Two Decades In, Follow Howie White Into The Roaring Twenties

August 2019 saw Howie White Resourcing celebrate its twentieth birthday, after two decades at the helm, Fred Howie, along with Associate Director, David Taylor has completed over 1000 assignments and gained a strong reputation as a reliable, responsible recruitment firm who always deliver.

Howie White are not a ‘pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap’ sort of company. They pride themselves on ‘doing things the right way’ and creating a meaningful relationship with their clients. Fred and David pride themselves on getting to know their clients inside out so that they can find not only the most qualified for the role but also, crucially, the best fit for the business. It is this ethic that has seen repeat business at unprecedented levels and clients from day one still only trusting Howie White with their recruitment needs. The Howie White approach is a personal one, they meet face to face with clients and candidates – they believe that this approach allows a better level of flexibility and a chance to get to know the candidates away from their CV. David explains ‘we don’t believe in judging a person on their CV writing ability – for some, it doesn’t come naturally to put pen to paper and push their achievements. By meeting in person, we can have discussions about any gaps and ask the questions that we know are important to our clients.’

A quick search of the Howie White website declares the company vision as….’No more square pegs in round holes.’ This has been Fred’s moto throughout his 34 years in the recruitment industry and one that he has imparted onto David. David joined the business from University seven years ago, having impressed at an internship with Fred, and is now representing the future of the business.

They’re also proud of being a Teesside company, although don’t be fooled into thinking this limits their geographical area to only the North East – far from it.

”We’ve grown with a lot of our clients and, thankfully, good news spreads fast,” said Fred Howie. ”We now work with companies, large and small, across the UK. We are also increasingly becoming an international recruiter. However, even with the international clients, we don’t lose the approach that we pride ourselves on. You won’t see David or I sat on a skype call – we will be on a plane heading over to meet them in person”.

For David, nothing beats meeting people face to face ‘it has always been an appeal of the industry, to be able to be client facing and getting out and about to meet people. It gives us a much clearer indication of personality and shines a light on how that candidate would fit into the dynamics of the clients business that an email can’t deliver on. Sitting with Fred for just ten minutes gives an amazing insight into the mind of an individual who is clearly an expert in his field. ”I’ve recruited for just about any role that you can think of,” explains Fred. ”I can safely say that from experience gained over the last 20 years, David and I could use the tagline ‘If there’s a job, we’ve recruited for it’. I can say that with full confidence because we’ve found the right candidate for innumerable roles including a laser eye surgeon and a rocket scientist. It’s thoroughly enjoyable to be given the task of finding a needle in a haystack…and finding it.’

Fred and David have steadily grown Howie White Resourcing over the years, and if the last 20 years are anything to go by, the next 20 years will certainly be something special. They have a good reputation within the industry and their clients respect their opinions when it comes to the recruitment process.

When faced with the question – is there ever a temptation to leave the Teesside area?

”Certainly not,” says David. ”Why would we leave an area which is becoming increasingly prosperous and is certainly showing signs of becoming buoyant in terms of employment growth? Teesside has gone through a really different period, but there are new companies and new opportunities opening-up all of the time. It’s really exciting to be a part of that growth.”

”I’d like to think that Howie White do the leg work and that when we finally recommend 3-4 candidates to a company, any one of them could be a good fit. It’s then down to the chemistry that the client has with the candidates in a face-to-face interview” says David.

It is interesting to hear Fred’s views on the way that recruitment has changed, and he’s not convinced that doing it in a 21st Century fashion is always the best route to the best employee.

”The danger is that we turn recruitment into a technical process. It is one of those jobs that people are trying to replace with technology. I recognise that it has a value, saves time and makes communication easier, however, it will never replace a face to face conversation.”

For Fred and David, they hope that the success that they have had in the past 20 years will continue as they push on to set their own personal bar high and set the standard of the recruitment industry. So, do you have a potential vacancy that needs filling by the right person? Have a role that has been open for quite a time and not found the right applicant? Just need guidance in terms of where you feel your team/business needs strengthening?

HowieWhite Resourcing – Recruitment the right way!