Recruiter February 2019 by Redactive Media Group

Business intelligence for recruitment and resourcing professionals

February 2019

INCORPORATING Recruitment Matters

www.recruiter.co.uk

The UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest-growing recruitment companies

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STARRY NIGHT 08/01/2019 10:17

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C R ONT ENT S

INCORPORATING Recruitment Matters

COV ER IMAG E | ISTO C K / SA RAH AULD

NEWS

05 Use Brexit to ‘embed’ with

08 10

clients, says REC CEO Neil Carberry on what action the REC is taking to help its members Shrugging off uncertainty Positive readings from the latest Recruitment Sector Barometer Referring a friend: the best incentives What are the most appealing employee referral incentives offered by employers? Start-up of the Month: Sixty Eight People Abi Dunn on starting up her hospitality recruitment firm This was the month that was... Contracts & Deals

C 16

Global predictions for talent in 2O19 from Korn Ferry Tech & Tools Growth-hacking recruitment: A different way of thinking

FEATURES

18 THE BIG STORY

Recruiter’s FAST 5O Despite the economic uncertainty, privatelyowned recruitment firms report robust growth 24 Values and culture Russell Taylor Holdings tops the FAST 5O recruiter list

E COMMUNITY 30 Community: Upstart

33 34 35 36 38

TRENDS

12 Insight

40 41 42

ASK and you shall receive: Absolute Solutions Group Social Network The Workplace: Guy Hayward Workplace Innovation: Dr Tracy Brower Business Advice: Alex Arnot My brilliant recruitment career: Caroline Nash, Gill Cooke Personnel Movers & Shakers Recruiter contacts The Last Word: Nadia Edwards-Dashti

INTERACTION Viewpoint Nicholas Barton, CEO, The Barton Partnership Soundbites

I M AG E S | I STO C K / IKO N

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08/01/2019 10:56

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UPDATE

WE LCO M E

LEADER

hoosh – we’re zooming past the starting gate of the new year on the tailwind of our FAST 50 2019! What’s new so far? Thirty-one of the companies in our latest edition of the FAST 50 have not previously appeared in this league table, meaning that their new year is starting off with an exciting milestone. A trend in common with our HOT 100, which I hope you saw in our January issue, is the presence of an international footprint in this grouping of successful recruitment businesses. What does that say about the seasons to come? Congratulations to the recruiters who earned New Year’s Honours (see p9). Their dramatic achievements add lustre to the industry’s reputation overall. My Brilliant Recruitment “Congratulations Career this to the recruiters month visits the very who earned enthusiastic New Year’s Caroline Nash, Honours. Their general achievements manager of Gill add lustre to Cooke the industry’s Personnel in reputation” Loughborough, who exudes love for this industry as she continues a 30-plus year career in recruitment. Well done, Caroline – here’s to another 30! Be sure to get your entries in for the Recruiter Awards 2019! We’re waiting to hear all about you!

DeeDee Doke, Editor

Brexit is opportunity to ‘embed’ with clients, says REC BY COLIN COTTELL

Brexit can be an opportunity for recruiters to “really embed” themselves as “trusted workforce advisers with their clients”, the CEO of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) has told Recruiter. “We think Brexit is in many ways forcing discussions in client businesses,” said Neil Carberry (above) in an interview. “How do you talk to your clients about this? So the REC will be supporting members in how they use the political and economic moment of Brexit, however it turns out, as a way of having those future workforce discussions that really embed REC members as trusted workforce advisers with their clients.” Carberry said the REC would be using its membership of the World Employment Federation and partnership with KPMG to help members think about mitigating Brexit risks. One example is consideration of whether they should set up a base in the EU to enable them to trade once the UK has left the single market. “We need to be in a position to help members think about those sorts of issues,” he said. “It is important not just to see Brexit as an economic threat or a threat of change,” Carberry said, “but also if we get this right, the REC should be supporting its members to help their clients through this difficult time and further embed those really strong relationships with the sector.” Carberry outlined other support the REC was providing to help members navigate the Brexit process: • webinars and roadshows aimed at passing on information from other sectors, Whitehall and Westminster • gearing up its legal helpline to provide advice with any legal changes related to Brexit • working on guidance for helping members get settled status in the UK for their temporary workers. What business needed above all else was certainty, Carberry said, and a stable path to a permanent arrangement “that enables businesses to start investing”. He added: “The worst-case scenario is a perma-transition where we are never sure what is going on and what is happening. And ‘no deal’ must be avoided because it is potentially damaging to the economy and to job creation.”

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37,604 FOLLOWERS

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UPDATE

AS OF 9 JANUARY 2019

RECRUITERS SHRUG OFF UNCERTAINTY BY COLIN COTTELL

Recruiters are shrugging off continuing Brexit uncertainty, with a record 33% saying their fee rates were higher in Q4 2018 than they were in the same quarter of 2017, according to the latest Recruitment Sector Barometer. In a further sign of the sector’s continuing resilience, the Barometer, produced by Alex Arnot, non-executive adviser to more then 30 staffing companies, in association with Recruiter, found that in the ﬁnal quarter of 2018, more than seven out of 10 recruiters (71%, a record for the Barometer since its inception in Q4 2016) reported revenue

that met or exceeded their target. Also reflecting the industry’s confidence, a net 62% of respondents said they expected to increase headcount in the next quarter, the most positive in 12 months. Commenting on the results from the Barometer, Arnot sounded a note of caution; “With over seven out of 10 companies expecting profit for the coming year to be greater than the last 12 months, directors need to ensure they have the right growth plans in place … so they can maintain the momentum, as Q1 has been relatively weak in recent years.”

AI: Coming to a tech company near you Demand is growing for workers with artiﬁcial intelligence (AI) skills, with the number of AI-related jobs and roles up by 119% in just the last three years. Unsurprisingly, tech companies are a major employer when it comes to AI – but what percentage of their overall recruitment is devoted to AI? Component distributor RS Components has analysed job posts from some of the world’s biggest tech companies to discover who has the highest percentage of AI-related job openings. Among the key ﬁndings:

COMPANY

Microsoft Nvidia Facebook Netflix Apple Amazon

NUMBER OF AI JOB OPENINGS

1,964 837 191 35 129 297

PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL JOBS ON OFFER

36% 33% 6% 6% 3% 2%

Source: RS Components 6 RECRUITER

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IM AGES | SHUTTER STO CK / I STO CK / GE TTY

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THOUGHTS FROM…

UPDATE

RICKY MARTIN FORMER APPRENTICE WINNER AND FOU NDER OF HYPER RECRU ITMENT

“If you are 15 minutes early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late and if you are late you didn’t want to be there.”

CHRIS ROCK TH E CO MEDIAN ON ACCOMPANYING HIS DAUG H T ER TO H E R HIGH SCHOOL FRESHMAN ORIENTATION I N HIS LATEST NETFLIX SPECIAL TAMBORINE

“I’m sitting there and this lady comes up and says: ‘You can be anything you want to be…’ Lady, why are you lying to these children?! Maybe four of them can be anything they want to be – but the other 2,000 better learn how to weld… Tell the kids the truth – you can be anything you’re good at… as long as they’re hiring.”

BEN RUSSELL CO-FOU NDER AND GROU P CEO, RUSSELL TAYLOR HOLDINGS

“If you are taking over another company, it’s always a lot harder work than you realise.”

Referring a friend: the best incentives BY COLIN COTTELL

CASH PAYMENTS AND additional days’ holiday are the two most appealing employee referral incentives offered by employers, according to a survey by global digital recruitment technology company TMP Worldwide. The nationwide survey of 229 full-time employees found the two were virtually neck and neck in their appeal, with 71% and 69% of respondents, respectively, rating them as either the first most appealing or second most attractive employee referral incentive. Extra training/development was the third most attractive incentive, followed by donation to a charity of their choice. Overall, 72% of respondents said they would refer a friend/family member or contact to their employer, with public sector nongraduates the most likely to do so, and public sector graduates least prepared to do so. Non-graduates and graduates employed in the private sector were equally likely to refer someone to their employer. The survey found significant differences between which incentives employees in the private sector and the public sectors, and non-graduates and graduates felt were most appealing. While 71% of non-graduates in the public sector rated an additional day’s holiday as either their first or second most attractive incentive, more than eight of out 10 non-graduates working in the private sector said that cash fell into this category. Although ranked last overall, a donation to a charity of your choice was seen as most attractive by graduates in the public sector. By comparison only 7% of non-graduates in the private sector chose this as either their first or second most attractive incentive. There was little to choose between respondents’ view on what is the best tool/channel for employers to share job opportunities, with email and a link to an employee website being most the most popular, each chosen by 56% of respondents.

STA RT-UP OF THE MONTH SIXTY EIGHT PEOPLE Experienced hospitality recruiter Abi Dunn has launched Sixty Eight People, an agency that recruits director and manager-level roles ranging from senior directors to general managers to head chefs and sales & marketing roles within the hospitality sector. Dunn has struck out on her own, having been a director at hospitality staffing specialist Bee Recruitment and having headed up recruitment and training Revolution Bars Group. She told Recruiter her experience in the sector is a unique selling

proposition (USP) for her agency: “I think my 10 years in operations and further 10 years in hospitality recruitment is my USP. I understand the pressures at site and company level for not having the right person in a role. It’s debilitating. “Add to that the annoyance of having poor quality CVs hitting your inbox and the pressure to respond to them. I dealt with multiple agencies during my in-house role with Revolution Bars Group – I know what they are offering and I know we offer something different. Our best clients are our advocates.

They seek advice on their process, on their salaries, on the current marketplace, on how they are perceived as an employer.” Dunn revealed the agency also offers interview training for clients and is working with Manchesterbased profiling company Arctic Shores, which designs game-based psychometric assessments. Looking ahead, Dunn added the firm is seeking to increase headcount with plans to recruit a talent manager, whose sole purpose will be to look after the agency’s candidates. WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 7

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THIS WAS THE MONTH THAT WAS… Here is a round-up of some of the most popular news stories we have brought you on recruiter.co.uk since the January issue of Recruiter was published D E C E M B E R •‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒→

MON, 17 DECEMBER 2018

T H U, 2 0 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8

AGENCY WORKERS GET MORE RIGHTS IN NEW GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS

IMMIGRATION WHITE PAPER VISA ‘TOO SHORT’ TO BE ATTRACTIVE

The government is to scrap the so-called Swedish derogation, which enables some firms to pay agency workers less than permanent staff. The move was announced as part of a package of reforms in the government’s ‘Good Work Plan’ by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy. The plan was in response to the Taylor Review and the Labour Market Strategy set out by director of labour market enforcement Sir David Metcalf. New proposals introduced will ensure: • closing a loophole by repealing the Swedish derogation, which currently allows agency workers to be employed on cheaper rates than permanent counterparts • extending the right to a day-one written statement of rights to workers, going further to include detail on rights such as eligibility for sick leave and pay, and details of other types of paid leave, such as maternity and paternity leave • to ensure workers are paid fairly by providing agency workers with a ‘key facts page’ when they start work, including a clear breakdown of who pays them, and any costs or charges deducted from their wages. Commenting on the government’s Good Work Plan as whole, Matthew Potter, partner at law firm Howes Percival, called it no more than a wish list with no draft legislation annexed to the headline proposals or a timetable for implementation. “Agencies at this stage will need to be aware of potential changes on the horizon (possibly next year) but until such time that it is clear what the legislation is, then there are no steps they can realistically take – to do so would be akin to shooting in the dark. In any event, Parliament could be caught up with more pressing issues in the meantime.”

The recruitment industry has on the whole reacted negatively to the proposals laid out in the government’s immigration White Paper. The long-awaited White Paper included proposals that would allow workers from ‘safe countries’, EU member states, and very probably including the US, Australia and Canada, to apply for a 12-month visa. This would be regardless of the skill level, the salary or whether they had a definite job offer. To stop people staying here permanently, workers will have to leave the UK for a 12-month cooling off period, before they are allowed to apply again. These transitional arrangements are due to begin in the autumn of 2020 and will last until 2025. According to the White Paper: “This will allow all businesses have the staff they need as we move to the new immigration system but ensure they have the incentive to train young people in the future.” Martyn Salmon, co-founder of Mansfield-based, industrial, commercial, engineering and driver recruiter Senior Salmon, told Recruiter that the 12-month temporary visa would hold few attractions, with its major fault being the duration of the visa was too short. According to Salmon, “people come here to build a life or a career, so it’s not going to attract people to come here”. Miglena Ilieva, a senior solicitor in the immigration department at Laura Devine Solicitors, predicted that the scheme wouldn’t be effective, telling Recruiter: “I don’t think it is going to be of particular interest [to overseas nationals] – it’s too short, and business will still be short of the skills it needs.”

