THE CLIENT
Hanburys is an established firm of Chartered Certified Accountants with a headcount of twenty based in St Albans. They provide a wide range of accountancy, audit and taxation services to a diverse mix of individuals, partnerships and companies.
THE CHALLENGE
When the firm’s long-serving Accounts Manager handed in their notice, they knew that finding the right replacement was business critical. They also appreciated that with only a one month notice period in which to find a replacement, this was a time-critical situation requiring immediate attention! Hanburys provided us with a full brief on the role and an outline of the ideal candidate. They also explained that given the pivotal nature of the role, it would be necessary for candidates to meet all four Directors across a two-stage interview process – thankfully they were willing to be flexible on times including outside of working hours. With London’s ‘bright lights’ and enhanced salary packages pulling many local candidates into the city, the challenge was finding someone with the required skills to work locally.
OUR SOLUTION
Utilising our extensive database of active and passive candidates allied to a tactical advertising campaign via specialist job boards and other social platforms a ‘longlist’ of prospects started to take shape. Potential candidates were then exhaustively screened and a ‘shortlist’ of three submitted to the client – all within the space of just three days! Hanburys were delighted with the shortlist and interviews were duly arranged.
THE RESULT
As is often the case in a candidate short market, Hanburys preferred candidate was also pursuing other options, one of which he was subsequently offered. By managing the offer process effectively and highlighting the pivotal nature of the role and the long-term opportunities for progression Pro-Finance secured the candidate’s acceptance and his resignation from his current position within 24 hours of the offer being made.
FOLLOW UP
Appreciating that timescales would not allow for an effective handover we arranged for the successful candidate to spend a day ‘shadowing’ the present incumbent prior to joining Hanburys – an initiative which not only served to reaffirm that he had made the right choice but also ensured that his first day in the post was much less nerve-racking! We are of course delighted to report that both Hanburys and the successful candidate are delighted with their choice – and grateful for the role that Pro-Finance played in introducing them to each other!
