Taking My Own Advice

To employ or not…

This is a short note from me… if you are thinking of recruiting and not sure whether to expand your business then don’t speak to a recruiter (we are generally a little bit biased). Have a read of this fantastic blog from ‘my Caroline’ and make your own decision from there

http://clrickards.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/employing-someone-or-not-as-the-case-may-be/

 

When you are ready to make that leap then give us a call!

The Interviewer

Most recruiters prepare their candidates for interview, very few prepare their clients. Most clients don’t – they often feel they should know how to interview and so don’t ask when they should! There are millions of books and websites out there that will answer all of your questions in about 10,000 words. I can answer this in two. BE PREPARED

Once you truly understand this you will succeed in getting the right outcome at the right time. The fact is that interviewers are very often not formally trained (and certainly not prepared) to interview. Interviewers fall into one of two categories. Those who have been promoted to a level where they are asked to recruit (most common). Or owners of organisations who have a massive emotional attachment to their company but little or no experience of how to properly interview. Being prepared for interview is not about taking control, or taking charge (as many will advise you). It’s not about taking at all. It is about finding a way for you, the interviewer to work together with the interviewee during the interview process – if you do that you will be successful and find the right person for your team.

In my opinion the job of the interviewer or client is the hardest in this process. Candidates can be nervous (you have to put them at ease). Candidates can be dull (you have to pull their personalities out). Candidates can be irritating (you have to not punch them in the face). When you are the interviewer you have to think about a myriad of things. By considering the following prior to your interviews you put yourself in the best possible position to find the right person for your business, and you will be a step ahead of your competition!

Research? I recommend imagining that you are going for interview with the company. Look at company ethos from the candidate perspective, check credit history, social media, trade press etc. Often there is bias when you are ‘in’ a business, you need to know of anything negative that could come up so that you can deal with it head on.

Who are you meeting? Know the candidates, read the CV’s please! I am constantly amazed by clients who don’t even really look at CV’s before they meet people… surely that’s a) rude and b) potentially wasting your time. Pick your recruiters brain; their initial job is to ensure you interview their candidates. A good recruiter knows their candidates; not just their CV and salary requirements – if they don’t then they should – this is your opportunity to test your recruiter, if they cannot answer your questions why are you using them?

When are you meeting?  I always recommend seeing all the candidates for first interview on the same day if you can. I appreciate this will mean taking a whole day out of your business but better to take out one whole day than break up a number of days. Interviewing can be a massive distraction for you and your team, it’s also much easier to make comparisons if you see them all on the same day.

Where you meeting? Use your offices as long as it is practical, any potential employee will want to see where they will be working.  If you have a highly confidential project or candidates coming from competing businesses then keep away from the office for first interview stage. Interviewing in the office can be at best distracting and worst unnerving for the rest of the staff and a paranoid workforce is an unhappy and scared workforce, and that is not conducive to success. If it is common knowledge then involve current staff in the process – ‘we have interviews today and if you spot something that I may have missed let me know’. ‘I need you all to be my eyes’. And the existing employees may know someone perfect for the job thus saving a recruitment fee.

Who is Co-Ordinating? Who is coordinating the session? Depends where you are interviewing. If you are meeting in a hotel then you will have to be the one to do it unless you bring someone with you (you only have to ask, it would be a pleasure). In an office you have excellent tools at your disposal. if you are meeting candidates at the office make sure you have the time and space booked in the diary. A few years ago a client of mine had a particularly embarrassing moment when a member of staff stormed into his office to tell him that the new products were ‘crap and would never sell’. Make sure ‘Wingman’ knows who you have coming in and at what time – please never underestimate the strength that this lady (normally) can offer you. Having someone to orchestrate the timings etc puts you at ease, which in turn will put candidates at ease and make for a much better session. The office manager will organise parking spaces, seat people if you are running late, bring people into the interview and get people out of the business at the end. I cannot urge you to use this person enough (if you don’t have one then nominate someone/bring in a friend to help/ask your recruiter) they are the only person apart from you that will have met all of the candidates and the two of you can bounce ideas at the end of the session. The best interviewers create a checklist for their ‘wingman’ for each candidate – what time did they arrive? How well did they introduce themselves? How did they interact? What did they do while they were waiting to be called? Do you like them? The very best person for this role is the receptionist for your company. Never ever underestimate the receptionist; they know everyone in your business (probably better than you do) and people behave differently with her (or him). Some people are very different with a receptionist than they are with an MD and you need to know things like this – you are employing them to work for you and represent your business, you need to make sure that the interviewee carries themself in the right way for your organisation both inside and outside of the interview situation.

