Recruitment firm still making headway through personal service

THE changing of the guard at Saltaire-based Headway Recruitment took place in 2011 when Mark Gill bought out his father who had launched the business around 30 years earlier.

David Gill moved back to his native Yorkshire in 1980 to branch out on his own after working for a Manchester recruitment agency. The business started by sourcing both temporary and permanent office and secretarial staff.

Headway started in Leeds and added a Bradford office on Duke Street in 1988.

Managing director Mark Gill joined the family business 11 years ago after working for a global recruitment group followed by a stint as a corporate head hunter.

Since taking over the reins, Mark has set about modernising the business to keep Headway up to speed with current trends to drive the business forward.

Mark said: "Recruitment is a very competitive field so it's vital that we keep up with and adopt the latest office technology and adapt to the needs of client companies.

"We have moved a long way from the days when employers were looking to hire secretaries and copy typists. Instead, businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to larger firms, are seeking candidates with more technical skills such as in IT and web development as well as managers.

"While trends and technology are changing, a traditional approach to recruitment remains key to Headway's operations. We like to do business face to face and visit all our client companies.

"In the age of social media it's easy to simply circulate candidates' cvs to prospective employers, but that's not how we do business.

"We interview every candidate in person -which we believe is still the only way to properly get to know people and assess their personality, skillset and whether they will be a good fit for an organisation.

"I think we are one of a declining number of recruitment firms that still interview everyone and it remains at the core of what we do."

Headway Recruitment is one of the region's longest-established independent recruitment consultancies and recently marked its 35th anniversary.

The firm has been operating from its Bingley Road, Saltaire, base since 2008 and its 30th anniversary saw a merger with another Saltaire agency Top Recruitment to create a combined operation covering West Yorkshire.

Headway has three divisions covering higher-end office, management and engineering recruitment, sourcing and placing people in temporary and permanent positions.

The agency places staff with a wide range of business from start-ups to major organisations such as UK Asset Resolution, Medical Protection, NHS and Leeds City College.

Headway currently employs ten people across its two offices, including several long-serving staff members. Its consultants are accredited by the industry trade body, the Recruitment and Employment Confederation.

"Our recruitment consultants are vastly experienced and committed to providing both client firms and candidates with a thorough professional service to best achieve the needs of both parties. That means that we enjoy a high degree of repeat business and the loyalty of many clients has helped us ride out the recession and economic ups and downs.

"The recession resulted in more people in the labour pool and intense competition for the best candidates. We continued to be used by many of our existing clients to filter candidates who saw the value of using Headway because they trusted us and knew they could rely on us.

"As a small independent company we have more flexibility over pricing and tailoring packages to suit different needs and budgets - especially in difficult economic times.

"Many recruitment firms have gone by the wayside in recent years, so ensuring we provide a quality professional service has enabled us to keep going in a highly competitive marketplace," said Mark .

At one point, largely as a result of acquisitions, Headway operated from six offices - two in Bradford, two in Leeds along with one in Farsley and another in Harrogate

These have been gradually reduced to the current two bases, largely due to advancing technology making that number of physical offices unnecessary, as well as controlling costs to underpin Headway's competitiveness and profitability.

Before taking over ownership of the business, Mark took an MBA at the University of Bradford School of Management - something which not only enhanced his business skills, but also widened his network of professional contacts.

"The School of Management deservedly has a first-rate reputation and I know I have benefitted from doing an MBA there.

"It's a big change from working for a global organisation as I did previously to running a small family business and doing the MBA was a useful exercise. The contacts I made there have continued to be useful and some have become clients. I am also involved in the alumni and attend events at the School," he said.

Headway has achieved annual growth of around ten per cent in recent years but Mark believes the forthcoming EU referendum has created caution in the labour market as employers wait to see the outcome of the vote and assess its implications.

Maintaining growth has been achieved whilst not driving its staff too hard.

Mark said: "We don't believe in burning out our consultants. It's easy these days with the available technology to be on call 24 hours a day, everyday. But I insist our people have proper time off at weekends and quality time with their families. In the end a food work-life balance pays dividends both for us, our clients and candidates."

Headway operates across a wide range of employment sectors, from banks, chemical companies, public bodies and a range of manufacturing.

Apart from the nitty-gritty of placing staff in suitable vacancies, Headway specialists advise employers on issues such as the National Living Wage and the EU agency workers directive of 2011.

"To be fair, because most of our work is handling recruitment for skilled people, management roles and higher end administrative people, these have not been major issues for most of our clients but we have helped guide them through the red tape if required. The need to keep on top of ever-changing regulation is a key part of the job," said Mark.

In recent years Headway has seen growth in demand for temporary staff as companies seek more flexibility over employment contracts and are less willing to commit to hiring permanent staff.

Providing temporary staff now accounts for around 60 per cent of Headway's business. .

Headway recruitment is a West Yorkshire business and Mark intends to keep it that way.

"We specialise in the local area and don't want to be a nationwide operation. We are close to the local market and the companies we serve and want to keep it that way.

"The beauty of our business is that we operate across sectors. We also view candidates as equally important as the companies. We often get repeat approached by people we placed years ago, perhaps in a more junior role, who is now a manager looking to recruit.

It's nice to have that continuity," said Mark.

He is keen to emphasise the professionalism and dedication of his sector - believing that some agencies have given the recruitment sector a bad name.

" I'm proud of the fact that, since the recession, professional recruiters have helped place around four million people back in work. It's an important industry that plays a vital role in the economy but is not always recognised or appreciated.

"Having a good team of people is crucial to such achievements and at Headway our experienced people have played an important role in boosting local employment . We have more than 90 Google review on our website from clients and candidates, all of which give us a high rating," said Mark.