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As many of us were virtually tuned into the parliamentary briefing yesterday, our collective bated breath was apparent.

It’s usually about now that our team enter holiday mode, marketing campaigns are scaled back. Whilst some of our staff are taking a dip in their hotel pool, our web stats are also taking their annual dip as schools break up, holidays commence and those in pubs are entering their busiest times of year. Pub recruitment, historically takes a small siesta in July, slowly coming back towards the end of August and then with even more vigour as Autumn approaches. This is a period of downturn we have experienced every year, for the 10 years plus we have been trading. It doesn’t stop but is noticeably reduced.

In one more sleep, I will be able to head back into my local. The community hub is once more, the doors will spring open, the landlord cheery and jubilant welcomes me – his enthusiasm boundless, his energy almost uncontainable. I feel like the most important customer of his day.

As a company one of our key objectives last year was to gain a better understanding of our candidates’ needs, requirements and view of our website. With over 40,000 unique users a month it was high time that we dedicated our resources to ensure we were getting it right – as the company’s Web Director – this survey was very much my arena.

Last night something momentous happened in my isolated and rather predictable little world, I received a flyer through the door followed by a Facebook notification that my local (and treasured) coffee shop was opening its doors once more and not only that but the very next day!

“I recruit for pubs” I explain to an enquiring neighbour as we socially distance across the garden. I notice the wince; the fledging look of ‘oh dear’ in his eyes and the hesitance in his ‘I’m sure things will be fine’ response.

On the 7th May 1945, General Jodl signed the unconditional surrender of German forces, which was to take effect from 8th May 1945 at 11:01 p.m. After six years the Nazi army was defeated and the war in Europe was finally over.

“Those who can do, those who can’t teach.” Sorry Mr Bernard Shaw, but you are wrong. I can not do algebra, nor it seems can I teach it. Or to that mind, anything – I seem unable to teach them anything! Max is getting very frustrated, it turns out my long-standing and well developed (yet not often used) way of working out long division, is also wrong.

Unprecedented seems to be the word of the year thus far, a term the dictionary defines as never done or known before. An adjective that for so many having heard it time and time again now carries a negative message and drives a sense of helplessness when delivered.

As a business owner in the hospitality sector in April 2020, I understand 100 percent the pain many of you are feeling right now. What are the right decisions to make, can I survive this? Everything right now feels so impossible, too many unknowns, too many what ifs; how do we navigate this and have a business at the end of it?

I joined the masses yesterday in signaling my gratitude for the key workers everywhere keeping us going, caring for our sick and delivering us all essential services during this global crisis. I stood alongside my neighbors (from a safe distance) and applauded the tremendous bravery of our NHS, all of us, united, a community, cheering on the greater community, celebrating a national effort.

It’s true, we potentially have some long, hard months ahead of us, however we are an industry built on the ever-changing needs of the consumer and a solid foundation of ‘cracking on!’ Read more about how our industry will overcome COVID-19.

Christmas and New Year are around the corner and we all know what that means; party season. However, after all parties comes the calm after the storm and for the pub trade that is January.

Whether you love or hate Christmas it’s one of the best times of the year for your pub. Find out how to make the most of it in our latest blog.

I never once thought I’d end up taking a route into design and I honestly never thought I was creative enough to do it. However, throughout it all, I’ve learnt that a person isn’t always born with a creative mind, this can easily be developed and improved if you put your mind to it.

Whether you're self-employed and want to escape the home office, or need a quick pit stop to grab a coffee before heading back to the grind, solo working is on the increase. But forget café Wi-Fi, pub grub is just what the punters need to sort out their work blues, it seems.

If you’re in a job that you no longer enjoy or are looking for a change of direction completely, there’s no time like the new year to start laying the foundations for your next exciting move. But how do you go about it?

Its “Pub Open Day” season and it feels like every pub company across the land is inviting you to come and speak to them about their deals, offers, sites and agreements. So, what actually happens at a pub recruitment open day? Is it all coffee and sales pitches or is it a worthwhile date to put in your diary to help you find that perfect pub?

I love my job, I love my business and I am hugely proud of what has been achieved and very focused on the opportunities that lie ahead. I am proud of the team that work within my business and the growth that is being achieved.

Recruitment: The process of finding and hiring the best qualified candidate (from within or outside of an organisation) for a job opening or similar, in a timely and cost effective manner.

An office full of smoke and selling dark ale in the deepest darkest depths of the Welsh Valleys, those are the fond memories I have of my early career in the pub industry. Those days are gone now, the industry has come a long way and so have I.

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