International Women's Day! Success in Recruitment - Natalie Matthews

Just over a year ago we promoted former journalist, Natalie Matthews to our become our new Business Manager. We are delighted to say she has been a fantastic appointment and is thriving in the role. As today is International Women's Day, we look back to her thoughts when she was appointed.

Recruitment agencies need to recruit too, and we experience the same challenges, frustrations and disappointments as everyone else.

Like anyone recruiting, we need to find the best and most appropriate fit for our business, enabling us to thrive, whilst maintaining our in-house philosophy and integrity.

It’s vitally important that the person we recruit to lead our Consultants shares our values.

An excellent indicator that the recruiter has got it right is when an internal promotion takes place. It is not only a reward for the hard work of the employee, but the recruiter also benefits from the valuable experience that person has of your company, which means newcomers can be effectively integrated into the team.

Natalie was recently promoted to Business Manager and as part of our desire to give people an insight into the workings of a recruitment agency, we caught up with her to find out more.

“I had no idea what to expect!”

An excellent trait of a recruitment consultant is being able to spot potential. Helping candidates identify how their existing skills are either relevant or transferable to succeed in roles they might not have considered is a rare and valuable talent. We identified this in Natalie when we recruited her six years ago.

“I joined as a Trainee Consultant from a journalism background with no previous sales or recruitment training. I was a Senior Reporter for a local newspaper, where one day I could be covering a cheetah escaping from a zoo and the next accompanying police on early morning drug raids.

“When I joined Pinnacle I had no idea what to expect, but I was given first-class training and support, which I continue to receive, and this is invaluable as I am now able to pass this onto the team.”

One thing that often people don’t realise is how diverse, challenging and rewarding the role of a recruitment consultant can be.

“You have to develop trusting relationships with clients and candidates, making sure you understand candidates’ knowledge, personality and aspirations, as well as understanding the recruiting company’s needs, culture and future direction.

“You learn diplomacy, empathy and the importance of communication and honesty being the best policy. It is a real buzz knowing you’ve helped someone, but it is equally important not to shy away from providing honest feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

Integrity is vital in recruitment

So what does Natalie’s new role involve and how does she hope to take it forward?

“This is my first step into management and I am really excited about it, although I see the role as more of a mentor, being on hand to support and develop the team, enabling us to be even more successful.

“Our consultants are dedicated and take pride in their job. They care about the candidates and clients they work with and strive to provide the best possible level of service. I'm exceptionally proud to work with such a team and for an agency that has built up a fantastic reputation over the last 16 years based on integrity.

“We view placements on a long-term basis, and a large proportion of the people we place go on to become our clients. Our client list is a testament to our place in the market as the leading specialist agency for the placement of sales, sales management and marketing professionals within the building products sector.

“We are proud of our many recommendations and referrals and I will endeavour to reach out to companies and candidates that are yet to benefit from our specialist service.”

The challenges

The construction industry has, and will, continue to experience challenging times including recession, recovery and Brexit. The employees of companies are the people who can help make a difference, but good employees are hard to find as Natalie explains.

www.pinnacleconsulting.co.uk

“Good candidates aren’t readily available. This means that these are frustrating times for those recruiting, but working with Pinnacle as an industry specialist means our extensive candidate network and tools at our disposal means we can help.”

It is important to remember that a reputable agency wants to develop long-term and successful relationships.

“We realise that finding the right person as quickly as possible who will add value to your company is vitally important.”

Everyone at Pinnacle would like to wish Natalie continued success. Please feel free to contact her on 01480 405225 or via natalie@pinnacleconsulting.co.uk if you have a current recruitment requirement, either as a client or as a candidate. She is no longer available to assist on early morning drugs raids, though!