recruitmentconsultant – Astute Financial

Even though the jobs market is at it’s busiest for years, and job boards abound with opportunities, it can be hard to actually speak to a recruitment consultant. Recruiters are busy people at the moment! So we thought we would explore this and ask, “How can you manage a successful relationship with your recruitment consultant?”

How do you break through to reach a consultant’s attention? Here at Astute this is such a common problem experienced by candidates before they come to us, that we wanted to share some key advice. We take every application seriously. Personal interaction with all our candidates is key to how we work.

However, in the recruitment industry if you are looking for a job one of the hardest things is actually being able to speak to a recruitment consultant let alone meet one (online or in person!). In today’s current skills shortage, with many recruiters pressured like never before to fill more live jobs than pre-pandemic, agreeing proper bespoke lines of communication for your specific situation is key. This avoids ‘telephone tag’ or WhatsApps being ignored.

It stops either the recruiter wrongly feeling that the candidate is uninterested in the job opportunity they are trying to reach them about and it stops the candidate from feeling frustrated at the lack of communication.

WhatsApp, Slack, email, and texts are all well and good, but to really build a proper recruiter/ candidate relationship – there is no substitute for the spontaneity of a real conversation. We would argue that the art of real conversations is a key attribute in the recruitment process, particularly as many finance professionals continue to have an agile office/ home working policy.

Its all about consistent, honest, open conversation and communication.

IMPORTANTLY: BE CHOOSY!

CHOOSE YOUR RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT/ RECRUITMENT AGENCY CAREFULLY!

Recruitment consultants all offer varied services for candidates; they can vary in the way they interact with their candidates, the type of clients they focus on, the geographies they cover and of course the specialisms they focus on. Look at the website, have they any accreditations? Have they won any business awards? What are their testimonials like from candidates and clients they have worked with? How string are their reviews on Google? Check them out on LinkedIn.

A really professional recruitment consultancy will have positive testimonials, great reviews on Google, and super testimonials.

We do! 😊

A bit biased, but we like to shout about what we do well.

Check out our 5* reviews from happy candidates and clients.

See What our candidates we have placed have to say about us

See What our clients have to say about us

Make sure you pick an agency that is aligned with your values, and what you are truly looking for. After all, your recruiter will be representing you and acting as your ambassador in the local employer market. You only want the best to represent you!

Remember it’s a partnership- both you and the consultant need to work together pro actively in order to reach the ultimate goal of securing you a new job. The measure of a good relationship is remembrance and re-occurrence over time; At Astute Recruitment we have had candidates contact us who we helped over a decade ago!

Here are a few words from our consultants….

‘It’s all about the partnership- It’s a two-way thing’

‘The best candidate relationships I have developed start with honesty right from the beginning with expectations clearly set from both sides at the outset’

‘Keep open and direct lines of communication in order to develop honest and collaborative partnerships with each individual candidate.’

Here we have listed some key tips to help you develop and manage a really solid relationship with your recruitment consultant.

Be CLEAR: –

About the specific job you want.
The areas you want to work in and contact relevant sector recruitment agencies accordingly.
Is career progression important to you? Tell the consultant!
What are the most important things you are looking for in the next job?
What are the best channels for quick communication with you throughout the recruitment process (texts/ emails/ WhatsApp)?
What minimum notice must you give?
Your availability for interview.
What areas do you need help with? (Interviews? Offer Management? CVs?).
How flexible can you be for meeting up/ online chat/ calls?
When is the best time to contact you about job opportunities?

Agreeing the above, will confer to the recruitment consultant that you are seriously looking for a new position and that you are ready to be fully active on the job market.

If you can show you are serious about looking for a job the recruitment consultant will take YOUR application seriously.

A consultant needs to know what you want. If you need advice or support be clear on this. If we know what our candidates need from us – we are only too happy to help!

Remember recruitment consultants WANT to find you a job but they are not mind readers.

Be REALISTIC:-

Salary expectations:- If you are a part qualified accountant you are not going to command as much salary as a fully qualified accountant. Yes – salaries are creeping up but be realistic!
Have a reasonable timeline to secure a new job.
Time Management: Interviews and preparation for interviews take time. Make sure you have built in time for the next few weeks to attend interviews, take calls and research companies pre-interview. If you are about to enter the busiest point of the year work wise, (year end anyone?) then now is not the time to also squeeze interviews in. The quality of interview you give could be compromised. Instead allocate a month when you know attending interviews/ do an online MS Teams or Zoom recruitment call will be easier for you!
Hours:- Can you do overtime on a regular basis if that’s key? Or do you need to be home by 5pm/ 6pm for dependants etc. Be upfront with the consultant on this and they can work with you to flag the most relevant opportunities with the right mix of flexible benefits.

