The Other Side of The Fence by Simon Harle
Who would have thought that life back in
a recruitment consultancy after what we've all experienced in the
last 18 months could be so busy. I've been at DNA almost 3 months
now and having finally adjusted into the fast pace, high pressure
and electric atmosphere of being back in a recruitment consultancy,
I've just about found time to reflect on the last 18 months.
On joining iris in July 2007 as talent manager from my previous
recruitment firm, I thought I'd found my dream career move. I was
back in a marketing agency where I started my career, but this time
I was filling offices all over London and Europe with the
industries best talent.
I'll never forget September 2008 returning from a holiday to be
summoned to a meeting room. I was there told that iris would be
opening a further 12 offices globally and I'd need to find them the
right talent.
I'm not sure what was the biggest shock, the fact that my holiday
had suddenly disappeared, or that I'd be recruiting all these
people when the economic climate ahead was sketchy to say the
least.
The climate did slow the growth down, but six out of 12 ain't
bad!
It taught me a lot about how different markets recruit and how
specific nuances make up individuals in different countries.
The recession slowed down the growth of iris globally, especially
in London and the lack of recruitment allowed me to evaluate my
career. In short, I missed the variation of clients, the buzz from
being able to solve multiple problems for more than one agency in
the industry and the pace of working in a recruitment agency.
So to DNA, what a few months it has been. Not only am I recruiting
for a host of varied clients, both in discipline and size, buy I'm
fully involved in the growth and expansion of DNA.
Is it different to any other recruitment agency? Absolutely. My
passion along with Ali's, is driving us to make a change on the
perception of recruiters. We're career consultants. We won't just
put a bum on a seat, we'll take every consideration into account to
ensure that both our candidates and clients get the service as well
as the result they're looking for.
Has anything changed since 2007 when I was back recruiting?
Undoubtedly. For a start there are a lot more recruitment
consultancies out there. Most have been driven forward by the surge
of digital, the ambition to break away from the dinosaurs and a
large majority are acting under the false belief that anyone can
set up an agency and do recruitment.
What does this mean? Well ultimately It's become harder to get a
decent quality of service. In such crowded and competitive market,
who do you turn to when looking for the right career path or the
best talent for your agency? Unfortunately desperation has driven
some to be unethical, these people are those that muddy the water
for others and have made it a constant battle for the few decent
agencies out there to stand out from the dregs.
On the up though, strong relationships still survive and drive the
market. Without these our business is nothing.
