Key speaker – Tim Richardson, Director of Investigation Operations, Direct Group.

We were delighted to attend a seminar yesterday afternoon in Bradford, presented by Tim Richardson from Direct Group, where he gave a great insight in to how fraud is detected within the insurance industry.

Tim began his insurance career in 1986, starting as a Claims Handler, progressing to a Loss Adjuster and latterly moving into senior management positions.  Whilst detecting fraud has always been part and parcel of Tim’s career, his last few appointments have purely been focused on the investigation of fraudulent activities.

Tim is an impressive individual and more than qualified to deliver a seminar on fraud detection – in fact, he is the only person in the UK to be accredited with ACII, ACILA and ACFS.  Well done Tim!

As I am sure you won’t be surprised to hear, fraud is on the increase, whether this is from policyholders exaggerating genuine claims,  opportunists spotting potential ‘quick wins’, crash for cash exploits, as well as an increasing number of claimants who are reporting made-up losses due to their financial difficulties.

Some cases are straight forward and are swiftly quashed, however many require in-depth investigation.  During the lecture, we heard some highly amusing stories about the great lengths that some (anonymous) claimants had gone to in order to concoct plausible (or should I say highly implausible!) stories surrounding their claims.  Detection of fraud is definitely an art form; it can be challenging and frustrating, even when there are no doubts that the policyholder is being dishonest, because without sufficient proof or evidence, opinions don’t count.  It is imperative that all the correct processes and procedures are adhered to, ensuring that the investigation is water tight and statements are signed.  We learnt of a number of interesting and varied indicators that can be used to detect fraud, which include analysing body language and natural reactions such as blushing, change of vocal tone/pitch, hesitation, or avoiding difficult subjects when questioned.  We automatically have an emotional connection to stories that are true – we reflect on memories and visual images, which allow us to provide real detail on not only the loss, but the environment/surroundings we were in at the time.  When claimants are lying, obviously they don’t have these emotional connections to relate to, which is how stories can spiral out of control and holes begin to appear in their original statements.

In the last ABI report which was issued in 2011, there were 71,000 dishonest Household claims and 45,000 dishonest Motor claims.  The final figures for 2012 will be issued in September 2013.  People like Tim and his team are saving insurers millions of pounds a year!

If you would like to review the presentation, or make an enquiry as to how Tim and his team can help your business, please feel free to contact him directly on: 07557567013 or tim.richardson@directgroup.co.uk

Invitation to Keynote Speech by Jamie Peacock MBE

Aston Charles is delighted to announce that it has expanded its successful management training offering, by an exciting new partnership with Leeds Rhinos Forward and former England Captain, Jamie Peacock MBE.

Many of our clients, who have registered an interest in previous management and leadership courses, have told us that they would be particularly interested in a condensed programme of events, to prevent key staff from being out of the office during core business hours.

In response to this demand, we have developed a new initiative with Jamie, where he delivers ‘No White Flag,’ his fascinating and motivating keynote speech, over lunch or breakfast meetings at your offices, or a function room of your choosing.  Alternatively, Jamie can open and close sales and management meetings, or take part in an event with a selection of your clients – all at preferential rates negotiated by the Team at Aston Charles.  Jamie explains, “I’m completely flexible, and can tailor my approach to suit different organisations’ needs. Depending on what they would like me to address, I typically deliver my speech for 40 minutes, and then I’m happy to field questions for as long as they are asked.”

Jamie’s notable successes (including holding the world record for the most amount of Grand Final wins, and having twice received the prestigious ‘International Forward of the Year’ award) mean that he is well known to sports fans from far beyond Rugby League’s traditional heartlands of the M62 Corridor. However, in recent years he has also forged an equally impressive reputation in the UK’s business community, having delivered ‘No White Flag’ to high profile organisations such as KPMG and the NHS, as well as featuring in a range of national broadsheets, including a recent piece in The Telegraph. In addition to this, he has also written a bestselling autobiography, also by the name of ‘No White Flag.’

When delivering ‘No White Flag’, Jamie starts by giving an insight into how he became one of the most celebrated players of a generation, despite his self-confessed lack of natural sporting talent. Jamie then explains how his approach to leadership and self-belief can be applied in the world of business from ‘the shop floor to the board room.’ During his speech, Jamie discusses how he has tackled such issues as Leadership, Motivation and Goal Setting, and how his well-documented Team and personal successes have been underpinned by his approach to Attitude, Influences, Going the Extra Mile and Self Belief.

