IOSH President James Quinn on how coronavirus has affected health and safety in construction and some recruitment tips for job hunting in a pandemic

James Quinn, Senior Health and Safety Manager at Multiplex and Vice-Chair of the IOSH Construction Group, and newly appointed IOSH President, talks about how the pandemic has affected the construction sector and the mental health of those working within it, his work promoting veterans and his plans for his tenure as IOSH President, including how the importance of providing the correct support and guidance people starting out on career in safety. James was recently voted one of the most influential people in health & safety by SHP readers.

We also hear from four recruitment experts, Elliot Fisher from Acre, James Irwin from Irwin and Colton, Phil Muston from Shirley Parsons and Laura Aucott from HSE Recruitment Network, who provide some insight into health & safety recruitment during the pandemic and how it’s changed looking for a new job.

The quartet discuss the challenges of job hunting at this time and how to overcome them, tips for interviewing via video or telephone call and advice on how to integrate in a new company and its culture, when you might not have physically been on site or met any of your colleagues when you start.

If you’re looking for a new career yourself, check out SHP4Jobs.

You can find some further ‘essential tips for a successful video interview’, here.

Click here to read about the 2020 SHP Awards and 2020 SHP Rising Stars.

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Check out the previous four episodes on the Safety & Health Podcast hub.

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This episode is sponsored by SHP4Jobs.

• 00:00 - Intro.
• 00:55 - Recruitment tips, part 1: Challenges with changing roles during the pandemic.
• 05:33 - James Quinn interview, part 1: Recruitment tips, part 1:  His role at multiplex, how he went about building a health & safety team and his work promoting and supporting veterans.
• 19:14 - Recruitment tips, part 2: Tips for a successful video or telephone interview and how it differs from face-to-face interviews.
• 22:15 -  James Quinn interview, part 2: His plans as IOSH President and the importance of people starting out on career in safety receiving the correct support and guidance.
• 32:32 - Recruitment tips, part 3: Advice on integrating yourself into a new company and its culture.