Simon Thomas
Brand and strategy director, Talent Works International
“Recruitment has many of the negative connotations of ‘getting bums on seats’, filling vacancies and delivering a process that is focused primarily on the interests of the hiring organisation and forgets the importance of the candidate experience. The transition to talent acquisition is a positive step towards recognising the increased sophistication needed to attract quality talent through managing an employer brand, recognising candidates as customers who need ‘caring for’ from initial contact through every touchpoint of the experience.”

Suzanne Burnett
Managing director, Castle Employment
“Like every industry, recruitment has its shady side, but it’s been my life for 20 years and I wouldn’t have had it any differently. Yes, I’ve had to compete with some people with seriously questionable ethics. But I’ve always taken a very simple view: if you work hard, if you’re honest, if you take a long-term view and you never do anything less than your best for your clients and candidates, you’ll be rewarded. Those basic values have sustained me – and they’ve helped me build a successful business.”

Mark Newman
Sales director, Rain Consultancy Group
“The negative image we recruiters have all experienced is borne out of bad practice and poor services. Educating both clients and candidates in a good quality, focused recruitment process is a constant challenge. We must remember you only recall the bad experiences you have in life, so it’s the responsibility of all quality professional recruiters to promote best practice to their clients and candidates to ensure they receive a value-added, measurable service built upon quality, trust and partnership. If we all embrace high standards of service, we can change a negative perception into a positive!”