Recruiting The Right Way With Westray

If you've had experience of using a recruitment agency (or Consultancy as Westray Recruitment Consultants like to be known as) to source staff, you probably approached a recruiter and explained what sort of person you were looking for and what the job entailed. You then sat back and waited for some action.

Action, a few weeks later, was probably in the shape of a number of CV’s forwarded to your inbox, of candidates that frustratingly didn’t quite fit the brief, both in terms of skill set and team/culture fit.

This has been the experience Maureen Wright has witnessed over the past five years as the landscape of the recruitment industry continues to change, both with the introduction of new technologies and increased competition from global, national and local recruiters.

Having started her journey in recruitment in the early 80’s, she is well placed to comment on these changes and how they have impacted on her business, which she established in 1990 after returning back to her native North East from Birmingham.

“I was aware that the recruitment industry was changing. More players were entering the market and smaller businesses were being swallowed up by the national recruiters, which had an impact on staff turnover and quality of service. I was determined to do something about it, therefore Westray Recruitment Consultants had to be different, which is why I wanted to develop a boutique consultancy which looks after clients and really goes the extra mile in terms of service delivery. I’m proud to say that many of the clients we attracted in those early years in the 1990s, are still with us”. It’s also why Westray has become a market leader in helping companies to hire across the Professional, Engineering, Industrial & Manufacturing and Commercial sectors.

Westray Recruitment Consultants is now a family business with Maureen as MD and her daughter, Ashleigh, operating alongside her as Commercial Director.

Whilst technology has definitely aided the process of recruitment in terms of sourcing talent more quickly and on a global basis, she is keen to ensure that her team of consultants don’t just rely on the technology available, but practice and continue to develop their skills in the “art of recruitment.”

“Recruitment is a people focussed business where relationship building with both clients and job seekers is key. Face to face conversations on a regular basis with both is crucial, in order to understand hiring strategy, brand and culture, and to identify the type of individuals required that will allow us to make that ideal match. We wouldn’t dream of recommending anyone to our clients without meeting with them first, but sadly, this happens all too often. We want to work with candidates for the entirity of their career if possible, and be the preferred and trusted recruitment partner of businesses looking for a consultancy rather than an agency, that will add value and focus their efforts on their business.”

“With regards to technology” added Ashleigh, “we’ve all heard about skills shortages (particularly within the STEM sectors), well, it’s our job to unearth those difficult to find candidates and this is where technology does play its part. We utilise a number of different platforms which allows us to source talent more swiftly and therefore provide our clients with faster response times, getting those empty seats filled more quickly.”

There’s a lovely welcoming atmosphere when you arrive at the Westray offices on Team Valley. It doesn’t matter whether you are from one of their major clients, or a job seeker who is looking for a new career opportunity; everyone gets the same attentive service.

Westray Recruitment Consultants provide a full service operation. From the moment a client appoints them to undertake a project, whether for a critical senior appointment or a large scale, managed, flexible workforce, Westray takes care of everything, leaving you to concentrate on running your business. Therefore if you are looking to undertake a recruitment project, speak to either Maureen or Ashleigh or a member of their team. You’ll quickly find out that Westray do recruitment the right way.