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In today’s busy market, it’s vital that women returning to work after maternity leave plan their return to work effectively to ensure they have the best possible experience. Here’s how.

First there’s childcare. It can feel overwhelming but make sure you plan and consider childcare well in advance. Ask questions of providers to ensure you make the choice that’s right for you. You can also visit the government website to see if you’re entitled to any support with childcare costs.

Remember how good you are. Yes, you can feel like you’ve forgotten everything about the world of work, but if you did it once, you can do it again. Don’t underestimate your skills!

Think flexible. It’s a good idea to ask potential employers about flexible working – which doesn’t necessarily mean working part time.

Be forgiving. It’s natural that you’ll find it tough in the first few weeks – so be kind to yourself and try to take things one step at a time!

Don’t forget your network. Your family and friends will be there to support you every step of the way – make sure you keep in touch!

For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 506 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

It’s important to be ambitious in your career, and having a plan in place to progress your career can be a great way to develop at work. So how can you improve your chances for career progression and promotion?

What’s their perception? It’s good to try and understand how people perceive you at work, and whether or not you need to adapt the way you approach your work to be as effective as possible.

Be proactive. If opportunities for training and development come your way, make sure you volunteer. If these opportunities are few and far between, ask your line manager for more opportunities to develop.

Make your voice heard. If you have an opinion on how your team can work better and more effectively, speak up. Don’t wait for someone else to take the spotlight!

Consider all feedback. Any and all feedback can be useful to you – good or bad. Take it on board and learn from it.

Explore what’s out there. Opportunities for progression may not always exist with your current employer – if you’re ambitious, see what other opportunities are out there!

For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Social media is a wonderful thing – most of the time! The great thing about social media is that is has given customers another effective and accessible way to reach out to brands they love (and hate) – with interesting consequences! Knowing how to respond to happy and unhappy customers and the subtle differences is important – here’s our guide for social media responses.

Hello Happy Customer! It’s great when customers say positive things online about your company or brand – and it can be an important way to attract new customers too. Make sure you respond to positive comments by saying thank you first and foremost, and show an interest in them – ask about the product or service they have used, and their answer may even inform future content. Sharing and liking positive comments is always popular too.

Oh dear. An Unhappy Customer. It happens from time to time – first things first, it’s important to apologise. Depending on the nature of the complaint you may want to move the discussion to private messages to find a solution. Although it is important to respond you shouldn’t be drawn into long complaints or arguments – respond once to offer a solution and leave it there.

For more information about our latest social media vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Christmas adverts hold a special place in our hearts, showcasing the magic of the season. But what makes a great one? It all boils down to a mix of storytelling, emotion, and authenticity. Adverts like John Lewis’ Christmas campaigns highlight the importance of a compelling narrative that tugs at the heartstrings, while maintaining a connection to the brand’s message.

It’s not just about selling a product – it’s about evoking a genuine emotional response. Think of Sainsbury’s 2014 advert, “Christmas is for Sharing,” which re-enacted the 1914 Christmas truce. It struck a chord with its heartfelt story and historical relevance.

Timing is also crucial. Launching your Christmas advert at the right moment can create anticipation and buzz. In the UK, the Christmas advert season typically kicks off in November, allowing brands ample time to build up festive cheer. We’ve been loving the Christmas vibes all month – we’re well and truly in the Christmas spirit!

So, crafting a remarkable Christmas advert is about blending creativity, timing, and genuine emotion to resonate deeply with viewers and leave a lasting impression.

For more information about our current marketing and advertising vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

We hear it all the time – Content is King. Great content continues to play a pivotal role in marketing both online and offline – but what makes great content? Here’s our top tips.

Make it original. There’s no point copying what everyone else is doing – yes, you should consider how other brands use content for promotion, but you’ve got to make your content original and authentic to your brand and organisation.

Make it useful. Good content always gives audiences something, whether it be advice or directions. Great content doesn’t only give something useful to your audience, it also answers questions.

Make it diverse. People use and interact with content in different ways – so use a variety of mediums to communicate. Text, images, infographics, videos – all have a place in a multi layered content strategy.

Make it to the point. Short, sharp and to the point content is what people want. Get rid of the fluff and give your audience what they want!

Don’t forget the killer headline. With so much content out there, a headline that will stand out from the crowd is vital to getting your audience’s attention.

