MorePeople, Guy also hadn't ever employed anyone with a beard, and once sent an employee home to have a shave when he came in with a weeks' worth of stubble!So this was a big challenge for Guy and the MorePeople team are all very proud of him. If you would like to find out more or can pledge a small donation, visit Guy's JustGiving page. Thank you to everyone who has already donated.

​MorePeople's Miranda Webster and Morten Andresen attended the Rural Business Conference 2019 on 28th November. Over 500 landowners and rural businesses attended the event, which discussed opportunities to grow and maintain business with new markets alongside political uncertainty. Miranda gives her account of the day:The event brought together people from across the rural business community and we were able to hear from a number of inspiring speakers who offered first-hand experience of how they have explored different business opportunities both at home and abroad. The speakers and discussions ranged from hands on farming businesses who have successfully grown abroad and the journey they undertook, estate owners offering an insight into a variety of business opportunity ideas, plus social, environmental and conservational prospects. Being a tortoise owner myself I particularly enjoyed hearing from The Countess Sondes from Lees Court Estate who has gone outside of the box by breeding tortoises as part of new business venture on the estate. She has also explored other areas such as non-food crops and archaeology projects which provide environmental, social and personal benefits. Another highlight was Joe and Julia Evans from Whitbourne Estate who are involved with care farming, which is something I had limited knowledge about before attending the conference. I was inspired and humbled by their hard work and the huge benefits this had for the land owners and young people who attended the care farm. As a specialist recruitment business for the agricultural industry, it is important to us that we understand the markets that we specialise in and that we are up to speed with ever-changing trends in the industry. This knowledge means that we are better equipped to assist people with their next career move, connects us with people in our area of work and helps us to identify what “great” looks like. The CLA conference was informative and a great opportunity to network within the agricultural pool that we work within and I already look forward to attending again next year. You can read more about the event on the CLA website.

​This time last year we carried out a Salary and Benefits Survey to obtain some quantitative data about salary ranges, the benefits the people most value and what motivates people to work in our sectors - fresh produce, food, horticulture, agriculture and garden & leisure. The findings were very insightful and generated a lot of interest, so much so that we've decided to repeat the survey annually to generate comparative data and find out what, if anything, has changed. In order to do this, we need as many people as possible to complete the survey, which will only take about 5 minutes of your time. As an incentive we're giving away a free iPad to one lucky participant*! If you manage a team, please encourage your staff to complete it as well. Click here to take part*Prize Draw Terms and ConditionsQualifying EntrantsTo be entered into the prize draw you just need to complete your basic contact details at the end of the survey - name and email address. Only one entry per email address is allowed. We will not use your contact details in the results of the survey, all data will be anonymised. The deadline for entries is 31/01/2020. Prize DetailsThe winner will be chosen at random on 03/02/2020. The winner will be contacted on this date to arrange delivery of the prize. Claims for prize must be made within 28 days. Failure to claim the prize within this time may result in selection of an alternate winner. The prize is a 2019 Apple iPad 10.2", A10, iPadOS, Wi-Fi, 128GB. The prize is non-transferable and there is no cash alternative. MorePeople reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value at any time.

