It's very easy to assume that recruitment is just about square pegs in square holes. However, there is also a suspicion that in some cases it'll be a case of not being too fussed about the shape of the peg but it'll be put into a hole no matter what.
“And that is why I decided to set up my own recruitment business,” says Laura Gillespie, the founder and managing director of Gillespie Recruitment. “I’ve worked in everything from large agencies to small independent firms, and it’s always been about the bottom line. People are seen as a number. It was all about volume, not quality. It wasn’t about getting the right person for the right job.
And that is wrong. It’s wrong for the company who are looking to fill a vacancy and it’s wrong for the person you’re recommending.
Changing your job is a massive decision…it can often be life changing…so it’s vitally important to get it right. It’s not JUST about filling the vacancy
it’s finding whether the person is right for the company and whether the company is right for the person.”
Which we think is a refreshing approach to recruitment. Laura doesn’t see it as a numbers game. She wants to do the right thing because, in effect, she is playing with people’s lives.
And it should also be remembered that filling a vacancy is seriously important for any business, especially if it’s a smaller one because it is not only critical that the new person will be able to do the job, but they also need to fit in with the company ethos. They are investing in the person.
Oh, and let’s not forget that appointing a new member of staff doesn’t come cheap.
“We need to ensure that any appointment will work for both parties. If we can’t find the right person we’ll admit it
and we’d never recommend a candidate for a job which we felt wasn’t a good fit. That’s why we don’t work on retainers because it puts pressure on us to find a candidate no matter what happens.
I work closely with lots of firms…it’s all about trust. They come to Gillespie Recruitment because they know we’ll work hard to find the right sort of candidate and that we wouldn’t recommend someone if we felt that they weren’t suitable. We also have the sort of relationship that allows us to help businesses plan for the future. We want to avoid someone joining a firm and then only staying for four or five months…it’s not right for the candidate and it’s not financially viable for the business. We work closely with firms, discover what they are generally looking for and how often.
We also get to know the candidate for the simple reason that a CV might look good and shows what they’ve achieved, but it doesn’t show what sort of person they are. I’m sure that a lot of businesses that do their own recruitment in-house will have invited a candidate to attend an interview purely on the person’s CV, but know within minutes of meeting the interviewee that they wouldn’t fit in. We aim to help firms avoid that waste of time and money.”
Laura has got the sort of experience that other recruiters can only dream about. She has worked extensively in healthcare and commercial recruitment, and also within media and the third sector for many years.
She’s also a North East person through and through and has built an extensive network of contacts.
“One of the reasons I started my own recruitment business is because I was regularly approached by business colleagues who were asking whether I knew of a suitable person to fill a particular role. I could invariably point them in the right direction. My diverse background also means that I’ve got a broad range of experience which allows me to quickly fill a vacancy with the right sort of person.”
If you are thinking of changing your career or are currently looking for a job, we’d point you in the direction of Laura’s website…www.gillespierecruitment.co.uk. You’ll also find some helpful tips about CVs and how to prepare for an interview.
And if you are a business looking to fill a vacancy, the best idea is to speak to Laura and her team. You can contact them on 0191 516 6146 or email enquiries@gillespierecruitment.co.uk
