A specialist in the field of Payments, Technology Sales and Development recruitment, DP Connect has been uniting talent and technology with some of the UK’s leading organisations and specialist professionals for almost three decades.
Our consultants are experts in their fields; with an unrivalled knowledge of business systems, development platforms and emerging cutting-edge technologies, this ensures they are best placed to support you in finding the right hire or matching your skills to the perfect opportunity. Directing our expertise to our specialist sectors allows us to focus on providing a premium bespoke service, uniting the best talent in the market with the role that is right for both them and their future employer.
We offer a comprehensive range of opportunities as we work exclusively with some of the UK’s most prestigious organisations as well as fresh and exciting start-up businesses providing contract, permanent and fixed-term positions. We will consult closely with you to understand your skills and experience, requirements and aspirations and to accurately match them with the right employer.
Looking to get into a job in recruitment? You may have seen the terms 180 and 360 bandied about, what do they mean? Which one is best for you? 180 180 recruitment splits-up the traditional role of a consultant into one of two areas – business development or candidate generation. Most 180 recruiters tend to favor the talent resourcing route and are often called ‘delivery consultants. This role is a great option for entry-level candidates, since it focuses on the overall journey rather than the big sell. Delivery consultants often sit within teams of 360 recruiters, supporting them with talent while facilitating a strong candidate experience. The business development side falls into Account Management, which enables the recruiter more time to understand the clients’ needs and focus on building relationships. The downside of 180 recruitment is that many businesses will overlook delivery consultants/Account Managers for promotions or new opportunities. This is because they are not always seen as ambitious or money-orientated, with the wins coming frequently but on a small scale. It is important to recognise that solid candidate relationships fuel the entire recruitment process, so this highlights the need for 180 consultants! 360 360 recruiters manage the entire recruitment lifecycle to deliver a seamless and all-encompassing service. This role means getting to know your network inside-out in terms of both clients and candidates. It also removes the ‘middle man’ effect of reverting to delivery consultants for updates, thus limiting any errors in communication. With so many variables at play, it’s safe to say no two days in 360 recruitment are ever the same. Recruiters in this space need to be incredibly organised, with strong time planning, stakeholder management and prioritisation skills. It’s not enough to be personable – here, strong sales technique and a good head for business development are essential to your success. In return, you can expect stellar commission, quick progression and career development. What are you?
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Happy International Women's Day 2019 IT Recruitment is a very male led industry, and recruitment particularly is known for hard work and long hours therefore not being very conducive to women with families. DP Connect have bucked that trend and our senior leadership team is 50% female with a high proportion of our employees working flexibly or part time. Today we celebrate all the inspirational women in our lives and throughout history worldwide. However you spend today; whether it be protesting, celebrating, working or relaxing - be proud of yourselves and those who have committed to fighting against the obstacles women have faced, and still face, in reaching for equality. This week our Client Partnership Account Manager, Eleanor Jeffryes, was on BBC Radio Kent speaking about women in business and DP Connect as an employer who promotes flexiblitiy. BBC Radio Elle.m4a Size: 7.7 MB
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Throughout my time in recruitment so far, I have seen many Consultants come and go, as well as sales people across a variety of companies. Sales is a ruthless and cut-throat industry, and the difference between a good and a bad sales function can make or break a company. Having spent the last year working in the Cambridge market recruiting for business development and sales people, I thought it would be useful to provide a simple guideline to hiring a ‘good’ employee who will help drive the business forward. The old saying of “the product sells itself” is far from the truth in this day and age, so you need to hire people who understand the product or have the capacity to learn it, can manage the sales cycle and are capable of closing a sale. So, it is worth starting by asking a simple question: Why hire sales people? In most cases it is because someone has left or a company wants to grow and increase their turnover. It doesn’t matter what level you are looking to hire at, all good sales people will have the same two main attributes you will need to look out for; motivation and ambition. If a candidate can display these attributes in the first meeting, then this is a strong indication that they could be a good potential fit. However, one of my biggest pet-hates is when I hear candidates say “I can sell anything!” This is not entirely true and if a candidate says this in an interview or meeting it’s a big red flag for me. The process of determining how to attract the best candidates for your company starts with selling your business and the product you have to offer. The first impression a candidate will have of the role, and of your organisation will be your website and your job description. So use the job description as an opportunity to engage with candidates and get them interested about the role on offer. Equally, if you are working with a knowledgeable and specialist Recruiter then they can do a