Kieron McKeown

Consultant (Permanent)

Aiming to reduce inequalities and providing equal opportunities for people from all backgrounds to achieve their full potential.

Building relationships with local communities, supporting local community causes and committing Acorn Impact volunteering days.

Ensuring products and services are sourced from suppliers that respect human rights, minimise environmental impact and uphold ethical standards.

Minimising our environmental impact, reduce resource consumption, and contributing to a greener and more sustainable future.

Creating a supportive and engaging workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Social Mobility

Community Engagement 

Ethical Sourcing &amp; Supply Chain Management

Environmental Sustainability

Employee Wellbeing and Development

Please call us on 01270 213113 to book an appointment. Please bring your CV if you have one and your ID documents (passport / National ID card etc).

We cover a wide variety of roles from industrial packaging and warehouse roles to technical, public sector, driving and commercial / office-based roles.

There is a public pay and display car park behind our office on Oak Street and time-limited free parking on High Street.

We are a first floor office in Breeden House.  Please go to the reception entrance on Edleston Road and press buzzer 4b.

What are your open hours? 

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What type of roles can you offer me? 

Where do I park? 

How do I access the office? 

Acorn by Synergie offers permanent, temporary, and contract recruitment across the UK.                

Acorn by Synergie places agency workers into assignments with approximately 850 different client companies across the UK.                      Also recruits within various different sectors including commercial, industrial, technical, steel, construction, rail, driving, food processing, and hospitality.  

Yes, Acorn by Synergie is a member of the Recruitment &amp;  Employment Confederation (REC) and is ISO 9001:2015 accredited.  Acorn by Synergie is also committed to ethical recruitment practices. They are a GLAA license holder, a Stronger Together Business Partner, and comply with the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) Base Code. This ensures that workers are not charged fees for employment and that they are protected from labor exploitation and human trafficking.

Acorn by Synergie ensures that workers are placed into a safe working environment, paid at National Minimum Wage (NMW) or above, and provided with clear contract and working conditions. Wages are paid on a weekly basis, one week in arrears. Payment is made by direct credit into a bank / building society account of the worker's choice every Friday. Workers must have their own bank account or joint access to one.

Discounted online and in-store shopping and cash-back via Acorn Rewards. Access to an Employee Assistance Programme, offering 24/7 confidential advice and support for various personal and work-related issues. Pension benefits through NEST (National Employment Savings Trust) after three months of employment, with contributions from both the worker and Acorn by Synergie.

What type of recruitment does Acorn by Synergie do?

Who do Acorn by Synergie work with?

Is Acorn a member of any accredited body or organisation?

What are Acorn by Synergie's pay rates?

What are the additional benefits of working for Acorn by Synergie?

To put our clients and candidates at the centre. Putting our clients and candidates at the centre of everything we do is imperative – every decision you make should consider how it will impact the customer experience. We want to ensure we understand our customers and strive to continually increase customer satisfaction rates.

Take responsibility for your actions and stand by your promises. Accountability is about ownership and initiative. Be responsible for your actions, behaviours and decisions and take pride in what you do.

We want to create a culture of teamwork, collaboration and helping each other. In order to achieve this, it's important to communicate clearly and openly with colleagues, candidates and clients.

For each other, our communities, and our environment. Treat people how you’d like to be treated and use empathy and patience – think before you act considering body language, tone of voice and expression. Treat all people equally to encourage inclusiveness and avoid discrimination. Be mindful of our social, economic, and environmental impact.

You will be given the tools, training, and support to be able to make decisions and take actions, in line with company goals and values. Autonomy and responsibility will encourage creativity and continuous improvement.

Customer First

Accountability &amp; integrity

Effective communication

Respect

Empowerment

Acorn by Synergie provides specialist permanent, contract and temporary recruitment solutions across the UK. We are part of a global recruitment company - Synergie, who operates in 17 countries around the world. 

Recruitment can be a huge drain on time and resource, which is why companies choose to use Acorn by Synergie for an honest and reliable service with effective results. With our experience, recruitment process we will save you valuable time and money, attract the right people, increase the reach of your roles and support the growth of your company.

