About Hayden Marsh Recruitment

Tamika Marsh, Operations Director at Hayden Marsh Recruitment, talks here about their history and specialist knowledge. She also answers questions on their charity work and blog, where their career interview series Your Starter for Ten (Questions) has provided a forum in which to raise and debate employment related subjects.

Q: Can you describe the history of Hayden Marsh Recruitment?

Hayden Marsh were established in 2005 in Oxford and moved to larger offices in early 2009. We have over 30 years of recruiting experience in our current team, together with experienced supporting administrators. Historically, we began by specialising in Accountancy and Finance and Office Support staff, and then went on to diversify into other key sectors like HR, IT Publishing, Marketing/PR and Sales. HR is one of our busiest sectors, and we have good links with senior HR people and produce a blog for the CIPD website.

Q: What’s your mission statement and plans for 2010?

Our mission statement is to: ‘provide an ethically sound recruitment practice service in accordance with industry guidelines as set out by the Recruitment and Employment Conferderation (REC), with the aim of developing a reputable brand with a resulting status as a first choice recruiter’. Our focus in 2010 is to develop our PSL status with all organisations through the announcement of our e-brochure, produce innovative marketing campaigns to highlight the elements of our practice that make us different from our competitors, and to develop our HR and IT arms.

Q: Can you explain your specialist recruitment areas in more depth?

I’ll try.

• Accountancy & Finance – between us, we have 24 years of Accountancy & Finance recruitment experience. As an industry, A & F has proved fairly resilient to the recession as the finance function remains a key function of any operating business. In our area of Oxfordshire and the Thames Valley, our core business is part qualified and qualified accountants, together with qualified by experience candidates where appropriate and permissible. We operate across all levels, placing Group Financial Directors down to a Finance Assistant, including public practice recruitment.. We sponsor courses like AAT and, in 2010/11, CIMA, ACCA and ICAEW.
• Human Resources – HR – we have been specialising in HR recruitment for the past 4 years. We operate at all levels to include HR Director through to HR Assistant. We’ve recruited in London and as far north as Manchester. Our experience in running HR recruitment projects has demonstrated that HR is an increasingly important function of an operating business, both from the retention of good staff to the management of underperforming staff. We have undertaken multi- recruitment projects for individual companies and organisations who have needed to recruit whole teams of staff. We recruit most HR candidates from in and around Oxfordshire, some of whom we identify from our sponsorship of the local CPP courses and from there, our involvement with CIPD qualified personnel. We produce HR interviews with senior HR professionals on our blog. We also write a fortnightly column for the CIPD website.
• Information Technology – IT – we have been specialising in IT recruitment for the past 4 years. We have placed IT professionals (such as Architects and Systems Administrators and Directors) in permanent and contract roles in larger organisations (50 staff +). We have also placed teams of IT Contractors, acting as limited companies, into a series of IT Security projects. The IT market is particularly strong in security software (ie firewalling). We have experience of placing whole teams of IT Contractors.  Candidates tend to be located in and around the Home Counties. Contract work tends to pay well, hence candidates are more willing to travel from further afield.
• Sales – Sales is at the heart of any business so we specialise in the recruitment of different type of sales staff – strategic Directors through to trainee salespeople. We have recruited for our major clients (like Centrica) who tend to look for a specialist and niche skill set. Each organisation has a different style of approaching sales and this is very important when recruiting such key members of staff.
• Admin/PA/Secretary – Office support staff are a key function to the operation of a business. We recruit across all levels, from a senior PA of an MD (where their skill set can be equivalent to a salary range of between of £60k & £120k) to an office secretary, through to general administrators of all levels (some strategic at £50k, others forming part of an office network on a salary of £20k). We have been an exclusive office support staff supplier for a range of multiple recruitment projects where new departments have been established and integrated within an existing framework.
• Marketing & PR - Marketing and PR individuals are imperative to an organisation.  We have successfully recruited for various marketing companies such as The JJ Group and Nielsen and assist with the marketing for Helen & Douglas House (our chosen charity).  The positions we have worked on range from Marketing Director to PR/Marketing Assistant.  We attract candidates through a variety of advertising techniques including marketing-specific forums.
• Publishing - We have a strong, highly established publishing recruitment arm with a wealth of successful relationships across publishing houses throughout Oxfordshire and the Home Counties.  There is a hub of publishing organisations in the region and we work especially closely with Oxford University Press and its relevant spin-offs, Wiley Blackwell, Blackwell UK, Osprey Publishing, Pearson Education and several others.  We work on roles from Lead Editor and Managing Editor to Assistant Copywriter to supplying their marketing/finance/administrative staff.

