NES has hit back at the results of a recent survey by the Association for Consultancy and Engineering, in which the work of recruitment agencies was strongly criticised.
The company, which places white-collar engineering personnel worldwide, has highlighted the professionalism of reputable agencies, who are viewed as an integral part of the supply chain by their clients.
“Of course, as with any business sector, there are varying levels of quality between different organisations,” says Mark Tully, chief operating officer, NES UK. “We have always been able to differentiate ourselves from our competitors through consistently delivering an exceptional level of service to the people we work with,” he insists.
“We have been supporting our clients in their quest to tackle the skills shortage, employing immigration advisors to manage our Foreign National Candidate pipeline, where suitably skilled and experienced candidates are sourced from a global talent pool,” Mark adds.
Russ Harding, projects director for engineering consultancy, Manrochem has been working with NES for five years: “The REC are right to state that people who are unhappy with their recruitment agency are more likely to have participated in this survey. Well, I am happy and I am in no doubt as to why this is the case:
“What you get out of your recruitment agency is determined by what you put in. If you implement a ‘shot-gun’ approach, providing lots of agencies with a half-hearted attempt at a job specification, you cannot expect to attract the perfect applicant. It really is that simple.
“I have taken the time to get to know my agency; I provide comprehensive job specifications with every vacancy and combine this with a couple of meetings each year to discuss our likely future requirements. Making the hiring process personal is the key, even under current market conditions,” Russ concludes.