At Acorn by Synergie, we don’t just employ the best recruitment consultants to support your needs, we employ the best consultants with experience of working within the industry. As a result, we know that we can truly offer a recruitment service that understands you and your company’s daily resource pressure and identified people who will truly fit within your business. That’s why 98% of our clients say we understand the industries and environments they work within. 

We pride ourselves in keeping up-to-date with the newest technologies.

Acorn by Synergie +, is a new service we offer our clients which allows you the flexibility of having real time management information at your fingertips 24/7. A completely bespoke dashboard where you can manage all your workforce KPI’s in one place. 

We have just launched a new service called Acorn by Synergie PROXI. An on-site recruitment solution offering you the client a number of different levels of service depending on you specific  requirements. 

Who is Acorn By Synergie ? 

What can we do for you? 

What makes us different? 

How do you add value?

What additional services do we offer? 

What's new? 

Established in 1992, we have over 30 years’ experience across the sectors that we operate in. We have in excess of 30 branches, offices and on-site locations in the UK alone, and are part of Synergie Group who operate globally in 17 countries. Here in the UK, we have over 160 employees and have a turnover in excess of 100M.

We offer a range of bespoke services tailored to your needs: <ol>Dual branded collateral and campaigns</ol><ol>Proven candidate attraction campaigns </ol><ol> Successful retention techniques </ol><ol>State of the art technology </ol><ol> Highly experienced implementation team</ol><ol> In-house award-winning marketing team</ol><ol> Quality &amp; Compliance Department </ol><ol> A collaborative partnership approach</ol><ol> Recruitment with integrity guaranteed</ol>

S&amp;You Specialist Recruitment is a division of Acorn by Synergie, a top recruitment agency in the UK, supported by the global Synergie Group. This division focuses on high-level recruitment, including executive search, board-level positions, senior commercial roles, and specialised technology jobs in areas like AI, automation, cyber security, and data. Their goal is to match exceptional leaders and tech experts with leading companies. For more information, visit their website at sandyou.co.uk.

Harnessing tomorrow’s technology - we offer a suite of software solutions to fit your business needs. Acorn By Synergie Plus offers an MI real time reporting system, which enables you the client access to a bespoke dashboard and KPI tracker. Understanding the talent landscape and utilising the most up-to date technology is key to our success. We have invested in market leading talent analytics tool, Horsefly. This provides us with real time worker insights, allowing us together, to recruit the talented individuals you require.

You can have complete confidence in us, as your specialist recruitment partner. The quality of the recruitment solutions we provide are essential and that’s why we are dedicated to achieving highly reputable industry recognised Accreditations and Awards to acknowledge and represent the professional standards we meet and exceed through our services, internal process and people.

Experience &amp; Scale 

What we offer

S&amp;You Specialist Recruitment

Innovation &amp; Insights 

Quality, Compliance &amp; Accreditations 

As an Agency Worker, you will be offered Acorn Rewards. An online platform and app which gives you access to thousands of fantastic deals to save money on your everyday shopping and more!

When you start your temporary assignment, if you have any concerns, your Acorn Representative will be available to answer your questions around the clock. You will be provided with the 24/7 service contact details.

Through Acorn Rewards, you will have opportunities to take part in regular competitions and lottery draws.

As a leading recruitment specialist, we have a great deal of experience in all types of recruitment, so will always be on hand to give you the advice and guidance you need to succeed in your job search. When working with Acorn by Synergie, we make it our business to listen and will match you with the best job opportunities.. We will ensure that the communication, support, and service you are given is of the highest level.

Acorn by Synergie places agency workers into assignments with approximately 850 different client companies across the UK within various different sectors including; commercial, industrial, technical, steel, construction, rail, driving, food processing and more.

Acorn by Synergie uses NEST (National Employment Savings Trust) as its pension provider. Subject to qualifying eligibility criteria, you will be automatically enrolled as a member of this scheme after you have worked for Acorn for three months. If you wish to opt-out of the scheme, you must follow the instructions provided to you by NEST shortly after your enrolment. You will be required to make a weekly contribution to your pension and we will make a contribution too.

