AI and Machine Learning continue to proliferate...
With summer (allegedly) in full swing, and the European Championships officially kicked off, we are back with June’s Candidate Care Newsletter.
Earlier this month, news broke that France’s Mistral AI – founded by DeepMind and Meta alumni – closed €600m funding round at a €5.8bn valuation. This indicates exciting times for the French tech ecosystem, with news reports highlighting that there are large numbers of homegrown startups and international founders moving to Paris to set up.
This highlights, once again, the continued proliferation of AI and Machine Learning. Across Europe and in the UK, the surge in AI adoption is ramping up demand for professionals skilled in both AI and ML, amplifying the importance of upskilling in those areas.
As global economic uncertainty and potential slowdowns continue, this could impact hiring across certain industries. We have noticed some companies taking a more cautious approach to hiring. This means that certain organisations are looking to be more selective in their hiring processes, focusing on candidates with a specific skillset that aligns more directly with company needs. On the other hand, however, we’re also noting that companies are adapting their value proposition to attract top talent in an increasingly competitive market.
As some of you already know, Ama and Lucia are hosting a summer networking event for our candidates past and present. This is the first of very many we hope to host in the UK. If you’re not based in London, not to worry, we also hope to take our Candidate Care events on the road across Europe too!
Take care,
The Candidate Care Team.
Candidate Care | Tips on going from perm to temp
Recently, we’ve seen an influx in candidates reaching out for support and advice on going from a permanent placement to temporary contract work. We reached out to the team to get their professional advice on how they’re supporting candidates in making the transition.
The most valuable advice I can give is: get a good accountant! Focus on the future; you've accepted a temp role - what does your next role look like? That's the mindset that you need to be in all the time. How you're going to build your portfolio of work, how that's going to look on your CV to help you in a consistent motion of work. Ciarán Hudson - Senior Candidate Partner
"Save for a rainy day! Contracts will naturally have breaks; the idea is to build up enough money in your LTD company to pay yourself a salary should you not have another contract to jump straight into." - Trishna Parmar - Senior Candidate Partner / Pod Lead
"The important thing is to remember that you have options! For example, if you accept an inside IR35 role, you may want to go through an umbrella company. Speak to us: Venquis has an umbrella PSL. If it's outside IR35, you may want to go through your own LTD company.?Venquis is also here to help: talk to us. We work with umbrella companies that offer services. We can also connect you with our in-house consultants to have a chat about some of the contract roles we have too!" - Ama Esson - Senior Compliance Executive
Candidate spotlight | the transition from perm to contract
The following quote is from Caroline, a Venquis Candidate regarding her experience going from a permanent worker, to contract work:
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"Working as a contractor was always something I wanted to do in my career. The idea of working on various projects, with different people, in different environments, could only help me to gain more experience, while keeping the job fun. However, the fear of the market crashing and losing the ‘security’ of a permanent role always related my decision to go it alone! After 18 years at one of the Big Five, the opportunity of voluntary redundancy came my way, and I knew it was now or never – I guess no job is ever really secure. I had joined the firm straight from university, so the world of job searching was also very new to me.
Thankfully, a message from Ciaran was sitting in my LinkedIn inbox, and as soon as I replied, Ciaran was on the case. After an initial conversation about my background and experience, as well as what I was looking for in the future, Ciaran went away to explore some opportunities. He quickly came back with options.
Fortunately, things moved fast and a contract role was offered to me. Now the challenge was how to actually become self-employed and sort out the necessary admin. Ciaran set up a call with another member of the Venquis team, who was kind enough to take me through the basics. He helped me understand IR35, and gave me some pointers on company registration, finding an accountant and ensuring I had the necessary insurance etc.
It really wasn’t as hard as I first thought!
For anyone considering the move: I would suggest speaking to other contractors (who you have undoubtedly worked with in your career) and learn from their experience and expertise. My observation is that everyone remembers their transition from permanent to contract, so they are always willing to help – and when you have a team like Venquis holding your hand, the transition is smooth!"
Venquis Summer Social!
That's right, this July we're hosting an evening of networking, drinks and nibbles with our clients, candidates and some of our suppliers to thank you for being a part of the Venquis journey. On Wednesday 17th July, at 5:30pm, we'll be welcoming as many of you as we can to The Vintry in London. Tap the link for more information and to RSVP!
Candidate Care | What can we do for you?
What do you want to see from Venquis' Candidate Care team? How can we support you in your career journey? If you have any questions, reach out to us and we can incorporate them into our newsletter, our onboarding procedures... Anything to support you on your journey!
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