Recruitment has benefited from a more professional outlook in recent years, according to Huxley Associates.

The firm, part of the SThree group, specialises in IT, banking, and finance and engineering. It says that recruitment has a much more professional approach now than it did just eight years ago.

Zoe Brent, operations director, told Recruiter that intelligent use of direct marketing had helped the industry adopt more strategic methods, as opposed to the “spray and pray” approach which mail-shotters used in the late-1990s.

“When I got into recruitment eight years ago, I don’t believe there was the focus on providing a professional, full-cycle service,” she said. “Today we are fastidious about our candidate and client relationships and truly provide a consultative service.”

Huxley Associates was set up 10 years ago by current SThree chief development officer Gary Elden.