An Employee Assistance Programme which offers 24/7 access to confidential advice and support to help you if you are experiencing any problems relating to: money, family, bereavement, stress, addiction etc.

An online portal where you can view payslips, P60’s and other pay-related information.

Online platform and app for easy access

24/7 service

Regular competitions and lottery draws

Passionate consultants who match you to the best possible job

Access to hundreds of companies we work with

Contributory pension scheme

An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

Online access to your payslips and more

Our history

We're proud to support the communities we work in across the UK. Every year, we take part in a number of local and national fundraising activities, forming close relationships with many of our charity partners throughout our 25-year history.

Passionate about Community &amp; CSR

At Acorn by Synergie, EDI is very important to us; both as an employer and a recruitment business. Find out more.

Values and EDI

Our vision is to challenge norms and enhance the lives of all those we come into contact with by placing diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. We’re leaders in our industry, and we're always looking for talented people to join us and contribute to our success. With big plans to expand and grow, Acorn is an exciting place to be — so if you’re hardworking, entrepreneurial and passionate, we want to talk to you.

<h3>Our vision</h3>

At Acorn by Synergie, we believe that there’s more to recruitment than just filling vacancies. We recruit with integrity. 

Acorn's Board of Directors and Senior Management Team are all experts in their field, with many qualifications, years’ experience and fellowships to prove it.

Partnerships

With more than 30+ offices and on-site locations across the UK and internationally, Acorn by Synergie employs expert consultants within specialist industries and is part of the leading global recruitment group, Synergie.We're provide local recruitment support on a national level with an international reach.

Local. National. Global.

Part of the Synergie Group operating in 17 countries worldwide.A leader in global human resources management — placing 70,000 job seekers into work every week.<ul class="list-lines"><li>€3B turnover</li><li>Over 800 branches</li><li>5,000 employees</li></ul>

Powered with Synergie

While all 5 pillars are vital, our flagship focus for the next three years is Social Mobility. We’re dedicated to helping individuals from challenging or marginalised backgrounds access opportunities to improve their futures. Our pledge is to work towards 10,000 hours of company time dedicated to enhancing social mobility.

Our strategy is built around five key pillars that define how we engage with candidates, clients, suppliers, and the wider communities.

Our 5 Pillars

We are committed to creating positive social, economic, and environmental impacts within our communities UK-wide.

<h3>Introduction</h3>

<h5>Acorn Impact Workshops &amp; Insite Sessions</h5>Acorn Impact Workshops and Insite Sessions offer jobseekers expert advice on re-entering the workforce, with each session focusing on a different sector. At our launch, leading companies like Smiths and Maximus joined a special event highlighting opportunities in manufacturing and production.

<h5>Community Engagement</h5>Through partnerships with organisations like Seetec, Maximus, and Job Centres, we connect underrepresented talent with opportunities, offering workshops, mentoring, and networking events to support career growth.

<h5>Reconstruct Programme</h5>The Reconstruct Programme helps individuals with convictions find employment. In partnership with HMPPS, we work in Welsh prisons and HMP Bristol to prepare individuals for construction roles as they approach the end of their sentence.

<img src="https: cdn.sourceflow.co.uk="" dck01xsw3v4563h7i4rxxysngeuy" alt="Image social mobility example"  width="100%"></img src="https:>Social mobility is the ability for individuals to move up or down the social and economic ladder, regardless of their background. It’s about creating opportunities for everyone to improve their lives based on skills and effort, not their circumstances or family history.

<img src="https: cdn.sourceflow.co.uk="" y6rvs94rzmaohnvdt3j67597ydqc" alt="Example image of why its important"  width="100%"></img src="https:>For the next three years, we’re committed to tackling social mobility because businesses play a crucial role in addressing societal challenges. At Acorn by Synergie, we’re not just connecting talent with opportunities; we’re working to help people from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds access those opportunities too.

