This month marks 18 successful years of dedicated recruitment solutions from Advantage.
The recruitment industry has changed immensely since we started in 1997, lets look at how so.
Technology
If an employer wished to attract applicants for a vacant position they would be limited to placing an advertisement in a local or in a national newspaper or magazine. There were no job boards, and no social media. Imagine a world without Monster and Reed? And Facebook? How did we survive?
As technology evolves so does the language we use, with new vocabulary being needed to describe the new means of communication. This new vocabulary would have been unimaginable a short 18 years ago. For example, can you imagine a Consultant of a recruitment agency in 1997 suggesting to an employer that they might send a quick email, text, a tweet, or that they might Skype them or link up with them on LinkedIn or Facebook?
Legislation and the Law
Amendments and additions to legislation and the law has had major implications for the recruitment industry in all stages of the sourcing and selection process. This could be seen in the type of Job Titles that were acceptable, the preparation of Job Descriptions and Person Specifications based on competencies required of applicants, the drafting of job advertisements, the CV short listing process, the drafting of interview questions, the documentation of interviews, the retention of interview records, and the feedback given to a candidate who has been not been shortlisted or who has not been offered a job they have applied for.
We’ve also had to adapt systems to incorporate the Agency Worker Regulations, Pensions, Holiday entitlements, the National Minimum Wage Act introduced in 1999 – keeping on top of these changes really has helped our business grow, often helping our clients with placing these systems into their own companies. We take pride in how committed we are to getting these changes right, providing a solid encompassing recruitment service to our clients.
The Recession
Of all the different work sectors, the recruitment industry was definitely one of the ones that got hit the hardest in this last and longest recession. Most recruitment activities were postponed or entirely avoided to reduce costs. Recruitment is always the first budget to be cut during a period of corporate belt-tightening (along with training and marketing). Fewer positions and more people searching for work was the painful bottom line.
It is interesting to look at how recruitment has changed over the past 18 years but it’s also equally as interesting to see how it will change over the next decade. With the speed of change increasing year by year – we don’t know what the next 18 years will bring, but we can promise the same level of commitment and service that has come to define our business and reputation.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of our success, customers, suppliers and our hard working staff, we truly appreciate your support and we very much look forward to another successful 18 years.
