IfA declare rate minimas for next April

[Jack]

if employers put in their advert 'ifa membership preferred' then you can bet that when there is a glut of applications the selection criteria checklist will have a box for this aspect, just as it will for relevant amount of time in the field and cscs card etc. maybe not a problem at the moment because there is a shortage but this situation will not persist.

Yep, right on. You want to get ticks in as many of the boxes as you can in an application matrix, (or whatever they are called). But you don't always have to get them all.

But often its actually the personal touch that gets you a job (oo er).

That is, reputation, or a reference from someone that the employer respects. Sounds a bit corrupt and nepotistic when written down in print!