My Birthday Wish........
6 years ago today I set up Winhurst Recruitment. And for some of you that have read previous blogs, you will know I named my business after my beloved Nana. Born December 1899 and died January 2001. Living in 3 different centuries makes someone pretty phenomenal in anybody’s eyes and I hoped by starting a business named after her, my business would have a sprinkle of that phenomenal-ness. 1st April 2014, I didn’t really have a business plan, I just knew I was fed up of the corporate world and had enough connections and knowhow to give it a go myself. Years 1 – 4 were fab, growing year on year, Y5 brought the introduction of GDPR which derailed my concentration slightly. Y6 I had a bucket full of phenomenal from my Nana and then it all went a bit wrong. Throw in a general election, the dreaded B word and now the dreaded C word…….aggggghhhhh! Recruitment won’t be moving much over the next few months, nothing will be and in the last 7 days of lockdown I feel like I’ve been very efficient and have gone through the 7 stages of grief, coming out the other side. This Limited business that I own won’t get any help (or very little) from the Government but this business WILL survive. I will ensure that it will survive as I am a fixer. A very frustrated fixer at the moment because there is very little I can fix. I just have to sit tight and wait for the storm to pass.
So, what is my birthday wish? It’s quite simple. I wish that every recruiting manager, when we’re on the other side, thinks twice about who they ask to help with recruitment when that time finally comes. There are 2 options put bluntly.
1) Ask who you’ve always asked to do the recruitment. Possibly a large recruitment company with a large database that can provide CV’s in a drop of a hat. Who have had a hand out from their government, who has managed to furlough staff, who has drawn upon the big pots of cash that they usually put aside of annual conferences, for quarterly piss ups to celebrate how amazing their staff are, who churn over staff and are really worried about how they’re going to hit their KPI’s over the next few months.
OR
2) An independent recruiter who has clung on with every fibre in their body, with no help from the government. Who has drawn upon person savings to make it through, who has had to cancel pension payments, who has taken mortgage holidays, who gets up at 5.30am in the hope that they can get an online delivery slot for vulnerable parents living in the middle of nowhere. A recruiter who may not have 6 CV’s on your desk within a few days but will have 2 – 3 amazing candidates on your desk, (I should clarify here, CV’s of candidates, you won’t come back to your desk and find 3 people actually balanced on your desk like some random Generation Game show!) all of which you’ll want to interview. A recruiter who pays all their taxes, has never claimed a penny from the government in their life and to get through the next few months, has signed up to the NHS volunteering scheme as yes, I am a fixer and I can’t sit and do nothing. I have to help.
I absolutely wish that every single HR professional and every single hiring manager learns from this horrific time that we’re all going through, and they chose their partner in recruitment with their heart. Because my heart is bulging with pride for what I’ve achieved over the last 6 years and I really want to be sat here in a years’ time celebrating Winhurst Recruitments 7th Birthday. Thank you, stay safe, look after yourself and each other, and I’m sure I can have cake for breakfast….well it is my birthday after all!
Please sign this to help my business and other businesses who are in the same situation. Thank you.
Email: jo@winhurstrecruitment.co.uk
Tel: 0115 972 6513
@winhurstrec