International Women's Day 2023: Interview With Bao Trinh

​To celebrate International Women's Day, we spoke to females from across the Xcede Group teams. We discussed their careers, challenges they have overcome to get to where they are today, and how they are working to #EmbraceEquality.

Here is our interview with Bao Trinh. 

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What is your previous experience / has your career path looked like? 

I started at Xcede as a graduate after university, and had the opportunity to progress each year ever since (from mentoring juniors to move into a fully BD focused role). 

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Name a woman that has inspired you? 

There is not one specific woman, but rather the bunch of my closest girlfriends that have been alongside me for years, and each of their different traits inspire me day to day.

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What challenges have you faced along the way and what did you do to overcome them?

Moved countries quite a few times without knowing anyone, or sometimes even the language and had to start from scratch every single time by getting out of my comfort zone with an open mindset, strong determination and leveraging my networks!

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What is the best piece of advice you would give to a younger you? 

Don’t spend all of your money!

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How will you #EmbraceEquity for women’s equality today and beyond? 

Enjoying breakfast catching up with the other ladies in the business!

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2023/03/international-womens-day-2023-interview-with-bao-trinh

International Women's Day 2023: Interview With Tessa Soh

​To celebrate International Women's Day, we spoke to females from across the Xcede Group teams. We discussed their careers, challenges they have overcome to get to where they are today, and how they are working to #EmbraceEquality.

Here is our interview with Tessa Soh.

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What is your previous experience / has your career path looked like? 

I went straight into renewable energy recruitment right after school and have been in this line for the past 4 years. As a woman in the workforce, I’ve been given the opportunity to develop myself and learn from the people around me. 

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Name a woman that has inspired you? 

My mum has always been and will continue to be the woman who inspires me most. She works hard and loves tenderly, made numerous sacrifices to nurture and bring my siblings and I up.

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What challenges have you faced along the way and what did you do to overcome them?

As with almost everyone else, I’ve gone through countless hurdles throughout my career in recruitment. Being the youngest by age and a woman in the team has sometimes made it trickier to earn the trust and respect of my fellow colleagues/peers older than me. However, I’ve learned that the work I put in and the results that come forth as well as my attitude to the people around me is what ultimately helps me gain the respect of others.

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What is the best piece of advice you would give to a younger you? 

Respect yourself and not just those that surround you.

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How will you #EmbraceEquity for women’s equality today and beyond? 

Speak up. Speak up against discrimination, harassment, and inequality that women face. Call out gender bias and hold people accountable for their actions.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2023/03/international-womens-day-2023-interview-with-tessa-soh

Xcede Receives Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award for Second Consecutive Year

​We are thrilled to announce that we have been award the Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Awardfor the second year in a row. This recent accreditation further signals how we consistently deliver an exceptional experience for our clients and candidates, year after year.

The Platinum Trusted Service Award is given to businesses that achieve Gold standard for three consecutive years or more. As it is based purely on interactions with real customers, this highly respected badge of approval remains unique. All Xcede reviews must be verified as genuine, and in turn, the accreditation is an honest reflection of Xcede’s ongoing commitment to excellent service.

Adam Blaney, COO of Xcede commented: “We’re delighted to receive a Platinum Trusted Service Award. Keeping our customers happy is our priority so this award gives us confidence we are providing an exceptional level of service. The award also recognises just how hard our employees have worked under fresh challenges, with both rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis affecting both consumers and businesses alike.”

Tony Wheble, CEO at Feefo, said: “The Trusted Service Awards have always been about recognising companies that go way beyond the norm in customer service and in turn receive great feedback from delighted customers. A particular congratulations to Xcede for winning a Platinum Trusted Service Award by providing great customer service consistently over a number of years. I look forward to seeing them continue to achieve next year and beyond.”

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Contact our specialist team today to discover how Xcede can help you.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2023/01/xcede-receives-feefo-platinum-trusted-service-award-for-second-consecutive-year

Top 4 Digital Analytics Careers

​Do you have an eye for detail and a mind for critical thinking?

If so, this will deliver you a whole heap of job opportunities, especially when it comes to chasing a career in the digital industry (where the need for fine-tuned analytics is on the rise). 

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The rise in digital analyst demand

In the UK alone, there are over 6,000 active Digital Analyst jobs active on LinkedIn. Why?

