It’s an exciting time for the recruitment industry. Last year businesses grew by a massive 9.7% with agencies turning over £31.5bn. As more employers make use of contractors and profit margins on jobs increase, there are plenty of growth opportunities for new recruitment. Here are five ways you can transform your start-up into a global brand.
1. Establish a successful culture
Generally speaking, recruitment has a muddy reputation – but perception and reality are two very different things. Amanda McCulloch, the managing director of Thorpe Molloy Recruitment, believes that misconceptions about the work recruiters do perpetuates a stereotype that the job is cut-throat and massively demanding.
While that can be the case, McCulloch suggests that you create a supportive, inclusive culture by “setting the standard, improving each day and having some fun.” Ultimately, you want to create a workplace environment that is built on trust, leadership, first-class training and talented people. It’s all about “a shared commitment to constantly strive to be the best you can be.”
2. Incentivise your growth
One of the main reasons people are attracted to recruitment is the salary. As a start-up, it might seem difficult to compete with the big boys, but many companies offer a basic wage with the potential for unlimited commission tied to sales. You could couple this with incentives based on business growth and personal performance, encouraging your employees to help grow the company while building the rewarding, positive culture we talked about above.
3. Become a specialist
Here’s something you might not know. The fastest growing staffing agency in the world isn’t Hays or Reed. It’s Frank Recruitment Group, a niche recruitment firm whose head office is in Newcastle, England. The company focuses on super-niche sectors in the IT industry.
Each of the company’s six brands recruits for a high-growth product – whether that’s Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce, or the agency’s latest niche, NetSuite jobs. There’s a simple lesson to be learned here; be a specialist, not a generalist. If you’re looking ways to transform your recruitment startup, take a look at some examples, for example, Athona, who specializes in education recruitment and medical recruitment.
4. Understand your market
Making the leap from being a good agency to a great one is all about knowing your market. It’s important to build your knowledge for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it helps you stay ahead of the curve and predict industry trends.
Secondly, it adds value to your candidates and clients. In the world of LinkedIn search, many of the same candidates are available to your competitors – so knowing your product inside out could help swing the deal in your favour.
5. Demonstrate your dedication
Increasing your company’s visibility will be one of the biggest challenges you face as you grow. While it’s safe to say that great work gets you noticed, your marketing needs extra consideration if you’re looking to become a global brand.
Face-to-face marketing is always your best channel – especially in recruitment. Start by making sure you have a presence at the majority of events in your industry – whether that’s a conference, talk or user group.
Depending on your marketing budget you could even sponsor the events. Couple this with a data acquisition tool, such as a whitepaper or download targeted at your ideal candidate, and you have a winning formula that will lead you to the top.