Q: What differentiates Hayden Marsh Recruitment from other agencies?

• Hayden Marsh Plus – as part of a membership scheme, clients are offered discounted fees and improved rebate terms, together with priority attention as an HM Plus status member.
• Our Service – our clients like to deal with us because we are effective, detailed, fair and responsive. Our testimonials reflect why our clients use us.
• The HM Blog – we conduct career based interviews that are designed to interest those who may be considering a career in the topic of the interview, and to create debate on different careers. In doing so, we attract serious minded people who are serious about their careers. These people tend to be the best candidates.
• CIPD Blog – we produce a blog for the CIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel Development) where we integrate our personal experiences of HR related recruitment to national and international topics. This promotes our brand in HR qualified candidates, who then tend to register with us, thus enabling us to represent the best HR people.
• Our charity work – we conduct and support charity events for Helen and Douglas House and Against Breast Cancer. This in turn allows us to provide the best candidates available, most of whom are exclusive to Hayden Marsh. (NB: other charity reports are on our blog).
• We’re not pushy people – clients want to be able to call on a consultative recruitment service where the sales people listen to the brief and act accordingly. That’s how we work, which creates a good bond between us and our clients. In our experience, the manner in which we interact with our clients will often determine whether they use us again for repeat business. Our testimonials substantiate the fact that what we do, works. Work outside of normal hours – we meet candidates off site and in our office outside of normal office hours and at weekends if necessary. This means our candidates can limit the time they take off work.
• Job Boards – including our own – we advertise across multiple job boards, including our own website which we have designed like a job board. We currently receive 7000+ visitors a week (as of April 2010).
• Private Meeting Rooms – when we are recruiting for a client, they may sometimes wish to hold interviews off site for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.  With prior notice, we can offer a reception function and a private conference room at our own offices as part of our service.
• Large offices with ample free parking – set on the outskirts of Oxford just off the Eastern Bypass, candidates and clients can park in our free private car park. Our offices include our own private reception area and private meeting rooms.
• Sponsorship of professional qualifications – like CPP and AAT – this demonstrates our interest and focus on our different sectors. This allows us to represent those candidates to our clients.

Q: What are the top 3 reasons a company partners with you?

• We’re not pushy people – clients like using us because we listen and react accordingly
• Service – our overall service is a comprehensive experience where we ensure detailed service level standards – better recruitment standards means finding the right calibre of staff for our clients and matching them to the correct work environments and culture. This in turn means higher staff retention rate, which in turn means lower recruitment expenditure for our clients.
• Our blog/charity work – our blog demonstrates we are interested in promoting career based debate, which attracts high calibre candidates who we can then offer to our clients. Our charity work demonstrates our sense of social responsibility and the fact that we value factors outside of capitalism.

Q: How do you define a successful partnership between Hayden Marsh and one of your clients?

• One where expectations on the part of both HM and our client are at least met and where possible, exceeded.
• Where our client would describe the service provided by HM as value for money, expert and a pleasurable experience.
• Where our client agrees to (or prefers to) give exclusive recruitment status to HM based on the trust and belief that our client has in us.
• Where HM and our client have a Service Level Agreement and the delivery standards as set out in this agreement are met to the satisfaction of our client.
• Where, if applicable and where mutual interest exists, there is some sort of social interaction between the HM and our client – understanding the dynamics and culture in a business is crucial to understanding the type of candidate to put forward.

