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If you are in the fortunate position of having a good relationship with a recruitment firm who you regularly use and trust, you should ask them for their opinion and use their market knowledge to help forge your recruitment plans. I am a Director of BWD Search & Selection and we operate at the professional end of the market. We are a "boutique" financial services specialist big enough to hold our own against the large national firms but small enough to adapt quickly and provide a much tailored service which our clients value [and / or] appreciate. As a result I often find that what we do spills over into management consultancy; advising clients on why their recruitment should take a certain path; benchmarking and salary surveys; and research and mapping. This goes way beyond the level of service that regular recruitment companies offer - or are capable of providing. We take pride in the fact that our consultants are experts on their given desks and are the best people to provide advice, as they are constantly talking to clients and candidates who make up the market. A good recruiter who has their finger on the pulse is well placed to offer a deeper level of consultation and could help prevent a costly recruitment error or be instrumental in helping you to find that next super star. This level of market knowledge and understanding comes at a price, but why shouldn't it? We are probably a little more expensive than our competitors but we believe that what we offer is worth every penny if we can help a client find the best possible person for the job. This often involves doing detailed research and mapping of industry sectors, before proactively targeting select individuals, more commonly known as doing a "search". We are finding that more and more clients are happy to pay for our time up front to "delve" that bit deeper and unearth the candidates that are currently happy and not openly looking for new employment. Even at the lower end of the market recruitment fees are not cheap, so make sure your recruiter earns their fee. I have always taken the stance that if you are paying me 25% of the first year's salary to find a high calibre individual then I will, whether you like it or not, give you my opinion, otherwise why engage me in the first place?. This strategy has worked well for me and I would say it has even been the tipping point in winning some large exclusive projects. I am a professional recruiter who understands the markets we operate in, so I like to think that my opinion is probably worth listening to! Alistair Brownlee Director of BWD Search & Selection Ltd
Financial Services Recruitment
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