Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2009
We are delighted to announce that Benchmark Recruit was nominated for and went on to win 'Young Business of the Year' at the prestigious Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards 2009. After beating off stiff competition from young businesses and enterprises throughout the Yorkshire region, Benchmark was announced the winner in recognition of our efforts to buck the trend and (despite constant negativity in the news) brave the storm with an attitude of energy and positivity. September 2009 was our most successful month on record and in a year where companies have had the choice – to sink or swim – Benchmark decided to go for it, and we are thrilled that our efforts have been rewarded with a prestigious accolade such as the Yorkshire Post award.
The Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business awards are a celebration of the best companies in this enterprising region, and the 2009 ceremony took place on October 16th at The Queens Hotel in Leeds. Jon Culshaw, the celebrated impressionist, was master of ceremonies and the keynote speaker was the Schools Minister Ed Balls. Further details can be found on the Yorkshire Post website www.yorkshirepost.co.uk and you can check out our picture gallery by visiting our Facebook page (link below)!
JCI Regional Awards 2009
Benchmark Director Louisa Harrison-Walker has been given a top award for fund raising work in the community! The Sheffield branch of business organisation Junior Chamber International was recognised for fund raising work in the community and so JCI Sheffield’s Community team took the prize for ‘Most Outstanding Community Project’ at the 55th JCI Regional Awards dinner held at Sheffield Cathedral.
The Community team is headed by Louisa Harrison-Walker and Andrew Whitham (Commercial Sales Executive for Sheffield United) and the prestigious award recognised the team’s efforts in organising our six-a-side football tournament held earlier in the year. As you know, the contest raised a total of £4,500, a figure that was then match funded by the Community Foundation Endowment Fund, bringing the total to an amazing £9,000 - money that went to Sheffield FC and charities South Yorkshire Community Foundation and Boots for Africa. Well done to Louisa and Andrew, and you can email Louisa for info on next year’s tournament by clicking here!
Guide Dogs Annual Recruitment Drive 2009/10
Following on from our successful recruitment drive in Dec 2008 / Jan 2009, we are proud to announce that Benchmark has again been selected as the preferred supplier to assist Guide Dogs for the Blind in the recruitment and selection process for their Apprentice Guide Dog Mobility Instructors on a National Basis.
We were delighted to have been chosen again to work with such a high profile charity and it's great that a local Sheffield company can continue to work with and support a national charity. Benchmark has developed a very special relationship with the charity and we are incredibly supportive of the work they do. This year's project was extremely important to us, as we feel it highlights a different strand of recruitment we are able to offer; The facilitation of this recruitment drive involves competency scoring over 500 applications in the space of two weeks, which has been interesting contrast to our usual process of one-on-one registrations, selection and interview, aftercare and retention!
There are a number of ways you can get involved and support Guide Dogs – you could try puppy walking, sponsoring a puppy, or simply donating from as little as £2 per month via the Guide Dogs payroll-giving service within businesses. For further information visit www.guidedogs.org.uk
If you have any further queries regarding the AGDMI recruitment process for 2010 please feel free to contact Siobhan on 0114 2792879 or email siobhan@benchmarkrecruit.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!
Benchmark's 4 Peaks Challenge!
On Sunday 12th July the Benchmark Bunch took part in a fundraising adventure event for Neurocare - the Edale 4 Peaks challenge which was led by the Fellandtrail Adventure Ltd. Tucked away in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, the event took in Lose Hill, Mam Tor, Lords Seat, Grindslow Knoll and other Peak District landmarks such as Hollins Cross, Back Tor and Edale Village. A fantastic (albeit long and tiring) day out was had by all, and as a team we managed to raise over £350 for Neurocare; so a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored and supported us on the day. You can check out our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheffield-United-Kingdom/Benchmark-Recruit for further pictures and gossip from the day, and for more details about Neurocare and the amazing work they do in our region please visit www.neurocare.org.uk
The Neurocare team are looking currently looking for partcipants to take part in the next Edale challenge on October 4th 2009. Members of the Benchmark team may well be heading back for round two – so to join in and for details please contact emma@neurocare.org.uk.
Benchmark's Bucking the Trend!
Business Link Yorkshire designed a brand new competition to help companies in our region innovate their way through the recession. Around 60 businesses entered this "Bucking The Trend" competition, designed to highlight the region's can-do approach to the recession. Companies were assessed on tenacity and innovation, a can-do attitude and an ability to buck the trend of the current economic downturn. They had to deliver real, measurable results and demonstrate exceptional and inspirational qualities to other companies. The winners were announced on June 5 at the International Business Convention VIP breakfast. We were shortlisted for the final and Benchmark Director Louisa attended the awards day in Bridlington and scooped a Silver prize in recognition of Benchmark's innovative and creative approach to business and recent achievements. The awards were followed by speeches by John Cleese (who spoke about the Psychology of Business) and Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics who offered some alternative, forward thinking ideas! For further information and full picture gallery check out our facebook page -
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheffield-United-Kingdom/Benchmark-Recruit/81032817551?ref=mf
Siobhan's Medal of Merit!
