Recruitment done differently
Like double glazing salesmen, recruitment consultants don’t have the best reputations. Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell visited Chase Taylor in Cannock Chase to see how things can be done differently.
“I don’t like recruitment consultants,” Chase Taylor’s managing director Mat Gibson said, even before the notepad had been opened. “People don’t like being sold to. People want a consultant who they can talk to and work alongside that knows the industry.”
The lazy recruitment consultant is an image that Mat is determined to dispel. However, he is aware that the slightly intangible nature of finding someone to fill a role in a company can make it appear to be an unnecessary cost.
“Finding the right person to work at your company should be seen as an investment, not a cost,” Mat said, “and using the right consultant to carry out that process will make that investment stretch further. Building client and candidate trust is a key factor of our success.
An agency is often viewed as a conduit for CVs, with someone behind a desk funnelling applicants from one pile to another.
The reality at Chase Taylor couldn’t be further from the truth, Matt said, and together with Paul Lindsay, commercial director (an industry expert) has set about to create a brand that offers more than just CVs.
Mat himself has 20 years recruitment experience, 12 of which have been spent in the window industry.
Mat started Chase Taylor Recruitment specialising in permanent positions. Chase Taylor Installer Resourcing followed a few years later, offering a service for both domestic and commercial businesses throughout the UK.
“We are currently resourcing 100 installer teams,” Paul said, explaining that it isn’t a job anyone can do. “It isn’t easy finding a good installer at the moment.”
Chase Taylor has continued to expand year on year, through marketing, and by building a comprehensive database of window professionals.
“We spend a lot of time networking,” Mat said. “We attend events like Pigs, and we are the only recruitment consultant to have a presence at the FIT Show.”
The result of which, Mat said, is a comprehensive database that he is extremely proud of.
“We know straight away when people are thinking of moving jobs, and we can push them to those companies where we know they will fit in very well,” he said.
“We now fill the more senior roles in a company,” Mat said, “recruiting sales and marketing professionals, technical guys, and production managers, plus more executive roles such as MDs, sales directors and other board level positions.
“It’s about understanding the industry and its requirements,” Paul said. “For example, I am meeting a company in Yorkshire to discuss succession planning because they understand the importance of good people, and the damage they can do if they leave.
“We are a people industry, and if good people leave, then it is vital that you have a plan in place to fill that role.”
Similarly, Chase Taylor recently employed Emma Moorcroft, a business psychology graduate with experience in psychometric testing. “Many larger companies are looking at this form of evaluation for certain roles because traditional methods are not seen as thorough enough,” she said.
That’s not to say that Chase Taylor has left the other end of the market – in fact it is undertaking a bit of succession planning of its own.
“We are developing the apprentice side of the business,” Paul said, “by working with partners to create and promote opportunities for young people who want to enter the industry. These are great apprenticeship schemes where people spend up to 18 months with a company learning about the various functions. New legislation will drive change in our industry particularly around apprenticeships.
“It’s important that we do our bit to encourage talent into the glass and glazing industry because many people – particularly good installers – are the wrong side of 40, and we need to ensure we have the skills for the future.”