Many face barriers to career progression, including: <ul> <li>Lack of career guidance</li> <li>Low confidence</li> <li>Skill gaps</li> <li>Criminal records</li> <li>Disabilities</li> <li>Financial constraints</li> <li>Language barriers</li> <li>Discrimination and unconscious bias</li> </ul>

<img src="https: cdn.sourceflow.co.uk="" eskv2obw3kakkx3dl4t7ko48iy1e" alt="10000 hours of social value"  width="100%"></img src="https:>Through Acorn Impact Workshops, Insite Sessions, and our Reconstruct Programme, we actively promote social mobility. We’re also partnering with new community projects to reach our goal of 10,000 hours of social mobility initiatives.

<img src="https: cdn.sourceflow.co.uk="" 0sskra53ek0z1aclz67fpwm4d1e7" alt="Image of how we help"  width="100%"></img src="https:>Join us in supporting social mobility. We can help with CV workshops, employment access insights, or hands-on guidance to help more people get into work. Or, partner with us on one of our existing initiatives!

What is Social Mobility?

Why are we focusing on this

Barriers to Social Mobility

Our approach

How you can get involved

At Acorn by Synergie, we are passionate about supporting our communities and creating as much social value as we can. People are central to our business, and we want to make a lasting, positive impact on their futures. We have created and been at the heart of many social value initiatives over the years, and we wanted to make a bigger commitment – that’s why we launched Acorn Impact. This is basically a promise to help create meaningful social, economic, and environmental changes across the UK. Through Acorn Impact, we hope to partner and support many different initiatives, and really help to make a difference.

We'll guide you through as quickly as possible so you're one step closer to your next job.

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Unlock your potential for your next career adventure

With over 30 branches spanning the UK, we connect jobseekers and employers through tailored recruitment services.

At Acorn by Synergie, we want to create a positive working environment where you can thrive, and as part of our ongoing commitment to being a people-focused company, we have a wide range of fantastic initiatives and benefits.

The support we provide to all our colleagues, clients and jobseekers is responsive, versatile and effective. Our commitment is based on our core values:

Company Values

Our mission is to make our award-winning workplace the best it  can be. 

<h5>Range of opportunities</h5>We offer a wide range of internal career opportunities across various departments. Whether you're a trainee recruitment consultant just starting your career or an experienced professional, we have roles available through our specialist teams and branch network. Beyond recruitment, we also offer positions in HR, marketing, accounts, payroll, IT, and compliance to support our recruitment operations. With diverse opportunities for career growth, we're committed to nurturing talent and helping employees excel in their chosen fields.

<h5>Health & Wellbeing</h5>We recognise the importance of promoting both mental and physical well-being and supporting employees facing health challenges. In 2023, our commitment to employee wellness was honored with the Wellbeing at Work Award by the Wales Business Awards. We provide a range of support, including the Help@Hand Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a private healthcare scheme, mental health first aiders, a flexible working culture, and more!

<h5>Investors in People</h5> We are proudly accredited as an Investors in People organisation, reflecting its commitment to empowering and supporting its workforce. This prestigious accreditation demonstrates Acorn's dedication to developing its employees, fostering a positive working environment, and promoting professional growth at all levels. This recognition underscores our core belief that investing in our people leads to long-term success for both employees and the business as a whole.

At Acorn by Synergie, we truly value our team, and our enhanced benefits package reflects that. You'll get a minimum of 33 days of holiday, and we even give you your birthday off to celebrate! Depending on your role, you can enjoy a company car or a car allowance, giving you the flexibility to choose what suits you best. We also offer company sick pay, so you can take the time you need to recover without worrying about your finances. Plus, with Acorn Extra, you'll have an additional day off each year to participate in charitable or community causes—because we believe in giving back as a team.

At Acorn by Synergie, we believe in creating a workplace where people can thrive both professionally and personally. We offer a flexible working culture to support a healthy work-life balance, alongside hybrid working and wellbeing policies to give you the freedom to work in a way that suits you. You’ll also get "You Day" and your birthday off as extra time for yourself. Through the OpenBlend platform, we encourage open conversations around mental health and wellbeing, while also providing free eye tests for all employees.

