Kingston Noble, the recruitment specialist… not the sector specialist.

 

 

What does the word ‘Specialist’ (actually) mean in the recruitment industry?

Hands up – who else spent the last decade marketing themselves as a ‘specialist’ agency?

We did. Like others in our sector, our team thought that their deep sector expertise was the ‘specialist’ skill that provided so much value for our clients. Then, six months ago, we realised something…

Matching great businesses with amazing people is our ‘specialist’ skill… And that has nothing to do with (boring) sector experience. It’s all about helping people achieve their dreams.

So we dropped the ‘specialist’ tag, a new website went up and pretty much everything changed apart from the great results that our clients enjoy every year.

 

What are you (actually) paying for with when you use a recruitment business?

You’re often retaining someone who has a great general knowledge of your sector. A specialist agency will have a network of candidates they have either placed before or will keep them updated on who is moving where.

 

But what does it have to do with YOUR business?

Just because an agency knows your sector, do they know YOUR business? Can they make YOUR perfect hires?

Imagine you’re running a charity that’s looking to recruit a new HR Director. You pay a ‘specialist’ agency a substantial retainer to work exclusively on your vacancy. Then you agree an 18-25% fee to hire you a candidate with an impeccable CV. The candidate has over 25 years’ experience in your sector. They’ve worked for big corporates.

Most importantly, they interviewed brilliantly and wrote the loveliest covering letter about why your cause was so close to their heart.

What happens if that candidate starts working and shows a complete lack of experience in helping the wonderful human beings (or furry friends) who your charity serves? What happens if they fall out with your existing staff because they just don’t fit into your team? What if you upset some of the best staff you ever had, because your new HR Director didn’t know how to talk to them?

You’re then left with a very, very large bill and very, very little value. To make matters worse, you then end up spending even more money hiring a new HR Director. Those weekends hunts for a magic money tree in the office car park are about as fun as watching paint dry… on Zoom.

 

Imagine a different scenario…

You call a different agency to discuss your original vacancy. They don’t spend the next five minutes telling you about how exceptional their exceptional experience makes them. They also don’t give you a potted history of the last few decades of their career. In fact, they don’t spend any of your first call talking about themselves at all.

Instead, they ask you exciting questions about your business. They want to know about your culture; what makes you special; and why you’d be a fun employer to work for. Most importantly, they’re dedicated to finding the best HR Director for YOUR business.

They send you an HR Director who understands and appreciates your culture. Your team loves working their new HR Director, who builds a team that helps your charity to attract more support than ever before.

Both agencies specialise in different skills. The question is…

 

Which specialisms are (actually) worth paying for?

Recruiters who specialise in listening to what you’re after and delivering it quickly will add massive value to your business. Ultimately, these recruiters specialise in understanding you. Hiring any recruitment consultant is an investment.

So… why not make this investment in someone who shares your vision, not just experience of your sector?

Working with recruiters who take the time to find candidates who they know you’ll like and ask them the interview questions that you would, makes hiring new staff easier than ever before.

No general understanding of your sector or its most popular candidates will ever be as good as an expert understanding of what’s perfect for your business.

 

You want recruitment… but better

Your recruitment agency should become your recruitment partner. They should want to work with you for ten years, not ten weeks. At Kingston Noble, making you happy for years is exactly what we specialise in. Without strong relationships with amazing clients, we wouldn’t have a business at all.

Never settle for solutions that worked for many businesses like yours and might be perfect for you.

Get what you deserve…

Get recruitment solutions that are perfect for your business.

How would you describe your current recruiters? Are they your partners? Are they going the extra mile to help you through this pandemic? Are they living up to their marketing presentations and pitch promises?

 

Could your recruitment experiences be better?

 

Let us know how to make recruitment better for you here…