More: https://bit.ly/2GV17ji

MON, 17 DECEMBER 2018

STHREE CEO ELDEN BOWS OUT IN EARLY 2019 Gary Elden is to step down as CEO at STEM staffing specialist SThree after six years in the role. Along with a trading update for year ended 30 November 2018, the group revealed Elden will step down early in the new year, at a date yet to be determined but expected to be by the ﬁrm’s April 2019 AGM. The recruitment process for Elden’s successor is already underway. Elden, the founder and managing director of SThree ﬁrm Huxley Banking & Financial Services, became SThree’s chief strategy officer back in 2007, working his way up to deputy CEO in 2012 and eventually CEO in January 2013. Commenting on his impending departure, Elden said he had been privileged to be part of SThree for almost 30 years and was proud to have led the group as CEO during a matjor period of its growth and development. He expressed his gratitude to the SThree board for their support and encouragement, and to the agency’s staff around the world for all their commitment and hard work.

More: https://bit.ly/2F9Y2Kk

More: https://bit.ly/2LOVq58 8 RECRUITER

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IIM MAGES AGES | ISTOCK / SHUT T ERSTO CK C K / G E TTY / G LA L AA A

10/01/2019 09:34

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CIVIL SERVICE CREATES HUNDREDS OF JOBS WITH NEW CENTRE IN STOKE-ON-TRENT More than 500 civil service jobs are coming to Stoke-on-Trent as the town of Hanley has been chosen to house a new government centre. As part of a major nationwide £1bn programme, Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service (HMCTS) will recruit 100 people each month between January and May, with some vacancies already posted online for the new roles. More: https://bit.ly/2Qu7MAq

DAYS

←‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒‒• J A N U A R Y

FRI, 4 JANUARY 2019

FOOTBALLING RECRUITER ROOTS FOR UNDERDOG IN FA CUP CLASH

W E D, 2 J A N U A RY 2 0 1 9

RECRUITERS RECOGNISED IN NEW YEAR HONOURS LIST Three recruitment directors have joined the likes of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, actress Thandie Newton and former England cricket captain Alastair Cook in being recognised in this year’s New Year Honours list. While the aforementioned were awarded a CBE, OBE and knighthood respectively, recruiters Suki Sandhu, founder and CEO of Audeliss and INvolve, and the CEO of Urbanis, Abolade Abisogun, picked up OBEs, with an MBE for Angela Middleton, CEO of MiddletonMurray Group. Sandhu, who was honoured for services to diversity in business through his work at both boutique executive search firm Audeliss and inclusion organisation INvolve, said he was both “immensely honoured and humbled” to be receiving an OBE. Sandhu was recognised in Recruiter’s 2017 Investing In Talent Awards as Most Inspiring Recruitment Leader. Urbanis hailed founder Abisogun’s OBE for services to diversity and young people in the construction industry as an “unbelievable achievement”, adding his recognition was not an individual success but reflected a collective team effort over a number of years. Reflecting on her MBE, Middleton told Recruiter: “What I was really happy about is that it talked about MiddletonMurray, apprenticeships and the business … because it reflects such a team effort.”

A recruitment consultant and footballer played for both clubs in one of the FA Cup 3rd round clashes. While he’s rooting for Woking, Watford were more likely to emerge victorious in the 3rd round clash, according to Chez Isaac, a consultant at rec-to-rec Aspire Rec2Rec who previously turned out for both clubs. National League, South club Woking took on the Premier League’s Watford. Ahead of the clash, Recruiter spoke to recruitment consultant Isaac, who, while he currently turns out in central midfield for Chelmsford City, played for Watford earlier in his career. Isaac only left Woking at the end of last season. His former Woking teammates include Anthony Cook, who also works as a recruiter at Harrington Starr. “I think everyone loves an underdog, don’t they? So I think it would be nice to see Woking win. I did have some good times at Woking. They went down last year but for a non-league club, they’ve got a great ground and a great stadium and fans… That was more recent than Watford. I was on the bench a couple of times [for Watford], but I never got on the field for the first team there. If you ask me, it would be nice to see an FA Cup upset for a non-league team.” Editor’s note: Watford did indeed win the tie, beating Woking 2-0. More: https://bit.ly/2RaGwMu

More: https://bit.ly/2AsDMQm

Find more daily news stories at recruiter.co.uk/news p8_9_recruiter_month-that-was.indd 9

MON, 7 JANUARY 2019

ARMY CAMPAIGN RAISES CONSENT CONCERNS WHEN USING STAFF IMAGES IN RECRUITMENT Recruiters have been urged to ensure they secure informed consent from employees when using their images in recruitment campaigns or risk breaching general data protection regulations (GDPR). The warning follows a soldier’s threat to quit the Army on Facebook over a ‘snowflakes’ recruitment poster. The Mail On Sunday reported that Guardsman Stephen McWhirter appears on a poster reminiscent of Lord Kitchener’s ‘Your country needs you’ campaign, alongside the words: ‘Snowflakes – your army needs you and your compassion’. McWhirter told friends on Facebook he agreed his photo could be used by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), but that the word ‘snowflakes’ was never mentioned. But Sky News subsequently reported the MoD refuted McWhirter’s account, with Col Ben Wilde, assistant director of Army Recruiting saying in a statement: “The soldiers who took part in this campaign were all volunteers … who gave their permission to appear on TV and in the posters, and were fully informed about the striking language and how it would resonate with young people with a wide variety of valuable skills.” Sybille Steiner, partner solicitor at law firm Irwin Mitchell, told Recruiter: “Since the introduction of the Data Protection Act 2018, an employer is unlikely to be able to rely on the consent clause in an employment contract because of the uneven bargaining positions in the employment relationship.” More: https://bit.ly/2RgEqe4 WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 9

10/01/2019 09:34

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CONTRACTS SPONSORED BY RECRUITMENT MERGERS

CONTRACTS & DEALS

Allegis Global Solutions International talent management firm Allegis Global Solutions (AGS) has partnered with talent HRtech company Adepto to offer its ‘total talent’ technology services to its global clients. Some of the services provided include Adepto’s technology platform and a talent advisory/MSP service wrapper around Adepto for mutual customers and new AGS customers.

CoreHR CoreHR, a provider of cloudbased HR and payroll solutions, has entered a strategic partnership with Mercer in Ireland, which delivers advice and technology-driven solutions that help organisations meet the needs of a changing workforce. According to both companies, the partnership will enable organisations to unlock more value from their HR activities through a more effective alignment of HR strategies, programmes, processes and service delivery models using CoreHR technologies.

DHR International International executive search consultancy DHR International has chosen Invenias as its cloudbased platform. Headquartered in Reading in the UK, Invenias was acquired by Bullhorn in July, and serves users in more than 60 countries.

Motion Recruitment Partners Motion Recruitment Partners, the parent company of global recruitment process outsourcing solution provider Sevenstep, as well as two North American IT staffing agencies, has acquired IT staffing firm and managed service provider MDI Group. MDI, which has offices in six US states, also provides the ID² workforce solution – a technology training, certification and deployment programme created to address the skills gap in the IT sector.

Civica UK Civica UK, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Civica Group, has acquired specialist e-recruitment software provider Trac Systems and its subsidiary Zedcore Systems. The acquisition will allow Civica Group to extend its service offering to the healthcare and wider public sector by providing cloud software for recruitment.

Oleeo E-recruitment software provider Oleeo is to provide applicant tracking systems (ATS) to all four police forces across Wales, as part of the All Wales Human Resources and Learning Development Services Collaboration Project. Using Oleeo software, the four forces will now run all police officer recruitment on one system. Configured by representatives from each police force, it will process thousands of applications and is designed to ensure a consistent, fast and streamlined application experience for recruiters and candidates.

DEAL OF THE MONTH

Siamo Group Private equity firm Key Capital Partners (KCP) has sold its stake in recruitment and training firm Siamo Group to the management team in a deal backed by Clydesdale Bank. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Siamo provides temporary and permanent recruitment services combined with integrated

10 RECRUITER

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FEBRUARY 2019

apprenticeship accredited training, HR, payroll and IT services. Headquartered in Birmingham, it operates from 50 locations across the UK in sectors including retail logistics, e-commerce fulfilments and manufacturing. Turn to pp20-21 to see where Siamo Group came in Recruiter’s FAST 50.

For more information

www.recruitmentmergers.com charlie.watson@recruitmentmergers.com

More contract news at recruiter.co.uk/news 10/01/2019 09:35

RECRUITMENT AGENCY FOR SALE REFERENCE CW0719A LOCATION East Midlands, UK

TEMPORARY RECRUITMENT AGENCY FOR SALE Overview Recruitment Mergers is currently representing a leading temporary

Key business features • Commercial/industrial/technical • Based in the East Midlands • Specialists in temporary staffing: 98% temp • 2nd-tier management in place running the business • Consistent repeat business with excellent client relationships • 9 employees

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• Proﬁt before tax

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ARE YOU AIMING TO ACQUIRE OR PLANNING AN EXIT STRATEGY?

WWW.RECRUITMENTMERGERS.COM Mergers & Acquisitions for the recruitment industry

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08/01/2019 10:56

TRE NDS

INSIGHT

GLOBAL PREDICTIONS FOR TALENT IN 2019 As we begin another year, global organisational consulting firm Korn Ferry looks at what 2019 has in store for talent acquisition and talent management BY JEANNE MACDONALD

everal factors, including an incredibly tight labour market and the massive influx of data, are having impact on how HR professionals and talent acquisition (TA) leaders are doing their jobs. The issues are becoming more and more complex, from the role that artificial intelligence (AI) and talent analytics plays, to the shift in how people are looking to get compensated, evaluated and rewarded. But if there’s anything that businesses and organisations should take on board for next year, it is that to successfully attract, develop and retain top talent, it will be critical to be agile and forward thinking. With this in mind, here are five talent predictions for 2019:

1 (Don’t) Mind the gap! Traditionally, employers raised eyebrows when candidates had employment gaps in their CVs. However, we’ll see the stigma of taking 12 RECRUITER

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time off between jobs fade in the coming year. Tactics to reach professionals who have been out of the workforce will include a number approaches such as targeted proactive sourcing, talent communities, workshops, customised landing pages and microsites, and alumni networks for those who have left the company and may consider returning.

2 Making AI more ‘intelligent’ AI has been touted as a new holy grail in recruiting – particularly in helping to source qualified candidates. However, left unchecked, its ‘intelligence’ could undermine recent efforts to boost diversity. One way to help alleviate this will be to feed the AI with non-partial data, such as talent assessment data, which highlights success factors. AI will need to be trained to look more for the skills needed for a specific role, such as the ability to program specific computer codes, instead of focusing on subjective modifiers (eg. ‘collaborative’ or ‘tough task master’) that may have gender bias.

3 Personalised pay: Go ahead, we’re listening Traditionally, corporate pay and reward teams and their consultants were tasked with creating packages that would be cost-effective to the company, while still providing value to their employees. The problem is today, with four generations now in the workforce, there are different expectations when it comes to pay and reward packages. To understand the differences in what might incentivise one group from another group, organisations will begin to listen to what matters to employees, because with information from these efforts they can tailor rewards packages. This turns the pay and rewards discussion from a company ILLUST RAT ION | IKON

10/01/2019 09:35

T R E N DS

INSIGHT

said it had no impact or was unhelpful at making them understand what to do more of or differently to improve future performance. In that same survey, nearly all (96%) of respondents said real-time feedback and ongoing performance discussions with their bosses are more effective than an annual review. Even if an employee does not have a long tenure, ongoing feedback will help them learn, stay engaged and create an employer value proposition to help attract future employees.

5 Digging deeper into the diversity & inclusion pipeline

4 Rethinking the annual performance review The days of ‘40 years and a gold watch at the end’ are long over. Job tenure is short: about four years on average, and half that or less for younger professionals. With such short tenure, annual reviews will no longer be the primary way to help employees develop professionally. In a recent Korn Ferry survey of professionals, nearly a third said their annual performance review had no impact or was ineffective at improving their professional performance, and 43%

With the current skills shortage and low unemployment rates, 2019 will be an important year for TA and talent management as businesses look to adapt and change to keep up with ﬂexible working and employee demands. These emerging trends are just some of the ways that organisations will be addressing upcoming issues and preparing for the year to come. ●

↗

communicating with the entire employee population to a 1:1 discussion with employees.

Globally, there have been mandates that boards of directors of publicly-traded companies have female representation. And while this is a positive move to increase D&I at the top, organisations are recognising that there must be an increased focus across all levels of an organisation to create an ongoing pipeline of diverse talent. To measure their progress, we’ll see a rise in organisations using applicant tracking systems (ATSs) to ﬁnd out what percentage of minority applicants were hired. In addition, organisations will have an added focus on the retention of a diverse employee base, with many using a ‘D&I Diagnostic’ to help get to the root problem of why employees are leaving and what can be done to reverse the trend.

