Alexander Hill

Reception perfection

We were approached to assist with the recruitment of a reception and hospitality team. The client had been searching for a number of months using a variety of methods from agencies to direct advertising but had been unsuccessful. “We are just not meeting people who can give us the wow factor we are looking for”. The Company’s office is based within an extremely prestigious City location, often visited by members of the press and therefore sets the backdrop of any City focused news reports. Additionally clients visiting the office represent some of the country’s leading business people and figureheads. The brief was a mission and we were more than prepared to accept it!

We met with the HR and Office Management team to gain a full understanding of the rigours of the role but critically we also spent time on the reception desk to really build up an understanding of just how demanding these positions were. It became evident very quickly that we needed a natural rapport builder who could engage with people at all levels intelligently and articulately. A fresh approach was needed and we advised the client to work with us on the basis of “individual first, CV second”. In a role where social skills were paramount it was important to let the interviewing consultant guide the client on who to meet, rather than let the CV do the talking. We also advised the client to broaden the search into hospitality and 5 star environments such as high profile restaurants and hotels. Nikki Hill acted as the Account Director and co-ordinated all the recruitment activity within the team. She decided to broaden our advertising methods and came up with some really creative and punchy adverts which focused on the type of individual required rather than the component parts of the job description. Additionally Nikki created a “social” edge to the interview often asking candidates to meet her over coffee or lunch so that their ability to adapt outside of a formal interview was tested.

Nikki also provided an out of office service in order to engage with candidates whose usual working hours fell outside the core 09.00-17.30. For example this included 5* hotel receptionists whose shift pattern could make it difficult for them to deal with us in core business hours. By making ourselves available at weekends and later into the evenings, we were able to explore every source of available candidates for the client and make sure that no relevant candidate missed the opportunity to secure an interview This approach worked and we quickly tapped in to candidates with the “wow” factor the client was looking for.

The client made three job offers within the first month of working with us. We were not afraid to guide the client and suggest new ways of working, nor were we prepared to fail to deliver!

After placing the initial vacancies, Alexander Hill Recruitment went on to assist the client in extending the reception team to five members. Many of the candidates first placed on the front desk, have since progressed into other roles within the company. We have gone on to extend our service into other areas of the client’s business and our Financial Division has worked extensively with Nikki Hill, who still retains the role of Account Director, to successfully fill 14 vacancies. Beyond reception, we support our client in their Corporate Finance, Research, DTP, Investor Relations and CEO’s Office.

We have built a solid relationship based on trust, commitment and results. Crucially, we approach each new vacancy or area of the business with the same fresh approach which enabled us to succeed where others have failed. It is for these reasons Alexander Hill Recruitment are the partner of choice for so many companies in London.

Safe pair of hands

In December 2010 our client, a leading national FMCG company based in Reading, approached us explaining that due to a period of unprecedented growth in their customer base and aggressive expansion plans for 2011, they were looking to recruit a new administrative and customer service team.

It was a high volume request and the hiring manager needed to feel comforted that as a smaller, independent consultancy it was something Alexander Hill could manage in such a short space of time. They needed the new twelve person team in place for the first day of the New Year, and there was no room for error as they would lose customers if they did not have the right support in place.

Acting as Account Director, Laura Hopkins met with the client in order to gain an understanding of how the dynamics and strategies of the existing teams may have changed since the last recruitment phase that she had assisted with. It was important to capture exactly what was required.

Through intelligent questioning Laura built a full picture of the profile of their customers and how they attracted them and crucially, understanding what the company vision was for 2011. The people they required needed not only outstanding administrative and customer service skills, but also the kind of tenacity and drive necessary to succeed in a target driven environment. Added to this, it was essential that they held a passion for the company’s products – a tall order!

It was crystal clear that due to the specialist nature of the roles, advertising these on existing job boards and working with existing networks wouldn’t generate the calibre or volume of candidates required. This was communicated to the client and a plan of action was put in place to include the expansion of resourcing tools, such as specialist job boards & membership to the industry’s Association, as well as search and selection methods.

The Reading team went straight to task, creating accounts with industry specific job boards and researching the client’s competitors. Prospective candidates were contacted discreetly, often out of hours, to complete an initial telephone interview and invited to meet with a member of the Reading team in person. The search was relentless.

The response to adverts posted on the industry’s association page also generated a fantastic response. Our creative methods of sourcing had ensured that we were able to cherry pick the very best candidates in the market to introduce to the hiring manager.

The result was that on the first day of business in 2011 our client had a full complement of staff in situ, every one of which met the original brief fully and even a number of candidates who exceeded all expectation in terms of experience!

Since this time we have enjoyed a continued relationship with the client, going on to recruit staff in a variety of roles including new junior management hires. All of the original teams members are continuing to impress, develop and progress in their roles.

Every role counts

In any one year, many businesses are acquired. The reasons for acquisition vary but often it is because the groundwork of the business is up and running, a market for the product or service will already have been demonstrated with existing employees in place. There may be established customers, income and reputation as well as the opportunity to expand into new regions or countries.

Alexander Hill was approached by one such company recently. We had been working with their London office for many years providing secretarial and support staff on both a permanent and temporary basis. This particular client had expanded into a new region with a new product to their portfolio and they required an office manager. This individual needed to be hired through the London HR department and was to be based in a different location working in an environment where morale was low and the business adjusting to a new identity and structure.

This was not the first time Alexander Hill had worked on such a project to such tight timelines but this time we were working with a new region and therefore needed to gain an understanding of candidate availability and suitability quickly. First we researched to understand the area and worked closely with our London client to build a picture of how they were integrating with the business they had acquired.

This process was a challenge for both ourselves and the client as this was their first acquisition and the pressure to get it right was paramount to the integration process. As experts in the secretarial market we felt confident that we could work with our client and ensure a successful placement but were concerned about the speed at which the individual needed to be secured.

We worked with all our resources including our candidate network, put together bespoke advertising working with existing job boards and those that were specific to the area our client is based in. We ensured that a thorough interview processes took place so that a considered and relevant shortlist was delivered to our client. We worked closely with our client to ensure all candidates had the required skills but would also match the culture and environment both that of today and the future as perceived by the client. We suggested an interview process that included inviting candidates to both locations so that insight was achievable. We ensured a successful placement!