Case study - Mint & Co

We’d definitely use 2to3days again, the process from start to finish was very clear, the service well priced and importantly, in line with our ethos of flexible working practices

Nicola Hartley
FCEO and Founder, Mint & Co

Jules Hammond

Meet the candidate

Having returned from maternity leave, and with my contract coming to an end, I was looking for a role in the creative industry that would match my skills, pay me fairly and offer a certain amount of flexibility. I was starting to despair at many companies’ hollow pledges to offer flexible working. Then I discovered 2to3days, who recognise the need for flexible working among professional parents. It was an amazing stroke of fortune as I then saw this role at Mint & Co. I now recommend 2to3days to everyone seeking a better work/life balance.

Jules Hammond
Operations Manager

Mint & Co logo

Meet the company

Mint & Co is a dynamic, modern legal and business affairs practice providing legal and business affairs support to media and creative companies (largely production companies and creative agencies producing TV, podcast, immersive and branded content).

The role

Role:

Operations Manager
Number of Applicants:  48 applicants overall, 22 via 2to3days
Flexibility:

3 days, flexibly across the week, in school hours, from home (plus fortnightly meetings in London)

The company

Industry:

Legal and business affairs for media industry
Location:  Remote, founded in London
Company Size: 3 Employees, 16 Business Affairs Consultants
Website: mintandco.co

Business context

As Mint & Co steadily grows, we needed someone with excellent ops and organizational experience to join the central team – to help streamline and implement new processes and keep us organized, so that we have a strong foundation for future growth.

Support for the expertise that flexible working brings

All employees at ‘Mint HQ’ work flexibly and remotely (other than fortnightly team meetings in London) as do all of our Business Affairs Consultants who are based around the UK. We’re really passionate about people being able to work in the way that best suits their lives (whether that is working around family, caring responsibilities or other life passions) as well as disrupting the legal industry (which has historically been very rigid in terms of working practices). We obviously still have to balance this with excellent client service levels, and we have a minimum availability commitment per week for our regular consultants.

Candidate quality

The vast majority of candidates were of a high caliber and we telephone interviewed several as a first round. As a matter of course I don’t take any further those candidates who only send their CVs without a covering letter, or with a generic letter not tailored to Mint & Co.

Case study - Hamilton and Hare

I was overwhelmed with the quality of the applications, there seems to be real appetite for less traditional corporate roles where there is more opportunity to make a real difference...

Olivia Francis
Founder & Managing Director, Hamilton & Hare

Leanne Phipps

Meet the candidate

I am able to return to work in a part-time flexible role without taking a step back in my career. I am trusted to manage my workload and meet deadlines whilst working the hours that suit me...I was worried there wouldn’t be any part-time roles at my level in finance but I was proved wrong since registering with 2to3days

Leanne Phipps
Finance Director, Hamilton & Hare

Hamilton and Hare logo

Meet the company

Hamilton and Hare is a premium men’s underwear and loungewear business, with 3 revenue streams – e-commerce, retail and wholesale. In 2018 they were named “Brand of Tomorrow” by Walpole, the official sector body for British luxury brands that have captured the industry’s attention.

Their ambition is to be a category-leading, international direct-to-consumer brand in the sector.

The role

Role:

Finance Director
Number of Applicants:  36 applicants
Flexibility:

2 to 3 days a week

The company

Industry:

Apparel and Fashion
Location:  London
Company Size: 2-10 Employees
Website: hamiltonandhare.com

Business context

Seeing phenomenal business growth (100% YOY for the past 3 years), this was a new role within the Hamilton & Hare business.

Their ideal candidate was someone who wanted to come onboard long-term with the option to increase their hours and grow their role as the business continues to grow.

I had previously been using consultants but it was the right time to find someone more permanent and in-house to drive the business forward and free up my time to focus on other aspects.

Support for the expertise that flexible working brings

I’m a working mother myself and have met so many talented, capable mothers but can’t find a flexible role they need to balance their work and home life. In my experience, working mothers are amazingly efficient and hardworking. With today’s technology, working flexibly shouldn’t be an issue – it’s more about attitude and I think employers need to put more trust in their employees.

Candidate quality

Olivia was overwhelmed with the quality of the applications. She believes the role appealed to the 2to3days calibre of mothers, especially due to its autonomy and flexibility.

