Recruiters in the Spotlight

Consultants Portia, Sian and Ellie discuss their recruitment experience and what they have learnt throughout their Energi People journey.

The Epic Formula to being an Outstanding Recruiter

Lauren: Hello everyone!

Girls: Hello!

Lauren: So who have I got here today then?

Portia: Hello, I’m Portia and I work as a Senior Recruitment Consultant for Energi People. Having started my journey here pre-pandemic, I have been working at Energi People now for 3 years.

Lauren: Thank you, Portia, who else have I got here today?

Sian: Hello, I am Sian – also a Senior Recruitment Consultant for Energi People.

Ellie: I am Ellie and I was brought on as a Recruitment Consultant. I joined Energi People just over 2 months ago now, so still fairly new to the business, but I have been in recruitment for about 3 years before this role. I am situated on the Business Services desk, so I recruit for roles such as Finance, Sales, HR and Marketing.

Lauren: Thanks, Ellie. Sian and Portia, what areas of the business do you work on?

Portia: I work on the Building Services Construction desk, so I am recruiting anyone from a Site Supervisor level and up – who are all based on-site and also getting involved with commercial recruitment, such as Estimators, Quantity Surveyor’s and Document Controllers. I source anyone that is involved with projects and buildings.

Sian: I work on the Facilities and Property Management desk within the Building Services and Real Estate industries – recruiting for Facilities Managers up to Director level.

Lauren: So all of you have mentioned that you have recruitment experience. How long have you been in the industry and what made you decide to go into it?

Sian: Well I have been in the recruitment industry for about 7 and a half years now. I, like a lot of people, fell into the industry when I started as a receptionist at my previous firm. I then worked my way up to Senior level – where I am today.

Lauren: You evidently have a wealth of experience; what would you say you have learnt along the way? What are the key elements to being a successful recruiter?

Ellie: I think it is important to adopt strong communication skills with your candidates and clients. It is also important to be open and honest as it is a two-way street at the end of the day. Transparency is key so that the candidates know what they are going into, and the clients know what to expect too. Expectations should be set.

Lauren: Portia, do you have any tips that you have learnt throughout your recruitment journey?

Portia: The bulk of my experience comes from working at Energi People. Before my journey here, I was working for a small boutique agency, which was a completely different experience and not as positive. Seeing the way Energi People carry out the recruitment process from start to finish is eye-opening, as they are so professional. I left my previous job with a mindset that I wouldn’t do recruitment again, so I went into a sales job but found myself redundant after a year. I then explored my options and stumbled across Energi People on LinkedIn, where James Mowat (Associate Director) spoke to me about how the business is structured and coordinated. According to people in the industry, Energi People is deemed as one of the most professional recruitment companies, in terms of adopting the best techniques and how to be a quality recruiter. Alex Christie, Managing Director, has a completely different take on the process compared to other organisations and it is really effective.

It is important to professionally manage the process from start to finish and to have a strong backbone. It isn’t easy and you can take things personally in this industry, well – in recruitment in general, so it is just about being resilient and making sure that you stick to the process. Try not to let anything slip, because if you give everything – you know there is not much more you could have done.

Lauren: Thank you, Portia. Sian, do Energi People provide a lot of training/personal development?

Sian: Yes, of course. I joined during the middle of the pandemic, but the people that were in the office were really available, allowing me to listen in to their calls, which helped me a lot. I also shadowed Portia, which was valuable as I learnt how to use the various systems and the databases we use. Additionally, I had intense training sessions with Alex, Nick and James on LinkedIn and contract training. All of the Managers and Directors are heavily involved with the training and you can always rely on them for support. You can always ask candidates and clients for advice, for instance, we have a closing room which is most helpful for us to improve our services.

Lauren: Would you say that Energi People is a 360-recruitment consultancy? What does this mean?

Portia: 360 recruitment is essentially where you deal with both the candidates and the clients. Not only do you source the jobs with your clients, but you also find the right people to fill the roles. Over the last 6-8 months, we have been recruiting for Talent Consultants to solely do 180 recruitment which involves just sourcing candidates. The Recruitment Consultants then take the best quality candidates to market and place them. I think eventually, it could end up that we have so many Talent Consultants, that we may all become 180 people, but there is obviously an element of us getting to know the candidates as well because it is our clients and we know what is best for them.

