Consultancy … always included in the price
A benefit appreciated by some - overlooked by many
One of the reasons niche and boutique recruiters specialise in a particular industry is because they know about it! They have in-depth working experience and knowledge about the sector.
That’s very significant, because it means the recruiter is an expert in that particular field. They’ve lived and worked in that industry and can identify with the specific issues and challenges.
Prior to working in recruitment, I was an operational manager in Food / Packaging manufacturing for over 8 years, and I experienced everything that such an environment can throw at me - across supply chain, business planning, and factory floor operations. It’s why I have so many clients in the industry who value my input and experience. And when I meet up with clients, the first things we discuss are current operational and business challenges, and how they relate to the vacancy and future recruitment needs.
In the pre-pandemic days when we would walk around the operation, the issues would often be staring me in the face. Certain things would stick out like a sore thumb, and I would go through them back in the office. It’s an example of ‘value add’, and I appreciate that not everyone recruiting in the sector today has the ‘hands on’ and ‘ground up’ experience that I have.
I’m not boasting about my capabilities, far from it … the point I’m making is that sometimes there is extra value in relationships that are not obvious at the outset.
It takes time to build up the client trust and confidence for them to share their operational issues with you, ‘warts and all’. I have many clients who openly ask me for advice … what I would do, and what I think is the best way forward. That’s trust, and it’s reciprocated with valuable feedback.
On occasions, solutions are found in different areas to the anticipated ones, and I’ve walked away with a smaller fee. And that’s 100% fine, as it’s not about the money, it’s about value for money, and building long-standing business relationships over many years.
Keeping tabs on skills shortages and salary levels for certain jobs is another key reason for using a niche recruiter. Knowing how available certain specific industry skills are in locations and the levels of remuneration needed to attract the best candidates are all part of service.
It’s more often the case that organisations think they can hire a certain skill set or business professional for a figure far less than the market rate. I’m happy to tell clients if I think they are barking up the wrong tree, or living in ‘cloud cuckoo land’.
The fact is, they probably could recruit someone for far less than the market rate, but very soon, they would be disappointed and have to do it all over again.
Locating and recruiting the best people is not an exact science, it requires empathy, knowledge and a certain operational mindset. If you’d like to discuss any aspect of recruitment or have an informal chat about how I might help you, please get in touch.