The Business Exchange Swindon & Wiltshire Edition 45: Oct/Nov 2019 | Page 6

BUSINESS NEWS Frankly Recruitment celebrates a decade in business In 2009 Swindon’s Frankly Recruitment opened its doors with little more than a dream and a maxed-out credit card. Ten years later and the firm still has the passion, standards and team that has kept it in business for a decade. Why did you launch Frankly Recruitment? That’s a simple one! It was 2009, we were in the midst of a recession and the business I was working in ceased trading and I needed a job. Frankly Recruitment was started with a credit card. Fortunately, I had worked in the local area for a few years, so it wasn’t long until staff were brought on board and the market upturn started to happen again. Where did it all begin? I was a branch manager at 20 for WHSmith, but whilst I loved retail, I am also a massive dog lover. So I saved to train to be a dog groomer and ultimately left retail to work in my first business, Weybridge Pet Centre in Surrey. A few years later I was approached to sell and it was time for marriage and a baby for me. When my son was one, I walked into all the agencies looking for a job and was offered one in recruitment. I didn’t think it was going to be for me but 15 years on - here I am! Can you remember the first client that came on board and the first candidate you placed? How did it feel then and how does it feel now? The first client I brought on board was for a company in South Cerney called Zycko and it was for a Human Resources and Facilities Manager. Only six months ago I helped the same candidate move from there to her next challenge. It was a fantastic placement, retained for 10 years! Nothing beats the feeling of a placement. When you work so closely with the customers to fill a crucial role or find their next career move it is massively important. We all spend so much time at work that finding the right match is a beautiful thing. That squeal down the phone when you finally make an offer. Priceless! What have you learned over the past 10 years? No matter what the market is doing and no matter how everyone else is behaving stay honest and never drop your standards for a quick win. Also, never be afraid to do something different and make changes quickly. Whether it’s moving off the high street, introducing social media or home and flexible working, you have to give it a go. Life never stops evolving. How has the team grown? We are currently sitting at five which is just perfect. The consultants all have 15 years or more experience and have ridden the waves of recession and growth with our customers, so are well versed when it comes to consulting. I also believe you should always recruit those better than yourself and the Frankly Team truly represents that. Has much changed in the way you do business in the last decade? Operationally the recruitment world has changed hugely. We no longer use fax to send CVs or receive timesheets. Job seekers look for jobs very differently and we are now in a marketing and customer service role rather than a hard sales environment. I love the direction recruitment is moving in. It’s about intelligent consulting and long-term relationships with our customers. It’s not about how many cold calls you make and how expensive your hospitality is. What are you most proud of? Our reputation. In such a noisy marketplace full of negativity for recruitment we retain our clients and get lots of positive feedback from job seekers. I’m also very proud we are still here; it’s not been easy. How are you going to celebrate? We’ve already had a fantastic team outing at Bristol Harbour Festival where we enjoyed a lovely meal and a private trip along the river. We are also sharing birthday cake with any Frankly Friends we meet along the way. There’s plenty more... To find out more about Frankly Recruitment call: 01793 514441 or email: [email protected] We met up with Frankly Recruitment’s Director, Amanda Franks, to find out more about the firm’s success story. Mintivo recognised for investing in its people Chippenham-based IT provider, Mintivo, has been shortlisted in the prestigious Investors in People Awards 2019. The Investors in People Awards recognise businesses and organisations who put their employees first, championing staff and investing in their people. Mintivo have been shortlisted in the hotly contested Employee Engagement Award category alongside nine other nominees. The awards are open to national and international companies of all sizes and Mintivo is one of only a few South West companies to be shortlisted across every category. A spokesperson for the Investors in People judging panel said that 2019 has been their biggest and most competitive year 6 www.tbeswindonandwilts.co.uk to date with the quality of entries very strong. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Adams, Operations Director at Mintivo said, “IT infrastructure is usually the life blood of an organisation, where any downtime or computer glitches cost time and money. In order to have a successful and growing IT support company, we knew we would have to ensure that our employee engagement was developed in such a way that staff would want to give their best for us, especially as our clients often need and expect extremely tight turnaround times. “In addition to progressive benefits such as unlimited holiday, Mintivo offer an all-round positive physical, emotional and developmental environment to work in.” One of Mintivo’s recent recruits, Sales Manager, Matt Bray said that the welcome he received was second to none. “Even before I started, they sent me some wonderful cakes, and when I arrived, everything was prepared for me. It’s all been such smooth sailing since then and everyone has been so helpful and friendly.” Managing Director, Steve Healy, added, “Our people are Mintivo. We work hard to provide a positive atmosphere, which is why we are so delighted that we have been shortlisted for this particular award.” The award winners will be announced at the Investors in People Awards 2019 on Tuesday 19th November at Old Billingsgate, London. Other Swindon and Wiltshire firms shortlisted for an award include Chippenham logistics firm Wincanton and Swindon fleet specialists, CMS Supatrak. To find out more about the Investors in People Awards visit: www.investorsinpeople.com/events/awards For career opportunities at Mintivo go to: www.mintivo.co.uk/careers