Leanne is incredibly experienced having worked for several blue-chip retail companies but she wanted to do something different so it was a brilliant match for us.

The Flexible-Working Revolution

On a personal level we only get one life to live, and whilst working plays an important part of our lives, in the end, it won’t be the hours we spent office-bound that we remember fondly. Instead what is important is being able to live happy and fulfilled lives and increasingly this means being able to integrate work into our lives 

For employers, our society and our economy are demanding that we create working environments that are a true representation of our society, and show genuine compassionate leadership, treating their employees as human beings, rather than just economic units.

The drivers of flexible working 

The demand for flexible working is being fuelled by a number of social and economic drivers which, combined, are accelerating the pace of change for the good of everyone:  

Three women in a meeting, one speaking, others listening

Societal

  • More female graduates entering the workforce than male
  • New generation expects greater job mobility, satisfaction and purpose-driven employment
  • Women want to be more than 1950’s housewives
Two women in an office look at laptop, man and woman chat in background

Economic

  • £23bn bottom line impact on productivity/profitability
  • Paradigm shift – the D&I tick box is dead – companies have to walk their talk
  • Having a genuine and robust ESG agenda is critical to the future success of companies
Two women sitting on a sofa chatting

Political

  • UN SDG No5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” by 2030
  • UK Equality Act 2010; Shared Parental Leave 2014; Gender Pay Gap 2017
  • 2021 UK Government introduced Flexible Working Task Force
A woman uses a laptop to make a video call

Covid-19

  • The pandemic was brutal for women – companies now need to get them back
  • Companies have started their tech investment in managing remote, agile and flexible teams
  • The pandemic has accelerated adoption of flexible working. Hybrid working is here to stay

How do you define flexible working?

Flexible working is a combination of where, how and when you work, together with the contract and employment type that you have. The key to success lies in how these 3 elements are weaved together to reflect the needs of both the employer and employee. We also encourage employers to detail flexible work-friendly benefits in job descriptions such as extended maternity cover, career sabattical allowed or private health benefits for employees immediate family

A woman works on her laptop in her home

Where?

  • Office based
  • 100% remote working (telecommute)
  • Some work from home allowed
  • Some remote working allowed
A woman in high-vis and protective gear stands holding a clipboard

Contract type

  • Freelance
  • Full time
  • Part time
  • Fixed term
A woman sitting at a desk in an office turns her head and smiles

Flexible work arrangements

  • Flexible hours
  • Returnship
  • Compressed hours
  • Job-Share
  • Maternity Cover
  • Internship

******** Alternate presentation - The drivers of flexible working 

The demand for flexible working is being fueled by a number of social and economic drivers which, combined, are accelerating the pace of change, for the good of everyone:  

An icon of a cloud face blowing a strong wind from its mouth

Societal

More female graduates entering the workforce than male

New generation expects greater job mobility, satisfaction and purpose-driven employment

Women want to be more than 1950’s housewives

An icon of a cloud face blowing a strong wind from its mouth

Economic

£23bn bottom line impact on productivity/profitability

Paradigm shift – the D&I tick box is dead – companies have to walk their talk

Having a genuine and robust ESG agenda is critical to the future success of companies

An icon of a cloud face blowing a strong wind from its mouth

Political

UN SDG No5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls” by 2030

UK Equality Act 2010; Shared Parental Leave 2014; Gender Pay Gap 2017

2021 UK Government introduced Flexible Working Task Force

An icon of a cloud face blowing a strong wind from its mouth

Covid-19

The pandemic was brutal for women – companies now need to get them back

Companies have started their tech investment in managing remote, agile and flexible teams

The pandemic has accelerated adoption of flexible working. Hybrid working is here to stay

Case study - TalentPool

The 2to3days team were helpful in advising us before we posted the job and we are very pleased with the outcome. We’ve hired an excellent candidate with minimal trouble.

Tom Davenport
Co-Founder, TalentPool

Rosie Barbour

Meet the candidate

I don't believe part-time working should mean half-skilled talent! My job allows me to use my past work experience in a role I’m genuinely passionate about and that challenges me whilst still allowing me to be a mother, not just alongside it but running both at the same time...

I am totally fulfilled in my both aspects of my life and TalentPool have a very engaged, experienced and conscientious employee who really wants to deliver.