​In all industries we are encouraged to attend networking events to connect with people in similar businesses, share experiences and make useful new contacts that can help either in our current role or in our future career. Some people look forward to these events and some absolutely dread them. Some use them just to catch up with old friends and some come away with pockets full of useful business cards. Whichever of these scenarios matches your experience of networking, there are things you could (and should) be doing to make sure that the time you spend at these events is a good use of your time. At our Autumn ‘Women in Food & Farming’ networking evening, Katie Hart of Rhetonic delivered a workshop which outlined some key elements for success: 1 – Be prepared Most event organiser will send out a delegate list in advance of the event so you can see who’s attending and work out who you might like to speak to. If they don’t send anything, it’s worth asking. Even in the days of GDPR people still find delegate lists incredibly useful, so most people attending a networking event will agree to their details being shared. If you end up with a long list of people you would like to meet, plan your time, think about priorities and set yourself some objectives for what you want to get out of the event. This will help keep you focused. 2 – Breaking the ice It can be very daunting when you arrive in a room full of people who are all busy in conversation. Where do you start? A great tip is to look for groups of odd numbers. It is much easier to join a conversation when there’s an odd person who may be able to break away from another conversation. 3 – The all-important elevator pitch Even if you’ve been in your role for a long time, it’s likely that you haven’t really thought about how to introduce yourself in a succinct and informative way. Think about the following questions and try to answer them in order to build a great elevator pitch: • Who benefits from what you do? • How does it benefit them? • What do you do? 4 – Ending conversations At any networking event there will be a mixture of people who are useful to know and some who have no relevance. Nice as these people may be, it’s important that you are comfortable ending conversations to ensure that you have time to achieve those all-important objectives you set yourself. An effective way of doing this is simply to introduce them to somebody else and subtly exit the conversation. 5 – Make time to follow up Having made some really useful connections, follow up on anything you agreed to do in a conversation or at least get in touch to say how good it was to meet them, and try to do this within 24 hours. You can do this by email or social media. A useful tip is that LinkedIn has a ‘nearby’ tool which can be used while at the event to quickly build up your LinkedIn connection. Find out more about the 'Women in Food & Farming' group

​For the ninth year in a row, MorePeople were delighted to support the IFST Student LaunchPad events, which take place every year in the autumn. The aim of the events is to support food science students by providing them with the opportunity to strengthen their perceptions of the food sector beyond the university setting, offering valuable insights about possible careers in all aspects of the food chain. Various members of MorePeople’s recruitment team attended events at Leatherhead Food Research, University of Reading and Sheffield Hallam University, presenting to students on behalf of the food and fresh produce industry with tips for how to stand out from the crowd. The presentation sessions were followed by speed mentoring sessions where the students moved from table-to-table to seek more in-depth advice from industry mentors. Here we were able to answer questions about CV’s, specific companies who regularly recruit graduates and different career paths that food-related courses can lead to. Andrew Fitzmaurice, Managing Director of MorePeople, explains the reason why we get so involved:“By providing mentor support for students, we are able to engage with the next generation of talent, offering guidance on what employers are looking for and bringing a valuable sense of realism to their career ideas.”“These initiatives are so important for raising the profile of careers in the food and fresh produce sectors. Most of our clients don’t have spare resources to attend careers events themselves, so we try to act on their behalf to raise awareness of breadth of opportunities in the industry.”

​MorePeople's specialist agricultural team exhibited at Ag Careers Live at Villa Park in Birmingham for the first time on 20th November.This careers fair is now in its' 4th year and aims to inspire the next generation of talent into agricultural careers. Having attended as a visitor last year, we were keen to get more involved this time and help to promote careers in a sector that we are extremely passionate about. Representing our clients, we were able to raise the profile of the types of jobs and breadth of opportunities that are available in the sector, giving advice on how to get started in the industry. With visitors from universities across the country, the team were on hand to answer questions about careers in the industry and provide tips on succeeding with CVs and interviews. Senior Consultant for MorePeople, Mike Kendall, said:"I was really impressed with the general buzz and enthusiasm of the visitors. It's so important that they understand the dynamic and exciting roles that are available within agriculture. We can play a key part in getting this message out there and helping them to get on the career ladder and this event is the ideal arena to do this."Organised by Farmers Weekly, the event goal is to promote the farming industry as one of the most influential and cutting edge places to be for the next generation coming through. Running alongside the careers fair was a conference for entrepreneurial young professionals, Fertile Minds. This event brought together over 150 of the brightest and most ambitious minds in the industry today as they consider how to develop their own careers and influence in the industry. For more information about the event, visit https://www.fwi.co.uk/ms/events/agcareerslive-home/

