Monthly news and views on shipping, offshore and transport recruitment - commercial, technical, legal and insurance

Distributed free to over 10,000 maritime professionals worldwide

IN THIS ISSUE

Welcome
Jobs
Notice period need not be a jail sentence
The bottom line
Spinnaker poll
International enforcement
Earn £400
Current Vacancies

WELCOME

Russell Otter is the manager of the recruitment team at Spinnaker. He often has an overwhelming urge to talk at length about subjects including 'Why Rocky IV is one of the greatest morality tales ever'. However, he does occasionally have something useful to say and with all his experience in recruitment we have reluctantly allowed him free reign…

"My position as manager of the recruitment business at Spinnaker is fairly unique as I have four customers to satisfy - our clients, our candidates, my consultants and the shareholders. It's a constant battle to ensure that every one of my customers receives an excellent quality service from each of my other customers.

I have witnessed first hand many different industries and consider myself an expert with a broad spectrum of recruitment knowledge and can happily say with my hand on my heart that the best companies in the world in each of their respective fields have slick and efficient recruitment processes, dealing with human beings with a human touch.

It's an often quoted maxim that "Great companies are built on great people" or "People are your most valuable asset" but realistically do we all practice what we preach?

When a candidate is submitted to a client the number one complaint is about the empty void that exists between a candidate being advised that they are being put forward to a client and the time when a candidate receives feedback from that submission. The number two complaint that I receive is the time taken from a candidate having an interview to the time when they receive feedback.

In this bullish market where good candidates are in short supply expedience can be the difference between our clients getting the best candidates or our clients receiving second best. The difference may only be a few percent but it can make the difference between me being able to satisfy my customers and our clients being able to satisfy theirs.

If you're looking to recruit in the current market perhaps the best piece of advice would be to streamline your recruitment process. Quicker feedback means you will be able to make decisions on the best candidates …. before they get snapped up by the competition"

JOBS

This month we have a number of positions spanning our little blue planet. If you scroll down you may find a post to suit you in the likes of Africa, Germany, Turkmenistan, Norway, Switzerland, the Middle East, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Singapore, USA, Netherlands, UK or Canada.

If you can recommend a friend for one of our positions and they get the job you can pick up £400 for your trouble. Have a look at http://www.shippingjobs.com/jobseekers/referral_scheme.asp for full details.

NOTICE PERIOD NEED NOT BE A JAIL SENTENCE

Q) An employee has been offered a great new job but his employment contract says that I have to give three months' notice and that he can not work for a competitor (which this company definitely is) for a year after that. Can he still start work at the end of his notice period?

A) If your employer has committed a fundamental breach of your contract of employment, it may be possible to avoid both serving notice and complying with post-termination restrictions. If there has been no such breach, the restriction will be enforceable if it is considered reasonable.

Your employer cannot just stop you competing because you are good at your job. They need more than this to enforce a non-compete clause such as a risk that you will disclose confidential information. You may have flexibility if the 12 months' restriction is considered too long or if it prohibits you working in a defined geographic area that cannot be justified.

The Times
http: //www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8171-2550786.html

THE BOTTOM LINE

Last year, shipowners experienced an average increase of just under 4% in their total operating costs, compared to the previous year. And OpCost 2006, Moore Stephens' operating cost benchmark tool, confirms that the biggest increases were recorded on insurance and crew costs.

Although the percentage increase in expenditure on crew costs was slightly down on last year, it still came in at an average of 9.2%. VLCCs recorded one of the highest increases - almost 20% - proving that there remains a premium for experienced, specialist crew.

The key phrase there is 'experienced and specialist crew'. These are the people who are required ashore and with crew salaries on the up the incentive to stay at sea remains strong. This has exacerbated the supply side for the shore based recruitment market which significantly relies on seafarers coming ashore.

OpCost 2006 is extracted from Moore Stephens' database of actual running costs of over 1,300 ships. This year's report covers the twenty most common vessel types. Running costs information in OpCost is obtained on a confidential basis from shipping clients of Moore Stephens, and from shipowners and managers who voluntarily submit accounts for inclusion. Clients and voluntary contributors receive free reports, while for third parties the report is available for sale at US$750 per copy. Special reports on details within the database can be tailored to individual needs.

http://www.moorestephens.co.uk

SPINNAKER POLL

This month we asked visitors to shippingjobs.com about their use of testing as part of the selection process. Personality questionnaires, general ability tests, literacy/numeracy tests, and tests of specific skills are all common but which are most widely used in shipping?

'Personality questionnaires' topped the list with 36% of the vote with 'General ability tests' and 'Tests of specific skills' following with 27% and 24% of the vote respectively. Only 14% tested for 'Literacy and numeracy skills'.

Full details can be seen at http://www.questionpro.com/akira/ShowResults?id=610475&mode=data

The total number of participants in the survey was relatively low and this could indicate that testing is relatively unused in the shipping industry. Our 'coal face' experience tells us that is the case and perhaps one can argue that in a safety critical industry like ours testing is a good tool to pick up potential problems early in the process.

However testing can produce misleading results if not run properly and we would heartily recommend that you use a professional. We also recommend that you closely match the testing to the job you wish to fill. Too often all prospective employees are put through a battery of tests regardless of the job they will be doing.

This month we will be exploring the methods that employers use to evaluate the recruitment and selection process.

To participate please go to www.shippingjobs.com and wait for the pop-up.

INTERNATIONAL ENFORCEMENT

This Wednesday senior practitioners from 4 important jurisdictions will talk on the all-important subject of enforcement of foreign maritime judgments and arbitration awards in their respective jurisdictions.

Issues to be discussed include:
What are the possibilities to enforce foreign maritime judgments and arbitration awards in, respectively, China, England & Wales, Russia and the USA and what scope do the Courts have in those jurisdictions to examine the foreign judgment and/or award and decline recognition and enforcement. Litigation lawyers are not popular if all they achieve is a Pyrrhic victory!

Chairman: Jonathan Lux - Ince & Co.

Panellists:
" John Lin of Ince & Co., Shanghai
" Alan van Praag - Eaton & Van Winkle LLP, (USA)
" Chris Moore of Ince & Co., London
" Michael Sokolov - Sokolov & Partners, Moscow

Wednesday 7th February 2007, 5.30 for 6.00pm
Venue: Ince & Co., International House, One St. Katherine's Way, London, E1

To grab a last minute place go to http://www.london-shipping-law.com/events/EventsResultList_current.asp.

EARN £400

Below is a list of vacancies currently available. However, if you are not interested or not suitable for any of these positions but you know someone who might be interested, you can EARN YOURSELF A £400 referral fee by passing details of the vacancy onto them.

You simply need to go to http://www.shippingjobs.com/jobseekers/referral_scheme.asp and complete our simple form giving us details of the person you have referred the job to. Subject to the terms of the scheme, if that person gets the job, you get £400. Simple.

(Please note that those marked with an 'AD' reference are advertised directly by the client and are therefore not eligible for the scheme.)

CURRENT VACANCIES