SPECIAL OFFER!!! SPECIAL OFFER!!! SPECIAL OFFER!!!!

As our valued client, you can also benefit from our unique ‘Game Day Breakfast’ offering. In this special offer, only available via Aston Charles, your guests meet at Headingley Carnegie Stadium on the morning of a Leeds Rhinos game. Here, you can enjoy coffee and a breakfast of your choosing at the café and mingle with some of Jamie’s team mates, before he presents ‘No White Flag’. This can be timed to suit your needs, ensuring your working day is not too disrupted. For those guests wishing to return to Headingley that evening, to watch the big match, tickets can be arranged separately for seats in a corporate function room, or on the terraces.

Please find below a selection of testimonials from senior personnel who have previously attended Jamie’s ‘No White Flag’ keynote speech:

“Jamie presented at our Sales Conference in January 2013. There were about 150 in the audience. His theme was ‘No White Flag’. The standard of presentations at our conference is always very high, but Jamie was the stand out performer that day. His message is very clear and digestible. At the conference dinner it was the main topic of conversation, with everyone saying how relevant they felt his message was to them. Personally, it has made me think about what going the extra mile really means and how important it is to fully focus on a task all the way until it is finished.

“I would have no hesitation in recommending Jamie to anyone who wants to lift their team to new levels of achievement.”
Peter Hill, CEO, Leeds Building Society.

“I know nothing about rugby league but I thought he was great – very  inspiring. Think I’m even going to write some goals down (proper ones, rather than corporate speak required by dialogue). Maybe we could employ him while he’s  recovering – then every time someone’s flagging we could just send them for some ‘Jamie-time’ and they’ll come back all fired up and raring to go.”  
Jo Joyce, Corporate Tax, KPMG.

“Jamie’s talk was inspiring, he connected with everyone in the room.  The feedback I received from the talk internally was the best we’ve had from a keynote motivational speaker.”  
Mike Linter, Partner, KPMG.

“Jamie’s ‘No White Flag’ presentation was candidly frank and really  inspirational. All of our business delegates identified with the links Jamie provided between business and sport. His approachability in chatting with the  delegates afterwards underlined how genuine and down to earth a person he is and I would recommend his services to you without hesitation. Thank you   amie.”  
Neil Wilson, Partner and Head of Employment and Sports Law,  Chadwick Lawrence LLP Solicitors.

“Jamie was truly inspirational and ‘No White Flag’ impacted on us as a team as we attempted to plan and problem solve our own eam dynamics and how we needed to engage and get the best out of our wider teams for the future.”  
Claire Shepherd, General Manager  NHS  

For more information about ‘No White Flag’, or to book yourself on one of Aston Charles’ exclusive Game Day Breakfasts, please contact Richard Jones on 0845 8388 490 or at info@astoncharles.co.uk

Oscars and Baftas, gongs and wardrobe malfunctions – yes awards season is most definitely upon us. However, forget the glitz and glamour of London, Hollywood and Cannes, there’s only one awards ceremony on the minds of employees of businesses based in a certain Leeds post code. That’s right ladies and gents’ – the red carpet has been rolled out for the annual Regus Wellington Place Tenants’ Awards Ceremony. Over a few drinks, a crowd gathered at the recently refurbished Central Pub on Wellington Street for an informal networking event and a tongue in cheek awards ceremony which could perhaps be described as ‘one part serviced office AGM, one part Grammys’.

Those who know Aston Charles’ MD, James Heald, will not be shocked in the slightest that he won the ‘Most Courteous Client 2012’ award – not bad out of 500 people.  Equally, those who know James will not be surprised that he gave one of the most tearful acceptance speeches in the history of award ceremonies, and proceeded to thank everyone in the room, and plenty more besides, for giving him the ‘platform to be so courteous’. James Heald – courteous to the end!

Anybody with any blogging advice, or wishing to contribute further articles, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Jones on 0845 8388 490.

Dear all,

We have been asked to bring the below petition to the attention of all of our clients and candidates within insurance, as well as anyone else who is affected by issues relating to flooding.

Many thanks,

The Team at Aston Charles…
Dear flood group member,

I thought that it might be helpful to provide a quick update on how the Flood Risk Insurance negotiations are progressing.

