Today marks International Women’s Day, started by the Suffragettes in the early 1900’s, this day is used annually to bring together communities from across the world; Be it companies, charities, educational institutions or the media, the aim is to press forward for gender parity.
With this in mind we wanted to have a chat with two of our female members of staff from within the business, our Founder and Director Lisa, based in Manchester and Recruitment Consultant Jess, from our Leeds office.
From your experience what factors/challenges do you think are affecting the recruitment market?
Jess: The level of employment is at the highest it’s been for a long time which means there are more jobs available to candidates. This has affected my desk in particular, as I have found it harder to find candidates for my entry level positions as there are lots of roles available to candidates at the moment. Candidates can afford to be pickier with any potential roles that take their interest.
Lisa: It really is a candidate driven market for our sectors and candidates are more aware of this than ever before; a result of continual technological advancements & social media – these ensure that candidates are more educated than ever in terms of job hunting, negotiation and finding their perfect match.
What are the big differences in working for a global recruiter and a smaller agency from your experience?
Lisa: Having worked for both a national high street recruiter and global recruiter the biggest difference for me is the quality and respect of relationships internally and externally. The acknowledgement that success relies on the commitment of everyone in the equation. The strength of the relationships and real desire from our team to offer a simple, honest approach to recruitment.
Our terms and service are not restrictive as can be with the larger agencies, we can really listen and offer clients flexibility in terms of what they want. The client’s relationships are a lot more direct and feel more authentic as they matter more than in larger agencies where KPI’s/figures quite often take precedent day to day. However, I have learnt lots from all the companies I have worked for which has created the recruiter I am today.
What do you enjoy most about the role and how has the Leeds office changed since you started with the company?
Jess: The part of the job I enjoy the most is finding jobs for candidates that I know they will get excited about. Since I have joined GHH, the Leeds team has moved into a bigger office and have been able to expand the team. We have also become more sector specific which has allowed each consultant to become more specialised.
What value can you bring to clients and candidates alike?
Lisa: Having recently spent the last 6 months defining our company values I can say that the most important of them to me is “straightforward”. Being straightforward with candidates and clients alike is paramount if we are to continue to differentiate ourselves and stand out in what can sometimes be a saturated market.
Jess: I would say that honesty is probably the biggest value that I can offer to clients and candidates. I think a lot of recruitment agencies get bad reputations for over promising and under delivering. My approach is very straight forward and transparent which I think a lot of people appreciate.
If you didn’t work in recruitment, what would you be doing?
Jess: I would probably be a Personal Assistant or work in Events. I’m extremely organised and I’m a massive fan of making lists to ensure that things get done. So I think a job where I was responsible for arranging lots of different tasks would be perfect!
Lisa: Having watched such distressing footage on TV over recent years of tragic natural disasters, global wars and the effects of devastation on men, women and children across the world I would give back with compassion as much as I could and try to help make a difference by working for an overseas aid agency, such as Cafod or Tearfund. However, I will continue to follow and support from a far their incredibly invaluable work.
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