For more information about our latest content vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

There are many channels when it comes to marketing, with offline (traditional) and online (digital) channels both having pros and cons. But which is best? And why? What are the benefits and considerations to digital and traditional marketing methods?

Traditional marketing methods are tried and tested, and trusted by many consumers. Traditional channels of marketing usually make it easier to target a local audience, by using local radio or direct mail. Consumers like flyers or brochures to refer to as a well-known, trusted communication tool.  However, using only traditional marketing methods has its downsides; most traditional marketing is very broadcast, rather than interactive, and it can be pretty costly.

Digital marketing methods and channels continue to grow. By going online you can reach audiences locally and internationally easily, and give consumers different options to engage with your brand. Also, digital provides a platform for a two way conversation with your customers, and it’s certainly cost-effective. But audiences can sometimes be less trusting of digital only brands, with the internet providing an accessible platform for scammers.

So, what’s the answer? Do both! A strong marketing strategy utilises digital and traditional methods of communication to reach a wider audience.

For more information about our latest marketing vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your organisation, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recrutiment.com.

With the rise of all things digital, many marketers are left questioning if traditional marketing methods such as flyers and brochures are even relevant these days. But there are still some surprising benefits of utilising these more traditional channels…

People still want something to look at. Depending on the sector and product, many customers still like to have something physical to refer to – and brochures and flyers can hold a lot of useful information in a well known, trusted format.

Versatility is key. Brochures and flyers have multiple purposes – they can be sent direct to customers, displayed at events and distributed from company operations.

Traditional V Digital – or not, as the case may be. Traditional forms of marketing can easily work in partnership with the digital arena – by utilising multiple channels organisations can avoid alienating any potential customers, with different channels suiting different needs and capabilities.

Traditional methods of marketing most definitely still have a place when it comes to communicating products and services, depending on the sector you’re operating in – what’s vital is an understanding of our product and audience to ensure effective communication.

For more information about our latest marketing vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Is it that time again? With changing tastes and times, it’s almost inevitable that at some point your organisation or client will need a logo refresh. But where to start? How can you give a logo a classy refresh whilst keeping the feel of the brand? Here’s our top tips.

Lose the text. Perhaps the organisation has a recognisable logo from its shape or colour alone? By losing the text you will very quickly be able to streamline the look and feel of the logo.

Change up the font. If your logo really relies on the text, maybe a simple font change is all you need – By choosing a more modern, recognisable font you could do wonders.

Think about your history. Maybe the brand has been around for a while, and maybe it’s time to revisit some of the older logo designs for a bit of nostalgia – a modern twist on an old classic always goes down well!

Consider the colour. Your colour might form a huge part of your brand identity, but if your organisation is going in a different direction a new colour in a recognisable design might just do the trick to refresh your brand.

For more information about our latest vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Video content has been king on social media and in digital comms for a number of years now and shows no sign of going away any time soon. But with so much video content out there, how do you make yours stand out from the crowd? Here’s our advice.

Keep it simple. Videos should be short and to the point. No longer really than 1 minute is key – most people are watching video content whilst scrolling through social media channels, and they won’t be hanging around to watch long videos most of the time!

Think about where your viewers are. Sounds strange, but many people will be watching your content whilst on the go. Most videos on social media channels are also very often watched without the sound on, so subtitles are a MUST.

Use captions and graphics. With few people watching a video for the full length, using captions to explain the reasons why people should watch and what they are watching quickly will capture people’s attention, without a doubt.

Don’t forget the call to action. To guarantee the best impact, try to weave your call to action into your video both at the beginning and end to ensure it’s seen.

For more information about our video and content vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.

Interview questions come in all shapes and sizes and are asked for very different reasons. So what questions should you expect in your next interview and how can you answer them effectively?

The classics. These questions are wide ranging, and often simply involve the interviewer wanting to find out more about you.

Career Goal questions. These questions relate your future career plans and how you see yourself developing, as interviewers try to establish if you’re a good fit for their company.

What about your character? Character led questions reveal what you’re capable of achieving and give employers a real indication of your drives.

Are you competent? Competency questions indicate your ability to complete a job well and will often require you to give examples to show what you’re capable of.

The curveball. Questions such as “If you were an animal, which one would you be?”  do still exist. They’re designed to see how you can think on your feet, so make sure you take your opportunity to stand out from the crowd!

For more information about our current vacancies, or to find out how FS1 can support your business, contact us on 01908 787 560 or hello@fs1recruitment.com.