VacancyCentre − VC has rebranded, now focusing on finance, compliance and technology. As the labour market is reshaped, VC is also strengthening its consultative approach. General manager Robert J. Sultana provides insight on the current market and how this has impacted business.
How did the current labour market sentiment impact your rebranding?
The labour market has been struggling to fill roles that require certain technical talent. This is amplified by recruiters offering generic services – they don’t focus. At VC we recognised this industry-wide issue and have taken action. By fine-tuning our activities and resources around finance, compliance and technology, we have committed ourselves to a laser-sharp focus.
What does your consultative approach look like in practice?
Recruiters sometimes are seen as salespeople, which implies they prioritise revenue. Recruitment agencies who employ inexperienced people and fail to train them appropriately give the industry a bad name.
VC is the total opposite. We focus on consulting with both our clients and candidates. We engage experienced and well-trained recruiters to ensure they properly advise our clients and jobseekers.
We adhere to specific key performance indicators to ensure tighter quality controls. We have developed associations with specialised providers to offer technical tests and quality benchmarks to further verify our recommendations. Above all, we devote special consideration to instil an enriching customer experience throughout.
Why are your services discipline-oriented?
We understand that specialism is the way forward and it is what our clients expect from us. We confidently believe that by servicing specific talent pools within defined disciplines, we can be more effective to recommend talent, as opposed to handling too many varied disciplines across a whole industry.
What tailor-made solutions do you offer?
There can be a lot more to a recruitment company than just filling vacancies. One area where VC can offer additional support is in outplacement services. This is where we help companies who need to reduce headcount, to assist their redundant employees to equip them with the right tools and knowledge to land their next employment. We also offer professional HR and employment advisory to help companies navigate through HR-related challenges.
How has COVID-19 impacted the market?
The pandemic has reshaped the recruitment industry. Even before the coronavirus pandemic, remote interviews had been on the rise. The pandemic accelerated this trend, which required high levels of expertise, something our recruiters are fully equipped to handle.
What do you expect from the upcoming years?
Looking forward, businesses will continue to become leaner. Questions like: Do we need an office? Can we curtail certain overheads? Is our organisational culture attuned to changes in the industry? I think these will be the most pressing issues facing businesses in the coming years ‒ issues which will, of course, also impact recruitment.