<ul><li>Minimum of 33 days holiday, plus your Birthday off</li><li>Acorn Extra – one day off work each year to participate in a charitable or community cause</li></ul>

<ul><li>Minimum of 33 days holiday, plus your Birthday off</li><li>Company car or car allowance (depending on role)</li></ul>

At Acorn by Synergie, we understand that your well-being matters, both inside and outside of work. That’s why we are committed to promoting positive mental and physical health, and offering meaningful support for anyone experiencing health challenges. Through our Help@Hand Assistance Programme (EAP), you’ll have access to a range of benefits including counseling and remote GP services. For employees with over two years of service, we also offer a private healthcare scheme. We prioritise mental health with dedicated training for managers, ensuring they can provide effective support, and our team includes fully trained Mental Health First Aiders. We are always striving to enhance the support we offer, because your well-being is our priority.

Enhanced packages 

The things that matter

Reward and incentives

Perks of the job

Wellbeing

Our vision is to challenge norms and enhance the lives of all those we come into contact with by placing diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do. We’re leaders in our industry, and we're always looking for talented people to join us and contribute to our success. With big plans to expand and grow, Acorn is an exciting place to be.

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S&You: specialists in Executive, Board, and Tech Recruitment sub-brand of Acorn by Synergie, find out more

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Listed in the top 1% of all leading UK recruiters, at Acorn by Synergie we develop careers, grow businesses, fulfil ambitions and change lives.

We believe that there's more to recruitment than just filling vacancies.

Our 30+ branches throughout the UK and specialist division allow us to work with hundreds of UK and international businesses to provide you with the best job opportunities.

We're proud to support the communities we work in across the UK, taking part in a number of local and national fundraising activities and forming close relationships with many of our charity partners.

Helping our communities

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S&amp;You is Acorn by Synergie's specialist and executive recruitment division. S&amp;You’s mission is to make workplaces the best they can be by bringing exceptional candidates and industry-leading organisations together.

Understanding the talent landscapeWithin the UK we utilise Horsefly, a market leading talent analytics tool, that provides real-time worker insights, we will work with you to undertake searches for multiple roles to identify where we can provide the talented professional you require.

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We're proud to support the communities we work in across the UK. Every year, we take part in a number of local and national fundraising activities, forming close relationships with many of our charity partners throughout our 30-year history.

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With more than 30+ offices and on-site locations across the UK and internationally, Acorn by Synergie employs expert consultants within specialist industries and is part of the leading global recruitment group, Synergie. We provide local recruitment support on a national level with an international reach.

We're part of the Synergie Group operating in 17 countries worldwide.A leader in global human resources management — placing 70,000 job seekers into work every week.<ul class="list-lines"><li>€3B turnover</li><li>Over 800 branches</li><li>5,000 employees</li></ul>

Acorn by Synergie is within the top 1% of the UK's leading recruitment agencies.

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Listed in the top 1% of all leading UK recruiters, we develop careers, grow businesses, fulfil ambitions and change lives.

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Acorn by Synergie is one of the UK’s leading recruitment companies. We offer permanent, temporary and contract recruitment solutions to employers, supported by a portfolio of training, learning and development solutions. We’re also a member of the Recruitment &amp; Employment Confederation (REC) and ISO 9001:2015 accredited.<ul class="list-lines"><li>Simple and hassle-free online registration.</li><li>We follow the highest ethical &amp; legal standards (REC and SEDEX members, ISO9001 &amp; ISO14001 accredited, Stronger Together Business Partner).</li><li>A dedicated sector specialist consultant.</li></ul>

A recruiter you can trust.