JEANNE MACDONALD is global co-operating executive and president of Korn Ferry’s RPO and professional search business

POWER POINTS: 2019 TALENT TRENDS

Career gaps are no longer seen as a negative, with employers now actively trying to reach this talent pool.

2 3

AI has the potential to revolutionise recruitment, but it needs to be made more ‘intelligent’ to prevent bias.

30% of professionals asked said their annual performance review had no impact or was ineffective at improving their professional performance, and 43% said it had no impact or was unhelpful at making them understand what to do more of or differently to improve future performance.

Nearly all (96%) of respondents said real-time feedback and ongoing performance discussions with their bosses are more effective than an annual review.

Organisations will start to use technology, such as applicant tracking systems, to monitor their D&I progress and create a pipeline of diversity across the business.

From millennials to baby boomers, we all want different rewards and so employers will start to personalise pay and reward packages on a more 1:1 basis.

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 13

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10/01/2019 09:35

Advertorial A DV ERTO R I A L T R U S T I D

Are you up to speed with Right to Work?

s you know, every UK employer is legally required to make Right to Work checks on staff. If your agency is placing temporary or contract staff and you’re deemed to remain the employer throughout the contract, the responsibility for making and retaining adequate checks lies firmly at your door. But Right to Work legislation is not straightforward. Home Office guidance includes 17 different types of document, potentially issued in hundreds of different countries, that may need to be checked in a variety of combinations to demonstrate eligibility to work in the UK. So how confident are you that you and your staff all understand the rules? We’ve put together a quick quiz based on some of the things our customers ask us. Why not see how you get on...? Q1: Which of the following nationalities do you need to make Right to Work checks on? A) Just non-EEA nationals B) Just those who aren’t British C) Every nationality

Keeping up to date with current legislation and knowing which documents you need to establish a continuous statutory excuse isn’t easy, especially if you’re not a Right to Work expert. That’s where technology can help. Our Right to Work service includes a built-in wizard to help guide you through the different combinations of acceptable documents and ask candidates for the right information. It also helps you check that the ID documents you’re seeing are genuine. The low-cost, easy-to-use solution is available from anywhere through an online portal, accessible through your smartphone or laptop and is backed up by our expert document helpdesk that can offer advice and guidance if you need it. If you’d like further advice regarding your Right to Work checking process, please visit our website or come and speak to one of our expert team at the Recruitment Agency Expo on Stand A15. ●

Q2: Which of the following documents can you accept when conducting Right to Work checks? A) British driving licence B) Passport issued in Switzerland C) A reference from a previous employer

A) British and EEA passports B) Any passport holding a valid visa C) None of the above – all documents must be current Q4: Since 16 May 2014, some documents no longer provide a statutory excuse. Which are they? A) Work permit B) Expired British passports C) Biometric residence permits Q5: What could be the consequences of a business failing to properly undertake Right to Work checks? A) B) C) D) E)

↗

Q3: Which of the following can you accept as proof of Right to Work, even if they’re not current i.e. they have expired at the time the check is made?

TRUSTID 9 Greyfriars Road Reading RG1 1NU For further information please visit: www.trustid.co.uk Telephone: 0118 466 0822 Email: info@trustid.co.uk

£20,000 fine per illegal worker Up to five years imprisonment The risk of losing your Tier 2 or Tier 5 licence Damage to your reputation All of the above

[Answers below] Q1: C Q2: B Q3: A Q4: A Q5: E 14

RECRUITER

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08/01/2019 10:57

T R E N DS

TECH & TOOLS

Growth-hacking recruitment A different way of thinking SUE WEEKES

Growth-hacking recruitment is as much a way of thinking as it is technology and tools. Freelance recruiter and sourcer Tristram Revill describes a growth-hacking recruiter as someone with a “growth mindset”, who “curiously and conﬁdently leverages media, technology and data to hit hiring targets with minimal ﬁnancial investment”. Revill, who runs the Facebook group Growth Hacking Recruiter with fellow recruiter Jan Tegze, says growth hacking helps to give both recruiters and their clients a major competitive advantage. But what exactly differentiates a growth-hacking recruiter?

IS GROWTHHACKING RECRUITMENT NEW? No, but it’s a buzzword that is being bandied about at the moment. At the beginning of 2018, Tegze predicted growth hacking would be more important than artiﬁcial intelligence in recruitment. Revill believes this is because it is “easy” and “free” to implement. “Growth-hacking recruiters help companies hire more effectively with fewer resources than their competition,” he says. The more-for-less culture that still exists, coupled with the uncertainty of Brexit and the impact it might have on

recruitment, means growth-hacking recruitment is likely to have increasing relevance in 2019.

WHAT IS THE STARTING POINT? Growth-hacking recruiters continually look at how they can optimise processes and extract maximum value from recruitment channels. This begins by analysing their own performance. “What do you spend most time on? Where are the pain points and how do you ﬁx them?” says Revill. “For me, improvements usually come through automation. So, if it’s follow-up emails, use templates. These simple hacks mean

you can spend more time on the human elements such as engaging with people.” Revill once recruited 16 engineers in a month using growth-hacking techniques when many struggled to recruit one.

WHAT SKILLS ARE REQUIRED? A good growth-hacking recruiter will complement core recruitment skills with those borrowed from other areas, such as data analysis, sales and marketing. For instance, funnel hacking in sales involves looking at competitor sales funnels and exploring what you can learn from them. It is also important to have an

The acknowledged father of growth hacking, US entrepreneur Sean Ellis, defined a growthhacker as someone whose “true north” is growth. The Digital Marketing Institute sums it up well when it says: “As a growth-hacker, every strategy you execute, every tool you implement and every technique you develop should be informed by your desire for growth.”

p15_Recruiter_TechTools.indd 15

before they work. The ﬁrst time you write an email to a candidate, you probably sound like a robot but when you become good at it and communicate in the way they expect, you’ll get a much higher response rate.”

TEST AND EXPERIMENT

WHERE DID GROWTH HACKING COME FROM?

I M AG E | I STO C K

understanding of search engine optimisation techniques, as well as technical skills like data enrichment, the processes used to reﬁne data.

Growth hacking is also about rapid and regular experimenting. Recruiters should continuously learn new things, whether it be building networks, writing good content, trying new recruitment channels or engaging with candidates. Revill says it is too easy to fall back on LinkedIn. “It’s 2019, and you need to ﬁgure out where people are all over the net,” he says. “If we are testing stuff it means we are out of our comfort zone and getting better at what we do but you might have to do things ﬁve or six times

SHARING KNOWLEDGE Too many recruiters still ﬁercely guard their networks, techniques and talent but this can be counter-productive for those who want to be growth-hacking recruiters. Revill says: “Once you start sharing, you start to build value into your network. I’ve always found it easy to learn about new tools and techniques as I share, and people then share their knowledge and tips with me. If we all help each other, we will make it our industry.”

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10/01/2019 09:36

INTE R AC TIO N

VIEWPOINT

Reach out It may be time to look beyond the internal TA team BY NICHOLAS BARTON

ighty-seven per cent of CEOs struggle to ﬁnd the right people, for the right jobs, at the right time, contends John Wallace, former head of resourcing for Tesco Bank, RBS and Barclays and author of Hire Power. Yet they don’t know what to do. Could this be because there is over-reliance on internal talent acquisition (TA) teams? Internal TA teams have grown in number and size over the last few years. Often driven by cost savings, they have been seen as the ideal means of reducing external recruitment spend, resulting in a step change in hiring models. But should the internal TA team be the only port of call? While historically internal teams have generally focused on more volume-driven roles, some organisations are setting up internal executive search teams – a trend that Wallace thinks is effective but won’t meet all needs. At both Tesco and RBS, he says, “we did establish in-house executive search teams but there were certain things they could do and certain things that they couldn’t, and so there was still a need for a niche supplier base. The primary driver of setting up an in-house team is always cost – but sometimes for senior roles that can be a false economy”. James Ryding, TA senior director at PepsiCo, has a different perspective, but agrees that the business case for a niche operator is strong. “There will always be a need for specialists, as your internal team will always tend to be generalist. They will be able to map the market in their particular industry sector, but if I suddenly need a head of strategy then the effort required to get up to speed for a specialist search such as that

NICHOLAS BARTON is founder and CEO, The Barton Partnership

is out of the question, as it’s (we hope) not an exercise that is going to be repeatable.” Ryding and Wallace agree that niche suppliers need to be subject matter experts who understand their particular market segment, know the people in that segment and, crucially, understand what motivates these people to move. Clearly, as internal TA teams have only a finite resource, it makes sense to point that resource to the roles that they can fill easily. All specialist roles should be outsourced to the specialists who understand that sector. Also evolving rapidly is the technology that supposedly assists the hiring process, such as artificial intelligence (AI). Wallace acknowledges AI can match an individual’s technical capabilities but adds: “Will AI be better at screening people out? Yes. Will it be better at making the choice? No.” Ryding agrees: “The problem with predictive analytics is that the only thing that they have to go on is the past, so they always use the past as a predictor of the future – which is dangerous.” In a sinister development, recent research by the Foundation for Responsible Robotics has found that programmes designed to preselect candidates for university places are inherently sexist and racist. Extrapolate that to the hiring process, and the ramifications are unthinkable. Amazon recently had to ditch an AI recruiting tool that showed a gender bias against women. And finally, consider the candidate experience – at the senior end of the market, potential candidates still want to interact with humans. Relationships and networks matter. Internal recruitment teams are here to stay. I accept that, and understand the financial arguments for filling roles that can easily and quickly be serviced through internal resources. But next time you have a niche role in an area such as strategy that will affect the direction and growth of your company, then challenge that ‘internal recruitment team first’ mantra and, in the words of Oliver Cromwell: ‘Think it possible you may be mistaken.’ ●

16 RECRUITER

IMAG E | ISTOCK

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FEBRUARY 2019

10/01/2019 10:07

I N T E R AC T I O N

SOUNDBITES

L ET T ER S/ WEB CHAT

EMPLOYERS MISSING OUT ON NEURODIVERGENT TALENT In response to your article ‘Employers miss out on high-potential neurodiverse talent in recruitment process’ (10 December 2018), it may seem like a minor detail but the correct term in this context is ‘neurodivergent’ talent or neurodivergent people. A mix of neurotypical and neurodivergent people could be seen as ‘neurodiverse’. But yes, totally agree. There are some employers paving the way though. JEN LE ROUX

My IQ scores range from 147 to 154 based on [the testing] instrument [used], and I have dozens of skills and abilities including small engine repair, mainframe computer programming, electrical engineering and applied quantum physics. No one would hire me because I am Level Two autistic and I ‘FRIGHTEN PEOPLE’ with my atypical behaviour. DESERTPHILE

JOBS NOT THE BEST ECONOMIC POINTER I read ‘UK labour market shrugs off Brexit uncertainty but causes recruitment headache’ (11 December 2018) with interest. Remember that jobs are a lagging economic indicator and as such will not react quickly to any dust kicked up by Brexit. To get a better glimpse into the future it is better to look at leading economic indicators such as housing starts and capital investment. JOE SLAVIN

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU BOOSTS BUSINESS In response to ‘Recruiters help get consultants raring to go for the New Year and beyond’ (3 January), here at the Zoek office many employees are also doing a Dry January and dieting for the new year. Good luck to everyone who is doing the same. ‘Your body means business’ is very true! We should do our best to look after it :) ZOEK UK

What will you do more of and what are you going to do less of in 2019? JOEL MARLOW MA N AG IN G D I REC TOR , TA S H I DA P H A RMACEUT I CA L

“More of: mental health/wellbeing is a core focus for Tashida in 2019, an issue that many recruitment companies are wary of discussing. This includes training staff to recognise ‘stress triggers’, through helping individuals deal with stress in whichever way works for them. Even the happiest, highest-billing consultants need to deal with stress so it’s important that it doesn’t overwhelm them. Less of: I will stop replying to emails after 10pm! This ties into mental health again. As a business owner, I’ve felt compelled to be available 24 hours. Being able to ‘switch-off ’ is as important as delegating tasks to the right people.”

MARTIN CR APPER MA N AG IN G D I REC TOR , RED L I N E G ROUP

“After another very successful 2018, we’ll mainly be doing more of the same, but it’s always worth taking time to reﬂect... More of: focusing on personal communication, encouraging improved work-life balance for staff, choosing the right partner clients, driving towards improved quality every time and fundraising for our chosen charity. Less of: emailing, blaming the person instead of the process, working on roles with poor engagement and less acceptance of ‘poor-passion’.”