An initiative rewarding the outstanding achievements of individuals in companies and organisations has honoured its latest winner. Siobhan Hennessey, Office Coordinator at Benchmark Recruit, has been awarded the ‘Medal of Merit’ – a joint initiative between Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Star Business Monthly. Open to Sheffield Chamber’s 2600 plus member organisations, the award honours exceptional achievements, performances and contributions by an individual to the success of a business or organisation. It reflects excellence, commitment, innovation and dedication of an individual.
http://www.thestar.co.uk/business/Siobhan-has-merit.5369519.jp
Football Fundraising Tournament: Get your kit on!
On Saturday 16th May, Benchmark Recruit joined forces with JCI Sheffield to host a football fundraising tournament in aid of the South Yorkshire Community Foundation (JCI's nominated charity of the year) and the Boots For Africa campaign. The tournament was a culmination of months of hard work by Louisa (who is also Community Director for JCI) and Andrew Whitham of SUFC and simply wouldn't have been possible without the support of Sheffield FC - and of course the organisations who submitted a team! The six-aside tournament was played at Sheffield FC and, despite the weather, was a great success with over 20 teams competing to win! All teams donated a minimum of £200 to enter and a massive thank you goes to SDL Ltd who went above and beyond and almost doubled the minimum entry with sponsorship! On behalf of Benchmark andf JCI Sheffield we would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part and everyone who gave their support. In total we raised almost £9,000 for the South Yorkshire Community Foundation - which is simply amazing! Back by popular demand, watch this space for details of next year's tournament!
Please visit our brand new Facebook page to view photos and action shots from the day!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sheffield-United-Kingdom/Benchmark-Recruit/81032817551?ref=mf
Benchmark Buddies Up With Relocate2!
At Benchmark, we're really passionate about our fair city, and have found that our knowledge and expertise has been instrumental in attracting and encouraging talent to the area! To build on this, we have teamed up with Sheffield based relocation experts, Relocate2 and our new partnership ensures we're uniquely placed to offer the finest relocation service in the region. Relocate 2 Sheffield help businesses to attract and retain the country’s finest talent to our wonderful city - they put together attractive relocation packages for key professional positions; providing practical and emotional support for anyone considering a move. This helps to secure a candidate in a position, making the whole recruitment process an easier and more positive experience. Relocate2Sheffield are passionate about this city; their knowledge and expertise is instrumental in encouraging talent from outside the region. Please click on the link below to view our swish new mailer advertising this fab offer! You can also check out www.relocate2sheffield.co.uk for futher information.
http://benchmarkrecruit.co.uk/newsletter/
Enneagram Event!
Benchmark Director Amy Tingle, who is also the Personal Development Officer for JCI Sheffield, teamed up with Jane and Anne Padget from Eva Consulting to host an interactive Enneagram workshop in February 2009. Hosted at the new Millennium Copthorne Hotel, the workshop was designed to enable attendees to learn more about themselves and their team using the ancient Enneagram tool. The Enneagram is a tool used to describe nine different personality types; it is thought that by understanding the Enneagram, you can develop your self-awareness in a precise, insightful and gentle way, thus feeling more confident about the choices you make in your business and personal life. The event was a great success and definitely left attendees with food for thought! For further information on this and other Personal Development events please feel free to get in touch with Amy on amy@benchmarkrecruit.co.uk.
http://www.scci.org.uk/page/show/276
Gossip from 2007 & 2008 - still as juicy!
Sheffield Business Awards
We are delighted to announce that Benchmark Recruit has been officially short listed to the final four out of fifteen new businesses for the Business Link Start up Award, which is part of the Sheffield Business Awards 2007! As you may know, the Sheffield Business Awards are organised by the Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and are in association with Star Business Monthly. The awards are designed to recognise and reward Sheffield City Region business success. This award is to recognise a successful and outward looking new business, which has established its position within the marketplace through a mixture of sound business techniques, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurialism. We are thrilled to have been short listed and we hope that you will join us in celebrating what has been a fabulous year so far!
Benchmark Birthday!
Not everyone is able to celebrate their birthday as they'd like, and that was certainly the case for us at Benchmark Recruit as we marked our business birthday on a very busy September 4th! We would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way from our initial start up to where we are today and for your continued help and support - we look forward to working with you again and to another great year!
(Click to Enlarge)
Networking Events!
Benchmark Recruit hosted a Personal Development & Networking Event at The Quarter Bar and Restaurant in Sheffield city centre.
We joined forces with Jon Colman from Training Providers Red Vanilla to host a Goal Setting session to help attendees prioritise their work and personal life, and realise what they want to achieve in 2008!
The session was informal, interactive and more fun than most workshops you will have attended! There was an informal networking session afterwards and guests stayed for drinks and the live jazz band afterwards in the newly renovated Quarter Bar (formerly Sola) in the city centre.
For information about personal development events please contact louisa@benchmarkrecruit.co.uk. We'll see you next time!
Personal Development Event
Clients and associates of Benchmark Recruit were invited to attend an interactive Speed Reading and Mind Mapping session at a fun filled evening held at Takapuna Bar and Restaurant in Sheffield city centre. The session was hosted by Benchmark with guest speaker Anthony Gopaul leading the activites and saw delegates exploring ways to incorporate mind mapping diagrams into their daily working and personal lives. This was the first event in a series of sessions dedicated to Personal Development to be hosted by Benchmark Recruit; for more information on upcoming events please feel free to contact us.
