A dab hand with a camera and with years of retail and sales experience under her belt, Imogen is a Recruitment Consultant here at Gibson Hollyhomes. Having graduated from Kingston University in 2015 with a degree in Photography, Imogen entered the world of high-end sales, selling some of the finest Champagne and Cognacs in the world.
Following her success in the sales market, Imogen decided to get back to her roots and relocate to the North West where she joined Gibson Hollyhomes for an exciting new career in recruitment. When she’s not working hard helping people find their dream jobs, she’s busy snapping pictures of anything that takes her eye and enjoying the odd musical when she visits her friends in London.
From your experience what factors/challenges do you think are affecting the recruitment market?
Despite the uncertainties surrounding Brexit, the majority of business sectors have recruited extensively, creating more jobs and more choices for candidates in the market. Is this a good thing for recruitment agencies? Some may say absolutely since there are more and more opportunities to prospect and win new clients. However, this creates an increasingly candidate driven market since there are too many roles with candidates who are qualified/experienced. The promise of finding the ‘perfect candidate’ doesn’t waver despite the dip in limitations and readily available qualified talent.
How has recruitment changed since you’ve worked within the sector?
For me is it is the change in strategy: having to adapt your strategy of candidate talent attraction and candidate control throughout the process. Studies suggest with the current change in the market, candidates are only actively on the job hunt for 10 days so, as consultants, we need to act quicker! Getting a candidate buy-in within the first 2 days of their search is crucial. We also need to create awareness and inform clients of the current market so they act fast and don’t lose out to companies who will make an offer on the spot to secure the best candidate.
A positive experience for candidates increases the likelihood of them accepting a job offer by 38%. A change in the rise of candidate referrals to acquire top quality talent means that staying close to, and building effective relationships with, candidates every step of the way (even after placement) is just that bit more important these days.
What values can you bring to clients and candidates alike?
Contrary to popular belief, company values play a big part when candidates are making a decision in their next career move. I stand by the value of honesty. I want to have an open and honest relationship with my clients and my candidates so they can trust me to do my best for them; whether that be by placing my candidate in a role that is right for them culturally, or by truly striving to ensure clients really are getting the best match. Honesty plays a big part when managing expectations, especially realistic expectations. As a consultant who is aware of the market, it means I need to be informative and honest in my approach always.
If you didn’t work in recruitment, what would you be doing?
The hopeless romantic side of me cries out to be a Wedding Consultant, all things venues, gowns and wedding favours. Ideally in the tropics – Maldives, Bora Bora you get the gist!