Understanding business culture: the key to successful recruitment
HR Dept
Truly understanding a business is key to successfully recruiting its new employees. Organisations have different cultures, and it is as important to find candidates who fit the culture as it is for them to have the relevant skills and experience.
This is particularly true of businesses owned by members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church community. Business consultant and interim MD, Richard Ralston, works with a number of community-owned companies, and finds the Agile Recruitment team’s approach perfectly complements his clients’ organisations.
The brief
We first began supporting Richard with recruitment when he was interim MD of a community-owned company specialising in natural stone and landscaping.
Our first instruction from him was to source candidates for a PA/customer service role. We found a successful candidate who not only had PA experience, but had a knowledge of stone and who also fitted the culture of the business.
This led on to our team successfully filling a number of roles, ranging from operatives to finance administrators, to an estimator. A key position we recruited was for an operations manager. The applicants needed to be able to demonstrate a wealth of experience in this demanding role, coupled with the awareness and adaptiveness to blend the culture of the Plymouth Brethren with the competitive requirements of a fast-growing manufacturing and distribution business, which the successful candidate was able to accomplish.
We partnered alongside Richard and his client to design the recruitment process, the templates for job advertisements, and the interview structure. We also benchmarked salaries, and advised on best practice.
Once job offers were made, we handled referencing and supported the business with onboarding.
We have since gone on to support Richard with recruitment for another community-owned business and he has recommended us to a third.
Our ability to understand the particular recruitment needs of businesses, and seek candidates with both the right qualifications and the ability to fit in with the company culture, manifests across our clients; this is why 80% of our recruitment is from repeat business.
The outcome
Richard has worked with community-owned businesses for ten years, and has a deep understanding of their culture and ethos.
He needed a recruiter who would take the time to develop the same, and found this with the Agile Recruitment team. When Richard was with the stone and landscaping business, there was a clear growth opportunity - it grew from a £3m turnover to £7m – so appointing the right people was essential.
“The HR Dept really understand the community. Geri takes the time to come and visit the site and get to know the people and get to know the culture. A lot of recruiters are like estate agents, who try to sell you what they’ve got rather than what you are looking for. But Geri would wait until she found someone who was worthwhile interviewing, so never wasted my time.
“I have now recommended them to others because their screening was excellent and they never put a bad candidate in front of me. And I can call on them for advice, as I did recently for a role with another company I am working with.
“I would recommend them in a heartbeat because they understand the nuances of the community and understand the types of candidates who would suit.”
Others have also praised our recruitment approach to community-owned companies.
The director of one said:
“Excellent service from Geri and Laura providing us with great candidates to help take the company forward.”
And a candidate we placed, commented:
“All the way through the process, from the initial compatibility interview through to the final negotiations with the client, the HR Dept and in particular Gerardine Hardy has been exemplary. I cannot thank her enough for her assistance in making the change to my new job happen.”
Are you looking to partner with a recruiter who takes the time to understand your business, so you have truly exemplary candidates to choose from? Why not talk to our team?