Business leaders from across Wales came together on a level playing field to raise thousands of pounds for charity at the 3rd annual CEO Kickabout, organised by Acorn by Synergie and S&amp;You Specialist Recruitment in partnership with the Football Association of Wales (FAW).
Attendees enjoyed a day of sport at the National Football Development Centre at Dragon Park, Newport, in support of the UK recruiter&rsquo;s efforts to raise &pound;30,000 for its 2022 chosen charity, Mind UK, in its 30th year of business.
Players from all sectors took their turn on the pitch to raise more than &pound;8,000 which will now go towards that total, and enjoyed some tactical insight from FAW Chief Executive Officer Noel Mooney and Wales&rsquo; national team manager, Robert Page, beforehand.
Bernard Ward, Managing Director at Acorn Recruitment, said:&nbsp;&ldquo;Mental health issues have been amongst the foremost of challenges faced by companies in recent times, and we have spent the last 12 months renewing and enhancing our focus on the wellbeing of the people that make our organisation what it is today in response.
&ldquo;Our HR policies have all been, or are in the process of being reviewed, renewed and added to with a focus on ensuring our team feel valued and supported. So, it made total sense for us to choose Mind UK as our charity of the year in our 30th anniversary year, to help us in contributing to the wider community too.&rdquo;
Bernard continued:&nbsp;&ldquo;We would like to say a huge thank you to the FAW for supporting us with this effort and once again partnering with us on this fantastic event, which brought businesses together for a day of football insights from Noel Mooney and Robert Page, a five aside tournament and a great opportunity to chat at the barbecue later on.&rdquo;
Organisations taking part included project managers Arena Projects, Watkins Davies Insurance Consultants Ltd, cyber consultants PureCyber Ltd, Eat Sleep Media, sales centre Outsource Strategies, RWG Mobile, training provider Call of the Wild and South Wales Sports Grounds,
Players from sporting agency Sotic, St Davids World, Vog Brewery and solicitor Harding Evans were also joined by those from Acorn and the FAW, while Jeff White Motors was named best team on the day, and Owen Eirey of Arena Projects became player of the day.
FAW CEO Noel Mooney said:&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s great to see the CEO Kickabout event continue to support worthwhile community causes with each year that passes, and we are especially delighted this year to have supported the amazing fundraising effort from Acorn to raise &pound;30,000 for charity in its 30th year of business.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Engaging Welsh businesses is vital to the work that we do in encouraging and continually improving upon football participation levels across Wales, and we are delighted once again to have welcomed a diverse range of organisations to enjoy the world-class facilities at Dragon Park in support of such a worthwhile cause.&rdquo;

3rd annual CEO Kickabout

<h3>1. Lack of Growth Opportunities:</h3>
One of the primary reasons to seek a new job is the absence of growth opportunities in your current role. If you find yourself hitting a career plateau, it may be time to explore new horizons. Look for a company that offers career development programs, mentorship opportunities, and room for advancement. By finding a job that allows you to grow professionally, you can reignite your passion for work and unlock new possibilities.
<h3>2. Toxic Work Environment:</h3>
A toxic work environment can have a detrimental impact on your mental and physical well-being. If you constantly experience negativity, harassment, or a lack of support, it's time to prioritize your happiness. Seek an organization that promotes a positive work culture, fosters collaboration, and values employee well-being. Remember, your work environment plays a significant role in your overall job satisfaction.
<h3>3. Inadequate Compensation:</h3>
Money matters, and if you feel undervalued or underpaid, it can be a sign that it's time to find a new job. Research the market rates for your skills and experience to ensure that you are being compensated fairly. Look for companies that offer competitive salaries and additional benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, and flexible work arrangements. Finding a job that offers fair compensation will not only boost your financial stability but also enhance your motivation and job satisfaction.
<h3>4. Lack of Work-Life Balance:</h3>
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance is crucial for overall well-being. If your current job demands long hours, excessive overtime, or infringes on your personal life, it's time to seek greener pastures. Look for organisations that prioritse work-life balance by offering flexible schedules, remote work options, and generous vacation policies. Finding a job that respects your personal time will allow you to maintain a harmonious equilibrium between your professional and personal life.
<h3>5. Loss of Passion and Purpose:</h3>
If you find yourself lacking passion and purpose in your current job, it's a clear indication that it's time for a change. Seek opportunities that align with your interests, values, and long-term goals. Reflect on your skills and passions to find a role that brings fulfillment and allows you to make a meaningful impact. By finding a job that ignites your passion, you will experience increased job satisfaction and a renewed sense of purpose. 
 Recognising the signs that it's time to find a new job is an important step towards personal and professional growth. Whether it's a lack of growth opportunities, a toxic work environment, inadequate compensation, a poor work-life balance, or a loss of passion and purpose, taking action to find a better job can lead to greater happiness and fulfillment. Remember, your career journey should be a positive and fulfilling experience, so take the leap and find a job that brings out the best in you.