Who are you talking to? Know your candidates (this is where your recruiter should be working with you and not just sending you CV’s) and the business they work for. If you want to share confidential or sensitive information then ask candidates to sign NDA’s, it shows potential employees that you take your business seriously, you have built a rapport and now you want to share a secret or two… it’s a very powerful thing when it comes to job offer time.

Questions: Without doubt the number one question I get from clients during the preparation for first interview is “what am I allowed to ask?”. Being prepared for the people you are going to meet seems obvious but is very often ‘winged’.  You are selling yourself and your company to the people you are going to meet, you have to choose your questions wisely and try to think of something different (good candidates will have prepared answers to ‘standard’ interview questions) to the norm; work with your recruiter to come up with interesting questions… I work with my clients to create bespoke questions. You need structure and focus but also you need to give yourself the freedom to allow this interview to flow. You will only achieve the rapport you are looking for when you allow flow to happen – open questions, the same questions delivered in the same order to each interviewee is vital. Introduce yourself,your business,the vacancy, the reason for vacancy. Then you say ‘tell me about you’ and you shut up. Please do not underestimate the value of shutting up… I know its exciting, I know you want to tell them everything but you are on a time limit and you must not spend the whole interview talking.

Timing. How long are you allowing for the interview? Decide and time it, this is for the benefit of all concerned, being aware of the time means that you will not allow things to drag or go off on too many tangents. Keeping the interview punchy and fast paced will ensure that everyone gets the most out of the meeting. My advice is to block out a day and utilise it fully, its one day and then its is done; putting time between the candidates means that you are in a different place every time you interview (at least mentally if not physically  which makes for a much harder decision-making process. Nothing in the world worse than being double booked, having to change interviews at the last-minute holds no benefit for any and puts all on edge. When you book out your time, make sure all who need to know about it – you don’t have to tell them why just that you have time blocked for meetings.  It will save of any embarrassment  I had a client who once called me mortified that an employee had stormed into the office telling him to tell him the credit controller was a witch, the computer system had crashed for the 15^th time that day and none of the stock had arrived  – luckily the candidate took it all with humour and has been with the company for about 6 years now! **

Go Compare! How are you going to compare/contrast candidates? create a check list or tickbox list that works for you for each candidate, could be anything on there that’s important to you – shoe size, hair colour, handshake,  accent, account experience, product experience, memorable comments. Keywords about them as they come to you and the big questions – can they do the job? Do you trust them to do the job? Do you like them? Will the team like them? Will your customers like them? (such a lot to think about)

Walk the Walk. Walk the candidates out of the interview and out of the venue. Make an excuse if you need to; need to get something out of the car for example. People automatically relax when removed from the interview setting  and show you the ‘real them’. It is important to ensure that this happens, the best way I know for doing this is to tell the candidate that the interview is over and that you are going to show them out. You will be able to see where they have parked, what they drive and if they bothered to clean their car!

An interview is a 2 way street, it’s not merely about an employer interviewing 10 people and picking one they like! The candidates will have decisions to make too – do they want to work for this business? Do they want to work for you? I tell each and everyone one of my candidates “its just as much about you coming away wanting this job as it is for the client to decide that they want you”. You need to know the company that you work for and the reasons why its good to work there (it must be, you do). Your role as the interviewer at the first stage is to have all the candidates wanting the job so that the choice remains yours.

I have concentrated all my tips on the first interview stage and have kept everything very top line. Give me a call to discuss your particular needs in more detail, I don’t bite and feel very passionately about interviews being conducted rather than chucked together!

Please add your top interviewing tips as comments on this blog as this will aid many interviewers in the future too.

On the 10th Day of Christmas Birchwood gave to thee… A Brand New Career Opportunity!!!

Are you looking to embark on a career in sales?

Do you know someone who wants to break into sales?

Do you know someone who has the X Factor?