You will be aware that discussions have been going on for at least 2 years now, but they have now reached a critical point.  Reports in the press that Government and the insurance industry see things rather differently are right; the two sides are still talking to each other, but negotiations are only edging forward.  At the end of the day, ministers will have to make a decision about which of the various models will form the framework.  Discussions and consultations will then be needed to ensure that people at risk of flooding are supported as fully as possible.  It will be really important to get the detail right.

We have been very actively involved in discussions with both parties, particularly over the last few weeks.  We have been emphasising the need for a framework that provides insurance that is readily available, that is affordable and which protects the vulnerable in society; insurance that is socially just.  We have also been emphasising that decisions need to be taken quickly so that preparations can be made before the Statement of Principles, the agreement governing flood risk insurance for households and small businesses in the UK,  comes to an end in June 2013.  Finally, we have been proactively discussing how some of the barriers to progress might be overcome.

Over the last few weeks we have:

• Written an open letter to Owen Patterson
• Met with Richard Benyon MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment, Water and Rural Affairs, and responsible for flooding
• Met with various MPs
• Had lots of meetings with Defra and Association of British Insurance officials
• Presented to the All Party Group on Insurance and Finance.  Ralph Green from the Royal Borough of Windsor& Maidenhead Parishes Flood Liaison Group participated with us
• Created an online petition on the House of Commons website. The Flood Forum is asking everyone to sign the petition, which can be found at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/42396, to show government how important this subject is for many thousands of households throughout the UK. If you  have not already done so, please sign the petition.

On Monday we are holding a Parliamentary Briefing for MPs in the Palace of Westminster to ensure that they understand the arguments about the need for a new framework quickly and encourage them to place pressure on ministers.  Alan Bell from Morpeth Flood Group will be presenting the Morpeth Model.

On Tuesday we will attending and participating in the All Party Group on Flood Protection, where Richard Benyon MP will be questioned by MPs.

We will continue to put pressure on for a quick decision that provides a comprehensive framework.  We will also work to ensure that whatever system is put in place provides comprehensive flood risk insurance at an affordable price for as many people as possible.  You can help by signing the petition and by ensuring that your MP is kept fully aware of how important this issue is.

If you have any queries or comments, do please contact me.

Kind regards

Paul Cobbing

Chief Executive National Flood Forum

Old Snuff Mill Warehouse Park Lane Bewdley Worcestershire DY12 2EL

01299 403101
0777 3355 181

paul.cobbing@floodforum.org.uk www.floodforum.org.uk

Supporting and representing flood risk communities

Here are some of our top tips:

* This might sound obvious, but once an interview has been agreed, try not to postpone the meeting (particularly at short notice) as candidates have often booked a day’s holiday. Granted, sometimes this can’t be helped, but I think that Hiring Managers often underestimate the negative message that this creates, particularly if there is no great excuse on the employer’s part.

* Make sure that your colleagues know that the candidate is coming into the office. Make the candidate feel welcome, perhaps by asking the receptionist to offer them a drink when they arrive. Ensure that the office is tidy, staff are presentable and approachable, and that people are not openly talking about delicate business / HR matters in front of the candidate. You’d be surprised, it does happen!

* Allow the candidate enough time for the interview. We’re all very busy, but if your phone is ringing throughout the meeting and you have to disappear after 20 minutes, it doesn’t leave a great impression. Recently we heard of a prospective hiring manager cutting his cigar half way through the interview… smooth…

* Prepare for the interview. Read the candidate’s CV in advance of the meeting and compile well thought-out, relevant questions. The more you know about the candidate, the more they’ll be reassured that you’re genuinely interested in them.

* Be careful not to rely too heavily on generic Competency Based Questions. Whilst this form of questioning is a useful tool, it should be used in conjunction with other ‘traditional’, more personalised interview questions.

* Make sure that you have structure to the interview as this will give the candidate reassurance that you are in control of the meeting and ultimately, that you are in control of your own business.

* Show a genuine interest in the candidate – not just in their career, but in their personal interests too. Read their CV prior to the interview and note down some business and non-business discussion points. A light conversation about a candidate’s hobbies and interests at the beginning of an interview can really relax the candidate and help to reveal their true personality.

* If you know a candidate’s salary expectations, be careful if you’re considering making a low offer to begin with. Even if you are prepared to increase your offer eventually, to something more in line with the candidate’s original expectations, bear in mind that low offers can often result in a candidate losing trust in the prospective employer and ultimately withdrawing their application.