Over the past few years, leaders have come to recognise that, in order to remain competitive, they need to make use of the resources at their fingertips. 

As such, they are desperate to secure individuals who can pull actionable insights from the overwhelmingly large amount of data available to them.

They need intelligent, qualified, employees.

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Should I pursue a career in digital analytics?

If you’re someone who loves statistics, likes being challenged, feels comfortable identifying anomalies and is good at recognising patterns, then you’re in a really strong position. 

On top of this, if you also have the skills to create detailed reports that business decision-makers can use to their advantage, you’re guaranteed to find a rewarding and incredible job position in digital analytics (regardless of whether or not you have prior experience).

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The 4 best digital analytics careers

From PPC to SEO, there are so many applications for Data and Digital Analysts, each allowing you to specialise in a field you’re passionate about for a high level of job satisfaction.

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1. Software 

As technology becomes more and more integrated with all business activities, it’s critical to ensure that stakeholders can easily use the systems required to meet their end goal. 

As a digital analyst in the software field, you’ll be encouraged to measure user activity, retention times, bounce rates, and more. There’ll be a heap of qualitative and quantitative data available for you to digest and utilise to create the best possible user experience. 

Plus, as the capabilities of software continue to evolve, so will the shape of your role. This will keep you on your toes and engage you in a gratifying job that is both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

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2. Sales and advertising 

Have you ever considered a job in sales? 

As businesses become more focused on thriving through the digital marketplace, they’re funnelling resources into building valuable relationships with their clients and prospects. 

This is changing the shape of digital analyst roles.

Now, employees in this position would use data insights to explore their organisation’s buying journey, understand when customers are about to convert, and propose when an advert should go live.

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3. Digital marketing 

Wherever you are in the world, a career in digital marketing is bound to be one that inspires you and allows you to express your creativity. 

Whether you choose a digital analyst position that specialises in SEO, web analytics, or social media, you’ll find yourself with an array of exciting data to digest. 

It’ll be your role to track market changes, predict trends, and make suggestions to the wider team. Your insight will influence the day-to-day activity of your organisation as they look to engage its target audience and convert leads.

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4. Finance 

In a world where competitiveness is required to survive, data analysis is the key to an organisation’s success. 

Being able to make informed and educated decisions on their next movements gives employees the tools they need to:

• boost revenue growth

• eradicate wastage

• increase efficiency 

• protect the bottom line

Rather than trusting their gut and making costly mistakes, they’ll have an employee like you to compile insights and provide advice.

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The benefits of working in digital analytics

In today’s digital world, hundreds of business operations require analysts to enhance a team’s success. This means you’ll be a valued team member wherever you go and your voice will always be listened to. 

You can benefit from an average salary of around:

• £40,000 in the UK

• R300,000 in South Africa

• $48,000 in Singapore

• €48,000 in Germany

• $80,000 in the US

• €33,000 in Spain

(Source: Glassdoor)

Additionally, these totals increase significantly depending on the level of experience you have. Should you hold a degree in a relevant field, you’ll be able to negotiate your job offer until the opportunity is absolutely perfect for what you desire.

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Choosing a job in digital analytics

There are so many options for someone pursuing a career in digital analytics. It can be more than a little overwhelming. 

The likelihood is, in an industry facing vast talent shortages, you’ll be able to spend hours scrolling through job boards and looking at the array of opportunities available to you. 

However, some particular roles will offer a long-lasting and extremely exciting career, including:

• UX

• Strategy

• eCommerce

• PPC

• SEO

• Web analytics

Roles in these fields not only have long-term survivability, but they offer competitive salaries and lots of advancement potential.

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Recruit with Xcede

Xcede is a team of global recruitment specialists, sourcing employees for a range of dynamic job positions.

Our dedication to finding experienced candidates with the right qualifications allows businesses to foster growth and continue scaling.Get in touch today.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2022/11/top-4-digital-analytics-careers

Why Are Businesses Relying More On Digital Analytics?

​Once upon a time, data (and all that it entailed) was relatively simple. It allowed:

1. Finance to track numbers.

2. Marketing to count leads.

3. Leadership to measure performance.

Now, its capabilities are evolving. 

On top of offering businesses the ability to gain a better understanding of their organisation, market, and customers, digital analytics grants powerful competitive advantages.

