How to improve employee engagement and retention
Discover effective strategies to boost employee satisfaction and retention, helping you create a more engaged, loyal, and high-performing workforce.
Joanne O’Connell
Joanne O’Connell is a journalist, who has written for national newspapers for over 20 years, owns EmploymentSolicitor.com, and settlementagreement.co.uk and is author of a children’s book called: Beauty and the bin.
All by Joanne O’Connell
How to create a compensation strategy: A guide for employers
Learn how to develop a compelling compensation strategy to attract and retain talent, boost engagement, and ensure financial stability in 2025 and beyond.
How to promote work-life balance for your employees
Discover how to promote work-life balance and help employees thrive by creating boundaries that support their work and personal lives effectively.
Employment law in the UK: an essential guide for employers and HR leaders
It’s crucial for employers and HR professionals to understand the key aspects of UK employment law, and this guide covers the essential information you need to know.
An employer’s guide to managing Gardening Leave
Gardening leave offers unique benefits and challenges for both employers and employees. Discover how it works, when to use it, and key legal considerations to keep in mind.
6 tips for successful employee integration
Uncover proven strategies for integrating new starters into your workforce to boost staff morale and retention.
How to choose job titles for open roles
Uncover proven strategies to craft job titles that attract the right candidates, improve visibility, and streamline your hiring process.
How to reduce bias in your hiring process
Uncover strategies for bias free hiring that allow you to tap into wider, more diverse talent pools and attract exceptional and diverse candidates.
An employer’s guide to the redundancy process
Uncover strategies for managing the redundancy process with compassion and transparency to support affected staff in our comprehensive guide.
How to create a reward strategy that motivates staff
Learn how you can implement an employee reward strategy that increases motivation and engagement amongst your workforce.
8 strategies to reduce time to hire
With nearly half of jobseekers rejecting offers due to slow hiring processes, uncover key strategies to reduce time to hire efficiently onboard top talent.
8 ways to increase your job applications
Discover proven strategies to increase relevant job applications and improve your recruitment process.
Popular on Totaljobs
Hiring trends update: What’s changing and how to stay ahead
Discover the latest hiring trends and learn how to stay ahead in the current job market in our webinar on 28th May at 10:00am.
Hiring Trends Index: a look at the recruitment landscape of April 2025
The UK job market continues to evolve, shaped by economic shifts and employer hiring strategies. In this edition of the Hiring Trends Index, we analyse the key recruitment patterns of the first quarter of 2025 and look ahead to what’s on the horizon for Q2.
How to write job requirements that attract top talent
Attracting the right candidates starts with writing job requirements that are clear, realistic, and appealing.
However, data from the latest Totaljobs research reveals that less than one in three recruiters receive high-quality applications for their most recent hire.
With hiring costs and competition for talent at record highs, getting your job requirements right is more important than ever.
30 interview questions for successful hiring
You’ve written a job advert and drawn up a shortlist of candidates, but before you can go ahead with a job offer, you need to go through the interview process. We’re here to help by looking at interview questions to ask candidates for more efficient hiring.
Quality of life index: The best UK cities to live and work in 2023
New research from Totaljobs ranked quality of life factors for 15 major UK cities, spotlighting the greatest each area has to offer people looking for the best work-life balance in 2023.
Explore our insights to see which cities come out on top as UK workers look to stretch their pay. Discover how your city compares and get tips for attracting a new talent pool open to relocation.
How to give interview feedback to candidates
Learn how to improve the candidate experience and your employer brand by giving unsuccessful applicants valuable insights and actionable feedback.
User guide: using the Totaljobs CV Database
Below is your step-by-step guide to using the Totaljobs CV Database, a tool which lets you take control of your hiring by easily searching for candidates.
Filter searches by skillset and location, see candidates’ application history, contact the best suited, and set up alerts to find others who fit the brief.
How recruiters define application quality and why improving it can lead to better, faster hires
With only 30% of recruiters receiving high quality applications for their most recent hire, what factors influence application quality and how can businesses improve it?
7 ways AI is changing the hiring process in 2025 (and how to stay human)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the future — it’s already firmly part of the hiring process.
In 2025, AI tools are integrated across the recruitment journey, making hiring faster, more data-driven, and often more efficient. On average, recruiters estimate that 41% of applications have been enhanced by AI tools, from CV optimisation to automated assessments.
But while these innovations bring clear advantages, they also introduce new risks, especially around authenticity, fairness, and over-reliance on technology.
How to improve application quality: insights and fixes for UK employers
Struggling with low-quality applications? You’re not alone. Less than 1 in 3 recruiters say they received high-quality applications for their most recent hire. Join us on 25th June at 11:30am and discover how to beat the downwards trend.
Your essential guide to improve the quality of job applications you receive
In today’s competitive UK hiring market, the volume of applications is at an all-time high, but quality remains the biggest challenge. According to our latest research with over 624 recruiters and 1,009 jobseekers, only 30% of recruiters say they received high-quality applications during their most recent hiring process.
How to make a job offer to a candidate
Offering a job to a candidate is the final step of any successful recruitment process. Find out everything you need to know about job offers in our comprehensive guide.
User guide: getting the most from your job ad
By following our best practice guide you can increase the views, number of applications and relevancy of candidates that your job ad receives.
Creating a personal development plan for employees
By implementing clear and effective personal development plans, employers can effectively support their employees in reaching their career goals. Here’s how.
