THE CLIENT
Arnold Hill & Co is a 5-Partner firm based near Embankment who have been established in excess of 100 years. They are a general practice firm offering a full spectrum of audit accounts and tax services to a wide range of client sectors. They pride themselves on a very hands-on and personal service which is tailored to the needs of the individual client.
THE CHALLENGE
I was faced with the prospect of filling two separate roles at the same time for different departments. Following a number of post-qualification departures, the audit department was in need of a strong Senior Auditor who could assist with the development of junior staff whilst leading small teams on audit site. The other vacancy was for a Business Services Assistant Manager following some restructuring in the outsourcing department. Both vacancies offer their own challenges but the Audit Senior, in particular, is an area of the market which is always extremely competitive.
OUR SOLUTION
The key to successfully filling a vacancy in a candidate short market is understanding both the clients needs and perhaps more importantly their offering in a very competitive marketplace. I arranged two separate meetings with the relevant people who would be the interviewers so I could gain a full brief of the requirements. Initially, I met with Billy Joel; Client Services Manager, Kelly Southby; Client Services Manager and Rachel Lafferty; Client Services Assistant Manager. What was particularly beneficial about this meeting was to meet with Rachel who is performing the same role as the vacancy. This enabled to me hear directly from the source the roles and responsibilities of the role. I then returned to meet with Caroline Clark and Sara Bennion; Audit Managers. Having already gained an idea of the wider business' culture and social aspect this allowed me more time to focus fully on their departmental strengths and needs. As this is one of the most active areas of the market, gaining an understanding of the sales points of a firm allowed me to really sell Arnold Hill & Co to candidates who often have 6 or 7 interviews booked in at a very early stage. Following these meetings I returned to the office and worked through an active and passive candidate shortlist and was able to fully brief all candidates on why to choose Arnold Hill & Co. I then narrowed down the shortlist to a select few candidates for interview, assisted them with interview tips and techniques and ultimately selected an excellent cross-section of the market that would be the right fit for Arnold Hill & Co.
THE RESULT
Following two rounds of interviews for both vacancies, I was able to successfully fill both roles within a matter of 2 weeks. "After initial contact with Pro- Finance, Callum and Rhian come to meet us face to face in our office to understand the candidates that would best suit our needs and team. From there on we received a good variety of potential CV’s in a timely fashion. Callum was always available whenever we had queries or interviews to be arranged. Would happily recommend their services to other firms.” – Billy Joel, Client Services Manager at Arnold Hill & Co.