Caroline (Rosie) Barbour
Account Director, TalentPool

The TalentPool logo

Meet the company

TalentPool is a Talent Matching Platform connecting graduates with better job opportunities at UK start-ups and SMEs. Their innovative matching engine takes the pain out of hiring and being hired.

With over 70,000 members from 20+ countries and trusted by 700+ companies, they are now the leading connector of start-ups, agencies and boutiques with graduates (0-5 years experience) in the UK.

In 2018, the business had doubled in size and boasts a team of 17 employees across 2 offices worldwide.

The role

Role:

Account Director
Number of Applicants:  16 applicants
Flexibility:

2 days a week, mostly home-based

The company

Industry:

Recruitment
Location:  London
Company Size: 11-50 employees
Website: talentpool.com

Business context

TalentPool were looking to find someone in a part-time sales capacity to look after and build their existing 500+ client base.

Tom placed an advert with 2to3days hoping he’d find an experienced mother, looking to work 2 or so days a week.

The key criteria for filling the role was: someone who had confidence and a knack for building client relationships, personable and who had authority over the phone.

Support for the expertise that flexible working brings

We hire flexible workers for their experience and expertise that we don’t need all day every day, but also where we don’t have that expertise in our permanent team. For us it’s less about explicitly supporting mothers working flexibly, but if that’s a positive by-product then that's great!

Candidate quality

There was a great response for this role. We even had to close the job posting early.

Within 24 hours of posting the job advert on the 2to3days website we were receiving applications from very qualified, experienced and professional candidates. Overall, the applicants were very impressive. We had plenty of choice and could have hired a number of candidates.

How to write your 2to3days job advert. Brilliantly!

It’s my ideal job. I’m applying now!

That's what you want 2to3days candidates saying when they read your job ad. Talent is the beating heart of your company and, to hire great people, your job advert must be impactful, informative, thought-provoking and well written. 

This step-by-step guide was created by our recruitment and digital experts to help you create job adverts on 2to3days.com that not only engage and persuade our job-seekers, but which also optimise highly efficiently on search engines, ranking your 2to3days job listing page at the top of search results on google and other search engines.  

Google changed the rules!

In October 2021, to improve the relevance of job adverts, Google introduced new ‘rules’ that govern the searchability of job adverts. Below we’ve summarised the key principles of Google’s new ‘job listing rules’. 

  1. Avoid duplication – try to resist copying content from previous adverts you have written but instead find fresh ways of describing the vacancy in the job title and description
  2. Avoid Plagiarising content -  don’t fall into the trap of copying text from other sites because it sounds good - google will pick up on this and ignore your listing, so your job ad will reach a smaller audience via search results
  3. Flexible Job Arrangements – Be sure to tag all flexible work arrangements and benefits applying to your vacancy, e.g. work from home, job-share or remote working allowed. The 2to3days job ad form allows you to mark these features. Google is looking for them. 

Writing your advert

Our job ad template is straightforward to use. The following guidance will help you add an edge to your job ads on the 2to3days platform, giving it the best chance of engaging our talented and experienced job seeking community. Remember, the more comprehensive and specific your job ad listing the better chances our email job alerts will reach the most relevant candidates the instant your job is posted live.

Job Title 

Provide a clear, recognisable job title; avoid abbreviations, jargon or unnecessary information. Do not mix job titles or job levels as this will not increase your response rate.

Hiring Organisation

Defaults to the name of your organisation or company (as per your employer profile created in 2to3days). But you have the option to overwrite if you’re hiring on behalf of another company. i.e. if you’re a recruitment agency or if your organisation has multiple employer brands

Company Logo

Defaults to the logo you added to your 2to3days organisation or company profile, but you have the option to replace with the logo or an organisation you’re hiring on behalf of. Remember, candidates are far more likely to apply to a job advert with a company logo. For logos, we accept jpeg or png files, ideally square and not smaller than 200x200px.

Job Industry and Occupation Category (or Discipline)

Select one from each of the drop-down menus we provide 

Job location 

Enter the name of the town or city together with the postcode of the candidate’s work location. In the case of working from home or remote working (tele-commute) then provide the postcode of where the candidate will be reporting into. If your job has the option of working from multiple locations, then please show these locations in the job description (below) but enter UK in the job location field. 