User guide: help creating your job ad
Below is your step-by-step guide to advertising a job on Totaljobs.
Before you get started, be sure that you have:
- Set up an account.
- Added a company logo.
- Decided on a job title.
- Written a job description.
- Defined the salary you want to offer.
Trending on Totaljobs
How to conduct competency-based interviews
With findings candidates with the right skills a challenge for 67% of employers, there’s never been a better time to learn how to conduct competency-based interviews. This structured interview style assesses the skills and abilities a candidate can bring to the table, helping you to access a wider pool of talent, hire more objectively, and find the best person for the job.
UK wages play catch up with the inflation
The most recent ONS estimates of labour market data (13th June 2023) show that wage growth picked up in April 2023. This is set to make the Bank of England’s plans to halve inflation more difficult, making another raise in interest rates likely. The market is still tight; therefore, redundancies and unemployment in the UK remain low. Meanwhile, long-term sickness is at an all-time high.
The ROI of Relocation: Why investing in a strong relocation package pays off for employers
With 65% of UK workers open to relocating, employers can expand their talent pool by providing support with relocation costs.
AI vs. Human – Jobseekers think AI shouldn’t make hiring decisions
Workers from the UK, US and Germany think humans should make the final decision to hire, but still share the excitement about AI’s potential at work and in the recruitment process.
How to write an effective job advertisement that attracts top candidates
With research from Totaljobs showing only 1 in 3 recruiters received high quality applications for their most recent hire, compelling job adverts are more important than ever.
5 ways employers can manage stress in the workplace
Uncover effective strategies for managing stress in the workplace and enhancing workforce wellbeing.
AI vs. Human – Who do jobseekers prefer to deal with in the recruitment process?
AI is rapidly going mainstream, and people are as excited as they are sceptical about its implications in the world of work and beyond. So, who is winning jobseekers’ hearts when it comes to hiring?
How to create a reward strategy that motivates staff
Learn how you can implement an employee reward strategy that increases motivation and engagement amongst your workforce.
How to conduct a salary review
Frequent salary reviews are vital to keeping employees engaged. Learn how to keep up with industry standards of pay and retain your top performers.
Quality of life index: The best UK cities to live and work in 2023
New research from Totaljobs ranked quality of life factors for 15 major UK cities, spotlighting the greatest each area has to offer people looking for the best work-life balance in 2023.
Explore our insights to see which cities come out on top as UK workers look to stretch their pay. Discover how your city compares and get tips for attracting a new talent pool open to relocation.
How to reduce bias in interviews
Uncover the pitfalls of interviewer bias in hiring processes and learn proven strategies to cultivate fairer, more inclusive recruitment practices.
Notice periods: An essential guide for employers
With a third of workers looking for a fresh start this year, successfully managing notice periods is crucial. In this guide we’ll examine what employers need to know about the different types of notice periods, their legal obligations and fixed term contracts.
Students are the driving force behind the decrease in economic inactivity
The ONS released its latest estimates of labour market data (16th May 2023), showing a continuing increase in labour participation. This increase is largely driven by students – who are working part-time or looking for part-time employment – as well as self-employed workers. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed for over 12 months has been increasing.
How employers can bring entry level opportunities to more young people
According to our research, over half (54%) of HR leaders say it has become more difficult to hire for entry level roles in the last two years. Meanwhile, youth unemployment is on the rise, young people report lacking adequate career advice and face limited opportunities trying to enter the workforce. So, how can employers bring their entry level opportunities to more young people?
How employers can engage with young talent as the cost of living rises
The cost of living is hampering young people’s career prospects and looks set to deepen long-standing challenges employers have in reaching and attracting entry level talent.
The latest report from Totaljobs, in partnership with Career Ready, shows that due to the rising cost of living, school leavers are confronted with growing concerns around money which threatens their career aspirations. This is having a negative impact on social mobility, with financial factors disproportionately affecting those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. The report offers insight into young people’s limitations and employers’ expectations.
Popular topics
Hiring people
Whether you’ve just started hiring people or you’re a recruiting pro; our free tips, advice and insight will help you adopt best practices and find the best people for the job.
Recruitment trends
Read the latest employment figures, with an in-depth focus on the UK skills shortage and how government legislation and employment law could affect your recruitment.
Recruiter resources
Whether it’s insight and advice from an in-depth report, or a step-by-step Totaljobs user guide, here you can find the resources you need to make recruitment easier.
Candidate attraction
What is employer branding? Your employer brand strategy is vitally important to make sure you can recruit the best people for your business.
Advertising a job
Find out how to advertise a job vacancy, with free examples and tips to help you get the best response from your job advert.
Webinars
Managing people
What is employee engagement? Find out everything you need to know to develop company culture and successfully manage people at work. From staff retention tips to how human resources can improve productivity, support employee wellbeing, and embed diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Interviewing
Improve your interviewing skills by learning the top questions to ask candidates, how to prepare for and conduct a great interview and how best to give interview feedback.
Retention and development
Your staff retention strategy is fundamental to making sure you keep hold of the best people in your business. Find out what motivates people at work, how you can boost employee engagement, and use training, learning and development to upskill members of staff.
Human resources
What is human resources? HR is responsible for supporting employees with their mental and physical health and protecting all workers’ rights in the workplace. This covers everything from maternity and paternity leave to resolving workplace conflicts and disputes. In short, we offer tips to help you promote employee wellbeing and effectively manage a team.