Due to this, the data market is thriving and the sheer amount of insights that can be accessed is growing every single day. 

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What is digital analytics?

It’s the process of breaking down the data produced by a variety of online platforms. It usually focuses on customer information (such as buying behaviour), but can also reveal key organisational and market insights. 

“You can now use digital analytics to track website and mobile app performance, understand user behaviour, map your market, evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing channels, and more. From there, you can solve issues, find areas to improve your business, and make better decisions with a data-driven analytics strategy.” 

- SimilarWeb

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Do businesses rely on digital analytics in 2022?

Yes. Over time, digital analytics has started to become a core part of standard operational processes for many technologically-sound organisations.

According to our research:

• 43% of businesses use data to make all their decisions.

• 60% of businesses use analytics to drive efficiency.

• 52.7% of marketing teams rely on customer insights to do their job.

Data is becoming deeply integrated into our day-to-day work and changing the shape of leadership roles like CFO and CTO.

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Why are businesses relying more on digital analytics?

Admit it. Most people hate change. 

As the amount of data available continues to rise, it doesn’t explain why businesses are so quick to adopt it.

After all, some took years to even consider developing a website. Can’t they just continue on as they always have? 

Not if they want to compete in a complex, highly globalised market. The successful application of digital analytics is becoming key to business survival. 

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The growing need for digital analytics data

As the internet allows your audience to access more and more of your competitors, comparing products before buying, you need a way to capture their attention and differentiate yourself if you want to guarantee a sale. 

Digital analytics provides the information you need to identify interested parties, target adverts, and deliver the best possible experience for each of your prospective leads. This way, you can:

• Acquire customers

• Convert interest into sales

• Quickly address any issues that arise

Ultimately, digital analytics can stop you from wasting your marketing and sales budget and actually make an impact.

Remember, people talk. If your brand can consistently offer an exceptional customer experience, referrals (and more business) will soon follow. Doesn’t that sound ideal?

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The benefits of using digital analytics 

Over the last few years, a trend has formed. 

More businesses than ever before are using CRM (91%) to communicate with their customers. Why? 

Because platforms like these increase employee efficiency and produce an incredible amount of digital data that can be used to their advantage. 

Unless you want to fall behind, you need to start doing the same. Digital analytics can give you:

1. Competitivity: Understanding customer thoughts and actions allows you to cater directly to their needs.

2. Agility: As market trends arise and opinions change, you can adapt your business (and your product portfolio) accordingly.

3. Quality: Providing the best possible service to your audience just isn’t possible if you don’t understand who you are trying to speak to and what they want.

4. Certainty: Instead of making guesses when it comes to your marketing and sales efforts, you’ll be able to tell what will be effective.

5. Clarity: Miscommunication is awful. Backing up your decisions with data is going to drive ROI and organisational success.

In a digital age where customers are regularly using platforms like websites, mobile applications, social media, and email, your competitors could already have a way to contact them. 

Ignoring data puts you at risk of missing out on a range of business opportunities.

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(Source: Marketing Charts)

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How to recruit digital data analysts

Digital analytics isn’t just useful for informing employee actions on a day-to-day basis. 

It actively builds survivability into your company to give you a higher chance of meeting your goals.

As more businesses recognise the advantages of digital analytics, thousands of roles are opening up across the world. 

With thousands of open positions currently advertised on LinkedIn, you’ll face some heavy competition to secure the qualified and experienced talent you need. 

Instead, consider skipping the queue by speaking to industry recruiters Xcede. We already have a vast network of candidates looking for their next big opportunity with you.

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Work with Xcede

Xcede works with top-tier data and digital candidates across the world.

Partnering with leading organisations, we take pride in supporting technological evolution and industrial revolution. Our dedication to finding experienced and diverse candidates with the right qualifications allows businesses to foster growth and continue scaling. Contact us today to get started.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2022/10/why-are-businesses-relying-more-on-digital-analytics

Will the UK Unleash its Onshore Wind Potential?

​“We’re not doing enough.” 

It’s a bold statement that has been made by multiple renewable energy experts in recent months, each one loudly expressing their concerns about the current direction of the UK wind market.

After data has revealed that numerous (extensive) opportunities are being ignored time and time again because of the industry’s latest focus on offshore work, we need to once again broaden our horizons.

