THE CLIENT
Simmons Gainsford is a Top 50 accountancy firm that offers problem-solving skills and lateral thinking that will make a positive contribution to the success of their clients. They offer knowledge, inspiration and guidance to assist their clients with attaining their goals.
THE CHALLENGE
This process was driven by a candidate that we registered who lives in Ashford by the name of Jason. The candidate in question had been demotivated by an appointment above him that meant his progression opportunities were seriously limited. The challenge was that the market in Ashford doesn’t have too much in the way of opportunities, and so London was the next viable option. This meant Jason would have to cycle to the train station, take the Ashford International line into London, and new opportunities would have to be relatively easy to get to from Kings Cross. This was something he hadn’t done before, having worked exclusively in Ashford for the entirety of his career to date.
OUR SOLUTION
The solution was to create a shortlist of clients that were easily commutable from Ashford, offered clear progression prospects and would be the right fit for Jason personally. Working out potential travel routes for every firm within 30 minutes of Kings Cross brought up a few names that we felt would be a good fit personality and experience wise for the candidate. We started to look at which ones were actively recruiting for someone like Jason, and which ones we would have to call to gauge interest from. Simmons Gainsford was one of the firms that were actively recruiting for an Assistant Manager in their accounts department. After discussing the role and firm in depth with Jason, he agreed that it would be a great place to approach on his behalf, and shortly after we approached them they requested an initial meeting.
THE RESULT
Following on from the first meeting, the feedback was positive from both sides and everyone involved felt it was the right culture and experience fit for both parties. Jason met the requirements and got on well with everyone he met, and even though Jason’s experience had been with different clients than Simmons Gainsford deals with, they felt that he could tackle the steep learning curve head on, and be a success. This led to the second stage meeting being requested, which again went incredibly well and shortly after the interview ended Simmons Gainsford reached out to extend an offer. The offer was structured to cover the extra travel costs that Jason hadn’t been used to and included a season ticket loan to ease the burden of travel costs from day one. It also reflected the difference in pay scales between London and regional firms, and Jason was extremely happy with the offer so he accepted and we set a start date for three months later.
FOLLOW UP
After a few weeks of working at Simmons Gainsford, Jason and I met for lunch to discuss how he was settling in. I was happy to hear that he was really enjoying the role and he was fitting into the team very well. It was also nice to hear that the commute wasn’t an issue at all, and he actually quite enjoyed the time on the train in the morning as it gave him time to relax on his way into the office. The work we put into calculating potential routes for Jason had paid off, and I’m happy to see his first role in London is going well. “I am thoroughly happy with the service provided by Pro-Finance during my recent job search, and cannot recommend them enough for their advice and candidate care. They took the time to really understand what I was looking for in my next role, and took into account all my long term career goals and reasons for leaving. They were thorough and targeted in their search, and ensured that opportunities were all located within a manageable journey, as this would be my first role in London travelling in from Kent. They prepared me fully before each stage of the interview process, were in constant contact at all times, and constantly provided me with invaluable advice and market insight. I now work for a Top 50 UK accounting firm that meets all of the criteria I set out to achieve in my job search, and this is down to Pro-Finance exhibiting exactly what Recruitment Consultants should be- Friendly, professional and knowledgeable.” - Jason Bigg, Audit Assistant Manager, Simmons Gainsford LLP.