HELEN CORNAH D IREC TOR , RECRUI T RIG H T

“From our new premises in Birkenhead, we aim to work closer with our current client base with a focus on becoming an extension of their HR and management structures. We hope to maximise on the growth of local businesses and the regeneration of Birkenhead. We’re keen to get involved with the regeneration schemes and engage with the partners who contribute to this. Drastically reducing our carbon footprint and impact on the environment was also one of the reasons for our relocation; our strong working relationships with all our clients require us to visit regularly and our new offices place us in the same vicinity as most of our clients, dramatically reducing travel time and costs.” WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 17

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10/01/2019 09:55

RECRUITERS

DEFY DOUBTERS Despite a high level of uncertainty, privately-owned recruitment agencies have reported robust growth onstituents of this year’s 2019 FAST 50 grew by an average compound annual growth rate of 34%, marginally down from the 35% seen in 2018. The results are based on financial years ending between February 2017 and May 2018, and reflect the first full-year impact since the referendum on leaving the EU. It has been widely reported that Brexit has hampered UK hiring activity and led to companies pausing investment, while also exacerbating skill shortages, with sharp falls in the number of non-UK workers in employment. However, despite the more challenging macro-economic picture, agile and innovative privately-owned recruitment agencies have once again demonstrated the ability to report strong growth. Companies with a broad international geographic footprint have, in particular, prospered and feature heavily in this year’s FAST 50.

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FEBRUARY 2017 2019

The UK recruitment market is not only the largest in Europe, but it is also the most fragmented. Data from Companies House indicates that there are now around 39,000 recruitment agencies in the UK and this number grew by around 9,000 through 2017. It is therefore no surprise that each year features a new breed of recruiter placing for the ﬁrst time, dislodging more established agencies who are unable to maintain such high levels of percentage growth. In this year’s ranking, 31 of the companies placed for the ﬁrst time, compared to last year’s 24. In a similar fashion to 2018, it is the niche sector specialists that have triumphed. This has been led by IT/ technology agencies, followed by construction, industrials and healthcare. Multi-sector agencies, who typically focus on higher volume, blue-collar temps, also have a strong representation with nine companies. A special mention should go to multi-sector recruiter The Staffing Group – the largest recruitment agency to place with a turnover of £317m. IM AGE | I STO C K / S ARAH AU L D

10/01/2019 11:27

T H E BI G STORY REC RU I T E R FA ST 5 0 201 9

+ MARK MAUNSELL, director at corporate finance house and international M&A specialist Clearwater International compiles the Recruiter FAST 50 WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 19

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RE CRUITE R FAST 50RU 20ITER 17 FAST 50 20 19 TH E B IG STO RY REC

Privately-owned recruitment agencies have once again reported strong growth in Recruiter’s FAST 50 2019 Rank

2018 ranking

Company

Sectors

Revenue (£000s)

Compound annual growth rate (%) 146.5

Russell Taylor Holdings

Construction, engineering, industrial

91,376

Winner Recruitment

Logistics, industrial, healthcare

16,558

57.0

Green Park

Executive Search

63,285

56.3

Marlin Green

IT/technology

22,775

55.3

ERSG

Energy

61,075

54.2

Allied Site Services

Construction

12,212

53.9

La Fosse Associates

IT/technology

85,183

44.1

Logical Personnel Solutions

Industrial

45,681

42.5

6 7

LHI GROUP

Technology, life sciences, energy, construction

35,720

41.7

MPA Recruitment Ltd

Multi-sector

15,318

40.7

Frank Recruitment Group

IT/technology

180,350

37.8

Campion Willcocks

Finance, public sector

48,438

36.5

12 13

Ethero

Multi-sector

14,001

35.2

X4 Group

IT, Engineering, Pharma

25,979

35.0

3D Personnel

Construction

38,913

33.1

BIE Executive

Multi-sector

33,716

32.6%

People Solutions Group

Industrial, commercial

81,745

31.4

Salt Digital Recruitment

IT /technology, marketing

39,006

31.0

Pro-Force Recruitment

Industrial

28,196

30.1

Venquis

IT/technology

23,620

29.8

Prospero Teaching

Education

28,385

29.8

Now Education

Education

11,061

29.5

Amoria Bond

IT/technology

51,223

29.1

Quest Employment

Industrial, commercial, technical

38,463

29.1

Venturi Group

IT/technology

19,428

27.8

Capital Outsourcing Group

Multi-sector

18,025

27.8

Premier People Recruitment

Technical

26,828

27.4

The Staffing Group

Multi-sector

317,312

27.1

Driver Require

Logistics

10,117

27.0

i-Pharm Consulting

Life sciences

9,597

26.5

Falcon Green

Construction

30,278

26.2

The Curve Group

RPO

16,443

25.7

CCS Recruitment

Multi-sector

28,461

25.3

Newcross Healthcare Solutions

Healthcare

105,738

25.1

Major Players

IT/technology, marketing

19,816

25.0

Day Webster Group

Healthcare

99,443

24.9

Tempest Resourcing

Healthcare, education

34,475

24.7

BMSL Group

Construction, engineering

93,143

24.5

FPR Group

Multi-sector

16,382

24.2

Cobalt Recruitment

Construction, engineering, property, finance

24,795

24.1

Energi People

Technical

8,346

23.7

Central Employment

Multi-sector

13,877

23.6

First Call Contract Services

Industrial

71,174

23.1

Eton Bridge Partners

Executive Search

38,294

23.0

Siamo Group

Industrial

88,363

22.0

Staff Select

Multi-sector

12,902

21.9

Stott and May

Technology, finance

48,109

21.7

Whitehall Resources

IT/technology

55,299

21.4

Direct Medics

Healthcare

40,975

21.2

Parallel Consulting

IT/technology

32,027

21.0

50 20 RECRUITER

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Key shareholders

Website

Headquarters

Financial year-end

Ben Russell

www.russell-taylor.co.uk

Bromborough

Dec 17

Vishal Jain, Leander Jain

www.winnerrecruitment.co.uk

Birmingham

Mar 17

Raj Tulsiani, Steve Baggi

www.green-park.co.uk

London

Jan 18

Annette Fox, Elisabeth Dixon

www.marlingreen.com

London

May 18

Peter Flaherty, Jim Ryan, Lucien Sillivan

www.ersg.co.uk

Bromley

Sep 17

Raymond Dean

www.allied.uk.com

London

Feb 17

Simon La Fosse, Linda La Fosse

www.lafosse.com

London

Dec 17

Stephen Durant, Ben Lerner

www.logicalps.com

Leeds

Nov 17 Dec 17

Thomas Glanfield

www.wearelhi.com

London

Patrick Anderson, Mary Pat Okane, Paul McQue

www.mparecruitment.co.uk

Derry/Londonderry

Feb 18

TPG Capital, Nigel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Donoghue, Sean Wadsworth

www.frankgroup.com

Newcastle

Nov 17

David Campion

www.campionwillcocks.co.uk

Amersham

Oct 17

Gareth Hughes

www.ethero.co.uk

Telford

Apr 18

Glenn Norris, Mike Norris, Peter Rabey

www.x4group.co.uk

London

Sep 17

Damian Doherty, Michael Byrne

www.3dpersonnel.com

Southampton

Dec 17

Ben Hawkins, Gordon Whyte, Simon Moore, Emma Moreton, Robert Walker

www.bie-executive.com

London

Mar 18

Matthew Reddy

www.peoplesolutions.co.uk

Walsall

Dec 17

Marco Schiavo, Paul Gardiner

www.welovesalt.com

London

Dec 17

Matt Jarrett

www.pro-force.co.uk

Canterbury

Mar 17

Barnaby Parker, Nicola Parker, Stephen Garner

www.venquis.com

London

Dec 17

Robert Grays, Lesley Grays

www.prosperoteaching.com

London

Jun 17

Gary Redman

www.noweducation.co.uk

Birmingham

Mar 18

Daniel Daw, Gareth Lloyd, Nick Barrow

www.amoriabond.com

Manchester

Nov 17

David Parker, Mark Russell

www.questemployment.co.uk

Northampton

Dec 17

Brad Lamb

www.venturi-group.com

London

Mar 18

Richard Sobol

www.coguk.com

Birmingham

Feb 18

Aleksei Kern, Chris Roberts, Sergei Ermack

www.ppronline.co.uk

Uxbridge

Dec 17

Stephen Price, Carole Price

www.thestaffinggroup.co.uk

Walsall

Nov 17

Kieran Smith

www.driverrequire.co.uk

Stevenage

Dec 17

Stephen McAnaney, Issam Altarafi, Steven Went

www.i-pharmconsulting.com

London

Dec 17

Jack Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell, Joseph Sweeney, Kieran Nestor

www.falcongreen.co.uk

London

Mar 18

Della Wolde, Jeanette Ramsden, Lyndsey Simpson

www.thecurvegroup.co.uk

Hinton-in-the-Hedges

Oct 17

William Gleeson

www.csspeople.co.uk

Braintree

Mar 17

Stephen Pattrick, Michelle Gorringe

www.newcrosshealthcare.com

Totnes

Apr-17

Jack Gratton

www.majorplayers.co.uk

London

Dec 17

Hugh Woods Ballard, Daniel Wise

www.daywebster.com

Loughton

Mar 17

Paul Bromwich, Peter Archard

www.tempestresourcing.co.uk

London

Dec 17

Bernard Goodchild

www.bmsgroupltd.co.uk

Billingham

May 18

Mark Foster, Paul Simpson

www.fprgroup.com

Brighton

May 17

Tim Rowe, Adam Walker

www.cobaltrecruitment.com

London

Dec 17

Alex Christie, Nick Rothery

www.energi.uk.com

Farnborough

Mar 18

Paul Ponton, Mark Trett

www.centralemployment.co.uk

Newcastle

David Mankelow, Kevin Gray

www.firstcallcontractservices.co.uk Romford

Sep 17 Dec 17

Ashton Ward

www.etonbridgepartners.com

Windsor

Dec 17

Key Capital Partners*, Anthony Bucciero

www.siamogroup.com

Birmingham

Dec 17

Stephen Bucknall

www.staffselectltd.co.uk

Willenhall

Jul 17

Stephen Stott, Laurence Rosen

www.stottandmay.com

London

Dec 17

Tremayne Hall

www.whitehallresources.co.uk

Colchester

May 18

Paul Mulvenna, Anne-Marie Flannery

www.directmedics.com

Belfast

Jan 18

Issam Altarafi, Steven Went

www.parallelconsulting.com

London

Dec 17

* KCP sold its interest in Siamo to the management team on 3 January 2019

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TH E B IG STO RY REC RU ITER FAST 50 20 19

The IT/technology category is once again the most highly represented and this year accounted for 26% of constituents, up from 20% in 2018. It is a sector that is being redefined, whose remit now stretches across every aspect of corporate activity, from enabling speed-to-market for new product development through to driving back office efficiencies. Data produced by the Recruitment & Employment Confederation recently stated that IT & computing is the most in-demand skill set, with software engineers and programmers particularly sought after. The construction recruiters have featured heavily in the last couple of years and 2019’s FAST 50 is no different. Seven companies placed, including specialists Allied Site Services and 3D Personnel. The companies have demonstrated a proven ability to source high quality talent, despite the backdrop of acute talent shortages – a situation likely to worsen once the UK leaves the EU and the government implements a new immigration regime. It has been three years since NHS Improvement implemented price caps and over this period it is reported the regulator has reduced agency spend by £1.2bn. This has undoubtedly created a more challenging backdrop for public sector-focused healthcare recruiters who, in addition to the caps, have had to wrestle with a significant push towards the use of ‘staff banks’ over agencies. The impact is reflected in the data, with the number of healthcare recruiters falling from 14 before the caps to now only five in 2019. It is therefore no small feat for Newcross Healthcare to join the ranking, reflecting the success of the group’s branch rollout strategy. Although the recruitment sector is one of the most active in terms of M&A, constituents of the FAST 50 primarily opt to develop organic growth strategies. This often comes in the form of international expansion, as was the case for La Fosse Associates, which recently launched a business in the US, while others have focused on targeting 22 RECRUITER

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The next 12 months is certainly set to be an interesting period for the recruitment industry adjacent markets. An alternative growth strategy is to leverage strong balance sheets and deploy capital through engaging in M&A activity. This year’s winner Russell Taylor Holdings is a good example, having increased turnover by £69m largely through the purchase of industrial and driving sector recruiter Transline Group. Private equity funds have consistently tracked the FAST 50 to identify fast-growing, proﬁtable and often single sector-focused recruiters.

While none of this year’s constituents completed a private equity backed buyout in the last 12 months, both Frank Recruitment Group and Siamo Group have been owned by investors for over half a decade. Looking forward, the next 12 months is certainly set to be an interesting period for the recruitment industry. While the sector has proven to be agile and dynamic, it is also one that closely tracks the performance of the economy, which in turn is heavily linked to the still unknown future trading relationship the UK will have with the EU. In terms of sectors, it is difficult to see IT/technology not continuing to dominate the standings, as companies look to leverage technology to drive efficiencies and build competitive advantage. It is also a sector inextricably linked with broader innovation, namely autonomous vehicles and automation. ●

METHODOLOGY The Recruiter FAST 50 prepared by Clearwater International lists the fastest-growing, privately-owned recruitment companies in the UK, according to a revenue compound annual growth rate over the three most recent annual reporting periods.