“England has been failing to capitalise on the potential of onshore wind.” - The Guardian

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What is the UK’s onshore wind potential?

Despite having multiple successful sites across the country, such as:

1. Whitelee, which powers over 350,000 homes,

2. Clyde Wind Farm, which has 152 wind turbines, and

3. LLandinam Windfarm, which produces 30.9 megawatts,

…the strict rules and regulations of our industry are holding the market back. 

As it stands, the UK has a lot of untapped sites that would be absolutely perfect for housing wind turbines. 

It’s a tragic loss that we’re not already using them, especially when 75% of voters would be eager to welcome wind farms in their local area.

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Why is the UK’s onshore wind market so restricted?

Frustratingly, Footnote 54 in the National Planning Policy Framework has made it virtually impossible for onshore wind project developers to acquire planning permissions.

Why? 

The rule states that, should any group - no matter its size - involved with the local community object to a chosen location, the farm would have to be shut down before any work has been started. ​

(Source: Regen SW)

Understandably, this is hardly creating an attractive market that investors are willing to take a risk on. Who wants to spend so much money designing extensive plans, conducting area research, and getting government approval, only to be shut down by a tiny minority of the nearby population?

In an entire article dedicated to this subject, the Guardian has made a firm and resounding criticism of the existing legislation - which could influence positive social change:

“As onshore wind generation is ever cheaper compared with gas and nuclear energy, this seems particularly harsh on those struggling to pay bills.”

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What can be done to save the UK onshore wind industry?

​There’s no doubt about it. 

The UK is facing an extensive energy crisis that is bound to affect average quality of life up and down the country in the next few years.

Going forward, our government will either need to:

1. Guarantee access to the limited finite resources available.

2. Reduce the legal limitations on energy companies (within reason).

Thankfully, the latter has already started.

“On 23 September, former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng unveiled the UK Government’s prospective growth plan aiming to reduce the cost of energy bills, at an expected cost of £31 billion over its first six months.

One of the primary inclusions, which has seen a positive response from the energy industry, is the return of support incentives for the development of onshore wind – one of the cleanest and cheapest methods of generating green energy.” - Current

Beyond this, our industry should lobby for a revision of Footnote 54, which will open up opportunities for firms in the UK to establish multiple new wind farms. 

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When will the UK unleash its onshore wind potential?

While the UK’s onshore wind market will soon be able to release its potential, the process is certainly going to take a while. 

Although the government has shown they have a plan for saving our market, we can’t expect instant results. It takes time for legislation and bills to be approved, and energy companies may still find themselves on a long waiting list until traffic dies down.

However, from there, we can anticipate a drastic surge in growth. The onshore wind market has an exciting future ahead.

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How to make the most of UK onshore wind potential​

Any firms already operating in the sector will recognise the government’s latest growth plan as the beneficial asset that it is. 

Over the next few years, you should prepare yourself for additional projects that could be soon taking place. Ensure you have:

1. A strong relationship with your suppliers.

2. Completed all the other necessary paperwork.

3. A clear plan for developing your wind farm.

4. A consistent source of talent.

5. Updated your recruitment processes. 

What’s more?
If you have multiple pending planning permissions, expect multiple to come in at once. Pretty soon, the UK will look to fuel onshore wind growth in order to secure a renewable, sustainable, and ethical source of energy for its increasingly-uncertain citizens.​

(Source: Renewables UK)

Work with EarthStream

While it’s too early to predict exactly how long it will take until energy companies are able to leap into action, considering the current state of our economy - it won’t be long.
Are you ready to seize the opportunities that flood your way?

EarthStream connects both qualified and entry-level talent with engaging and challenging renewable energy occupations around the world.

We’re already involved in the construction of five floating wind farm projects, and forecast this number to continue to rise.

As governments and businesses invest in sustainable power, infrastructures and technologies, your career path becomes increasingly limitless. Our in-depth knowledge and worldwide connections mean we not only understand your problems, but also solve them.

Speak to one of our experts today.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2022/10/will-the-uk-unleash-its-onshore-wind-potential

Is the US Technology Sector Facing Uncertainty?

​There are some concerning rumours on the grapevine. 

Have you heard them?

After reports have revealed that technology organisations across the US are reducing recruitment activity and making layoffs, experts are understandably concerned about the health of our market.