Q: Describe the process you undertake to source your candidates and why this makes your agency competitive or unique

• Candidate Matching Service: the process we use for matching the right people to the right cultures is fairly complex. Read about it here.
• How is our matching service unique? It’s very comprehensive, which ensures that we can provide real assurances on the calibre of our candidates.  Our database system is borne of over 40 years of combined contacts and allows us to search on and match effectively.  Our consultants take the time to thoroughly vet and interview candidates during a face to face interview and ascertain what will be the next, right, move for them and would never ‘fit a round peg into a square hole’ for instance.  We are by nature a group of responsible and reasonable individuals who pride ourselves in an exceptionally low ‘fall-out’ ratio and feel glad to be part of a process which enables candidates to both improve their future prospects and relieves pressure from the client, being safe in the knowledge that we have understood and acted upon their requests.

Q: What, if any, best practice recruitment methodologies does Hayden Marsh Recruitment use to recruit?

We work according to many fundamental best practice methodologies, a selection of which are:

• Our Approach – our reputation - all HM staff must work in accordance to a strict set of principles governing the manner in which we practice recruitment. We must be honest, have principles that set us apart from our competitors, and work within the guidelines set out in our own training programs and those set out by our industry governing body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC).
• Obtaining new jobs best practice – we approach clients in a consultative fashion. We listen and take full notes. We ask to visit the client in person to get a better idea of the culture and dynamic in that business and within that department.
• Temporary worker payments best practice – always by Friday of the week following submittal of the temps’ timesheet, no exceptions. Payment to our workers is imperative and a high priority. They need to meet their financial commitments and rely on us as their employer to deliver.
• Supporting Letters best practice – when a candidate is interested in a particular role, we ask them to research our client and read the job spec thoroughly, and from that prepare a supporting letter which explains why they are interested in the role. This demonstrates the candidate’s interest to our client, but it also focuses the mind of the candidate and helps prepare themselves for a more thorough first interview, should they be invited.
• Temporary Workers Best Practice
  • Passport copies and Application Forms best practice – every single candidate who we send over must have provided us with a copy of their passport, which we must see in person to certify its authenticity. We must also take a copy of the front of their passport. We cannot represent any candidate who has not completed and signed an Application Form or does not have a passport (and permission to work in the UK if appropriate)
  • Recent three years of working references.
  • Hand in P45 or fill out P46 or P38 if student.
  • Complete bank details
  • Sign terms of engagement (the contract between them and us as our employee effectively)
  • Provided with our Temp Guide – detailing standards of behavior and performance
  • Provided with a timesheet with which to claim their salary
• Note taking on our database system best practice- for the purposes of auditing, record notes of conversations and import emails relating to particular contacts to create a comprehensive account of client and candidate contact, to which we can refer when necessary. This also ensures REC accreditation.
• Pre Interview best practice – we interview according to questions set out in our application form and establish reason for leaving previous roles. We encourage our candidates to give substantive answers so prompt where appropriate.
• Post Interview Feedback Best Practice from Client and Candidate – we obtain feedback from both candidate and client within 2 hours of an interview. Feedback to both respectively in an honest fashion so both can make the right decisions on moving forward. We want both the client and candidate to make the right judgements on whether to “be together”; this creates a better foundation for a future working relationship.
• Making Offers best practice – ensure the offer to a candidate is comprehensive, ie includes all details of salary, commission, bonuses, and all other benefits.
• References best practice – we take reference on permanent and temporary and contract workers. Those references are comprehensive.
• Post offer care best practice – we manage the time between a candidate accepting an offer and actually beginning their role with the client by maintaining communication with the candidate – this ensures that the bond created and intention secured is not weakened by lack of contact, and it helps to manage counter offers if they should occur.
• Placement after care best practice – we call the candidate and client to ensure the candidate has arrived for their new role – then call them again at the end of the second day. We call again at the end of week one, and every Friday from thereonin for 4 weeks. This ensures we are able to help with any issues that may arise on the part of either party.
• Testimonial best practice – client and candidate – we ask for testimonials and photographs from every temporary, contract and permanent placement. Testimonials are requested at the end of month 1 of a candidate starting a new role.