CRITERIA FOR INCLUSION: To qualify, companies must be unquoted, registered in the UK and not subsidiaries, although their ultimate holding companies may be based offshore. Companies which are backed by private equity or other financial investors, either minority or majority equity stake, are also considered for inclusion. All companies considered for inclusion must achieve minimum annual sales of £5m in each of their last three financial years.

EXCLUSIONS: Companies that have filed abbreviated accounts at Companies House without disclosing audited sales are excluded from the FAST 50. Companies whose latest available filed accounts are 2016 or before are excluded. Companies that are not ‘pure play’ recruitment companies are also not considered. Recruiters that are co-owned by foreign trade recruitment companies or where a listed recruitment firm holds a minority stake are also discounted.

DATA COLLECTION METHODS: Qualifying companies are identified through independent research, which utilises a number of financial databases, Companies House information, press coverage and other research sources. Entry submissions are therefore not required, although any firm which believes that it may not be automatically assessed in the 2020 FAST 50 may contact Clearwater International to discuss. Please email mark.maunsell@cwicf.com

FEBRUARY 2019

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08/01/2019 10:58

TH E B IG STO RY REC RU ITER FAST 50 20 19

VALUES AN Construction, industrial, technical and engineering recruiter Russell Taylor Holdings tops the FAST 50. Colin Cottell talked with one of its co-founders to discover more

24 RECRUITER

co-founder of the UK’s fastest-growing recruitment company attributes its success to its efforts to maintain its family ethos even as it has expanded into a multi-million pound national business. This year’s Recruiter FAST 50 list, compiled by global corporate ﬁnance house Clearwater International, reveals Russell Taylor Holdings, whose subsidiary companies span a variety of sectors, to be the country’s fastest-growing privately-owned recruiter. Sitting proudly at the top of the 2019 FAST 50 table, it achieved a compound annual revenue growth rate over the three ﬁnancial years ending December 2017 of 145.6%. Although much of this growth can be attributed to the group’s acquisitions of blue-collar recruiter Assist Resourcing UK in January 2017 and the subsequent acquisition of labour procurer Transline in May of the same year, co-founder and group CEO Ben Russell says the reasons for the company’s success run much deeper than simply its ability to buy growth.

He points out that throughout the years in which it made no acquisitions, the group was able to expand at an annual rate of between 15% and 20%. And even with no further acquisitions planned, Russell is conﬁdent that revenue will hit £134m in 2018, rising to a projected £165m in 2019. Co-founded by Russell’s father Peter and Ben’s now wife Claire, and originally operating from his [Ben Russell’s] home, the group’s subsidiary companies are Russell Taylor, Recruit Right, Nexus People (formerly Transline), NMS Recruit and Assist Resourcing, spanning a range of sectors including engineering, construction, industrial, commercial, transport, logistics and distribution. In addition to seven branches, Nexus People and Assist Resourcing operate on multiple client sites. Although the group now employs

A lot of our success is being like a family business rather than a corporate structure

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D CULTURE around 407 staff and in 2017 had revenue of more than £91m, for Russell the more things change the more they emphasise the importance of remaining true to your beliefs and to what brought you success in the ﬁrst place. “A lot of our success is being like a family business rather than a corporate,” he says. “It is a family mentality rather than a very faceless corporate structure.”

Key structure Russell says the way the company is structured is key to retaining many of the facets of the traditional family-run enterprise. “The beauty of having ﬁve separate limited companies within the group rather than one enormous company is that we can afford afford to be a little bit less corporate,” he says. This comes out in many ways. For example, targets are agreed collaboratively with staff, says Russell. While KPIs [key performance indicators] – ubiquitous in certain parts of the recruitment industry, but which, according to Russell, can create “almost a call-centre mentality” – are still used, they are only used sparingly. “We don’t micromanage our people,” says Russell, a case in point being that assuming staff meet their targets, “we

I M AG E S | I STO C K

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Ben Russell Co-founder and group CEO

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TH E B IG STO RY REC RU ITER FAST 50 20 19

It’s not just about being a ‘bums on seats’ agency but working more collaboratively with your customers are happy to allow them to run their own business units as they see fit”. The group’s decentralised structure of specialist companies also benefits clients, says Russell, “by allowing us to tailor packages to big companies by using two or three different group businesses”. Dealing with the group’s subsidiaries rather than with one enormous organisation benefits clients in other ways too, says Russell: “If they want us to support them in a way we haven’t before, then we are not that big that we say ‘Sorry, this is how we work’, but we will go away and build something that works for both parties.” Russell cites one example, where one of the group’s subsidiary companies got involved in training staff at a large call centre, saving the client money and leading to the subsidiary being awarded master vendor status. “It’s not just about being a ‘bums on seats’ agency but actually working more collaboratively with your customers.” Looking after candidates is also a priority, says Russell. “We have always kept our back office infrastructure one stage ahead of our sales structure so that they are never over stretched and can always provide the help need to resolve any issues or challenges, say over their pay, that candidates may have,” he continues. “That has been one of our key drivers of repeat business and growth.”

which excluding the two 2017 acquisitions, where some redundancies had to be made because the companies were “inﬂated in size”, stands at only 7%, with staff staying with the company an average of around nine to 10 years. According to Russell, having such a stable and experienced workforce has many advantages. “It means they know the ethos and the standards to which we operate, and that has paid dividends.” As to why staff stay with the company, Russell says there is no great secret, it is simply p y down to treating g them well: “We pay well, we bonus well, we develop velop and train, we support staff, and we treat them like adults.” As someone one who didn’t do A-Levels or go to university, rsity, Russell is a great believer in work-based learning as a way of developing eloping people’s careers, and unsurprisingly prisingly he favours a grow-from-within -within approach. The company also lso runs apprenticeships across its various arious businesses, providing a source of “fantastic candidates”,

says Russell, with many going on to become “linchpins of our business”. One reason the company has been able to maintain its family feel is because of the approach taken by its leadership: “Myself and the MD [Rob Kurton] are in the business every day on the shop ﬂoor. If there’s an issue we know about it and we deal with it. We don’t have a big corporate structure, so if a member of staff runs into ﬁnancial difficulty, for example, we can talk about supporting and helping them.” Headline acquisitions may drive p impressive short-term g growth in recruitment as in other industries, but for Russell it is values and culture that hold the keys to building long-term success. ●

C O MPANY

Russell Taylor Holdings Founded 2005 Employs 407 staff Bromborough, on the Wirral Headquarters ££91.4m 91.4m 2017 turnover £22.5m 2016 turnover £596k 2017 profit afterr taxation hes Physical branches 7, including London and Manchester

Staff care

Peter Russell

Russell is particularly proud of the company’s staff turnover rate,

Co-founder and chairman

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THE VIEW AND THE INTELLIGENC E

The priorities beyond Brexit P2 BIG TALKING PO INT

A look at the latest industry trends P4 LEGAL UPDATE

RECRUITMENT MATTERS

An update on using Tier 2 Visas P6 Issue 70 February 2019

INSPIR ATIO N

IRP Awards: the winner’s interview P7

WO R KP L AC E R E FORMS

What government workplace reforms mean for recruiters J

ust before Christmas, the government responded to a number of consultations following the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, with the following changes impacting the recruitment sector: 1. The government plans to publish legislation to repeal the so-called ‘Swedish Derogation’ of the Agency Workers Regulations that allows agency workers to trade off equal pay for pay between assignments. At the time of writing, legislation hasn’t been published, but there will be an implementation period. If you have workers on these contracts, nothing will change overnight. 2. In order to increase transparency in the recruitment supply chain, the government will introduce a right for agency workers to receive a ‘key facts’ document at the point of registration from their employer. This will contain information on contract type, minimum pay, how the worker will be paid, if the worker will be paid through an intermediate company and any

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deductions, and how these will impact the worker’s pay. This will be enforced through the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate (EAS) and we will be working with government to produce guidance. 3. We have long called for umbrella companies to be regulated by the EAS, and we are pleased the government has now conﬁrmed its plan to introduce legislation to do this, by focusing enforcement on situations where agency workers haven’t received adequate pay. This will protect decent businesses from unfair air competition. 4. One of Matthew Taylor’s key concerns was that many workers weren’t aware of their entitlement to holiday pay, and some employers weren’t paying workers the holiday

“Recruiters shouldd start preparing for these changes and advising their clients”

pay they were due. The government has said: • State enforcement will now include underpayment of holiday pay • There will be a campaign to boost awareness and understanding of holiday pay and new guidance to support the interpretation of holiday pay rules • Holiday pay reference period will be extended from 12 to 52 weeks 5. There will be a right for all workers to request a ‘more predictable w aand stable contract’ after 26 weeks of service. One of the recommendations se in the Taylor Review was for agency workers to request a permanent w contract with the end-client. We are co expecting more details on this to ex follow. fo Recruiters should start preparing for these changes and advising their fo cclients. Nothing will change overnight, but planning on how the changes will be implemented is a must. Philip Campbell, REC senior policy advisor

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L E A D I N G T H E I N D U S T RY

the view... Search for growth and productivity, and technology is never far away, says

NEIL CARBERRY, REC chief executive

e all start the year thinking about growth – and how our market is changing. Sometimes that is about short-term trends in the economy. I’m sure there will have been a lot more on Brexit between me writing this and you reading it. But it is equally important for us to think about the big, long-term changes that will affect our businesses and consider how we will react. One such change is in how we use AI and machine learning. Our data shows businesses are currently failing to hire the right person for two out of five roles. A poor hire at mid-manager level with a £42,000 salary can cost a business more than £132,000. As recruiters, if we use technology well, we could help reduce these numbers by more accurately matching talent to the right jobs. And by being early adopters of technological change, we can add value for clients who aren’t as far ahead. As one of our REC Council members, Simon Conington of BPS World, rightly pointed out: “There is a proliferation of new, technologydriven solutions, but nothing is falling from the stack. Recruiters can help identify what works.” Good use of technology can also help us to be more efficient in our operations. We can better visualise and review key data, and streamline processes. Firms can automate routine sourcing and screening. As a Life Sciences member recently said, AI may well be the new electricity! For Max Knupfer of recruitment technology firm eva.ai it’s down to how recruiters spend their time. While a recruiter should be spending most of it on value exchange conversations – where the consultant is adding value to a client or attracting a key candidate in person – only 5% of their time is available to do this because 95% of their time is spent on admin tasks, communications, data entry and searches. Setting people free to do what they are best at could be a huge productivity boost for the industry – though it will also reshape businesses and career paths. In the future, best in class might look more like a top corporate law firm, where many are already using AI for document review. As business leaders, our challenge is to think big and be bold. The technology to reshape our businesses to be more competitive and effective is emerging now. I would be interested to hear about your experiences – the REC is keen to support members to grow in this new world. If you want to keep up to speed with all things recruitment then follow me on Twitter @RECNeil

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How we respond to industry concerns will help shape the future, says TOM HADLEY, REC director of policy and professional services HADLEY ’ S C O MMENT

Up for the challenge These are turbulent times, but the mood remains upbeat as we roll with an evolving economic and political landscape. Recruiters are a resilient bunch, and our latest round of discussions with industry leaders provided a game-plan for taking on immediate and longerterm challenges. How do recruiters and employers currently feel about the outlook for the UK jobs market? Our ‘JobsOutlook’ report shows declining confidence in the economy, although hiring intentions remain stable. Our poll at the recent Future of Jobs Summit showed a similarly mixed picture, with 37% quietly confident that a strong and dynamic UK jobs market will emerge over the coming years, and 31% feeling that the jobs market will probably deteriorate in the mid-term. What external factors will shape the UK jobs market in 2019 and beyond? Unsurprisingly, Brexit and technology are at the top of the charts, followed by new regulations and evolving employment models. Recent member meetings also confirmed that the approach to new technology remains pragmatic, with 76% saying that AI and new technology would have a broadly positive impact on hiring procedures and recruitment supply chains. But only 32% felt they had good awareness of how changes might impact them. This is why helping members pre-empt and harness AI and new technology will be an REC priority in 2019. Access to staff remains the immediate concern across sectors ranging from industrial and hospitality to healthcare and life sciences. As well as continuing to influence post-Brexit immigration models, we need to spread the good recruitment message and reach out to under-represented groups. The Disability Confident scheme has reached a milestone of 10,000 employers signed up and over 50% of Future of Jobs Summit attendees were confident that a genuine stepchange on inclusion would be made over the coming years. The challenge ahead is to deal with immediate Brexit uncertainty while not losing sight of longer-term priorities and ensuring that recruitment is recognised as one of the UK’s key professional services sectors. Being a leading voice on issues such as inclusion, skills and the future of jobs forms part of this agenda.

