Nexus People launches in Manchester and Bristol

Nexus People Recruitment has kicked off a major marketing drive to coincide with its expansion into Manchester and Bristol. Headquartered in Birmingham, the rec-to-rec consultancy has grown significantly in the 7 months since its launch and is now concentrating on building its clientele in both the North and South West of the country.

At the centre of the firmís new marketing strategy is a controversial advertising campaign which plays on the recruitment industryís unscrupulous reputation. Each advert describes what is termed an ëSRPí or ëStandard Recruitment Procedureí typically employed by poor quality consultants who fail to deliver on their promises. The concept, created by Birmingham-based design consultancy Tomorrow People, revolves around the strapline: ìFor an entirely non-standard approach to recruitment, contact Nexus.î

The campaign is sure to stimulate debate within the recruitment industry, which has fought hard to shake off its negative image and, in recent years, has been subject to increased regulation and legislation. However, as Nathan Annington, managing director of Nexus People, explains, its important to confront the issue of bad practice in the sector rather than pretending it doesnít exist.

ìThere are many excellent consultancies out there, all providing a top quality service. However, there are just as many firms who consistently fail to meet the standards clients and candidates are led to expect.

ìEveryone knows someone who has had a bad experience with a recruitment consultant, whether its something as minor as not returning your phone calls to something more serious, such as being sent completely inappropriate candidates or pressured into attending interviews for jobs youíre not really interested in.

ìWe would argue that we are not trying to reinforce myths with this campaign, we are actually trying to highlight some very real issues and are tapping into the dissatisfaction which many people experience when dealing with our industry. If the recruitment world is ever going to truly overcome these negative perceptions, we need to actively promote best practice by dealing with these issues head-on.î

The first advert in the series features SRP #1: The Brush-Off, in which a candidate is given false hope of an interview when, in fact, the consultant has failed to line up anything at all. Next in the series will be SRP #2: The Fit-Up, which deals with a typical interview scenario.