Just recently:

• Twilio announced a plan to reduce its workforce by 11%.

• Patreon is cutting 17% of its workforce.

• Snapchat is laying off 20% of its 6,400 employees.

(Source: Tech.co).

It’s concerning.

Even global - highly profitable - brands like Microsoft, Tesla, and Twitter have reported a series of redundancies in the past few months.
Why? Well, that’s the big question.

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The state of the US technology sector

Despite today’s troubling turn of events, the technology sector in the US (and New York in particular) has frequently made headlines over the last few years.
Businesses have been growing at an unprecedented rate, creating an attractive job market and a positive future for employees.
This hasn’t changed.
As of today, 80% of firms are reporting double-digit growth year-on-year (Source: Global Data) and the technology sector is still dominating the global investment market. The future of the industry is still looking strong. 

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• American technology start-ups have recently raised $148.75 billion.

• The US is receiving 49.3% of the global industry investment pledged this year. 

• Over 100,000 deals have been made with investors since 2019.

As a result, we can conclude that businesses shouldn’t be making layoffs out of financial necessity - such as the impending recession. There are other factors at play.

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Is the US technology sector facing uncertainty?

As it stands, it’s hard to say whether the layoffs are indicating an impending downturn in market growth.
Do these firms know something we don’t?
On this matter, CrunchBase wrote:
“The public markets have been hit hard in 2022 and that’s trickled down to the private markets.
Inflation concerns, rising interest rates and geopolitical issues have all contributed to a roller-coaster stock market.
Startups—especially those that benefited from a pandemic boom that’s starting to cool—are feeling the pressure too.
Valuations, particularly at the late stage, have started to dip, and startups say it’s much more difficult to raise new funding in this environment.”
However, with a continued CAGR of 6.38% (Source: Statista), a drive to “protect their bottom line” can’t be the only reason organisations are suddenly making such drastic decisions. 

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4 unobvious reasons behind technology’s fall in recruitment activity

Xcede’s research has revealed that the drop in recruitment activity and the rise in layoffs has very little to do with market uncertainty.
In fact, the global recession on the horizon is just one small part of the reasons leaders are changing their HR processes.

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1. Retention

The nationwide movement of “The Great Resignation” has urged businesses to:

1. Care for the needs of staff members.

2. Promote employee wellbeing.

3. Support mental health and combat stress levels.

This has had outstanding results on talent retention efforts.
Job satisfaction is on the rise across the United States, causing a fall in the number of open positions.

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2. Performance 

Isn’t data incredible?
A newfound ability to track employee performance metrics has allowed firms to seize control of their business development.
We found that, in some instances where organisations are letting staff members go, it’s not because of a lack of ability to pay that person.
Rather, it’s because leaders aren’t willing to settle for low-performing talent - being more proactive about removing anyone that isn’t up to standard.

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3. Growth

We can all agree that the last few years have been intense.
Panicked technology organisations committed themselves to aggressive hiring processes over the course of the pandemic, only to discover that they couldn’t possibly grow their business operations at the same rate they were onboarding staff.
Therefore, even though they aren’t necessarily facing a decline, it will be a while before they need the staff members they’ve recruited; encouraging them to make layoffs.

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4. Automation 

Of course, we can’t discuss the state of the US technology job market without at least acknowledging the impact of automation.

Tasks that used to take hours of lengthy administration now require very little human input, freeing up workloads and enabling employees to be more productive with their time.
As a result, teams can be smaller.

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Our forecast for the US technology sector

There’s no reason to believe that our sector is facing an unrecoverable decline.

Although the statistics might look concerning at face value, they actually signify the start of some positive trends in our market. 

We expect that, throughout 2022, recruitment and HR processes will continue to evolve.

Companies are going to be diligent in selecting employees that will support their long-term goals (rather than rushing to fill roles as soon as possible). 

This is a sustainable attitude that will serve leaders well in the coming years… especially as skill gaps continue to grow.

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Recruit with Xcede

Xcede are global recruitment specialists, sourcing employees for a range of dynamic job positions.

Our dedication to finding experienced candidates with the right qualifications allows businesses to foster growth and continue scaling. Get in touch today.

source https://www.xcede.com/blog/2022/10/is-the-us-technology-sector-facing-uncertainty