You can follow Tom on Twitter @hadleyscomment

www.rec.uk.com

07/01/2019 15:51

the intelligence... WITH REC SENIOR RESEARCHER, THALIA IOANNIDOU

Conﬁdence in making hiring and investment decisions fell by 3 percentage points to the lowest recorded level since April 2018

ccording to current plans, the UK will have left the EU in less than 2 months, and the so-called transition period will be in place. From the ongoing political and economic uncertainty to persistent labour and skills shortages, employers’ heightened concerns are reflected in their economic outlook for 2019. Confidence in the prospects for the UK economy has remained firmly in negative territory in recent months, signifying there has been little or no progress by government to reassure employers. At the time of writing, employers’ confidence in economic conditions deteriorated to net -12, while confidence in making hiring and investment decisions fell by 3 percentage points to the lowest recorded level since April 2018. Moreover, according to a recent survey, three in five employers anticipate economic conditions will be more challenging in 2019 than in the previous year – only 3% of respondents think economic conditions will be less so (‘JobsOutlook’, December 2018). Combine the continuing Brexit uncertainty with changes brought about by tax reforms and technological advances, and employers are starting to make plans to respond to adverse economic conditions and maximise opportunities for growth. The recruitment industry has a crucial role to play in these efforts.

Median RIB recruiter

Jan-Dec 2017

Q1 2018

-11%

-3%

11%

PERM FEES CONTINUE THEIR YOY DECLINE

Perm fees versus last year (%), for the median recruiter, JanDec 2017 and Q1-Q3 2018

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the details of the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU as well as labour and skills shortages will remain The REC’s ‘Recruitment Industry most pressing challenges for UK Trends 2017/18’, which reported a businesses in 2019. The recruitment substantial growth of the recruitment industry can help address heightened industry, has highlighted the business concerns by supporting recruiters’ ability to adapt swiftly employers in planning their workforce to changing times and shifting skills effectively and ensuring the longneeds. Meanwhile, notwithstanding term health of the UK jobs market. declining availability of candidates, Analysis by the Treasury indicates there was a notable ﬁve-point that the country’s GDP will be year-on-year increase from 73% lower in 15 years under all Brexit to 78% in satisfaction levels of scenarios than it would be with UK employers with agency EU membership. National partners they have used income is expected in the last two years. to fall if migration Of this proportion, from Europe is 27% noted that the satisfaction reduced from they were level of UK its current levels. very satisﬁed employers with But it’s at times like this – up from 17% in the agency partners, that recruiters add value same period last year up from 73% by connecting people (‘JobsOutlook’, December to opportunities and 2018). employers to people. Uncertainty around

The latest real-time information from the RIB Index shows that, having averaged a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 5% in 2017 – and surging to a noteworthy +11% YoY increase in Q1 2018 – perm billings for the median RIB recruiter were down, YoY, across Q2 and Q3 2018. Due to the buoyant Q1 2018 performance,

78%

however, the median RIB recruiter’s performance across the ﬁrst three quarters was just 1% lower YoY. In contrast, the average monthly permanent billings of the lower quartile recruiter, across Q1-Q3 2018, were 38% lower YoY, while for the upper quartile recruiter it was +55%. Of additional note, the performance of the latter

remained resilient until Q3 2018. Doubtless, some employers are delaying hiring decisions due to the continuing Brexit uncertainty. The Q4 2018 performance is likely to hinge on the decisionmaking of those that can no longer delay and those who opt not to add/replace headcount.

BELINDA JOHNSON runs employment research consultancy, Worklab, and is Associate Knowledge & Insight Director of Recruitment Industry Benchmarking (RIB) – a strategic partner of the REC. The RIB Index provides bespoke conﬁdential reports on industry benchmarks and trends. See www.ribindex.com; info@ribindex.com: 020 8544 9807.

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I N D U S T RY T R E N D S

big talking point

Fighting ﬁt The REC’s latest Recruitment Industry Trends report paints a picture of growth, as recruiters have responded rapidly to the challenges they have faced. Recruitment Matters looks at some of the highlights

It has been an extraordinary year for recruitment and recruiters,” says Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation. “Tight labour markets and quickly shifting skills needs have driven the growth of the industry – but only because recruiters have adapted swiftly to changing times.” That growth is reﬂected in the REC’s 2017/18 ‘Recruitment Industry Trends’ report, which shows the industry’s turnover from permanent and temporary placements, as well as other HR services, increased 11% to £35.7bn. The number of businesses operating in the UK recruitment industry also rose by 10% to 30,430 over this period. The biggest growth was seen in the number of permanent-centric enterprises that in turn helped fuel an increase in the number of permanent placements, which was up by 14%. Permanent margins were also up. The average number of temporary and contract workers on assignment on any given day was 8% lower than the average daily number recorded the previous year. The rise in the average number of temporary/contract workers on the broader industry’s payroll in 2017/18 (1,646,000) was driven by the increased likelihood of workers on multiple provider payrolls.

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THE PEOPLE 115,000 – the number of people employed in the recruitment industry, enough to ﬁll all the seats and the pitch at Wembley Stadium. This is up 15% compared to the 2016/17 report 1.02 million – the number of temporary/contract workers on assignment on any given day, a drop of 8% 1.14 million – the number of people placed by recruiters and associated HR services into permanent jobs, up 14% www.rec.uk.com

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I N D U S T RY T R E N D S

Added value The report continues to track the evolution of the industry – and the valuable services it offers – with buoyant demand for recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and managed service programmes (MSP) in particular. Following the off-payroll reforms in the public sector in April 2017, for example, there has been a growth in demand for recruitment agencies, and their supply chain partners, to take responsibility for administering PAYE for a significant number of workers falling within the remit of IR35. When it comes to permanent placements, there is a growing number of companies that have fewer than 10 employees. This continues the trend towards more niche and specialist businesses, which choose to focus on a local market and/or particular skills. And just as the number of enterprises grew significantly in 2017/18 despite, or potentially in response to, adversity, REC members believe the opportunities for growth continue as employers look to the industry for increasing support for skills and legislative challenges. Looking ahead at the next three years, their optimism is reflected in the forecast for continued growth, albeit at a slower rate – 4% in 2018/19, 4.5% in 2019/20 and 5% in 2020/21. “The path ahead is uncertain – Brexit, immigration reform, tax changes, technology. But this report shows that recruiters can look at that uncertainty and see the opportunities,” concludes Carberry. “Whatever the coming months and years bring, recruiters will continue to use their skills and knowledge to boost the UK’s labour market and find people their perfect job.”

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THE MONEY £30.85bn – 86% of industry turnover was achieved through temporary/contract placement activity, proportionately similar to 2016/17 £4,238 – the average value of permanent placements from the wider recruitment industry, up 6.4% £34,976 – the average annualised turnover of each temporary/contract worker on assignment, up 20% 4% – the growth in average margins for permanent placements, over the last year, compared with a decline of 4.3% in the average margin for temporary/contract placements

THE ASSIGNMENTS 12+ weeks – 64% of temporary assignments were for more than 12 weeks in 2017/18, compared to 61% in 2016/17 6+ months – 20% of temporary assignments lasted for more than six months, at a similar level to the previous year 85% – the proportion of contract placements lasting more than 12 weeks, up from 80%; 45% of contract workers were on assignment for six+ months, including 9% on contract for 12+ months FEBRUARY 2019 RECRUITMENT MATTERS 5

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TIER 2 VISAS

legal update Can employment businesses sponsor candidates under Tier 2 visas? By BUNMI ADEFUYE – solicitor and commercial advisor, REC

t a time when there are candidate shortages in certain sectors, the Tier 2 visa system allows organisations to source skilled candidates from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) when there are insufﬁcient qualiﬁed candidates within it. A few employment businesses have questioned whether or not they can sponsor candidates under a Tier 2 visa and supply them to their clients. The simply answer to the question is no, under the Immigration Act 2016. In the Tier 2 visa sponsor requirements,

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the organisation sponsoring the candidate must do so for the purpose of the candidate ﬁlling a vacant position with that organisation. There are no provisions that allow an employment business to sponsor a candidate purely for the purpose of supplying that candidate as labour to another organisation. This is largely because the sponsor must be responsible for directing the work done, as well as paying the candidate. The government produced useful guidance for all Tier 2 and Tier 5 sponsor licence applications made on or after 18 July 2018. The guidance speciﬁcally addresses this issue in sections 5.6-5.8 which state that: 5.6 If you are an employment agency, you can

apply for a sponsor licence but only to sponsor migrant workers who will be directly employed by you in connection with the running of your business. You cannot sponsor a migrant if you will then supply them as labour to another organisation, regardless of any genuine contractual arrangement between the parties involved. 5.7 If you are an employment agency or intermediary and we grant a sponsor licence to you on this basis, but later find that the migrants you are sponsoring have been supplied as labour to another organisation, we will revoke your licence. 5.8 If you are a sponsor that wants to employ a migrant worker who has been supplied to you by an employment agency or an intermediary, you can only assign a certificate of sponsorship to the migrant if you: • have genuine responsibility for deciding all the duties, functions and outcomes, or outputs of the job the migrant is doing • are responsible for agreeing and paying the migrant’s salary. • For further information you can review the Home Office guidance here, https://bit.ly/2ByIFu2

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I N S P I R AT I O N To keep up to date with everything the Institute of Recruitment Professionals is doing, please visit www.rec-irp.uk.com

Q&A

BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE INSTITUTE OF RECRUITMENT PROFESSIONALS

Why did you choose a career in recruitment? My mum has always been involved in a lot of charity work, trying to give people a better life, and I wanted to follow in those footsteps. Choosing to go into recruitment, for me, was about bringing that mindset into everyday life – helping people achieve their dreams.

What are your guiding principles in how you approach your work? Honesty, integrity and trust are some of the most important guiding principles anyone can have. When you see individuals let down by countless recruiters, giving our industry a bad reputation, I want to make sure I go above and beyond every single time and show them that I really care about their journey.

So what does the “best possible recruitment experience” look like to you? Exceeding expectations. Building strong relationships. Giving a personal experience, not a robotic approach. I’ve even put myself in my candidates’ shoes for the day, volunteering to work with a client on a Saturday. Working

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KRISTY POTTER Chippenham branch manager at Acorn Recruitment on what it takes to win Recruiter of the Year at the IRP Awards

outside the normal 9-5 routine. Customer service is equally important to candidates as my clients and working hours for many people can vary. I often ﬁnd myself discussing details of vacancies with candidates any hour of the evening, to ensure they feel valued and listened to, and there are no last-minute nerves if an interview is happening the following day.

You’ve won Recruiter of the Year two years in a row, so what’s your secret? Hard work, long hours and just being ﬂexible. And then some more hard work on top of that. Clients and candidates would say that I’m the most resolute person they’ve met, and that my never-give-up attitude is what sets me apart. I was still responding to people when I was on leave for my wedding! Personally, I’d never have believed I could have won this two years in a row. But my divisional director Noel Hoare has given me inspiration, support and belief in myself. He’s my voice of reason. And I’m incredibly fortunate to have such an amazing team

behind me. Without a solid team in place, I genuinely feel I wouldn’t be as successful as I am today.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how did you tackle it? I frequently work outside of my comfort zone – stretching my capabilities. As an example, one of my clients had autism. He inherited his company and was struggling to expand the business and, in particular, hire new staff. He had severe social anxiety, which I discovered from an employee who had recently left his business. I took it upon myself to visit the client several times and helped him overcome his struggles. I felt really proud to sit beside him in the interviews as he communicated conﬁdently – and when the successful candidate accepted I really felt I had achieved something special.

And what’s your biggest success? A client requested 30 permanent placements to be completed within an incredibly short timeframe. I advertised across all job boards and created

leaﬂets to deliver in the local area. I personally interviewed and prepped each candidate, preparing mock tests, interviews and dress rehearsals. All the hard work certainly paid off, as I achieved a 100% success rate.

As a branch manager, you’re training new recruits – what’s the best advice that you give them? If you work hard, and you keep going, you can achieve anything. Don’t get despondent in rejection. Try different and new techniques. Don’t get stuck by the phone day in, day out. Go out, meet your clients and candidates. Be yourself, but make sure you have presence so you’re not forgettable.

What’s next for you? Well I won’t be entering into the IRP Awards for a third year – but I would love to enter the Global Recruiter Awards. Success breeds success. I want my team to see hard work pays dividends and I want them to believe in themselves. If I’ve helped and encouraged one additional person grow in conﬁdence and feel more inspired, then I feel my mission has been accomplished.

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W H AT ’ S C O M I N G U P ?

