When Phillip, an experienced data strategist, decided it was time for a new adventure, he turned to Robert Walters knowing first-hand their ability to place top talent into excellent roles. However, before his own career moves, Phillip initially worked with Robert Walters as a client, developing a long-lasting recruitment partnership with Mat Knutton (now director of Technology Recruitment at Robert Walters Manchester) for multiple recruitment projects at Swinton Insurance.
“Initially whilst at Swinton Insurance we were rebuilding an analytics team and required several permanent positions to be filled, plus a potential contract role”, Phillip reflects.
Covering both contract and permanent positions, Robert Walters recruiters Alex Taylor and Mat Knutton worked hard to understand exactly what Phillip’s team needed in order to find the best candidates for the jobs.
“I was quite new to owning the recruitment relationships but had dealt with recruiters before. I think the relationship approach made Robert Walters stand out against a lot of recruiters who see candidates as commodities.”
It was this relationship-based approach that ensured the team could delve into the role requirements and understand the type of candidate needed for the high-performance analytics team Phillip was building. Understanding the market and having on-the-ground insight into the expectations of candidates was crucial in finding the right fit.
“Robert Walters helped fill roles several times in the team. I think the main thing I took out of the relationship was it was an easy process for Robert Walters to understand the nature of the role and therefore the types of candidates required. This was key to uncovering the right people.”
Phillip’s existing relationship with Robert Walters formed the groundwork for his switch from client to candidate, where Mat supported Philip in his move to Vitality as Head of Analytics & CRM in 2017. The same communication and ease that Phillip experienced as a client also came into play when the time came for his own career move to Vitality.
As Phillip transitioned into roles at Vitality and then to The Modern Milkman, he continued to rely on Robert Walters to help him find the right talent, within budget. The projects were diverse, spanning different industries and requiring unique skill sets.
It was crucial to fully understand the specific skillsets a candidate would need to thrive in the roles Phillip needed to fill. Phillip praised “Mat's ability to communicate information relating to candidates over and above core skills which are common. Those things are as important when creating a team.”
Throughout his experiences Phillip put the successful hires down to “being able to get the role requirements across easily”, as well as having the processes to test candidates’ skillsets. Thanks to “the ability to build relationships at a client and candidate level”, Phillip has trusted Robert Walters to source top talent and help him build high-performance teams across multiple industries.
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