* Get back to the candidate when you say you’re going to. If you’ve promised a candidate feedback within a week, then it is important that you stick to this, otherwise the candidate will only assume that you’re not that keen, when this may not be the case. Even if you still haven’t reached a decision yet, make a courtesy call to the candidate, or the agency, to let them know, so that the candidate feels valued. Prospective employers who fail to give any post-interview feedback quickly get a bad reputation in the market.

* Prevent the interview process from being too lengthy. The more the process drags on, the more the candidate loses faith in the prospective employer and doubts their ability to make decisions. Some of the most successful employers we know, will offer a candidate within a week of the first interview.

* Be honest with your post interview feedback. So many times, candidates tell us that the client turned them down because of something that was clearly already on their CV. For example, they might say, “the reason we’re not progressing is that they haven’t done Liability Underwriting for 5 years”. The client already knew this when they received the CV, 2 weeks ago! Please make sure that your feedback (positive or negative) is constructive, fair and most importantly, genuine.

* Be open about your concerns during the interview. Candidates appreciate honesty, and more often than not, prefer the chance to be able to alleviate any concerns face to face during an interview.

* Finally, remember that first impressions really do count. We cannot blame a candidate for thinking that, if their prospective future boss is not on his/her best behaviour at interview stage, then what are they going to be like to work for?!  Remember, it’s a small world out there and reputation is everything.

We know that you are already doing most, or even all of the above, but we sincerely hope that you have found some of these suggestions useful.

Happy Recruiting!

The Team at Aston Charles

After a great summer of British endeavour, could the Team at Aston Charles replicate Team GB’s performance at London 2012 with an historic show at the Insurance Institute of Leeds annual pub quiz? Despite some frantic last minute homework and images of local Olympic heroes such as the Brownlee Brothers and Nicola Adams in mind to inspire us, the answer was, sadly not!

Keeping the sporting analogy alive, having won the Harrogate Institute quiz several years before, Aston Charles was, on paper, one of the competition’s form teams. However, our regular squad is usually buoyed by on-loan Striker (well actually, Bluefin Account Exec’ and all quizzing guru) Mark Wilding, who this year, was sadly forced to the side-lines through injury (OK, a prior engagement), resulting in the bookies frantically recalculating our odds of success. This was compounded with the last minute withdrawal of Aston Charles’ Business Consultant, Nigel Law, who also couldn’t make the big match due to unforeseen circumstances.

However, what the remaining players lack in general knowledge, they clearly make up for in team spirit, and we left the Aston Charles dressing room with a completely unjustified but commendable steely eyed determination to put on a good show. The quiz started with a tenuous ‘Recent
History’ round, with the first question being, ‘what day of the week was January 1^st …2002?’ After a shaky start, things soon improved and we were gearing ourselves up for a mid-table finish, with the potential to push for a spot on the podium, depending on how our competitors found the final 2 ‘Picture’ rounds. Sadly, the rest of the pack found them just as easy as Team AC, and were left languishing not far from the relegation zone.

However, as PE Teachers the world over never tire of saying, ‘it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part’, so perhaps it’s not quite time for us to hang up our boots just yet.

Thanks to everyone at the Insurance Institute of Leeds and all the staff at the West Riding pub for putting on a fantastic evening – we all really enjoyed it.

50 Shades of Scarborough

After an impressive start to the year, the Team at Aston Charles was rewarded with an all expenses trip to the beautiful Yorkshire coast, or more specifically, Scarborough.

Monday morning arrived with great excitement, and the team met at 8.30am to fuel up with a full English breakfast at Leeds train station. Fortunately, MD and Transport & Logistics Manager for the day, planned ahead to book train tickets in advance as it seemed that every human being in Yorkshire decided to board the exact same train… most of them reading 50 Shades of Grey…

Shortly after reaching Scarborough, we arrived at the beautiful 4* Crown Spa Hotel, which offers incredible sea views, although we did have to endure a pretty gruelling hike from the seafront up to the Esplanade where the hotel is situated. Annoyingly, no one saw the funicular railway 200 yards further along the beach! After spending a couple of hours strolling along the sea front and eating fish and chips, the sense of occasion clearly got to the Consultants, as by 2.30pm, they’d already taken over the karaoke afternoon in the Newcastle Packet. Allan was as impressive as ever with his version of ‘My Way’ and we were pleasantly surprised by Saraya’s incredible rendition of Lily Allen’s, ‘Not Fair.’ As for Richard, he’s probably regretting suggesting iphone roulette to decide who had to sing first. (Video evidence available) We then played a spot of cricket on the beach whilst the sun was blazing, before returning back to the hotel for a relaxing swim and a well-deserved Jacuzzi.