Location type 

Select between Office-based, Work From Home or Telecommute 

Contract type

You need to select a minimum of one field. This is a mandatory field

  • Fixed term
  • Freelance
  • Full time 
  • Part time  
  • Permanent 

Employment type

You can select all that apply 

  • Jobshare 
  • Maternity Cover 
  • Non-Executive 
  • Returnship

Flexible working arrangements  

Here you can select the best way to describe the flexible working arrangements available for this job. Tick all that apply. This field is optional.

  • Agile working
  • Annualised hours
  • Compressed hours
  • Flexible working 
  • Hybrid working 
  • School hours
  • Staggered hours 
  • Term time only

Salary

It pays to be specific! 

Including a salary on your job advert not only increases applications by 20% but, with Google’s new rules, job adverts that don’t mention a salary will be penalised, which restricts the visibility of your job ad on 2to3days.

Here you have the option to either show the expected remuneration or a salary range. If the salary provided is the pro rata salary or FTE, please ensure you make the distinction.

Job description

This is your chance to sell the role. What makes your company special? Put yourself in the shoes of a candidate; why should someone want to come and work at your company? 

We recommend you use sentence case, avoid using block capitals and excessive use of characters such as exclamation marks. Also triple check for grammar and typos as you will be doing your company a grave disservice if they slip through the net! 

We are huge fans of job adverts written in an informal but professional way. Allow the personality of the job and the culture of your company to shine through naturally.

It’s important you provide as many specific details as possible. Far too often the free text copy of an advert is vague with sweeping generalities. This creates ambiguity for the potential candidate and makes it harder for the candidates to get excited about the role, apply and interview well. It is also important that you remove gender bias language. Get a few colleagues of the opposite gender to review your description with fresh eyes if you can. 

4 top tips to removing gender bias from your adverts

  1. Simplify your criteria - presenting an exhaustive list of requirements can put women off applying. Research has shown that men will apply when they only meet 60% of the requirements whilst women will only apply when they meet 100%. We encourage you to only list what is essential. Look to use a maximum of 4 bullet points per section. 
  2. Promote your company’s diversity; A good way to attract a broad range of applicants is to state your commitment to fostering an inclusive and dynamic working environment. Backing this up with evidence to emphasise how your organisation promotes this kind of culture will make individuals feel more welcome and supported.
  3. Check your choice of words - Research has shown that the language used in job listings can influence a person's decision to apply. It found that the average advert featured twice the number of phrases with a masculine tone, thus drawing in more male applicants. 
  4. Use this free gender-bias checker; paste your draft job description into this handy and free online gender-bias checker

Describe your company

  1. A brief introduction to your company
    Describe who you are and what your company does and why you do it.  It is also really key that you explain the culture and ethos of your company as well as the size and nature of the team they will be joining. This is also a great place to give a shout out about the golden nuggets that make your company a special place to work
  2. How you support flexible working
    The more you are able to explain how the role can be done flexibly the better. 2to3days candidates want to work flexibly - the more you are able to bring to life how in reality what working flexibly means for your company the better. 
  3. Summarise the role and responsibilities
    Succinctly explain what they will be responsible for and what they will be doing on a day-to -day basis
  4. Previous skills and experience
    We encourage you to list only what is essential. If you require a certain number of years with this qualification be sure to state this as well. 
  5. Qualifications required and desired
    If this job requires specific qualifications, please ensure you list them all.
  6. Attitude and characteristics
    What sort of person would excel at this role? 
  7. Travel
    Do you require them to travel with this role? Be that locally, nationally or internationally, let them know and also how often they’ll be expected to travel.

Immediate Start

If the job requires an immediate start (or at least has a desired start date for the role very near in the future), then use our form to state this criteria. 

Applicants right to work 

The default is the right to work in the UK. If instead you need them to have the right to work in the EU then select the second option. 

Please select how you want to receive applications 

You can choose to receive applications within your 2to3days account. If this option is selected then applicants’ CV and covering letter (if you have requested one) will be uploaded to your employer profile dashboard where you and any colleagues whom you’ve set-up as users of your employer profile, can access, review and manage the applications.

If you prefer 2to3days candidates to apply via your company’s career page then select the option to ‘apply via my employer website, and you will be asked to insert the URL of your company’s career page. 

Listing start and expiry date

The automatic closing date for your advert is 30 days from the date your advert goes live. However you are at liberty to reduce the advertising period by clicking on the calendar and selecting a date within 30 days. You can of course schedule your job listing to go live on a future date.

