HR team’s recruitment recipe is proving a disruptor for hiring sector

Recruitment is being turned on its head by a Swindon company better known for its expertise in HR.

The team at the HR Dept launched their Agile Recruitment service in response to demand from clients who were looking for support in seeking out talented new employees.

But thanks to an innovative and cost-effective model, which is disrupting traditional practices, more and more companies are turning to the HR Dept for recruitment expertise. Some are existing HR clients, but a number are just tapping into the recruitment service.

Instead of charging a fee based on the percentage of the salary attached to a vacancy, clients can set their own budget and are charged based on time taken. This means, the recruitment fee is far lower.

“The normal practice is for a recruiter to charge a placement fee,” said Geri Hardy, an experienced recruitment professional who was taken on to head up Agile Recruitment at the HR Dept Swindon and its sister company in London.

“Our clients can set their own budget, which means we are then able to place candidates using a model which is much less costly than traditional recruitment agencies. We don’t work on placement fees, but typically our fee equates to, on average, 6% of a salary compared to anything from 15% to 25% charged by traditional recruiters.”

Geri, who is supported by fellow recruiter Laura Fairbridge, added: “We have all the tools that recruitment companies use, yet our service is completely different. Our partnership approach to recruitment, which started as a response to a request from some of our clients, is proving incredibly successful.”

Where Geri and Laura are recruiting for multiple similar roles – such as in the case of a newly opened London hospitality venue – the savings are even greater, compared to the traditional model.

The added benefit for clients is as well as accessing an experienced recruitment team, they can have confidence that employment law is being followed, thanks to the company’s HR expertise.

Geri said clients can pick the level of recruitment support they require. “Some may want support with coordinating their processes in line with best practice, while others may want us to help with the entire process, from sourcing candidates, to interviews, to onboarding.”

Already using the HR Dept’s Agile Recruiter is Lulu Crosthwaite-Eyre, of Cygnus Instruments, who commented: “I highly recommend working with Geri and Laura. They are highly proactive, open, friendly, empathetic, and refreshingly cost effective. We feel they really understand our company culture, and this has led to great recruitment success.”

The HR Dept’s Agile Recruitment service is attracting clients in sectors across the board, including innovation, sales, engineering, hospitality, manufacturing, finance and not for profits. Many are returning time and again, whenever they have vacancies to fill – some 80% is repeat business.

Geri added: “We fill all levels of roles, including six-figure salaries. Just as our HR clients regard us as their inhouse team, so we use the same model for our recruitment clients.”

To find out more about the HR Dept’s recruitment service, email [email protected] or call Geri on 01793 683 398. For more information about the HR Dept Swindon, North Wiltshire and East Cotswolds, visit https://www.hrdept.co.uk/swindon-north-wiltshire-east-cotswolds/.