 

I love working with businesses that are growing and evolving and my client is certainly doing that. My client is a growing collectible gift and toy business with a fantastically high quality product range. With a strong account base and accolades that include a Toy Talk Award and a Mum’s Choice award this company has a created a real niche in the girls roleplay sector.

Due to expansion and growth my client is looking to recruit a new member of the team to learn and grow as the business does. Initially this role will be geared around the various trade shows at the start of the year and will give someone a real opportunity to see how a business operates at this busy time.

To get the most from this role and to ensure both the business and the new person gets the best, the ideal candidate will be based in West London and have a real passion for business. The successful candidate will ideally be a of graduate calibre, with excellent communication skills and bags of personality, keen to work as part of a small team and eager to grow with the business.

For more information give me a call.

New Shoes On the Block!!

I am not sure how exactly I spell a drum roll so without further ado I have great pleasure in introducing the new member of the Birchwood team/the new shoes on the block/ my Little Miss Admin!! You know what; I am not sure what Caroline’s job title should be so any polite ideas would be gratefully received.

Hello everyone! My name is Caroline Rickards and I am the new administrator at Birchwood Recruitment working with Amanda. I have been working with Amanda for 2 months and as you can imagine the recruitment process was very stringent… however given that I am shorter than her and we have the same colour hair it was bound to be a match made in heaven. I have worked in banking and retail and this is my first experience of the recruitment industry…

I have recently been uploading candidates CV’s onto our new computer system and, it has been an eye-opening experience to say the least. I thought all CV’s would be pretty much the same… I have made some really interesting observations that I would like to share with you.

• When you are meeting someone you are potentially going to be working with it needs to be someone you click with, someone who “just gets it.” Whether this is based on work ethics or personality, it is easier to work with someone who you get on with.  This ensures a relationship where you can both be honest and no ideas are discounted.  Amanda and I have this one covered both work and personality wise – we are both geeks, like the same films, books, freaky looking men and also our sons get on really well.  We often turn up to the office having made the same “To Do List” the previous evening which can be just spooky!!!

• Both parties need to have trust. Someone you give up some control to – even though it can be hard letting go.  Amanda and I have worked at this slowly.  She is still in full control of the information about all the candidates and clients (and let me tell you, the amount of information she can recall about an individual is staggering) but I am the one who processes this information. Amanda and I have to have trust in each other.  She trusts me to work on my own initiative but within our respected boundaries and I trust that she will let me in to help her!!  This has provided me with a sense of responsibility for the work that I produce for Amanda – I suspect she was secretly aiming for this without me knowing!!

• Someone who shares your ambitions and the passion for work – Whilst I am new to the Toy Industry and somewhat on the fringes, I appreciate Amanda’s contagious passion for all things play-related!  Amanda has made it clear how she wants her business to move forward and I fully understand how my role fits into her plan.  Again, Amanda has trusted me enough to share this information with me and I feel a sense of responsibility to help Amanda reach her goals and to fulfil the ambition for my own role.

• Employers who are looking for someone like me are seeking a person who can input into and create processes that make a difference. Amanda and I share working ideas all the time.  Some are minor and inconsequential, but others make a real difference.  I recently changed a process on one of the days where Amanda was out of the office visiting clients.  When Amanda came into the office the next day, I could show her the full benefit, Amanda didn’t question why I had changed this, just accepted my new idea which fitted with the way we worked and what we wanted to achieve in a much more streamlined way.

An important dynamic needs to occur between employers and their potential candidates.  Candidates, this is what you are aiming for – to be the person that clicks, is trustworthy, shares ambition, can add input and accept a responsibility to the Employers business.  When in an interview you should also be convinced by your potential employer that this is what you’ll be able to do within their company.

Employers; there are many ways that you can help make your working life easier including being prepared to relinquish some control –let someone in– sometimes fresh eyes are better even though this feels harder to accept at times.  Also, ensuring your vision for growth in the future is clear and will empower individuals to perform – give them a sense of responsibility to your ideas and lastly, also encouraging input – great ideas come from those doing as well as those thinking!

I look forward to working with Amanda in the future and hopefully talking to and meeting some of you.  In the meantime, if you have any updates to your CV’s, please forward a Word copy to Amanda and once she has memorised everything, I will add the updates to our sparkly computer system, and if you are looking to expand your team you know who to call!!

Caroline!!

I will get her in heels… I will, I will!!

Amanda x

Jessie J Pricetag … No…Really!

