7twenty – The Talent Finder

7twenty is a professional search service for middle management roles, a sister company to the already successful executive talent firm 4c Executive. Here, Gareth Hanna, Head of Professional Search at the business, offers some invaluable advice to those seeking new talent.

7 twenty is a standalone business at talent search and selection company 4c Executive. It’s an evolution of existing services, if you like, that was founded following huge demand from the senior executives its parent company 4c had placed into new roles.

4c places high-profile executives at the helm of flourishing, global financial firms, manufacturing organisations, and global professional services firms. It has also sourced executives for roles in the South, GB and as far afield as China, but demand for more of the same at a different tier prompted a new arm of the business.

“4c Executive was set up deliberately to focus on primarily the C-suite local market,” Gareth begins.

“We began to find that after partnering with companies to bring these decisionmakers into their business, once that executive got bedded in and looked at their teams, they found gaps and requirements and naturally came back to us to support them on building those teams outwards.

“That trend became greater and greater over time and when those executives found other methods of recruiting weren’t working for them we developed 7twenty as a response,” he adds.

Gareth breaks the talent market down into two categories; active and inactive, adding that on average just one-third of people are actively seeking new roles.

It means the typical advertisement for a mid-level position is often not seen by a large number of people, including those most suited to the position, which is where 7twenty comes into its own.

“We spend a huge amount of time building credibility and respect with those inactive candidates before we jump into a huge amount of detail on the role itself and quite often when we approach an individual and they tell us they aren’t looking, it’s almost music to our ears.”

He says the “vast majority” of those conversations are with people who have no inclination to move on which is where his team of 10 staff step in.

“Half of our team has come from a recruitment background and customerfacing roles. We also have a business support team and researchers, which is one of the key differences between us and other businesses.

“Our researchers’ jobs are to conduct market research on those inactive candidates and go after them.”

7twenty is the only professional search company of its kind in the local market, targeting specifically the professional market, or those with salaries between £40-£70,000. It’s a niche service and it’s being used by organisations including BBC, BLK BOX, Ulster Rugby, AIKEN and George Best Belfast City Airport and that’s just locally.

It has seen the industry experience some dramatic trends throughout its three-year lifetime, with activity at an unusual high. Now it’s stabilising, Gareth informs, with both candidate and employer holding more of an equal power.

“The past 18 months have been phenomenally busy for recruitment companies. There has been such a movement and flow into the market with people seeking to move and there have been plenty of opportunities. That gave people options, plenty of options, and salaries were inflated.

“We would describe the market today as a dual market in which the candidates don’t hold all the cards and there is also a sense of nervousness in the market with some candidates waiting to see how the next few months pan out in light of the current economic situation.”

He’s quick to warn that the latter movement does not indicate a slowdown, adding: “It’s a stabilisation of the market, as opposed to a downturn. Previous levels of activity had been unusual and unsustainable.”

Despite that stabilisation and the resurfacing of that dual market, businesses can’t afford to be complacent, Gareth advises, as talent in the professional market becomes more discerning about its potential employers’ culture and corporate social responsibility.

“Candidates often ask ‘what else?’. Yes, they know what the job is and the salary but they want more. They want to understand the organisation’s approach to diversity and inclusion, their work in the community, promotional pathways and their job of tomorrow,” he says.

“Candidates are also saying if you care for your staff then prove it. Back it up. For example, if you say you value diversity, show us the gender balance and composition on your leadership team. Businesses need to ensure that actions line up with words.

“This is one reason why we take significant time to make sure a business aligns with our values,” he adds.

The current Northern Ireland unemployment rate sits at 3%. For reference that is 0.7% lower than what it was before the 2008 recession; however, a skills deficit is still rife in many sectors.

According to The Open University’s Business Barometer report (2022), published in partnership with the British Chambers of Commerce, a survey of 144 key employers across Northern Ireland found over two-thirds (69%) of respondents claimed to have a skills shortage within their organisation.

The Open University’s annual report also stated that the ongoing skills shortage has worsened over the past year because of factors related to the pandemic, Brexit, the war in Ukraine, and rising business costs.

It makes firms like 7twenty an integral partner during the recruitment process, a tool for selecting the right candidate.

“Employers should know that evidence clearly shows the highest performing talent is not actively looking for a job, making ‘professional search’ the best way to identify those individuals and attract them to that position,” Gareth says.

“And it’s the employers that are waking up to what the candidate wants that are attracting the best talent.

“7twenty shows how inadequate the traditional recruitment process is. If you genuinely adopt a focused and robust approach to search and selection you will see the results,” he concludes.