Be RELIABLE:-

Keep in touch/ Regular Communication:- Return all calls/ messages /emails promptly.
Follow instructions!
Be punctual for interviews/ agreed meetings;
Provide feedback as agreed;

If you can be CLEAR, REALISTIC, and RELIABLE, congratulations! You will be a sought after candidate to any recruitment consultant and you can look forward to securing a new role soon!

Other blogs you may be interested in: –

Candidate Blogs

Do you know what time it is on you’re your career clock? Hints and tips to keep your career on track!

From Abacus to AI, why a career in accountancy is a great career choice!

What does it take to be a great Financial Director?

Client Blogs

Why its OK to talk about mental health at work. We discuss a new, free initiative available to East Midlands businesses

Why recruiting the right people at the right time is key for business success

Why good recruiters are like swans / How to hire the right candidate for your business!

If you would like to discuss anything regarding this article or any of our other articles, please email [email protected]

Good Recruiters are like swans. Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the way our legs are kicking madly under the water! Clients do need to realise that there is a lot of work that proper professional recruiters do behind the scenes though!

Take client 1. Long-standing, and currently we are on an exclusive recruitment campaign to hire two permanent qualified accountants and appoint for a 12 month maternity leave Qualified Accountancy role for them. Open, regular dialogue with the hiring line managers as to our headhunting progress, ongoing guidance on the salary budget, and whether the annual salary for the roles is accurate market rate to entice the ideal profile of the candidate.

This strategy of clear communication and collaborative recruitment partnership means that we can achieve near 100% CV sent to interview requested ratio.

The client knows that for every single applicant forwarded to them, our team will have already contacted and reached out to many, many more potential candidates that did not make the grade. When headhunting, we will investigate if they are looking for a role, and challenge the candidates on their aspirations, technical financial skillset for these particular finance roles and ‘team fit’ to see if they align with our client’s employee value proposition and ethics.

Our client knows that one CV in their inbox could have meant many man hours in the background, skilfully interviewing and deep diving into potential candidates’ skills, experience, and career/ life aspirations.

The result? A seamless process whereby quality interviews take place, with smooth, transparent communication and honest, constructive feedback the whole way through.

Our client benefits from one agency acting as a true ambassador for their brilliant finance teams, with a justified expectation of quality not quantity of applicant.

Our candidates benefit from a targeted search that takes their aspirations AND their accountancy skills into account.

This is a recruitment partnership that has lasted many years.

Client 2/

A qualified accountant with specific industry sector background and key system skills was urgently required. Our client needed an incredibly quick turnaround and wanted to conduct interviews and ideally offer a suitable candidate within a week. The job was taken at 2pm on a Friday.

The consultant worked hard.

Very hard.

Conversations were had with over 100 potential candidates – most calls lasting 20 minutes, up to an hour.

The result? 4 x CVs were in our client’s inbox for Monday morning.

All were interviewed, one person was offered the role straight away with just a few days.

Scroll forward.

A friendly phone call to follow up as our bill was unpaid.

Why?

Our candidate was still in post – and very happy in the role. His boss was equally happy.

The reason for the bill not being was that they did not believe that we had ‘worked hard enough on the role. They felt that just a couple of quick calls were made and that was it so expected a reduction in our fee as a result. They had not realised all the man-hours and dedicated time sourcing and speaking to potential candidates behind the scenes.

This is why Good Recruiters are like swans.

Clients and candidates should experience a smooth, calm recruitment process, and not see the hard work going on beneath the surface.

They should understand that there is a lot of work going on out of sight, to make that process seamless and smooth.

Good employees are also S.W.A.N.s too!

The SWAN formula is an acronym created by an executive recruiter, John Swan, and is a very useful tool to improve candidate selection processes.

Four Simple Letters: S. W. A. N.

SMART. Always look to recruit intelligent, smart people into your business/ team. But how can you measure the intelligence of a candidate? The answer is simple. Questions! Intelligent people tend to be more curious than average people.

Successful people are smart, especially when it comes to the skills and competencies required for their specific job. This is what Jim Collins meant in his business classic, Good to Great, when he wrote about “getting the right people in the right seats on the bus.” People who have a gift for their particular job tend to work faster, make fewer mistakes, and are far more productive.

WORKS HARD. When recruiting, look for people who are willing to work hard and who have backgrounds and achievements that show how they have gone the extra mile and exceeded expectations. As we emerge from the pandemic, employers need staff who don’t just work lots of hours. Instead they want employees who can work smarter and handle their workloads to deadlines. The years of presenteeism are fading away and rightly so.

People who actually want to “work hard” are more successful at their jobs. The basic rule is that “people don’t change.” A person who is unaccustomed to hard work is not suddenly going to transform under your supervision.