Another normal day for Birchwood. Whizzing about doing 100 things at once, driving back from an appointment in Gloucester had a really positive conversation with my business coach and then a bit of me time with the radio in my lovely new car before an afternoon of laptops, phones and work. In a press of a button Jessie J and Price Tag…

“Seems like everybody’s got a price

I wonder how they sleep at night

When the sale comes first and the truth comes second

Just stop for a minute and smile”

Love this song and always have to crank up the volume (I am a bloody brilliant singer, my son recently advised me that I could go on X Factor when I had been tuned up) listening to the words they could not be more accurate.

As people we all have a “price”, we all have the line that we will not cross. I am sure Jessie J was not thinking about recruiters when she wrote this song but it would appear that the line for recruiters is blurry, muddy, and you know what? I do “wonder how they sleep at night”. Look on any recruiters website and you see the words you want to hear as a client or a candidate – ethical, caring, passionate, dedicated, quality, best practice, committed, perfect match. In response to this?

Having been in recruitment for 14 years now and been in different business types I know the reality can be very different. Morals go out of the window when you are faced with massive pressure to place. Recruitment is fast paced and the expectation from business owners for their consultants to bill is massive. But at what cost?

Honesty is the only policy for me… for 2 reasons. Firstly, I really do care; I work in a very niche market. The UK toy sector has been an incredible support to me over the years and I would feel disloyal to my trade if I was not giving people an honest picture, whether it is relating to how a company is under the surface or what a candidates background really looks like. Secondly, I am too bloody busy to be telling lies!

For me, it really “Aint about the Cha-Ching, Cha-ching”.  And “the Ba-Bling Ba-Bling”  is a happy consequence of doing what I love which is bringing people together. Whether it is at trainee level for Sambro International, Senior level for MGA or a multiple expansion plan with Vtech I love what I do, I will go the extra mile for each and every client and candidate. However… NOT at any cost! I will not lie for you, and if you are not truthful I will find out. I am particular about who I represent on both the client and the candidate side (it is my decision who I work with and I take that very seriously). My integrity and the integrity of Birchwood is important to me and I will not jeopardise my business for the sake of an ‘easy fee’. So when I hear of other recruiters who are quite obviously living by the mantra “… the sale comes first and the truth comes second’”I really do “…stop for a minute and smile”. I know I am ethical in what I do. I know my clients and candidates respect me for that. They may not always be easy conversations but they are honest.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at my testimonials or pick up the phone and ask people… I dont expect people to take my word for it x

Interview Tips for Girls… Bloody Babies!

I know this may appear sexist to have additional interview tips for girls but the fact is that ladies have matters they have to consider before interview that men just don’t. We all know that prospective employers are prohibited from asking gender specific questions. Do not believe that just because the interviewer cannot ask the question they are not desperate for the answer.

So, let’s deal with the shocking truth… women have babies! (and here is mine, isn’t he just lush, he is a bit bigger than this now)

My general advice in interview is that you tell the truth. Honesty is always the best policy whatever the subject during interview. However, I am not suggesting that you walk into the interview and announce you have no plans to breed, and nor would I expect you to advise that you have to leave within the hour as you are ovulating! Being a woman of childbearing age puts you at a disadvantage as a candidate for many employers, I am not here to discuss whether this is right or fair; it is the reality. I never put words into the mouths of my candidates, it is not my style; you need to find your own way to deal with the ‘elephant in the room’. My advice is to use language that will put the interviewer at ease… ‘I am career focussed’, ‘In the next five years I expect to be…’, ‘I want to make a long-term commitment to a role’. Talking actively about wanting to have children is never considered a good idea during interview… and before people start shouting about feminism, burning bras, and equality in the workplace I am looking purely commercially. Women of childbearing age need to understand that:

An employer can claim 92% of the maternity pay it pays out back from the government which is why most people think it is easy to deal with. However, businesses also need to consider additional costs; holiday accrued (when someone is on maternity leave). Change in role for the pregnant woman may mean a whole new role has to be created. Loss of working hours prior to maternity leave being taken (sickness, antenatal classes). Risk assessments may mean new chairs, additional rest breaks, stopping driving. The employer has to recruit a replacement at on a temporary basis, additional training will be needed, and in many cases there will be a handover period = 2 salaries for one job, recruitment fees the list goes on and on. Then when the babies come and mums come back to work there are a billion more considerations… If you were the employer would you employ a woman of childbearing age?