5 Compelling Reasons Why It's Time to Find a New Job

<h4>Acorn by Synergie&rsquo;s expertise will allow public sector organisations to explore, transform and deliver commercially critical business solutions from inception to business as usual.</h4>
For instance, if a public sector organisation is looking to understand what is achievable with AI/Automation innovation, review what current processes and technology looks like, or resource and manage a total end to end solution, Acorn and Mobile Cloud can add value and deliver against agreed key performance goals and budget. They will offer clients comprehensive, end-to-end support in cloud technology that maximises operational efficiency and aligns with strategic goals.
The recognition highlights the partnerships&rsquo; commitment to providing tailored, high-value cloud solutions to the UK public sector, supporting their objectives with efficient and innovative technology solutions.
Crown Commercial Service (CCS) supports the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring common goods and services. In 2018/19, it helped the public sector achieve commercial benefits worth &pound;945m - supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.
Mark Standen, Director of Technology at Acorn by Synergie, said: &ldquo;We are thrilled to be named a supplier on CCS&rsquo;s G-Cloud framework. This opportunity enables us to deliver crucial, high-impact solutions for public sector organisations looking to optimise and innovate their cloud infrastructure.&rdquo;
Martin Meikle-Small, Director from Mobile Cloud added: &ldquo;Our goal is to help organisations seamlessly integrate and scale cloud solutions to meet their business-critical needs &ndash; with Acorn by Synergies agility on the recruitment side, and our cloud expertise it&rsquo;s the perfect mix.&rdquo;
For more information about Acorn by Synergie's cloud offerings through CCS&rsquo;s G-Cloud framework, please contact mark.standen@acornpeople.com or james.thompson@acornpeople.com

Acorn by Synergie has been added to Crown Commercial Service's G-CLOUD 14 Framework