Q: How do you manage your relationship with candidates?

We are conscious that our industry is very competitive and candidates have a choice of which consultancies they work with. From the outset of a candidate’s relationship with us we are honest in terms of whether or not we feel we can actually help them. If we feel we can help a candidate, we conduct a full and thorough interview (wherever possible face-to-face and if necessary outside traditional working hours). It is essential from both our perspective and the candidate’s that we fully understand their background, experience, what they are looking for and their aspirations. Once we have this information we agree with them the action plan we are going to undertake on their behalf and the probable timescales involved. Before submitting a candidate’s CV to a client, we will have gained their consent to do so. We ensure that they are provided with all of the information possible regarding the opportunity:; we encourage candidates to do as much research as possible on a role – certainly before the interview with the client – as it’s essential that we are only submitting candidates for companies they genuinely wish to work for and for opportunities that they have either the experience or the potential to be successful at. Post interview, we obtain candid and relevant feedback from both the interviewer and interviewee and ensure that this is delivered in a prompt and honest manner.  We ensure that, even if we have no suitable opportunities to discuss with a candidate, we maintain close and regular contact.  

In essence, our relationship with our candidates is one built on providing a genuine consultative service. We recognise that an individual’s career is one of the most important areas of their life and that by allowing us to represent them, they are placing a great deal of trust and confidence in us. To recap:

• We treat candidates as importantly as our clients, they are equal.
• We update our candidates by speaking to them a week to maintain our contact with them and ensure that we are aware of any developments in their search from their end.
• We help to update their CVs, suggesting amendments if appropriate.
• We manage their expectations with new roles by explaining what the client wants and what the job entails, and advising them on whether they are suitable or otherwise.
• If they attend an interview for us, we obtain feedback from them and provide it to the client. We provide them with feedback on the client’s thoughts, being as constructive as possible so that any negative feedback is delivered in a sensible fashion.
• We conduct open days to keep candidates interested in certain aspects of the job market.
• We send candidates our blog updates, which include career related advice.
• We create trust between us and them, so that we can put them forward for roles safe in the knowledge that they will attend and do their best to perform well.

Q: In this economic climate, companies are looking for recruiters that can provide innovative recruitment solutions to challenging demands (i.e. rare skill sets).  How have Hayden Marsh Recruitment addressed this?

• Hayden Marsh have worked through many economic highs and lows during their years in the industry. Coming out of a global recession, there have there been occasions when we have had to vary our style and approach of working. We have achieved this by being aware of trends including demand for more niche roles which require specialist skill sets.
• We can be creative in delivering resourcing solutions: many of our team have several years proven executive search (headhunting) experience. The benefits of this method include the ability to identify and source those individuals who are passively open to hearing of new ideas as opposed to actively seeking a new role. Occasionally, there may be occasions when a client has a very confidential position which they do not wish to be overtly resourced by a recruiter; in such instances we will take a fully comprehensive job brief, research the industry and our database to identify who could potentially fulfil the role and then make a confidential approach on our client’s behalf. We are aware that this can be extremely sensitive so we manage it through methods such as speaking and meeting with the candidate outside of normal office hours which can, in exceptional cases, involve us speaking with them throughout the night if they are not based in the UK.
• Open Days – for exclusive recruitment projects where we are awarded sole supply status, we can offer a discounted range of fees for an Open Day recruiting service. This allows us to help the client recruit en masse, which means pitching the client’s raison d’etre in one event, interviewing in one event and obtaining feedback from that one event.

Q: Do you check references before you submit candidates?

In cases where a candidate is immediately available and looking for a temporary position then yes, absolutely.  Where we have any reason whatsoever to question the integrity or honesty of a given candidate then we would contact their referees to verify their character, qualifications or work history.