If you are the best candidate you will get the job. In my experience many of my clients would rather recruit women. This is especially true at senior sales level as they are much better relationship builders than their male counterparts (client opinion, I love everyone equally). I will not work on a discriminatory job vacancy but that is not to say that they do not exist. I am aware that there are some clients who may not show me exactly what they intend to recruit.

When you are in interview show that you are committed to your career and working life. If asked about childcare arrangements do not say ‘well I will leave the office immediately if my child is unwell at school’. Answer as a man would ‘oh the other half deals with all that side of things, I am the main bread-winner’ – issue dealt with. Whether it is true is another matter but believe me you answer in the first style and that is the only thing that interviewer will remember answer in the second and the interviewer will not even mention it during the feedback.

Your aim as a candidate in an interview is to get the job offer. An interview is a sales process like any other – you are selling yourself to a business and the business is selling itself to you. All candidates have to plan and prepare answers to typical questions. If you are wise you will deal with this head on to secure that new role. Put yourself in the best possible position to make your decision… better to have been offered a role and turn it down for you are not comfortable than not be offered at all!!

To find out how we can best work together please contact me in the best way for you for a totally confidential discussion, for my contact details have a look at the ‘talk to the shoes’ page

Vtech Update!!

With lots of recruitment projects you only every see the advertising, the shouting about and then nothing more. So I thought I would take two minutes to share the latest news on the recruitment project at Vtech.

Thursday and Friday of last week saw the last of the first interviews and the second interviews for the Key Account  position. I would like to thank all of the candidates who went along well prepared and researched; you all did yourselves proud. The senior team within Vtech did say that there was no one that was not capable of doing the job and each candidate set a solid benchmark for the rest. The job offer was made on Friday lunchtime and the candidate started on Tuesday – we are all delighted with this speed of turnaround! The successful candidate has worked both within and outside of the toy sector and is set to become a real asset to the Vtech business. Watch this space for news of his development.

Vtech and I have now turned our attention fully to the National Account Manager role and are in the thick of first interviews. I do have the ability to add people to the shortlist at this late stage, so don’t sit there thinking about it, give me a call and tell me why your name should be on that shortlist… They are a global market leader what’s not to like?

I am working on UK wide vacancies across sales and marketing at varying levels and would love to talk to you about your next step on your career ladder.

NEW JOB!

I want to take the opportunity to tell you all about something good! Businesses doing well are not exciting news in some senses these days; the economic climate is in a state of chaos creates much more elaborate headlines! Now, I am not looking through rose-tinted spectacles (they would be red surely) but thought it was time to talk about something good. Birchwood is busy and getting busier all the time and I thank all my clients and candidates for their continued support.

I spoke to Vtech recently about their business and their plans and was thrilled to hear how their business is developing. VTech is the Worlds largest manufacturer of Electronic Learning Products and prides itself on  design and manufacture of industry leading products, The business has grown by a fantastic 35% in the last 2 years which is pretty bloody fantastic and they have some really exciting new products for 2013 including Outdoor products and bath toys. They have a real presence in the market and vitally the product is trusted by parents and consumers meaning that Vtech drives people to retailers. As the mother of a 6-year-old myself I am also a consumer and I love the products; mind you the ‘hello puppy calling’ song on the First Steps Baby Walker will probably haunt me forever (if you want to know all the words just ask). There is a real buzz about the business and the team is strong, this is why I recruit for them and this is why you should consider them for the next step in your career… I have an advert running in the trade press at the moment and here it is. Just a word to the wise, contact me not the Vtech office; your application will be passed back to me anyway (just sayin).

Due to sustained growth domestically and internationally Vtech is now delighted to be looking to expand its established sales team by recruiting two additional people. Successful candidates will be highly computer literate, have excellent written and verbal communicators, be highly organised and have real passion for what they do. To get the most from Vtech’s dynamic culture you will have a proven track record of success with retail customers, excellent negotiation skills and be based within an hour of their UK head office in Oxfordshire.  Experience of the toy sector, though preferable is not a prerequisite for this role as the important part is a solid working relationship with the right account base

KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER this is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to develop their existing sales skills within a fast-moving environment. The successful candidate will have a proven track record and a commitment to driving business forward. The role involves working with an exciting portfolio of accounts to include online retailers and department stores within a supportive environment.

NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER This is a role for a highly experienced Account Manager. You will be working with a portfolio of high-profile retail customers at the highest level. You will be a highly motivated individual with the ability to be both a trading partner and a pragmatic business builder within a well established account base.

To find out more about these exciting opportunities please call Amanda Holder at Birchwood on 07796 697100; our retained consult for this project. To apply please email your up to date CV along with current package details to amanda@birchwoodrecruitment.com. Please note other recruiters are not invited to submit CV’s at this time and any third party application will be referred to Birchwood.

I love…

I have talked about the C word on my blog (http://wp.me/p1PIh3-2J); openly and freely, and with no shame, or guilt. I am going to talk about is again, along with a word I am much less comfortable with… the R word!        I am a Caring Recruiter

I know more than most how little those 2 words can mean when put together. I was asked recently by a graduate about my job, business and the industry so I told him. It struck me that I talk a lot on here about the dark side, the bad experiences candidates and clients have shared with me over my time in the industry, so I am taking the opportunity to redress the balance by showing:

I Love – Selling in 2 different ways to 2 different types of people everyday

I Love – Helping people

I Love – Being a linchpin

I Love – Finding the candidate no one else can

I Love – Being invited inside a business

I Love – Making a difference to lives

I Love – Working with businesses to grow and develop

I Love – Working with amazing people

I Love – Having a whole second family

I Love – Holding someone’s hand as they walk down their own path

I have described myself as ‘A Willow’ recently as I feel that best describes what I do. Essentially I hold the hand of the candidates and the hand of the clients during the whole recruitment process, probation period and beyond, I am strong and grounded while those around me rise to the challenges set. Average number of candidates interviewed for a job? 4.  Usual number of decision makers/influencers in a business? 2 = 6 people per job, and thankfully I work on more than one. That is a lot of hands, and I love it (show me someone who is a bit of a control freak who wouldn’t). By the time we reach offer stage we are normally down to 2 hands to hold but I have to hold on tight all the tighter. I bend and flex in the breeze (sometimes gale force) that can carry nerves and fear (from both parties); Head Office changes, counteroffers, other job offers, nervous spouses, and a whole host of things that can happen prior to someone starting a new job.

It’s easy to focus on the negative, and you know what? I was really good at it. I would go so far as to say ‘an expert’.  Ask anyone I used to work with and I believe they would describe me as scared, negative, massively resistant to change, precious, set in her ways, guarded, and a bit lazy… I am sure I will get some confirmations! I used to blame where I was, but it would not have mattered where I was it was who I was… I fell into a loop, my passion became a job. A job I didn’t like, a job for the money hungry whore who got so caught up in the numbers and the process everything else came second. I value my previous experience massively and enjoyed lots of the time I spent with other recruiters, I still keep in touch with a couple from my past but I am pretty selective. The difference now is I have a ‘family’ I have chosen; rather than one that has been thrust upon me. I work with whom I want in a way that suits individual client needs whilst supporting my candidates fully in their choices. I know some fantastic recruiters all across the country and I am delighted to recommend others to those candidates and candidates I am not best placed to help, rather than dumping candidates I can’t place and ignoring/hiding from roles I cannot fill.

Having been in recruitment for many years I forgot a lot of this. This is what I signed up for, this is why I love what I do, and it’s my positivity, my commitment to those I choose to work with, along with my passion and gift for matching people together that I fell in love with not all the stuff I rant about. Why do I rant about it? Because it used to be me (think I hid it better than some).  I cannot change the bad recruiters all I can do is be the best that I can be, and ensure that my clients and candidates continue to support my way of working… and if you are in recruitment and you want to find a better way feel free to make contact!

Learning to view the world in a different way is not easy, and changing your vision is challenging; I cannot recommend it enough it has changed my life. I would not recommend doing it alone though. Having a coach has been the making of the ‘new me’. Find out more about how my business coach works and see how you can move forward with www.applyingyou.com, my unreasonable friend who has my back!!

Thank you for supporting my blog, as a sales person I am a little needy, would love any feedback on this or indeed any of the other articles I have written, and if you have something you would like me to talk about then let me know!!