Unique Job Ad ID (or reference)  

We will auto-populate this field and allocate your job ad a unique ID. You can use this or overwrite with your own unique job reference if you have one.

Days per week

Use this optional field to enter expected days per week the candidate will be working
 

An illustration of a formal letter

Our guide to writing a great cover letter

A cover letter is not a CV. It’s the aperitif before the meal, designed to whet the appetite and capture the attention of the recruiter.  Its sole purpose is to leave the recruiter(s) thinking - ‘Wow, really interesting! I want to meet and interview this person as they sound great’.

The bottom line: if a company is asking for a cover letter, it will form a key part of the selection process for interview. Therefore, getting your cover letter right is just as important as perfecting your CV. It’s your chance to inject some personality into your application and to stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons. Sending a generic cover letter is a sure fire way of getting your application rejected at the first hurdle.

Here are our 9 top tips for producing a cover letter that stands out from the crowd. 

1 - Think of the cover letter as a gift, not a chore! 

Most job adverts do not require a covering letter so when they do request one, see it as a gift – this is your opportunity to stand out from the crowd of applicants and capture the attention of the person(s) who is going to hire you. 

2 - Do your research 

Before you even begin writing you need to do carry out the following research;

  • Review the company’s website and specifically look into its culture, objectives, and challenges
  • Who are their competitors and be clear on their market position
  • Review recent sector a news and or trends
  • Make every attempt to find out the name of the person who will be receiving and reading your cover letter. If it is not on the job advert, call the company up and ask. 
  • Highlight the key skills and experience they’re looking for in this particular role (detailed in the job description) so that you can tailor your letter to these
  • Think hard about why you’re applying for this position and what value, experience and/or transferrable skills you will bring to the role. Make a list before you start writing

Building up a good knowledge of the company and industry will not only help you tailor your cover letter but prepare you for the interview itself.

3 - Don't just duplicate your CV

Do not regurgitate your CV. Instead, be sure to personalise each and every cover letter (and CV) for the specific role you are applying for. 

The purpose of a covering letter is to address the ‘why me’ by highlighting your salient skills and experience, and why your character and personality makes you a great fit for the role in question. This is where you get to shine. Use the opening paragraph to explain why you’re writing to them and what it was that drew you to their company. Highlight the keywords in the job advert and as succinctly as possible, explain why you are the right person to carry them out. 

Give examples from your career when you have done similar work, show them that you have the skills they are after and explain to them why here and now this role is ideal for you. Demonstrate that you are genuinely excited by this role – even though you might well be applying for lots of jobs, your cover letter needs to signal that this position is the only role that you are pursuing at the moment. 

You can use the Star method to help you build a strong case for interviewing you

4 - Structure it like a formal business letter

Even though it will almost certainly be submitted online, your cover letter should be written like a conventional business letter. 

  • In the top right-hand corner write your address and contact details - make sure you have a professional email address for them to use, together with the best number to contact you on.
  • Left hand side - write the address of the company you’re applying for together with the date and if they have given a reference number add this on the line after the date. 
  • Always start with ‘Dear …’ and do your best to find out how they would prefer to be addressed. If in doubt, address them by their title and surname (e.g., Mr Jones, Ms Robertson, Mrs Farley) – and make sure it is spelt correctly.  
  • Sign off with ‘Yours sincerely’ or ‘Best regards.’ If you really can’t find out the name of the person then address the letter Sir/Madam and sign off with Yours faithfully.
5 - Use the right tone of voice

The purpose of the letter is to demonstrate your professional capability and relevance for the role. Its tone needs to remain professional throughout. Do not use the covering letter (as we have sadly seen) to vent your frustration, or to explain that you enjoyed playing dinosaurs or making cupcakes in your career break. The letter is about your professional experience. 

6 - Don't forget to inject your own personality

A cover letter is like meeting someone in person; first impressions count, not only in what you say but how you say it. Professional etiquette shouldn’t mean you should feel stilted or robotic – bring your authentic tone and voice to the table, make it fresh and different, more conversational than formal. Avoid corporate jargon, buzz words and generic phraseology. Have fun with it. Be a bit creative in your approach, as long as all the information is in there and it’s not distracting. Be enthusiastic but don’t gush. Attitude is as important as aptitude, so be yourself.

