Thursday, November 30th, 2017
In a recent conversation with one of our lovely clients, Mrs M, we were shocked to realise that we had known each other for over 15 years, as that was how long we have been helping her with her domestic recruitment.
We first dealt with her when her children were little, as we found her a nanny, we then found her a live-in housekeeper/nanny and now as her family have grown up, we have recently placed a daily housekeeper with her and have also found her a gardener/ handyman.
Mrs M told me that her husband refers to us as her “domestic HR manager” and I felt humbled and proud when she told me how much she trusts our judgment and the honest advice we offer regarding what she should be looking for.
She knows that we only have her and her family’s best interests at heart and that we will do our best and always go that extra mile, to find her what she is looking for.
Mrs M knows that we won’t waste her time sending her applicants who are unsuitable. We have a frank and open dialogue with each other at all times. She is easy to recruit for, as she trusts us to find the best person for her and is happy to listen and take on board our recommendations to make her vacancy appear more attractive to prospective candidates.
We don’t disappear once we have placed someone, as we are there, should she need us, to offer any back up or support that might be needed and she told me that this was one of the reasons why she always comes back to us.
Mrs M isn’t alone, as at Harris Recruitment, we aren’t just interested in helping our clients in that moment, we view all placements as an ongoing relationship between the agency and the client.
The same applies to the candidates that we place in jobs and this is testimony to the number of returning and referred experienced candidates that we work with.
Over the past 18+ years nothing makes us happier than when a client comes back to us again, either looking for a similar type of help or for something different or when they recommend us to their friends or colleagues. This shows us that we are doing something right and they have been pleased with the service we provide.
In the current climate, since the UK Government stopped the domestic worker visa entries in 2012, there is already a shortage of experienced domestic candidates and we have seen that the market has changed regarding the types of help still available. I can’t help but think that with Brexit on the not so distant horizon, attracting the right staff is going to be an ongoing challenge. However, given our wealth of experience, it’s a challenge that we are more than equipped for.
We feel blessed to have some really good working relationships with our clients, like Mrs M, and we hugely value their custom and look forward to continuing to work with them for many years to come.