Q: Do you offer a reference checking service?

Where a candidate remains in the position where their referees are their current employer then we would refrain from taking a reference until a job offer had been made.  At this point we would offer the new employer details of the candidates’ referees and give them the choice whether to request the references themselves or for us to obtain on their behalf. We prefer to take the reference for them before the candidate beings a new role so that any issues are addressed before time is wasted.

Q: How do you maintain awareness and ensure adhesion to employment legislation?

Along with having corporate membership of our industry’s governing body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), our consultants are encouraged to take the REC’s individual study programmes and qualifications and indeed some have already attained full membership; these qualifications are very heavily focused on employment law and legislation. We have close links to local law firms, where we work closely with employment departments to run employment law seminars (reports on our blog). These law firms also provide us with immediate updates on any changes to employment law legislation. We pride ourselves on being Career Management Consultants and as such take an active interest in the business world and political and economic events and how these impact on our business, our clients’ businesses and our candidates’ careers.

Q: What is the retention rate of your recruiting staff?

Our retention rate is 87% over the past 12 month period. We are generally expanding organically.

Q: What incentive programs are in place to retain this staff as well as staff in other areas of your company?

• Commission – our staff are paid on fees generated.
• We award monetary bonuses for hitting individual and team targets.
• Car allowance is applicable when certain performance thresholds are met and exceeded.
• Company events – we socialise together, especially in charity events where we work together to fundraise.
• We tend to cook good food on site so that our staff eat well, which in turn promotes health and wellbeing generally.
• We provide immediate action when IT issues occur – other companies act slowly but we do not because we lose opportunities if we do not act quickly. This enables our staff to work more consistently and effectively.
• We invite commentary and ideas from our staff so it is a team effort and they are part of the whole process of helping us to operate the business.

Q: How does your company educate and train your staff?

• Our training is effectively done in two ways: “on the job” which we deliver in-house or external – ie utilising the training courses offered by our governing body (REC) or independent recruitment training professionals.
• “On the job” training begins with an introduction to HM including our company’s processes. As we recruit a combination of consultants with previous industry experience and those new to the recruitment profession, the specific job related training we give differs, but always concentrates on ensuring everyone works in an ethical manner and in accordance with employment and recruitment legislation.
• We have invested heavily in what is arguably the best recruitment database available. To ensure we utilise to its maximum effectiveness, all of our team are fully trained and receive regular OGT as systems enhancements are made.
• We are corporate members of the REC and encourage our consultants to study for individual REC qualifications: we feel this is vital within our profession and gives us added credence as business professionals.
• We see recruitment as a profession and not just a job and encourage our team to be credible business people: to achieve this it is vital that we are abreast of economic and business news as it affects our local area and the world as a whole.

Q: Describe your internal handover process should an account manager leave your company

• Your designated Account Manager would work closely with another support consultant within Hayden Marsh Recruitment.  When visiting your company, both consultants would attend so knowledge of your environment and practices is shared.  Cover is immediate when your main consultant has annual leave or is off unwell.  Should the Account Manager leave the company the support consultant would have the ability to manage the process and another consultant would be introduced to you so that cover would again be provided by two consultants.
• In the event of your Account Manager leaving our company, we would have a hand over meeting both at our offices and, if appropriate, with you directly. All final notes would be inputted onto our database to provide a closing statement. We would already have feedback on the effectiveness of that account manager from you, so we would hope that the leaving process was amicable and could therefore be managed as part of the natural ebb and flow of staff turnover. NB: we have a low staff turnover but we appreciate that people do leave roles for new pastures.

Q: In days, what is the average time you take to fill a position?

• This process can often depend on the seniority of the vacancy and the speed of feedback from our client.  It can take anywhere from 1 hour (a straight placement over the phone, usually for a temporary role with an immediate start) to 2 weeks including first and second interviews (usually for permanent placements). Anything longer than 2 weeks takes further management so that candidates don’t think adversely about the client and the potential role – managing expectation is crucial here.
• The above are averages – we have made a permanent placement in 1 day and, conversely, a permanent placement (of a Group Financial Director) which took 7 weeks to conclude.