Upcoming training The courses over the next two months that will help you to perform at your best, and deliver for your team 6 February Recruitment Law: Supplying Limited Company Contractors (half day, London) 7 February Social Strategy and Branding (London) 12 February Interviewing Skills (London) 13 February Balancing Act (London) Telephone Sales (London) 19 February Candidate Sourcing and Management (London) 20 February Recruitment Law: Understanding the Essentials (Swindon) Business Development Planning (London)

6 March Recruitment Law: GDPR (half day, London) 7 March Recruitment Law: Understanding the Essentials (Enhanced, 2 days, London) 12 March Successful Account Management (London) Telephone Sales (Manchester) 14 March Business Development Planning (Swindon) Develop & Win: Tenders and Large Contracts (London) 19 March Introduction to Recruitment Practice (Bristol) LinkedIn Masterclass (London) 20 March Management Essentials (London)

21 February Recruitment Law: Supplying Limited Company Contractors (half day, Swindon)

26 March Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (Belfast)

26 February Introduction to Recruitment Practice (London)

27 March Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (Belfast)

27 February Essential Skills for Temporary Recruiters (London)

28 March Perfect Client Meeting (London) ondon)

28 February Essential Skills for Permanent Recruiters (London)

For more information, visit www.rec.uk.com/trainingngand-events/training/ or call 0207 009 2100 to book your place

5 March Customer Service for Recruiters (London) Start Up Your Own Agency (London)

RECRUITMENT MATTERS

The ofﬁcial magazine of The Recruitment & Employment Confederation Dorset House, 1st Floor, 27-45 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NT Tel: 020 7009 2100 www.rec.uk.com

8 RECRUITMENT MATTERS FEBRUARY 2019

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SAVE THE DATE

WHAT: TREC2019 – THE TALENT RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE WHEN: 4 JUNE WHERE: GRAND CONNAUGHT ROOMS, LONDON Join HR and talent directors, recruitment business leaders and in-house resourcing specialists at the ﬂagship event of the Good Recruitment Campaign. More than 250 delegates attended last year, with keynotes, panel discussions and roundtables covering everything from the impact of artiﬁcial intelligence to the importance of diversity and inclusion.

Membership Department: Membership: 020 7009 2100, Customer Services: 020 7009 2100 Publishers: Redactive Publishing Ltd, Level 5, 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL Tel: 020 7880 6200. www.redactive.co.uk Editorial: Editor Pip Brooking Pip.Brooking@rec.uk.com. Production Editor: Vanessa Townsend Production: Production Executive: Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk Tel: 020 7880 6209 Printing: Printed by Precision Colour Printing © 2019 Recruitment Matters. Although every effort is made to ensure accuracy, neither REC, Redactive Publishing Ltd nor the authors can accept liability for errors or omissions. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the REC or Redactive Publishing Ltd. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited manuscripts or transparencies. No reproduction in whole or part without written permission.

www.rec.uk.com

07/01/2019 15:52

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08/01/2019 11:01

E UPSTART EARPIECE CO M M UNITY

ASK AND YOU SHALL RECEIVE BY COLIN COTTELL

essica Marshall, joint group CEO of Crewe-based the Absolute Solutions Group of recruitment companies, is at pains not “to sound like I am trying to be Mother Teresa”. “I am really not,” she insists. “I am just passionate about an area and want to do something about it. At the end of the day, the agency is not doing badly; we probably have 1,000 temps out working every day. And while it is busy, I would like to give something back as well,” she explains. It was this desire to give something back, combined with her passion for young people – as well as a deep dislike of any form of exploitation – that led to what might be described as Marshall’s ‘Eureka moment’. “I was on holiday in July 2018, and I just suddenly thought ‘I know what I want to do’,” she says. “As a company, our strapline is all about people – whether that is how we treat candidates, clients or our own staff internally, so we thought why can’t we do something that looks after people outside of these [areas]? That was it – it was one of those ‘right, let’s do something that is about the community’ moments.” Within a few months what was just an idea had morphed into ASK (Advice, Skills and Knowledge), with the 27 staff who work at the Absolute Solutions Group at its absolute heart.

Language lessons Launched officially in November, and based at Absolute’s Macon Court offices in Crewe, Marshall says ASK aims to help two groups in particular. The ﬁrst is the large number of mainly Eastern European workers, who have ﬂocked to the area in the past decade. With many not having any English, or only limited English, Marshall says this leaves them vulnerable and open to exploitation – for example, illegal deductions 30 RECRUITER

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Above left to right: Trained to teach English as a foreign language are candidate care consultants Aaron Green, Connie Masser and Jack Masser

Far right: Jessica Marshall, joint CEO of Absolute Solutions

from their wages. To tackle this, ASK used its formal launch in November to highlight one of the key aspects of its service – helping people to improve their English. When 10 people turned up at the company’s offices wanting to start English lessons, this only conﬁrmed that the demand was there and that ASK was on the right path. Since then three of the company’s four candidate care consultants have qualiﬁed to teach English as a foreign language. Marshall says this aspect of ASK’s work is publicised through the “strong relationships” that the company’s recruitment consultants have built up with the various groups of foreign workers living in the area (be they Polish, Bulgarian or Romanians), as well as through Facebook. “It is certainly getting out there and getting to people who need it,” she says. In addition to targeting vulnerable foreign workers, Marshall says ASK also aims to help other people facing difficult and challenging situations. Chief among them are young people, especially those who leave school with poor life and social skills, and low aspirations. “A lot of people come to the agency with no aspiration to do anything; they don’t know how to present themselves at an interview or write a CV, and a lot of them have had absolutely no careers advice,” says Marshall. Marshall says there is a particular need for young people in the area to be mentored. “There are a lot of third-generation unemployed, so it’s

FEBRUARY 2019

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CO M M U N I T Y

UPSTART

about taking these young people Working together and saying ‘this is what you Marshall says she would like to get other could do’ and ‘just because recruitment agencies involved, and that she has education hasn’t been great already spoken to one locally to encourage them doesn’t mean that is the end’.” to refer over any people, who may be vulnerable Marshall says there is a huge or need more skills. “I hope this can help us work willingness among everyone in together, by which I mean the agencies that the company “to give up some of aren’t exploiting people, and that we can be a their time to do some mentoring bit more of a network for people that need a bit and to be involved with the more help.” project”. Marshall accepts that seen strictly in financial Marshall says she has been terms ASK doesn’t stack up. “We don’t need four talking to a local school, which is candidate care consultants – we could have done “very keen to explore the with 2.5 to 3, so yes it might be costing us a bit, [mentoring] idea”, but there again it is something for the something in which East community. The reason we have slightly “My ambition Cheshire Council has overspent is so we can maintain the also expressed an drop-in centre within the ASK office.” would be to make it interest. Similarly, But while the project may reduce a true community “the Jobcentre is the agency’s profits at least in the programme, really interested in short term, Marshall says the whereby we can get what we can do in initiative “is not completely funding for training terms of the long-term unemployed”. altruistic”. “There may be some people In addition to developing people’s personal and who come through the door, who if we or for work employability skills, the project provides c can upskill them and help them have trials” information and support on a range of other b better language skills, ultimately, we issues, including financial budgeting assistance m might be able to place them as well, so and housing advice. iit’s a win-win for everybody.” All services are delivered from dedicated offices Looking ahead, Marshall says her provided by the company from within its Macon u ultimate aim is to turn the ASK project Court premises. These consist of an upstairs iinto a charity: “My ambition would be training suite and a downstairs drop-in area with tto make it a true community p comfy chairs, which is a place to have a coffee, programme, where we can get funding one-to-one training or a confidential chat. An ffor training or for work trials.” An area containing computers, where people can a ambition for which a certain Mother T work on their CVs has also been provided. Teresa would surely have approved. ●

WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK WWW.RECRUITER.CO.UK 39 31

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08/01/2019 11:03

CO M M U N I T Y

SOCIAL NETWORK WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO? GET IN TOUCH!

From footballing superstars opening ofﬁces to fundraising aims for the year, here’s what you’ve been getting up to since the last Recruiter… AN INSPIRED RACE NIGHT FOR CHARITY Chesterfield-based Inspire Resourcing hosted a charity ‘Night at the Races’ with an Ascot-themed dress code to raise money for the Derbyshire Air Ambulance Service. Clients, candidates and staff had a great night and the racing, raffle and auction raised £821.

Co-founders and directors Edward Manson, Richard Abelson and (far right) Jonathan Abelson look J on as Denis Law cuts the ribbon

MERJE SCORES AS MAN UNITED LEGEND LAW OPENS HQ CASTLE SMASHES 100 CHRISTMAS SMILES TARGET Christmas may seem like a distant memory but staff from the Castle Employment Group in Scarborough delivered more than 700 selection boxes – outstripping their 100 target – to children, families in crisis and the homeless. So thanks to everyone who donated to its 100 Christmas Smiles campaign.

Last year, Chris Huffen, Tamsin Eastaugh and Kate Oliver took part in the Rothley 10km race

Manchester United legend Denis Law CBE opened recruitment consultancy MERJE’s new Manchester headquarters Bank House at the end of last year. The ex-footballer cut the ribbon for Bank House and unveiled a plaque commemorating the event.

I NSTAGR A M

MACILDOWIE CARRIES ON FUNDRAISING IN 2019 Having raised nearly £3k for charity last year, staff at East Midlands-based Macildowie hope to continue their fantastic fundraising in 2019 with an inter-office charity football match between the Leicester and Nottingham branches, as well as fancy dress and bake-off competitions, to help raise £4k.

@hellosesameuk December 17, 2018 Here we are as ‘Start Up of the Month’ in @recruitermagazine talking about our brand purpose and inspiration behind the company name. @RecruiterMag instagram.com/recruitermagazine/ recruitermagazine.tumblr.com/

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E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

The Workplace BY GUY HAYWARD

34 RECRUITER

findings of the study and not passing on the benefits that eventually found me. If I reflect on my first experiences of working in the community – a small charity-based initiative in the heart of Brixton – I loved it and it certainly influenced my thinking and my feeling that I was doing more than just working. It sits perfectly with how the modern workplace has changed – helping the community around us. So what have we done? In the past 12 months we’ve developed a relationship with a London prison, where once a month we spend time with inmates on CV writing and interview prep; helped clean a cemetery in Finsbury Square; and raised money and awareness for homelessness in London by going on ‘sleep outs’ with Centrepoint. Just some examples about what we do. You will have done other things but let’s keep doing it and do more! Taking days off to work in the community? Cisco takes five, we take three. I have gone back to Brixton and taken others with me. Timberland offers 40 hours paid community service a year; PCL Construction actively encourage and give their people time off to work at the Red Cross; and Salesforce is dedicated to giving their people ‘Volunteer Time’ off.

“The one area where we are asked to do more is our approach to charity and the community” US tech company Nvidia opted out of Christmas parties and instead spent money and employee hours on cosmetically refurbishing nearby schools. PricewaterhouseCoopers too have pushed the community approach, with company-wide projects. There’s a whole world of things we can do: setting up your own soup kitchen, going into schools as a volunteer teaching maths, running after-school clubs, or follow what we have already done by helping young offenders with their job search. Whatever we choose, don’t make the mistake I believe I may have done by not encouraging others to experience what I did during my time in Brixton. ●

↗

WHEN I CONSIDER all the ‘things’ we do in relation to building a working environment that we hope our people will want to be part of, the one area where we are asked to do more – and that still generates the most interest and excitement – is our approach to charity and the community. The journey of communication and togetherness at work I still ﬁnd intriguing. Those awkward conversations at the watercooler have been replaced by friendly games at the ping pong table. In a world where we now spend more of our downtime with people from work than our ‘friends’, making our working relationships ‘friendships’ is an important one – and what we do in the community helps. I found Horizon Media’s study Finger on the Pulse interesting: 80% of those aged between 18 and 35 now expect companies to make a public commitment to good corporate citizenship. And it is a genuine factor when considering what businesses to work for. This was never on the agenda, or indeed possible, in my days as a fee earner. I wonder if in recent times I have failed the people who work for me by not understanding correctly the

GUY HAYWARD –redefining the modern workplace CEO, Goodman Masson

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CO M M U N I T Y

WORKPLACE INNOVATION

BRING ON THE BRILLIANCE The making of great ideas BY DR TRACY BROWER

↗ DR TRACY BROWER is a work sociologist and principal with the Applied Research + Consulting group at Steelcase

“We need to be more creative, more brilliant”

A PROFESSOR IN my undergraduate programme used to say that a sound idea had its own form of energy. It would attract attention, capture resources and create momentum. In addition, having plenty of ideas was the basis of brilliance – quantity of ideas for the workplace was as important as quality and the engine of success. However, the half-life of brilliance is becoming shorter and shorter, and yesterday’s great idea is less relevant today. The demand for creativity and innovation is increasing exponentially. This gap matters to business and to us individually if we want our careers to develop… well, brilliantly. A recent study by Steelcase and Microsoft reports 77% of people believe creativity is a 21st century job skill, but according to the Adobe State

of Create Study, 69% of people don’t believe they’re living up to their creative potential, and 61% of leaders say they don’t believe their company is creative, according to Forrester Research’s ‘The Creative Dividend’. To thrive in the future, we must make more creatively-orientated jobs. We need to be more creative, more brilliant and have better ideas. But how do we accomplish this? To create the conditions for creativity, we need to shift our perspectives: • From hierarchical approaches in which decisions are made by the highest-paid person in the office (HiPPO) to a networked model where the network is tapped for the best solution. • From limiting creative expectations to certain roles, to empowering everyone to think and act creatively no matter their role. • From granting the best technology on the basis of status, to making technology available equally. • From managing with lots of rules to empowering people to make things happen within a set of key principles. Next, creating the conditions for creativity requires us to reinforce the empowerment we want to create. In addition to critical levers like leadership, reward systems, job