7 - Remember not to waffle on!

Keep your letter to a single A4 page and about 3 to 5 paragraphs.  Remember that the prospective employer could be reading hundreds of applications so keep it short and sweet. Resist the temptation to write a long essay or tell your life story. And remember, it’s about what value you will bring to the company that needs to sing from the page so that having read your cover letter and your CV, the two together make the recruiter want to invite you for an interview. 

8 - Triple check EVERYTHING

Read it through carefully before hitting send. Ideally, have someone else proofread it too. Nothing is more likely to consign your application to the bin than sloppy spelling, grammatical or punctuation errors!

9 - Save it and send it

Make sure you save a copy with your full name  (and ideally the company name too) in the file name and that when you make your application, submit both your CV and covering letter together. If you are invited to go for an interview, make sure you take a copy of your covering letter and CV with you.

*************** Check list - POSSIBLY REDUNDANT NOW given the above? But still a few points not mentioned in the above - add into accordion and then delete this section?

Not mentioned above

  • Write a fresh covering letter for each application 
  • For consistency ensure you use the same lettering style and font as your CV 
  • Pick out the keywords in the job advert 

Already mentioned above

  • Correctly format your letter
  • No longer than 1 side of A4 and 3-5 paragraphs
  • Tone – professional but inject some personality
  • It needs to genuinely enhance your CV do not duplicate it
  • Do your research into the company
  • Triple check your grammar and spelling
  • Ask someone to proofread it
  • Include your full name in the file name when you save it
  • Send it with your CV
  • Take a copy to your interview

 

All that’s left to say is good luck and go for it! 

Denise Rossiter

Champion Photo
Denise Rossiter
I am proud to support 2to3days in their ambitions to fully transform the workplace... They absolutely get it. For all you professional women out there who want flexibility 2to3days is the ideal platform. 

********* BACKUP ********** Talent Pool

Company Testimonial

Industry:

Recruitment
Location:  London
Company Size: 11-50 employees
Website: talentpool.com

 

Caroline (Rosie) Barbour

 

I don't believe part-time working should mean half-skilled talent! My job allows me to use my past work experience in a role I’m genuinely passionate about and that challenges me whilst still allowing me to be a mother, not just alongside it but running both at the same time...

I am totally fulfilled in my both aspects of my life and TalentPool have a very engaged, experienced and conscientious employee who really wants to deliver.

Caroline (Rosie) Barbour
Account Director, TalentPool
 

 

At a Glance

Role:

Account Director
Number of Applicants:  16 applicants
Flexibility:

2 days a week, mostly home-based
Talentpool logo

 

About the company

TalentPool is a Talent Matching Platform connecting graduates with better job opportunities at UK start-ups and SMEs. Their innovative matching engine takes the pain out of hiring and being hired. With over 70,000 members from 20+ countries and trusted by 700+ companies, they are now the leading connector of start-ups, agencies and boutiques with graduates (0-5 years experience) in the UK. In 2018, the business had doubled in size and boasts a team of 17 employees across 2 offices worldwide.

Business context

TalentPool were looking to find someone in a part-time sales capacity to look after and build their existing 500+ client base. Tom placed an advert with 2to3days hoping he’d find an experienced mother, looking to work 2 or so days a week. The key criteria for filling the role was: someone who had confidence and a knack for building client relationships, personable and who had authority over the phone.

Candidate quality

There was a great response for this role. We even had to close the job posting early. “Within 24 hours of posting the job advert on the 2to3days website we were receiving applications from very qualified, experienced and professional candidates. Overall, the applicants were very impressive. We had plenty of choice and could have hired a number of candidates.”

Support for the expertise that flexible working brings

“We hire flexible workers for their experience and expertise that we don’t need all day every day, but also where we don’t have that expertise in our permanent team. For us it’s less about explicitly supporting mothers working flexibly, but if that’s a positive by-product then that's great!”