If you're not a naturally effusive and outgoing person, making your achievements and successes known isn't the easiest of tasks. And nowhere is this more true than in a job interview, the outcome of which hinges entirely on your ability to talk yourself up and convince an employer why they should take you on.Of course, you can list your skills, accomplishments and professional expertise in your CV and covering letter, but an interview is an entirely different proposition for someone with a quiet personality. So, if talking confidently about yourself isn't something that comes easily, how can you stop this from counting against you when meeting your prospective employers?1. Choose a role that suits youThere's no reason why introverted people can't thrive in roles that require lots of interaction with colleagues, clients and customers, so don't automatically discount these types of roles. But if tasks such as public speaking fill you with dread, it's perhaps wise to avoid positions that require this on a regular basis. So sit down and work out what you'd be comfortable with on a day-to-day basis and apply for jobs that cater to what you've identified.If you do this, you'll be far more likely to be happy in your job and be able to draw attention to your strengths, rather than your perceived weaknesses.2. Ask others what they think of youIf you're an introvert, you won't necessarily be in the habit of regularly talking or even thinking about all the things you've done recently. No matter how impressive your recent achievements might be, your very nature means you prefer keeping your head down and just getting on with life, without drawing attention to yourself. And there's nothing wrong with that if that's how you are. But it does mean you have to step out of your comfort zone slightly in an interview setting.Before going to your interview, why not ask other people beforehand what they perceive your strengths and weaknesses to be? Colleagues, former bosses, teachers and lecturers could be ideally placed to tell you what you're especially good at and the kind of things you should be talking up in an interview.3. Rehearse answers to expected questionsWhile job interviews don't always follow a strict pattern or structure, there are basic questions that are likely to come up. For instance, interviewers are almost guaranteed to ask why you believe you are right for the role, your understanding of what the job involves and your previous professional experience. Interviewees are regularly encouraged to prepare answers for these types of questions in advance, so they can walk in knowing what they need to say and what salient points to put across. If you're naturally an introverted person, knowing what you want to say in advance doesn't mean you'll be comfortable delivering it out loud. Why not practice your answers beforehand, maybe in front of a mirror or with a friend or relative? By running through the points you want to make, you'll feel more comfortable articulating your thoughts in the actual interview and be less likely to trip up over your own words.Remember though, there's no pressure on you to race through your answers. So make a point of not rushing them, as that will help you stay calm, confident and coherent.4. Take notesThere's a lot of information to process in an interview, and if you're struggling with nerves, then taking it in and retaining it isn't always easy. Don't be afraid to take a notepad and pen with you into an interview and note down points you might want to follow up on later, such as when the opportunity to ask questions yourself comes up at the end.5. Bring a portfolioWhy not take examples of your work and accomplishments with you? This could range from professional certifications to case studies of successful projects at work - and there's no restriction on exactly what format this can be presented in.Not only does this approach let your actual work do much of the talking, it also gives you access to a handy prompt sheet, so you're much less likely to forget an important point you wanted to make. Introverts might not be always as comfortable expressing themselves in front of people as their more outgoing peers. But that shouldn't count against you as you seek to climb up the career ladder, so play to your strengths at every step of the hiring process, from finding suitable roles and writing your CV to putting your best foot forward in the interview.If you're interested in pursuing a career in the Fresh Food, Fresh Produce, Horticulture, Agriculture and Garden & Leisure sectors but could do with a little advice, feel free to email us on info@morepeople.co.uk or call 01780 480530 for a chat about your CV and career with one of our sector specialists.

​MorePeople’s Horticultural team exhibited at the GroSouth exhibition on 7th November, an event that is a firm fixture in the horticultural industry calendar. For us, this annual event is always a fantastic opportunity to catch up with clients and make new connections. The general mood at the event was positive with exhibitors looking ahead to 2020 and feeling optimistic, despite the current uncertain political climate. These were some of the themes that we picked up on the day:- Customers are being slightly more cautious for the year ahead, although orders are still strong as they look to buy more within the UK.- Consolidation within the industry is very apparent – the big growers are getting bigger, smaller ones are often becoming grower-retailers and there are generally fewer medium-sized wholesalers.- With Brexit still an unknown, labour shortages are predicted to be the biggest issue for ornamental horticulture in 2020. Even in 2019, reports show that crops have been left unpicked due to a lack of workers. - The high street is under huge pressure again but, in this sector, retailers seem to be bucking the trend. There has been continued growth for horticultural retailers, garden centres, DIY stores and online plant retailers.Click here to see all of our horticultural vacancies