lot of this work for you, making sure your company and opportunity are presented in the most engaging way possible. You may think this is basic stuff and you’re right; however, I have seen many job descriptions that look like they have been put together in less than 5 minutes with hardly any detail and the clients wonder why only 2 candidates have applied. The Interview Process Once you have shortlisted, I would recommend interviewing 3 or 4 candidates that you are sure will be a good fit. Some companies like to increase this to 5 or 6, but if you have a clear idea of the profile you’re looking for, then 3 or 4 will usually be enough. If you are recruiting directly then I would definitely recommend having a telephone interview as the first stage of the process. Purely because most of the time sales people will be speaking to and SELLING to clients on the phone, and if your candidate can’t articulate themselves well through a phone call why would you want to see them for the next stage? However, if you are working with a Recruiter that specialises in sales recruitment then they will be able to save you the time by carrying out this step of the process for you. Ensuring that you only interview people who have exceptional communication skills. The first face to face interview is where interviewers make mistakes; you don’t need to ask candidates what their experience is or what they have done for the past 4 years again as this should have been discussed over the phone. It is really important to ask the RIGHT questions!!! What are the right questions you say? Well, here are some questions which I highly recommend as they will indicate the level of candidate and the preparation that they have done. You will obviously look to ask questions based on your company and what they know about the product but here are a few that will help you to separate the good from the bad. 1. What methods do you use to hunt prospects and find leads? 2. Why do you utilise said method? Would you be comfortable using a different style? 3. How do you know/find out who the decision maker is and how do you approach them? 4. How do you understand what a client’s needs are? 5. How can you demonstrate our product is what the client needs? 6. How would you differentiate your sales style/method depending on the client you are dealing with? 7. What negotiations have you been proud of and why? 8. How do you handle clients who take longer than normal to make a decision? 9. Your x% off target and bonus with 2 months left of the year, how would you overcome this? 10. How important is customer service above hitting targets? There are many more questions you can use but the point I am making is that sales people need to win business and generate revenue; these questions will give you an initial indication as to how they are going to go about doing so and whether their approach would fit with the company’s ethos and style. This leads me on to the final stage of the interview process, which is my favourite, the presentation. By this point you would hopefully have kept the best candidates engaged in the process and have narrowed it down to the last two people. At the end of the first interview you would have given them a brief to prepare a small presentation to deliver in the final interview. The nature of this brief can vary according to the company but a good general example would be to pitch the company’s product or service offering to a potential client. If you're unsure of how to develop a suitable task for your company or market, then I have seen countless examples over the years and would be happy to help you put something together. Following the final interview, if you are able to decide on a candidate and would like to offer them the position, please be mindful that sales people thrive off reward and need a realistic target. You should have ascertained what salary and package they are expecting from the phone call, or from your Recruitment Consultant, so make sure you are offering the candidate what they are worth. If a candidate has indicated that they are looking for £X basic plus commission and benefits, then if you offer below that you will have thrown a spanner in the works and may well have wasted a lot of time, as the candidate will be unlikely to accept in such a competitive market. I have seen this happen many times and it is not the best situation as the candidate already feels undervalued before they have even started in the role. Of course, sales people will sometimes put forward a salary expectation that is above their market value (they are sales people after all!), but you should review their salary expectation after the first interview and, if you don’t feel they are worth that amount, then discuss it with the Recruiter or the candidate themselves as quickly as possible. In conclusion, recruiting for sales people can be incredibly challenging. It is in their nature to talk a very good game and sell themselves in to the role. They are also strong negotiators and so salary negotiations can be more difficult than for other positions. As a Recruiter I try to take as much pain out of the process as possible for both the client and candidate by making sure all parties are very well informed. There are many aspects of the process that I haven’t gone into much detail on here, but I am happy to discuss further with you over the phone if you’d like to know more. As the old saying goes; if you think hiring an experienced candidate is expensive, try hiring an amateur! I really appreciate everyone who has spent their time reading this and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. This is my 1st blog and I am planning to continue to provide insightful views into the world of business development every quarter. So, look out for my next one in March. If you would like speak in more detail about anything covered above, or if you would like some consultative advice about the current market then please don't hesitate to get in touch on: 01223 948065 or bgreen@dpconnect.co.uk
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