Anna Mason

Company Testimonial

Industry:

Apparel and Fashion
Location:  London, UK
Company Size: 2-10 Employees
Website: hamiltonandhare.com

 

”I am able to return to work in a part-time flexible role without taking a step back in my career. I am trusted to manage my workload and meet deadlines whilst working the hours that suit me...I was worried there wouldn’t be any part-time roles at my level in finance but I was proved wrong since registering with 2to3days”

Leanne Phipps
Finance Director, Hamilton & Hare

 

At a Glance

Role:

Finance Director
Number of Applicants:  36
Flexibility: 2 to 3 days a week

Leanne Phipps

Hamilton and Hare logo

About the company

Hamilton and Hare is a premium men’s underwear and loungewear business, with 3 revenue streams – e-commerce, retail and  wholesale. In 2018 they were named “Brand of Tomorrow” by Walpole, the official sector body for British luxury brands that have captured the industry’s attention. Their ambition is to be a category-leading, international direct-to-consumer brand in the sector.

Business context

Seeing phenomenal business growth (100 % YOY for the past 3 years), this was a new role within the Hamilton & Hare business. “I had previously been using consultants but it was the right time to find someone more permanent and in-house to drive the business forward and free up my time to focus on other aspects.”, says Olivia. Their ideal candidate was someone who wanted to come onboard long-term with the option to increase their hours and grow their role as the business continues to grow.

Candidate quality

Olivia was overwhelmed with the quality of the applications – there were 36 application (our ave. is 12). She believes the role appealed to the 2to3days calibre of mothers, especially due to its autonomy and flexibility. “Leanne is incredibly experienced having worked for several blue-chip retail companies but she wanted to do something different so it was a brilliant match for us.”

Support for highly capable mothers working flexibly

“I’m a working mother myself and have met so many talented, capable mothers but can’t find a flexible role they need to balance their work and home life. In my experience, working mothers are amazingly efficient and hardworking. With today’s technology, working flexibly shouldn’t be an issue – it’s more about attitude and I think employers need to put more trust in their employees.”

Returnships icon

Returnships

If you’ve been on a career break for a year or more, playing catch up can feel daunting. That’s why going on a returnship programme can be a brilliant way to reignite your career.

Available returnships

Want to see what's currently available? Here are employers who currently have Returnship programmes

Discover

What are returnships?

Want to know more about what Returnships are and how they work? Check out our FAQs

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Worried about gaps in your CV?

Not sure how to handle your career break on your CV and or LinkedIn profile? Read this blog post

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Companies with Returnship programmes

 

Mizuho logo

Mizuho Bank

Are you an experienced professional looking to restart your career after an extended break? Mizuho International plc offers a Returners Programme, to enable you to step back into a rewarding career. 

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Morgan Stanley logo

Morgan Stanley

Are you ready to re-enter the workforce, but not sure where to start? Applications for Morgan Stanley’s Return to Work program are now open. Apply now to sharpen your skills, receive mentorship, expand your network and gain new on-the-job experiences.

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Reignite Academy logo

Reignite Academy

The Reignite Academy is here to help you kickstart the next phase of your legal career. This returnships programme is currently open for applications.

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Returnship FAQs *** NEED ANSWERS ***

Not sure what returnships are or how they work? The below should help - and if you want to ask anything else, please do contact us.

Who are Returnships for?

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You won’t be competing against everyone who is looking for a job - these programmes only take on people who have had a career break. 

What happens on a Returnship?

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You will be given brilliant training, mentoring and coaching, not to mention hands-on work experience
 

Will I get paid during a Returnship?

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Returners are paid, for the duration of their Returnship, a salary commensurate with the salary of the position they aim to ‘return’ to

Will I get a job at the end of a Returnship?

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At the end of a returnship programme, you will be ready to continue your career and will have valuable experience to add to your CV too.

Most Returnships have a clear pathway to resuming work on a flexible basis with the employer hosting the Returnship

What Returnships are available right now?

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All our current returnships are listed above, but now ones are added regularly, so do check back regularly, and sign up for our emails to heard about new opportunities

I'm an employer - how do I promote my Returnships?

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We'd be delighted to help - just head to our Returnships for Employers page!

A word from a successful candidate

“Having become more and more aware of “returnships” I recognised this could be a good way to restart my professional career. I have been on a career break for over ten years and the time was right for me to return to work. I realised that I really wanted to use my skills and experience in the commercial business environment and work with high performing teams again.

The EY Reconnect programme was advertised on 2to3days at just the right time. It offered an opportunity to return to management consultancy within a supportive framework where I could refresh my skills over a 12 week period. I spent time updating my CV and Linkedin profile and this gave me the confidence that I have a current and valuable skill set even after a long career break.”

Chloe Wilmot, EY Reconnect Career Returner

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