Lauren: Thank you Portia. Ellie, you mentioned that you are on the Business Services team. What other areas of the business do Energi People recruit for?

Ellie: So in the Business Services desk, I focus on support-based roles such as finance, accounting, sales and customer service. Simon, my manager, focuses on sales positions and business development within the Digital Construction industry. We also have Zeshan on the team, who is our Talent Consultant, supporting all of the positions that we work on.

Lauren: What other areas of the business do we recruit for?

Portia: So, it is a one-stop-shop at Energi People in terms of the fact that we recruit across an entire project. We have Civil and Structures, who recruit for Engineers that manage the building (from the ground up). We also have the Building Services Design team, who recruit for Mechanical and Electrical Design Engineers, CAD Technicians, Revit professionals and people who deal with the design of the internals of the building. The Building Services desk recruits for both Operational and Commercial opportunities. These roles can range from Quantity Surveyor’s, Estimators, Bid Writers and also Project Managers, Site Managers, Project Engineers. Once the project is handed over, a lot of companies get involved with Facilities and Property Management companies, which is where Sian comes in. Sian’s desk then ends the process of the project. The Business Services side, as Ellie described, recruits everything in-house. Alongside recruiting for project specific roles, the clients we work with will still have positions available in house such as an HR team, marketing, sales, admin and people on reception. This is where Ellie’s experience comes in, as she acquired a lot of knowledge in this area before Energi People.
We also recruit overseas in Dubai, UAE and James is now heading up this division again as (post-Covid) there has been a boom in the construction market.

Lauren: Thank you, Portia – very informative!

Do each of you have any roles you would like to share at the moment?

Sian: I am heavily recruiting within the FM sector, for the likes of Facilities Coordinators, Facilities Managers, Assistant Building Managers, Building Managers and Regional FM’s and Directors. I am working with a large managing agent across the UK, but predominantly in London, looking for Facilities Managers with a salary of £45k+

Ellie: I have got quite a few roles on at the moment. I have a HR Business Partner within a Trust for the Engineering and Construction space, paying up to £65k – depending on experience. They are looking for somebody with HR experience. I also have a Global Marketing Lead for the Construction industry, which is very flexible on salary, for the right person. There are also BID Manager roles paying up to £65k and then up to £45k for BID Coordinators. All four organisations are Building and Construction Consultancies.

Portia: I am looking for an Electrical Project Engineer / Project Manager to work on a data center project in Hemel Hempstead, Slough and London. The company is an M&E Sub-Contractor specialising in critical services, paying up to £65-70k plus package. I also need a Mechanical Project Manager paying up to £70k to work for a Sub-Contractor in London, specialising in fast-track office fit-outs on Parkeray and ISG projects. I also need some Graduate Project Engineers and Mechanical Engineers that are fresh out of university and who want to get into the industry. You can have a couple of years’ experience or even no experience.

To round off…

Lauren: I would like to ask each of you what you think makes you a stand-out recruiter?

Ellie: I think that I am quite personable, honest and transparent. If the client needs to know the honest truth about what they need to look for, I am not afraid to guide them.

Sian: I am very professional in my approach and the calibre of candidates that I speak to can be at Director Level – thus, clients have trust in me and have faith in my recruitment journey.

Portia: I would probably say my resilience. I won’t ever give up on making sure things happen. I think if any industry will teach you this, it is definitely recruitment. It will give you a backbone and the want/desire to succeed. I think if you have resilience then you are good to go, the rest you can learn throughout your recruitment journey. I don’t give up.

I would also like to say one more thing – Sian, Ellie and myself have previously all worked in the same company, but at different times. I am very happy that all three of us have been reunited and work for the same company now.

Sian: I also think that having such a great atmosphere and culture at Energi People really helps keep the morale up. Everyone is really positive and everybody gets involved with the company events, so we have built a strong team here. It definitely helps that we have a great team spirit.

Portia: Yes, you definitely want to do well in a place like Energi People.

Sian: Exactly! Everyone supports each other’s successes.

Lauren: Thank you all so much for our chat today, it has been really refreshing talking to you all about your recruitment experience and how Energi People is growing from strength to strength.

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