There is no more important asset to a recruitment consultancy than its staff. Here James Taylor, director at recruitment consultancy Macildowie explains the importance of structured in-house training programmes for both new recruits and potential future leaders.
Recruitment companies are built on the quality of their staff and the relationships that are held with clients and candidates. Ensuring that there is a constant stream of talent working its way up through the company will keep the business moving forwards. At Macildowie we have a consultancy with over 60 members of staff, and with a team of this size it can become all too easy to get engrossed in the day-to-day operations. Our job as a board is to ensure that we look ahead to where we want the business to be in one, three and five year’s time.
We put the training of staff at the very top of our priority list. Investing in the development of people has helped to build a culture of continuous improvement. Driving staff engagement levels is incredibly important, so we have to be very selective when it comes to hiring. Getting the right individuals, who are the right fit, makes the training process much easier. Alongside more traditional requirements such as previous work experience and education, we always assess a candidate’s personality to see how they would fit into the existing workplace.
All new starters here enter the ‘Macildowie Talent Pool’, our core-training programme that has been running since 1997. Currently over 60 per cent of our recruitment consultants have developed their skills through the programme, having joined us with no previous industry experience. In addition to this, six of the nine current leadership team came through the programme. This home grown nurtured talent runs right through the business, it helps maintain our workplace culture which in turn makes Macildowie a great place to work.
To keep staff engaged with the business, the different training methods that are undertaken is absolutely key. Personally I think that a blended approach to training works best. By that, I mean mixing the very best of external training with a structured in-house programme. Internally, there is nobody better to teach new recruits than experienced members of staff. They have the expertise and knowledge of the company culture that can be passed down and spread throughout the business.
We put the majority of training time and focus on working with candidates on the job, allowing our new starters to learn from experienced team members every day of the week. This system can act as a great motivator as it allows us to catch people doing things well and take the opportunity to highlight the achievements to others. This also helps to create a continuous learning environment based on practical experience rather than theoretical knowledge. With experienced members of staff working one-on-one with new recruits, it allows for immediate interventions and a daily process of upskilling to take place. This works really well for us at Macildowie as it inhibits bad habits forming and keeps everyone aligned to the customer. We’ve created the relevant systems and processes to bring structure to the way that consultant performance is improved and measured.
When it comes to choosing external suppliers to provide training, we are extremely selective. It’s important that when people are coming into your business, they understand how you work and can tailor training methods to adhere to your company culture and values. At Macildowie, we currently only work with small a number of training suppliers, all of which have been partners of the business for an extended period of time. It’s important to note that this can’t just be purchased ‘off the shelf’, if you have an immediate training need, it takes time and investment to make it work in order to see the best returns.
It can take years to build a great training programme, but once members of staff have passed through this and ‘earned their stripes’, its vital that company’s endeavour to continue to develop their skills and have a transparent career path for them to pursue. To ensure everyone here at Macildowie is constantly improving and expanding their skill sets, we run an emerging leader programme that provides the necessary training for the next generation of managers to drive the business forwards. The majority of people that work in the recruitment industry are by their nature very motivated and career driven individuals. Any company that wants to grow and excel in the industry will need to hold onto the most talented members of their teams, so its important to ensure that there is not only a path for career progression, but also a platform and strategy in place to help employees achieve it.
I know that focusing on training and development is a strategy that pays off. At Macildowie our long-term investment has seen the business reaping the benefits of high levels of staff attraction and retention. This in turn has put us in a strong position to be successful, especially in such a fast paced and competitive industry such as recruitment.