AMBITION. An excellent candidate is someone who wants to move ahead in life. Ambitious people are willing and eager to take additional training; they are already reading and studying and seeking opportunities to grow, both personally and professionally. They value continuous improvement and genuinely want to be the very best they can be.

This is not about only selecting candidates who want to be the FD of a Plc. It is the ambition to be the best at whatever level they are working at and the willingness to learn/ read/ train to become the best.

Candidates should be “ambitious” and able to demonstrate to you why they want this particular job.

We love this quote by Steve Miles, Vice Chairman of Heidrick & Struggles; “Don’t seek a flame-chaser, find people who are anxious to be effective and ambitious about this assignment, not some future promotion or benefit. They have to live for today in that job, not chase the flame of future possibilities.”

NICE. The likability of the candidate is a critical factor. Where this quality was once mainly prized in customer service/ public facing jobs, being ‘kind’ is a highly valued strength in people applying for all levels of employment and professions. Whether in finance, accountancy, or other professions, employers are looking for people who they can work with and who can share and believe in their team values, and who they like. Team fit is one of the most consistently important attributes that our clients are looking for.

When we say “nice,” we mean people who are cheerful, positive, easy to get along with, and supportive of others. They fit within the culture of your organisation. Their beliefs are in alignment with your values and the customers your organisation serves.

In the final analysis, your ability to pick the right people for your team is the key to motivation. You cannot hire the wrong people and then expect to motivate them to be excellent performers for your team. You need to look hard for your ‘A’ players, or use an ‘astute’ recruitment expert who can do a thorough search for you!

The saying, ‘measure twice, cut once’ is particularly true in the world of recruitment.

Other blogs you may be interested in: –

Candidate Blogs

Do you know what time it is on you’re your career clock? Hints and tips to keep your career on track!
From Abacus to Ai, why a career in accountancy is a great career choice!
What does it take to be a great Financial Director?

Client Blogs

Why its OK to talk about mental health at work. We discuss a new, free initiative available to East Midlands businesses
Why recruiting the right people at the right time is key for business success
Why good recruiters are like swans / How to hire the right candidate for your business!

If you would like to discuss anything regarding this article or any of our other articles, please email [email protected]

Recruitment is a funny old game.

No two days are ever the same!

From arranging interviews, and sourcing jobs,

To building confidence, coaxing pre-interview nerves to stop!

Earlier today, a young chap called back

Relaying his interview feedback

He’s really keen and thanked me for the interview prep

He really wants our job and hopes he gets to the next step!

Then a qualified temp role to recruit, we needed CVs!

Onto the phones to drum up great interviewees 😊

A few calls later, we have a stellar candidate

Our client loved the profile, ‘Can they start on Monday around 8?

Then its onto reference checks,

Its important to ensure our candidate’s skills meet our client’s specs

Now to cover for a dear colleague whose very ill,

Ensuring continuity for their clients with their jobs we’re trying to fill.

Everyone is lovely and wishes our colleague all the best

So they can return soon, after having lots of rest (heart emoji)

Now its near home time for us in the office, the rest are WFH

Some are on annual leave, having a well deserved break from the phone!

Whether you’re a trainee recruiter, or a managing consultant

Recruitment is a helter-skelter, helping those needing a new move to those made redundant.

The ability to help guide those starting their finance careers

As well as to help FD’s and CFOs recruit amongst their peers

So if you’re looking for a brilliant new accountancy recruiter

Call our amazing, happy team – we really are ‘astuter’ 😊

With flexible working, and happy team vibe,

Your career in our family will really develop and thrive!

We are a multi-award winning and rapidly growing accountancy recruitment consultancy. We are recruiting for several opportunities, from Trainee Consultants to experienced Senior Consultants and Managers.

If you are looking for a genuinely original, caring, and fun team, who value integrity and honesty above all else, pop an email to Mary Maguire or Sarah Stevenson.

They will be delighted to arrange a confidential time to talk to you about what we can offer.

Remember: –

If you need to recruit

Call our team at Astute!

A change in your career is always a critical decision to make. Especially within the world of recruitment. If you are a successful consultant, why would you want to move from your existing employer and team?

It could be that due to a change in circumstance you are looking for more of a work/ life balance, and an employer who knows that if you need to leave early you will make up the time on another occasion.

It may be that post-pandemic and lockdowns, your leadership team are placing unrealistic targets and pressures on you to harass your clients and candidates to ‘force’ a win, rather than allowing the natural flow of a recruitment process preferred by hiring managers and job applicants.

Perhaps you are feeling dissatisfied with the culture and team where you are working. The ‘fun’, ‘banter’ and ‘excitement’ of working in a passionate team seems to have gone missing?