The day continued by visiting a highly recommended, local Italian restaurant, where the food was out of this world. Perfectly cooked, succulent steaks and delicious chicken dishes…and to top it off, James concluded the meal with a traditional, homemade tiramisu…he was in heaven…he still talks about it now (really, he does). We ended the night/morning by visiting some of Scarborough’s historic public houses and bars. Let’s just leave it there…

Feeling slightly tender on the Tuesday morning, we headed for breakfast, before we made the lunchtime train home. We all thoroughly enjoyed our trip and look forward to winning many more!

Insurance Institute of Bradford – Household Insurance Seminar

The Insurance Institute of Bradford hosted an afternoon of seminars and invited 4 key speakers to discuss a variety of topics relating to Household insurance claims.

Aston Charles’ Consultant, Saraya Fawcett, attended the event and here is her summary of the afternoon.

Clare Pardy – Fine Art Underwriter – Ecclesiastical

Clare opened the session with an impressive presentation covering a range of Fine Art and Antique items and how insurance works in many different ways.  For example, you can insure an item for the reinstatement value or an open market value.  The value of items varies due to a number of rating factors such as the artist, the subject matter, size and the materials used.  Whilst some items will lose value once they have been damaged and repaired, the most famous and highly valued vase would be the Portland Vase, however this has been broken and smashed into tiny pieces several times! 

In 2009, a set of rare porcelain vases were stolen from Firle Place, Sussex.  This was an extremely well planned and thought out burglary.  The thief staked out the home, due to it being open to the public.  The manor home had a top of the range alarm system fitted, however it wasn’t sophisticated enough to stop a professional thief.  During his stake out, he noticed the alarm would only trigger from the opening of the internal door to the room where the vases were kept and the sensors only covered half the room… One night, he took a ladder to the upstairs window, climbed through and shuffled along the wall (as to avoid the alarm sensors) towards the fireplace where the vases were kept, removed the glass cases and took the vases… whilst we don’t condone this behaviour, ten out of ten for effort!!

Please see Clare Pardy’s full presentation at the following link:

http://www.localinstitutes.cii.co.uk/Default.aspx?id=4706&tabid=3623

John Freeman – Counter Fraud Director – Questgates

Known to his friends as ‘Half man, half bloodhound’ and serial baby maker with 6 children! (I think you need to purchase a TV John?) He presented an extremely impressive, detailed and in-depth presentation on fraud within the UK.

John’s sense of humour and natural mick taking (of which Stephen McGettrick fell victim to) enabled him to deliver a highly enjoyable, fun and interactive session.

If you would like a copy of John’s presentation, please feel free to call Saraya on 0845 8388 770.

Stephen McGettrick –Business Development Manager – Rainbow International

After public humiliation about his suit from John Freeman, Stephen took the floor to discuss Fire & Flood restoration topics such as Drying Out Techniques, Smoke Deodorising, Reducing Drying Times and Reducing Claims Costs. 

Due to Stephen working at Cavalier Carpets for 7 years prior to joining Rainbow, he was able to open the floor to questions about carpet stains, whether it be for personal gain or reflecting on customer trends.

Robert Bolton – Jeweller – N G Bolton Jewellers

Robert closed the session by discussing jewellery pieces and their real value and weight.  A lot of stones are coming from overseas and some stones are injected with resin, enhanced with glass filler, and go through a number of processes on the black market before they are sold on as rare and valuable stones.  One example he spoke of was a customer who had purchased a diamond ring quite some years ago… at the time of purchase the stone was given a GIA diamond grading report.  A few years after purchase, the customer had the stone set onto a gold band by a reputable jeweller.  When the customer changed insurance providers for their home insurance, they were required to have the ring re-valued and she brought it along to Robert.  He noticed that the weight and size of the diamond did not match the original certificate that she was given when she initially purchased the ring and a repair had been carried out on the corner of the stone.  It was later revealed, when the ring was taken to the jeweller to be mounted onto a band, that he had accidently broken the diamond and covered this with a resin repair.  Due to the customer having proof from certified certificates, the jeweller replaced the whole stone and issued a written apology – you can never be too careful!