<h3>Structure</h3>
A well-structured CV makes it easier for hiring managers and recruiters to pick out information.
Personal information
<ul>
<li>You&rsquo;ll need to include an email address, phone number and a partial address (e.g. town). It&rsquo;s also a good place to include visa status or security clearance (along with any expiry dates) if relevant. If you have a LinkedIn page, personal website, or GitHub repository then you can also link these in this section to bolster your application.</li>
</ul>
Personal profile
Include a few sentences introducing yourself. Focus firstly on your career goals and history, highlighting key skills and/or certifications (or academic background if you&rsquo;re looking for graduate or entry level roles) and then include a couple of hobbies which can break the ice a little for future interviews. It gives the company an idea of how well you might fit in (for example, a company that has a company football team might be really interested in the fact you play football in your free time).
Skills
Giving an overview of your skills makes it really easy to pick out how well your skillset matches the desired skills for the role, as well as what new skills you might bring to the team. You might want to do this as a graphic including how advanced those skills are, or you might just want to use bullet points. Either way it can be helpful to arrange them into groups, i.e. coding languages, frameworks, databases.
Career history
You&rsquo;ll need to include the company name, your job title, and the date range you were there (MM/YY) and then provide a short summary of your duties, projects you worked on, technologies you used, and professional achievements. Where you have data available to quantify those achievements (i.e. number of users, time, etc.). If you&rsquo;ve changed careers (e.g. worked as an estate agent for 5 years and then as a network engineer for another 5) it&rsquo;s okay to write a couple of sentences summarising your previous experience in the sector you&rsquo;ve left. However, if you&rsquo;re looking for your first IT role following a career change use these roles to highlight transferable skills like time management or communication.
Education
This is the place to talk about any degrees, courses, or certifications that you&rsquo;ve undertaken. If you&rsquo;ve recently completed a degree or training program and are looking to enter the industry then include a few more details, such as modules completed and/or projects worked on, but if you&rsquo;ve got more relevant work experience just the name of the course, provider, and completion date should be sufficient.
<h3>Top Tips</h3>
Most companies use an ATS
A lot of companies use ATS systems to filter CVs using keywords and job boards which hiring managers and recruiters use to find candidates will do the same. If you want to make sure your CV stands out, you need to reuse keywords. These will almost always be related to hard skills, such as a specific coding language, framework, tool, or operating system. This means that you&rsquo;ll want to reuse words relating to your key skills. If you follow the structure above you should have your key skills listed in your personal profile, skills section, and career history and/or education so your CV will feature higher in results, meaning it will be more likely to be reviewed. It also means it can sometimes be helpful to include information you might think is redundant, but while a person should know someone who knows Laravel would also know PHP the ATS won&rsquo;t display a CV which only mentions Laravel to people looking for PHP as a skill.
Length is not&nbsp;that&nbsp;important
There&rsquo;s a lot of advice about keeping CVs to a page, but if you&rsquo;ve been working for a long time or have worked on a large number of projects then it might not be possible to fit your CV comfortably to a page or even two. If your CV is less than a page, then it&rsquo;s quite likely that you&rsquo;re missing some detail and you might want to review it. If you&rsquo;re early in your career and don&rsquo;t have an extensive career history or are looking for your first job you can also include a hobby section and use that to showcase skills you might have gained through that activity, e.g. if you love playing chess you can use that to demonstrate your analytical mindset, or if you&rsquo;re learning French it can show that you enjoy developing your skills and shows initiative even if it&rsquo;s not a required skill for the job you&rsquo;re applying for.
Formatting
Your CV doesn&rsquo;t have to look fancy unless it&rsquo;s particularly relevant to the job (e.g. if you&rsquo;re looking for a UI role it can demonstrate your design skills) but it does need to be well-formatted. You should be able to pick out your name and the different sections at a glance. Avoid using coloured text in the main sections as you want to make sure everything stands out and is easy to read, and choose a font that&rsquo;s very clear (sans serif fonts are particularly good as they&rsquo;re easier to read, particularly for anyone with dyslexia).
Ask for a second opinion
It&rsquo;s always a good idea to ask someone else to review your CV before sending it out as they might catch something you&rsquo;ve missed and can make sure that you&rsquo;ve included everything you need to, and it all makes sense.

CV tips for tech sector

Life tends to throw things at us when we least expect it &ndash; and the world just keeps on turning. We&rsquo;re still expected to get up and go to work and carry on with normal life. So what are we meant to do when it all just gets too much?
Here are some practical tips to help you manage stress.
Balance work and homelife
Lots of companies are now embracing a new way of working since the pandemic. If you have a supportive boss, perhaps you could find out if there is a way you could work from home some of the week or change the hours you work if you are finding things too much.
Switch off
Do you have a hobby you really enjoy such as golf, drawing or even knitting but find you&rsquo;re too busy to do it? Now is definitely the time to get back into it &ndash; the best thing about doing something you love is that it usually takes concentration, which in turn really helps you to switch off and clear your mind, even if it&rsquo;s only for a couple of hours.
Be mindful
Mindfulness is a word that is thrown around a lot these days, however, there really are a lot of benefits. If you&rsquo;re not into Yoga or meditation, maybe try going for a walk outdoors &ndash; you&rsquo;ll be surprised at how much exercise and being out in nature helps your state of mind.
Try something new!
It&rsquo;s sometimes said that a change is as good as a rest. Always fancied ballroom dancing or Jujitsu? Perhaps see if there is a local class. Or sometimes booking time off work for a holiday or a few day trips is helpful to gain perspective and space from whatever is happening in your life right now.
You&rsquo;re not alone, talking helps
It really does help to share. Sometimes just talking through what you&rsquo;re going through with someone can help you feel like a weight has been lifted, and if you really feel like you are struggling help is always just around the corner, whether that&rsquo;s support from work, your Doctor, the Samaritans or a friend.

Kieron McKeown

Consultant (Permanent)

Technology

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