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t’s fair to say that recruitment in the technology sector has faced a few tough years. A sluggish economy often reduces the investment made in new software and platforms, companies try to keep their systems going rather than upgrading to new technology, and budgets become tighter.
Vector however has continued to thrive, and their success is recognised for the third year in a row, as the company has just achieved top ranking for IT and technology in the Recruiter HOT 100. Donna Medway, Vector’s CEO, is delighted, especially in such a highly competitive market. “Technology is such a broad category, covering roles ranging from first line support and service desk analysts right up to interim IT Directors, and everything in between – that’s what makes me so proud, as it is a difficult category to retain. The market is very fast moving, and our business is predominantly focused on contractors.” Donna believes their success is all about the people. “We couldn’t sustain our performance without the investments that we have made both in our people and Vector Live, our bespoke system built to support our unique approach to recruitment”.
Vector is passionate about developing their staff. New members of the team generally start in the resourcing team, and go through rigorous training that has been fine-tuned over the years, as they learn to become recruitment consultants. A Vector consultant has been through a lot by the time they have their own portfolio – they manage their own business, their own requirements, and their own contractors and candidates. Vector Live continues to be developed to ensure that as much as possible can be automated throughout the recruitment and contracting process. This means resources are focused on handling roles, rather than on admin. 18 years on, the company is very different from its humble beginnings. Now in three locations, the management team have been able to identify opportunities to unlock the potential in new markets, bringing their unique approach to develop regional businesses and talent. The latest addition is an office in East Anglia, managed by Emily Coombs. Emily has been with Vector for over 9 years and has been running a highly successful team covering retail, leisure and travel. This new challenge will continue to build on the success of the South West office, focusing on developing the local market. “As specialists in technical recruitment, we are bringing something unique to this area. No one else is doing that – and yet it’s such an exciting time in the area, with a real boom in technology companies. We have some big names here, but IT in general is growing. We are building new partnerships with regional businesses, and we have a constant flow of new referrals of contractors and candidates too – I think we really have a great formula for success”. Vector has already seen the benefits in supporting a region, and Emily is keen to make sure that local people are getting the right roles. “Finding local talent is a win-win for the companies here – the benefits are felt by the clients, contractors and candidates”. What underpins Vector’s success is their rigorous approach to the recruitment process. Each role is carefully screened before it is worked on – every new
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE specification received is reviewed both by a resourcing manager and Wayne Starritt, Sales Director. “We want to know that any role we take on is a role we can fill. Once a job is on our system, a dedicated team of resourcers will work on it, interviewing each contractor or candidate before putting them in front of the recruitment consultant managing the role, who will then interview them again. “This means that when we put someone forward to a client, we really know they are the right person. And our contractors and candidates know that each role is a real one, and that we aren’t just fishing in the market to see who is out there. Our quality procedures mean that we take on fewer roles, as we won’t work on anything unless we can actually have control over the whole process. We are experts in recruitment, so our clients can trust us to deliver, consistently and efficiently. Everyone is looking to achieve the same thing – the client wants the role to be filled, the contractor or candidate wants the job, and we in turn want them to have the job.” I
EXPERT TECHNOLOGY RECRUITMENT
Tel 01892 771447 Email info@vector-uk.com www.vector-uk.com
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