Finance leaders share their experience with recruitment agencies
Watch senior finance leaders discuss how Robert Half helped them overcome hiring challenges, find exceptional finance talent and build lasting recruitment partnerships.
The interview
Could you introduce yourselves?
Roger Tattersall: My name is Roger Tattersall, and I’m the Managing Director at Kirkstall Brewery.
Laura Mansfield: I’m Laura Mansfield, Group Finance Director at Vp plc.
Kate Cooper: I’m Kate Cooper, CFO at the Institute of Directors.
In general, what is your impression of recruiters?
It is really mixed. I would say I have experienced both extremes and everything in between.
If you work with somebody and have a bad experience, that is it, you write them off and never work with them again.
What is important when choosing a recruiter?
Finding a recruiter, you can trust to act as a partner is important, both when you are a candidate and when you are an employer.
I really value the fact that Robert Half is so aware of the journey we have been on, the journey we are currently on and what we are looking for. That means its consultants can sell that story to candidates.
What do you want from a candidate shortlist?
I do not want to go through ten CVs. I simply want a shortlist containing two or three candidates.
That is all I want to do. I want to run a one-stage process, where possible, and I currently move through that process with a lot of pace because speed is so critical to us.
Why is it important to move quickly during recruitment?
The market moves quickly. Great candidates come along and disappear.
If there is a week between the first and second stages, you do not know what might happen during that week.
If we call back three days later and say, “Let’s put them in,” only to discover that they have gone, that reflects badly on us.
If you get candidates in front of you, do not let them leave until you have decided whether you want to hire them. Deep down, you know you will probably bring them back and ask the same questions again.
How does an established relationship of trust help?
That is where trust really comes in.
When you have built a relationship of trust with a recruiter over several years, you can trust them to find the right people and take away the burden of that first stage.
I trust Robert Half to find the right people at that stage, so I know the shortlist I receive is worth my time. I can invest that time in interviewing them, knowing that we are likely to find a good candidate.
How did Robert Half manage the recruitment process?
I was never bombarded with CVs.
Sometimes, it can feel as though you are paying somebody simply to send you a large number of CVs, leaving you to spend a lot of time reviewing them yourself.
What I received from Robert Half was a genuine end-to-end service. Its consultants vetted the candidates and really understood the requirements.
Every hire I have made through Robert Half has exceeded my expectations. I received everything I was promised and more.
What do you personally look for in a recruiter?
I look for someone I can get along with, but trust is probably the most important factor.
Other people will, of course, approach me, but Robert Half has always been my trusted adviser. I have used the company almost exclusively for all my career guidance to date.
How has Robert Half supported your professional development?
That is the great thing about the relationship, and it is something I have never had from anyone else.
Robert Half’s consultants take a genuine interest in my development and go through the journey with me, which helps me feel supported.
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