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design and other important organisational systems, there is another not-to-be-forgotten influence: place. Place matters for creative expression, creative confidence and creative productivity. Why? Because it is one of the most explicit artefacts of culture. It signals to employees what is valued, what is expected and how work gets done. • Place must support both the group collaboration that is important to creativity and the individual focus that is also necessary. • Place must provide opportunities for people to be immersed in a problem and also to get away from it for distance, incubation and reflection. • Place must engage us emotionally and welcome us. • Place must provide equal access to tools, technology and the space to get work done in multiple ways. • Place must give each of us what we need – a fluid ecosystem in which we can choose the environment that will work best for each element of our own unique creative process. A sound idea is its own form of energy, but brilliant ideas can only be cultivated within an environment that fosters creativity at work. Place can help creativity thrive. Bring on the brilliance. ●

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10/01/2019 09:41

E BUSINESS ADVICE CO M M UNITY

ASK THE EXPERT We’re maxing out business development. How can we attract more candidates? When it comes to attracting more candidates, there is no magic bullet – if so, word would quickly get out. After all, most recruiters are ﬁshing for candidates in the same pools with access to the same equipment – CRMs, LinkedIn Recruiter, jobs boards and so on. The most effective way to attract more candidates is likely through doing what you are already doing, just better: iterative improvements driving marginal gains. A 5% improvement here, a 10% improvement there – these all add up surprisingly quickly.

Becoming more efficient Although nobody aims to be inefficient, most organisations can improve the majority of their existing processes. Review, document and optimise all your current practices – from how and where jobs are posted, how the phones are answered through to how CVs are reviewed and responded to, and how candidates are kept engaged throughout the recruitment process and then once they are no longer looking. The environment you are operating in is constantly evolving, so what may have been optimised today may need to be optimised again in three to six months.

Alex Arnot The SME Coach Focusing on the most effective techniques, then reﬁning them, is critical both to attracting more candidates and to placing a higher percentage. Improvements will be achieved only if you’re consistent and disciplined in your approach and measure the impact of activity.

Go the extra mile Few recruiters consistently deliver a truly exceptional service that makes candidates unhesitatingly recommend them. Simple things, such as brieﬂy reviewing each prospective candidate’s proﬁle before calling them or really getting under the skin of the client’s culture, will (sadly) set you apart from much of the competition.

Use your candidates to improve your processes Measure and refine

36 RECRUITER

One of the best sources of inspiration for how to attract more candidates is candidates themselves. My four-point service check is a quick way to encourage them to share ideas with you (note number 3, in particular): 1 How happy are you with my service? 2 What could I do to improve my service? 3 What are my competitors doing that I should be doing? 4 And what are they doing that you’re glad I’m not doing?

Long game: the importance of legacy candidates Finally, look to reduce the need to attract so many new candidates by making better use of the contacts on your CRM system. Set a target to ensure that every candidate on the database gets a call every six months, and you will quickly grow a loyal pool of candidates ready to engage with you.●

↗

The top consultancies analyse every activity to drive improvements, and make sure they focus their energy on those with the best return versus time invested. Here are three examples: • Referrals, while often lower volume than jobs boards, deliver an excellent return on investment, as generating them can be easily integrated with candidate follow-up (time-efficient) and the peer recommendation makes any targets identiﬁed more amenable to an approach (high return). Top billers set themselves targets as to the number they need to generate each month. • Wording – in calls as well as advertising, LinkedIn or email messages – has a real impact on success rates. Improve conversion rates by trialling one message for three weeks and then comparing results with an alternative wording in the subsequent three weeks. • Some consultants ﬁnd headhunting outside normal office hours, when candidates can speak more freely, is most effective and have changed working patterns accordingly.

ALEX ARNOT is founder of MyNonExec and board advisor to more than 30 recruitment companies

FEBRUARY 2019

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E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

“I have been doing my job for 25 years and still look forward to most days at the ofﬁce” MY BRILLIANT RECRUITMENT CAREER What was your earliest dream job?

What was your first job in recruitment and how did you come into it? After eight years in ﬁeld sales, I registered with my local agency in Beaconsﬁeld and was offered the job of managing the office.

↗

I fancied doing HR, so I joined the John Lewis Partnership’s management training programme. However, I was young and not happy with the Saturdays required in retail so I moved on.

CAROLINE NASH general manager, Gill Cooke Personnel

Caroline Nash ye year, my Viennese whirls – they’re better than Mr Kipling’s. th

Who is your role model – in life or in recruitment?

La Laugh or cry, what did your most memorable candidate make you m want to do and why? w

In life –Joanna Lumley. She’s interesting and interested in everything – funny, intelligent and she get things done. What’s not to aspire to?

What do you love most about yourr current role? The fact that I have been n doing tthis job for 25 years a and I still look forward to most days at forwar the office.

What would you consider to be cons the most brilliant moment of your mo career? car Bein invited in Being 2006 to back up a 200 national agency, nat which was wh supplying sup manufacturing ma operatives to a local op

38 R RE REC RECRUITER ECRU EC RUITER RUI TER

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blue-chip company. I was told it was never likely to exceed four temps a week and therein was the challenge. I’ve taken that four up to 50 a week and still have over 30 a week in that one department.

What’s your top job to fill at the moment? Office manager role for a smart motorsport company at a beautiful Georgian house in the countryside, paying a top salary for the area.

What is your signature dish? Owing to the relentlessly competitive Bake Off challenge in the office every

L Laugh. Back in the day when temps were paid by cheque, Fridays buzzed w w with temps coming in. A chap was ssitting quietly reading while his wife was being interviewed when two w longstanding temps came in and someone said ‘You can entertain this gentleman while you’re here’. And they promptly broke into a song-and-dance routine to this poor guy’s utter amazement. His wife did end up joining the temp team.

What’s the best or worst interview question you’ve ever heard? To me – are you pregnant yet? That was early 80s when I was newly married and going for a promotion.

What would you regard as your theme tune? Smooth by Santana. ●

IM AGES | SHUTTER STOCK / A LA MY

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E CAREERS CO M M UNITY

management at international recruitment ﬁrm Morgan McKinley, to its committee.

CIPHR: ADECCO GROUP: The recruitment giant has appointed Teppo Paavola to the newly-created role of chief digital officer, based in Zurich, Switzerland.

THE ASSOCIATION OF RECRUITMENT CONSULTANCIES (ARC): The trade association has appointed Patricia Finn, global head of legal, compliance and cash

Email people moves for use online and in print, including a short biography, to recruiter.editorial@redactive.co.uk

Time to review your PSL Make sure your service providers are FCSA Accredited

BRIGHTWORK: Shan Saba, a director at the Scotland-based recruitment agency, has been appointed a member of University of Glasgow’s Human Resources Committee. The post, which is unpaid, is for a period of four years.

Andrew Carwardine has been appointed CEO at the HR solutions provider. CIPHR’s current CEO, Chris Berry, will remain with the company as deputy chair. Emily Bates also joins in the newly-created role of talent manager.

EUROPCAR MOBILITY: The car rental company has appointed Matthew Rodgers UK HR director.

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Recruitment giant Adecco UK & Ireland has appointed a new chief financial officer. Yann Halka, who has worked at Adecco Group in France and Switzerland for the past 10 years, most recently as vice president of budgeting and management reporting, takes on the role. Before his tenure at Adecco, Halka worked in a number of corporate and operational finance roles at oil & gas contractor Saipem and Orange. At Orange, he was responsible for the mobile network operator’s financial controlling activity in Africa, which included ensuring the effective return on investments, cash delivery and launching new operations in Central Africa.

Redactive Publishing Ltd 78 Chamber Street, London E1 8BL 020 7880 6200

CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 (0)20 7880 7603 Editor DeeDee Doke

jack.stevens@redactive.co.uk

deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7880 7633

Reporters Colin Cottell, Graham Simons colin.cottell@recruiter.co.uk graham.simons@recruiter.co.uk

Contributing writer Sue Weekes Production editor Vanessa Townsend vanessa.townsend@recruiter.co.uk

FRONTLINE RECRUITMENT: The Nottinghamheadquartered recruiter has promoted Lauren Allen from business manager to regional business director in Nottingham, while Karen Barker has been promoted from branch manager to regional business director in Derby.

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES: The global executive search company has made four appointments. Cheryl Stokes and Ian Tomlinson-Roe join as partners in the Atlanta, US, and London offices respectively, while Marina Ivanoff and Jane Schroeder become principals in the Singapore and London offices respectively.

director. She has been with the ﬁrm for seven years as a recruitment consultant.

SUPERTEMPS: The North Wales-based recruiter has promoted senior consultant Vicki Armstrong-Smith to business manager at the company’s new Parc Menai office in Bangor.

YOU R NE X T M OV E A selection of vacancies from recruiter.co.uk Ignite Recruitment consultant Rec-to-rec Sydney, Australia Competitive salary GatenbySanderson Senior client consultants Generalist, public sector London Attractive salary Collins Squared Senior consultant/divisional manager Built environment Portsmouth, Hampshire

OYSTER PARTNERSHIP: The property staffing specialist ﬁrm has promoted Jaspreet Bhogal to associate

For more jobs, people moves and career advice go to ● recruiter.co.uk/jobs ● inhouserecruiterjobs.co.uk ● internationalrecruiterjobs.com

Art editor Sarah Auld Picture editor Akin Falope

RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING Sales executive Jack Stevens

PRODUCTION +44 (0)20 7880 6209 Senior production executive Rachel Young rachel.young@redactive.co.uk

PUBLISHING +44 (0)20 7880 8547 Publishing director Aaron Nicholls aaron.nicholls@redactive.co.uk

ADVERTISING +44 (0)20 7880 6213 Sales manager Paul Barron paul.barron@redactive.co.uk

+44 (0)20 7880 6245 Sales executive Jonathan Adebayo

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10/01/2019 09:42

E THE LAST WORD CO M M UNITY

Nadia Edwards-Dashti Mind over chatter: mindsets of a new recruiter

Teaching a new consultant how to become a recruiter is a process that involves a lot of talking – talking with them, talking with clients, talking with candidates. Making sure that it’s the right kind of talking is key. You can give your new staff the best training programme in the world but if you overlook their mindset you will never be able to truly support them into success. Over the years building our training programme I have learnt some important lessons – mostly about working on improving people’s mindsets. Why are they in recruitment? What’s the purpose of the call? What are their objectives? Do they want to give their candidates and clients the opportunities they deserve? For me the question is: ‘Do they believe in what they are doing or not?’ And are they doing things for the right reasons

– for themselves or to add value to their customer base? If we understand this then we can understand how to get someone to react appropriately in any recruitment situation. Last year, in particular, taught me the importance of tailoring every part of our training programme to the individual. The first step for us is always about unlocking the ‘why’ and the ‘what’s in it for me?’. We work on three things to take them into their recruitment career: confidence in what they are saying; clarity in what they are doing; and the freedom to be themselves without fear from reprimand ie. the happiness factor. To gain confidence, repetition of the training message through story telling, role-plays, interactive sessions, theory and practise has allowed for new recruiters to unlock their real potential quickly.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right 42 RECRUITER

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Clarity of each and every task needed in a day has been achieved quite quickly when we have looked at the purpose behind the tasks and got our consultants to realise the importance of every step in the process. Getting someone to believe in themselves and what they are capable of achieving is just as important as knowing how to deal with a counter offer or deliver an interview. New starters won’t know any of these things at the beginning and will see them as their weaknesses. When new recruiters realise that their weaknesses in the job will be worked on openly and without fear of reprimand, when they realise we celebrate every mistake as an opportunity to learn, then I believe we begin to build resilience, mutual respect, team building and trust.

NADIA EDWARDS-DASHTI is founder and managing director at Harrington Starr

What is your training plan like? How do you onboard your new staff and do you look at your retention levels? Our training plans may introduce processes, practise questions and learned procedures but they need to be offset by the concept of training mindsets to respond positively to problems. I have to constantly remind myself about the individual and what their purpose is; moreover, do they understand what they are doing and why they are doing it? If so, I believe they will be capable of achieving anything. As Henry Ford once said: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” ●

FEBRUARY 2019

10/01/2019 09:56

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