I am sure that anyone who attended this seminar would agree it was a great afternoon – highly informative and an opportunity to learn from other technical specialists.  David Codling from the Bradford institute organised this event and has many more scheduled for the remainder of 2012.  Whilst priority is given to CII members, he welcomes non-members to get involved also.

Shiver Me Timbers – Mixed fortunes at Insurance Institute of Leeds Treasure Hunt

Last week, the Team at Aston Charles joined their contemporaries within insurance at the local Insurance Institute of Leeds Annual Treasure Hunt – an event that is fast establishing itself as one of the highlights of the industry’s social calendar. With ranks swelled with friends from Marshall Wooldridge and Bluefin Insurance Brokers, we formed two teams, and former loyalties were quickly forgotten as our competitive natures got the better of us. The evening kicked off with drinks and the opportunity to mingle with some clients at the West Riding pub on Wellington Street, before being given a sheet of clues which led to a meandering route around a number of the city’s hostelries, with the demanding objective of collecting drinks receipts for each team member. It was a tough ask, but the team responded to this challenge with commendable tenacity! Additional points were obtained by answering local knowledge questions, with the answers gleaned from clues along the route. After two hours of much fun and several drinks, the trail led to Toast Bar where our intrepid Treasure Hunters were rewarded with a fantastic warm buffet, whilst the judges totted up scores for the prestigious prize giving. One of Aston Charles’ teams, ‘3 Men and a Little Lady’, came in third place and received a box of chocolates as their bounty. The other team didn’t fair quite as well and have not been seen since Thursday evening, copying information from a blue plaque outside Whitelocks…

As RDR rapidly approaches and the collective apprehension of the industry becomes almost palpable, more and more job-seeking IFA’s are asking an increasingly familiar question, ‘how do I make myself marketable in the countdown to RDR and beyond?’

The first thing to remember is, despite the popular misconception, not all firms have the same requirements when it comes to potential hires. Whilst it is quite common for IFA firms to adopt the same systematic, tick box approach to recruitment with the same old checklist – ‘must have clients, must be diploma, must have trail,’ not all hiring authorities take such a hard-line stance. Although these three things are by far the most important aspects when making yourself appeal to potential suitors, you don’t necessarily have to place a giant tick in each box.

Firstly, and simply, due to time frames, it is imperative that if you are an Adviser with aspirations of trying your hand at post-RDR advice, if you haven’t already reached the ‘promised land’, you must be making increasingly big strides towards gaining Diploma. However, don’t assume that you will be thrown into the reject pile just because you are not quite there. Demonstrable commitment to the cause, and displaying a clear and realistic action plan for obtaining the necessary qualifications in what time remains, will stand you in good stead with the more astute employers.

Secondly, and whilst not the ‘be all and end all’, any degree of existing trail commission, however big or small, is guaranteed to give you the competitive edge over otherwise similarly matched candidates. Nothing pricks the ears of Senior Management within IFA firms quite like the prospect of topping up their funds under management and recurring income streams.

Finally, the current buzz word in the world of FS recruitment, other than RDR itself… CLIENTS. Granted, it is becoming more difficult to convince ‘would be’ employers of your commercial viability post-RDR, if the argument is not backed up by the substance of some form of existing transferrable client bank. Fear not, there are still plenty of firms out there that have realised that the majority of quality Advisers are tied up in a multitude of red tape and restrictive covenants, which means that they simply have to waive their rights to clients for up to a year, or even permanently. Those firms, and many more besides, are offering either business development and marketing support in order to generate sales opportunities, or actually, believe it or not, putting them in front of existing or orphan clients accumulated over the years or via acquisition.

In summary, if you don’t have an abundance of easily transferrable clients, a massive trail pot, or a list of qualifications that wouldn’t look out of place on the CV of an experienced Rocket Scientist / Brain Surgeon, you are NOT no longer employable. If you are experienced, if you have the right client centric ethos, if you are capable of sourcing business and converting initial communications or first meetings into written business, and you are of course in a position to continue into 2013 and beyond, then you have something to offer. In essence, those employers and hiring authorities that disagree with these sentiments and discard experienced, hardworking and ethical IFA’s, are probably not the sort of firm with which you want to align yourself for the challenges that lie ahead.

For more information on how Aston Charles can assist you in sourcing the best opportunities, please call Ben Christmas on 0845 8388 765, or email benchristmas@astoncharles.co.uk.