Astute Recruitment Ltd was set up by two friends, and former colleagues, Sarah Stevenson and Mary Maguire, who happened to share a passionate belief that candidates and clients should be treated equally and fairly, but so should the recruitment consultants and teams representing those candidates and clients.

They wanted to demonstrate to a wider audience that there are professional recruitment specialists in the world of accountancy recruitment who value people and integrity more than just a ‘quick fee’. Their passion for recruitment saw Astute Recruitment Ltd progress from a small, unknown agency to become one of the top ‘go to’ financial recruitment specialists in the East Midlands. Unrivalled with over 15 business awards, and currently finalists in the East Midlands Chamber ‘Enterprising Women’s Awards’ Team of the Year category – they could have another award win under their belts in October!

Established nearly 12 years ago, Astute has enabled numerous consultants to train from entry level roles in the business and to go onto secure several promotions. None more so than Sarah-Louise Wykes. Sarah-Louise started at Astute following a successful career in accountancy and began her career at Astute as a Trainee Recruitment Consultant. In 4 short years she was promoted 3 times to become Associate Director. Earlier in 2021, Sarah and Mary were delighted to reward all Sarah-Louise’s hard work officially making Sarah-Louise a Director!

Your future career options at Astute are neatly displayed below in an infographic.

The pandemic has taught many of us that in life you cannot take anything for granted. It has changed the working lives and work/life balance between the office and home, perhaps forever. Never has there been a more exciting time for a recruitment company to really harness true partnerships within the business communities through trust and integrity. Those are the values that set Astute above and beyond more national, impersonal agencies. They take the time to provide the ‘human touch’.

Through established recruitment relationships spanning two decades – Astute Recruitment’s owners have been able to maintain these friendships and increase their market share considerably in the last 2 years.

Now, as businesses have learned to navigate remote and agile working practices, Astute are in a position to grow their teams further and expand at what is a really exciting moment for the company.

Sarah had this to say, “Mary and I are really excited to resume our plans for growth after having to put our strategy on hold during 2020. We are looking for like-minded recruitment professionals or for trainees who are keen to get involved, learn and develop in the recruitment sector. Maybe like Sarah-Louise they can also aspire to promotions and future growth too!”

So if you value working as part of a collaborative, winning team who want to have fun but also work hard – why not contact Sarah Stevenson or Mary Maguire and they will be delighted to have confidential meeting or conversation with you.

CIMA and all the professional Accountancy bodies including the ACA/ ICAEW and ACCA and AAT are working hard to ensure that their members have access to useful training courses. At this unprecedented time, we feel that this is great for all qualified or studying accountants to keep motivated, keep challenged and keep growing!

Yes we know things are hard, but we will emerge from this and for those in the finance and accounting professions, it has never been more important to ensure you are up to date with the latest advice and information.

Something to keep your mind active.

Some useful links are below for your convenience…

Click HERE to access CIMA’s latest free online activities for their students and qualified accountants to access while self-isolating or remote working.

Click HERE to access the ACCA’s portal for training, information and more.

Click HERE to access the ICAEW’s website and view their latest tips and advice to their accountancy students and members.

Click HERE to access the latest news from the AAT for all their accountancy and finance students.

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Mike

16:04 13 Mar 23

Highly recommended! Josh and Sarah have been fantastic at Astute. They've found and placed me in 2 jobs now between them, both really responsive and excellent at keeping you up to speed with things. Very knowledgable about the roles and happy to talk to companies with any queries you have.

C R.

10:45 27 Jan 23

Great agency one of the best ones I've worked with! Liz has been a great help and support in helping me towards a new direction in my career life. She is very attentive and keeps me in the loop at all times! She makes the extra effort to work with my preferred requirements for work and even if it isn't completely attainable she meets me in the middle and does as much as she can to help! Also Liz is very funny might I add 😂 and I'm happy that I can now put a face to the name after all these years! Thank you again Liz for all your help and support! 😊

Christine

10:32 20 Dec 22

Josh and the Astute team was very swift to help me to find roles that matched my profile. They are really reliable and will help through every step of the recruitment process going out of their way to assist and follow up when needed. Could not find a better recruitment agency!

Helen Pinegar

16:19 18 Dec 22

Fantastic recruitment agency.. Josh was extremely enthusiastic, encouraging and clearly knowledgeable about what was needed from both the employee and the employers point of view. Extremely supportive especially in regards to interview preparation and endeavoured to procure feedback promptly. Wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Astute in the future to both candidates and recruiting businesses particularly for the right fit for the role!!!

Lisa Leigh

11:56 30 Nov 22

I have worked as a candidate for Astute and they have been excellent. Super friendly service and professional agents keen to fit the right person to the right job. It has been a pleasure dealing with them and I would happily work for them again in the future. Highly recommend this agency.