AI Magazine Issue 3 2017

Acquisition International - March 2017 11 Power to the People We understand that our candidates might not be able to talk during the day, or might need to speak to us or arrange a meeting after work; we always accommodate that. We know that our clients’ business doesn’t stop outside of normal working hours, so we offer out-of-hours recruitment services for requirements that need to be serviced outside of the normal working day. • Access to the recruitment database and emails, 24/7; • Dedicated account manager or recruitment contact and; • Skype / conference meetings for immediate/ urgent client needs. The hiring process – role of recruitment agencies Having placed well over 10,000 temporary workers, and placed in excess of 1500 job seekers in to permanent jobs, our clients benefit from the experience and knowledge we have gained over the last 29 years. For example, we know that motivated employees strive for more, they take chances, and are often a valuable asset to a company. Building a team that demonstrates the qualities of a successful organization begins with the hiring process. Knowing what qualities to look for and which questions to ask can help in making the screening and interviewing processes more effective. In addition, involving your current employees in the hiring process can further increase employee motivation, while providing an excellent means of evaluating a candidate’s suitability for the job The knowledge and skills in performing our flexible hiring process has been developed over many years, and by using our continuous improvement model whilst working in collaboration with our clients means we play a prominent role in our clients hiring process. Looking ahead to 2017 Perhaps unsurprisingly, many recruiters see economic uncertainty as the most significant challenge to overcome in 2017, our data tells us that client uncertainty has increased by 12% from 2016 figures. And with experts predicting it could take anywhere up to two years to leave the EU, and the effects of a potential Brexit still not fully understood, this number shows no sign of decreasing in 2017. So, how will this uncertainty impact how we recruit? Keeping our focus on candidate attraction at the forefront of everything we do, we believe this to be one of the most important metrics to focus on this year; the strength of our business is a direct consequence on the quality of candidates we supply. In other words, if you’re limited in the number of placements you can make, ensuring that you find the perfect fit for the role should be of paramount importance thus saving our clients time and money in the process, and delivering the best possible experience. Summary We understand that people are the cornerstone of our business; we pride ourselves on offering a bespoke, structured recruitment partnership with candidates and clients alike. We are proud of our company vision and believe our goals and ethos have created a successful environment for our employee’s and a mutually beneficial relationship with those who use our services. Our clients know about the unexpected rewards we offer through our service to them. They know that we care about them more than the bottom line. This is an important strategy that we focus on, which has been proven through the longevity of our recruitment partnerships. Client Feedback “I correspond directly with Jon Pope of Abatec who I find to be very helpful. The agency employees recommended to Balfour Beatty are always hard working, reliable and trustworthy. Jon will always be in contact daily to ensure everything is running satisfactorily. Balfour Beatty Living has had a variety of skilled workers from Abatec and I would recommend each of them. Balfour Beatty will continue to work alongside Abatec for an excellent service.” Martin Taylor, Supervisor Balfour Beatty “Wessex Water have been using at Abatec to deliver our agency staff needs and requirements for many years supplying our asset management plan with a variety of construction related professional staff. “As a water authority, our geographical coverage is very large and our staffing needs are diverse so it is important our supply chain particular within recruitment reflects this. “Our work load over recent years has changed dramatically and as we enter our new AMP program Abatec involvement has contributed to the recruitment for these projects. “The Abatec team have developed an excellent understanding of our operational needs and to this end has enabled us to deliver an excellent service to our external contractors delivering our 5-year programme of works. “The portfolio of staff provided has been a real asset to Wessex Water.” Nigel Butler, General Manager (Construction) Wessex Water “Since starting to use Abatec a few months ago, as a stop-gap measure initially after the sudden departure of a senior administrator, you have supplied us with an outstanding temporary administrator, for whom we are creating a permanent role, you then supplied another temporary administrator who is doing a great job around our various care homes. “You have also filled a Senior Company Administrator vacancy for us, and we’re delighted with her impact already and, as you know, we were so impressed with another of your candidates that we have also offered that candidate a position as PA to two of our Directors, being a new post created to support an existing Director and also a new appointment to the Board. “We have been impressed with your honesty, the ability to come up with good quality staff, both for temporary and permanent requirements, and, as a local company, with your willingness to visit our offices, sit down and understand how we want our recruitment to be run. I thoroughly recommend your service to anyone who may be interested.” Richard Smith, Managing Director Homes Caring for Autism “When recruiting contract staff, our requirements are usually quite specific. Abatec have taken the time to ensure they know our business and know our requirements; this has given me the confidence to know that when CV’s are sent through, the candidates will be well matched to our needs - this saves a lot of time sifting through unsuitable CV’s. “The CV’s sent through are always well laid out and clear, with a brief summary of the candidate on the front page showing they have taken the time to speak to the candidate. When we require further information the responses have been quick and concise. To summarise, my impressions of Abatec are that they have a professional but personable approach; they keep regular contact but without being too pushy and the standard of candidates is usually very high.” Kevin Jones, Design Engineer Science & Technology Facilities Council “We have worked with Abatec in Bristol & surrounding areas now for well over 10 years. During that time, we have built up excellent relationships with their team, and worked frequently on temporary, temp-to-perm and permanent recruitment for a variety of roles ranging from operatives to industry professionals. “They have had consistent team members working with us now for a number of years which has positively contributed to the relationship and also ensured that they fully understand our culture and what we look for in both temporary & permanent recruitment. Given the seemingly frequent movement of consultants in the recruitment field, I can’t emphasise this point enough. Their screening process is very good and hence quality of people put forward always high. “I have two shining examples of quality people placed by Abatec who have gone on to grow with the business and positively contribute. One now sits on the leadership team within the Bristol business. “I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Richard, Jon and the team at Abatec and would welcome the opportunity to continue the long standing excellent working relationship.” Adrian Marshman, Partnership Manager Mears Limited