We speak to Louise Read

HR Director at RML Group

How did you hear about Warner Recruitment and what attracted you to work with them?

We normally use recruitment agencies for engineering posts, but in the past we have had some challenging experiences with engaging with new agencies. I first heard about Warner Recuitment at a talk I attended about attraction and retention of candidates. Julie Warner was speaking at the event and I was instantly drawn to her enthusiasm and obviously clear knowledge of the recruitment industry.

I didn't have any vacancies at that time, but I just thought what a lovely bubbly person she is. I had it in the back of my mind that if we had any Finance & Accounting recruitment in the future, I would want to get in contact with her and then, funnily enough, a few months later we did.

Before contacting Warner Recruitment, what challenges were you facing in
Finance & Accounting recruitment?

We sometimes find it difficult to compete with the bigger businesses in the industry, in terms of the package that they can offer. So whilst sometimes you try to source candidates directly, you need recruitment agencies to delve deeper for those really really good passive candidates, and try to engage with them and get them interested in your brand. For us as well, I think it's also about finding the right people that will fit within our team.

We want diversification, it goes without saying, but they need to share our values. We're not a big company, so every single person really matters, their contribution really matters. It's finding that right person who's almost got that Motosport mentality in terms of; "I'll do anything to get it on the grid".

Due to the Finance Director leaving and our Finance Manager going on maternity leave, there was a potential for our Finance team to really struggle, but that's when I reached out to Warner Recruitment for help.

Can you describe the recruitment process facilitated by Warner Recruitment?

The overall recruitment process has been fantastic. We set up our first meeting and they visited our site and met with our hiring managers and myself. They wanted to get a proper tour around the site to get a real feel for us as a business and the department that the new candidates would be working in.

I think that makes a real difference because they don't just understand the role, they understand you and what will work and why within the business. They went away and quickly got back to us with ideas of what we needed, to make sure that we're all on the same page.

Sometimes, Finance and Accounting roles don't look very exciting on paper. But Julie created a video on site, which is great to watch. Julie, her enthusiasm and showing snippets of RML behind the scenes just brought the roles to life.

When you start showcasing the different cars we manufacture in the background, all of a sudden it's like, wow, that looks great! The video was sent out on LinkedIn and via eMail to their current pool of candidates and we were quickly given a shortlist.

Something that really stood out to us was that Julie attended the interviews we were conducting on site, to meet with the candidates beforehand. For candidate experience, that's just amazing. They've got that continuity with Julie and that support right through the interview process.

How impressed were you with the quality of candidates initially presented?

We much prefer quality over quantity and they understood that brief totally.

They initially presented us with quite a few potential candidates, but helped us narrow it down, even with some of the temporary roles where we've needed someone really quick. They sent me quite a few CV's, but then said, "we think this one, two or three are a great fit for your business" always talking us through each candidate, which has been really helpful.

How quickly were you able to fill the open positions?

Obviously permanent roles take slightly longer, due to the overall recruitment process, but some of the temporary roles we had open were filled on the same day. Warner have good relationships with people and can give us great candidates that start the very next day.

Have the candidates presented met or exceeded your expectations?

Yes, definitely. The Accounts Payable temp we took on has just been offered a permanent role. She's been so brilliant. Above and beyond anything we expected in terms of skills and right fit. The other temprorary candidates Warner Recruitment have placed always settled in well and get on with the job at hand.