Q: So how many of the new jobs you are given do you fill successfully?

• On average, we make between 13 and 30 permanent placements per month (based on monthly placement achievements that exceed probationary periods between October 2009 and 30th April 2010).
• On average, we place between 4 and 15 contracts a month – though we also recruit teams of IT contractors which can mean 30 contracts a week, every month, for a period of a 3 year agreements.
• We maintain an average of 130 temporary workers per week. (as of April 2010).
• In terms of permanent placements, we tend to achieve a 81% success rate on new jobs given to us.

Q: How do you track service performance, quality, candidate/client satisfaction and outcomes of recruitment assignments?

• Feedback is essential to all that we do; we ask our candidates and clients for their candid thoughts on our service delivery and whether we have met, exceeded or under delivered on their expectations. Basically, we need to know what we do well and more importantly, what we could do better, so we can address the latter.
• We ask for testimonial feedback from all clients and candidates when we have made a successful placement.
• We send out a Feedback Questionnaire to all clients and candidates when we have made a successful placement – we use the results of these questionnaires to assess any areas where we have not exceeded or met expectations.
• We use an agreed Service Level Agreement to track whether we met that agreement and assess where we need to improve if we have not met any part of the agreement whatsoever. We will then inform the client of any changes and improvements to our systems

Q: Describe the different types of technology that you use at HM?

• A database called Adapt which is an industry leading recruitment software program. This enables us to search and cross reference our customers, enabling us to provide a quicker and more professional service.
• Our own server – meaning that we cannot lose important data as it is all recorded and protected on site and off site.
• Company Blackberry’s – enabling our staff to respond to enquiries efficiently and, when necessary, out of hours.
• ISV training software for candidates covering various recruitment sectors.

Q: What tools do HM use to track performance and quality of the candidates you place during the rebate period and after?

It is imperative to us, not only from the financial implication but from the relationship management perspective, that we maintain regular contact with our client and the successful candidate once they have started their new role. We recognise that there may be occasions in the early weeks or months where possible areas arise. Sometimes, neither the candidate nor the client feels comfortable with addressing these directly as their relationship is still a new one and the confidence and trust is still being built; in our role as the third point in the candidate/client/consultant triangle, we are happy to broker such matters.  Effectively, our commitment to your satisfaction does not end on the day the candidate starts or the day your invoice payment clears in our bank account: we provide a relationship ‘aftercare’ service as a matter of course.  

Q: Can you provide two main testimonials?

Testimonial 1 - Sarah Westmoreland – HR Manager at Helen and Douglas House

“Hayden Marsh continually impressed me with their level of commitment and service.  They have delivered on what they promised and excelled in terms of professionalism. Upon meeting Zoe and Josianne, I was stuck by their positive and helpful approach. Zoe provided me with some excellent CVs and from her recommendations I was able to shortlist the candidate who would prove to be successful. I would certainly recommend Hayden marsh to any prospective employer and feel they offer excellent value for money.”

Testimonial 2  Julie Emery-Priest, Operations Director at P & L Software

“Hayden Marsh is a well run company with a no nonsense professionalism, Tamika has ensured from the first phone call that we received exceptional service from all the staff. She did need to come and visit our company to see what we did, but rather than a run of the mill time wasting effort that happens on nearly every occasion with other recruitment companies,  Tamika was interested and she cared from the outset that we wanted to give her company our business. We received a good choice of intelligent candidates with suitable personalities for our culture and work environment, and all could have worked for P & L.”

Have a look at our other testimonials.”

Tamika says: “The above interview is long but contains the very essence of who we are, what we do and how we do it. If you’ve got any questions or would like us to come and meet with you to discuss recruitment projects, please call me or the team on 01865 77 77 33 or email me here. Very best wishes for 2010 from us all here at Hayden Marsh Recruitment.”

tamika@haydenmarsh.co.uk