Established in 2003 by Patricia Archer, Archers Recruitment is an independent, Swindon-based employment and recruitment agency working across multiple sectors; from industrial, through to education, commercial and engineering.
reed.co.uk has been working with Archers for the last 16 years on its various recruiting needs. We spoke with Mark Archer, Operations Director at Archers Recruitment, to understand how the pandemic has affected the business and how its relationship with reed.co.uk has helped to see it through some of the challenges of the last year.
How has the pandemic affected your recruitment business?
“We pride ourselves on the excellent working relationships we’ve established by valuing each and every customer – no matter how big or small – in the same way.” Mark explains. This meant that, when the pandemic hit, the business was able to thrive.
“The pandemic has created many challenges for our business, but we have certainly benefited from working across multiple sectors. Some of our clients have seen excellent growth during this time.”
Roles such as caretakers and cleaners, which form a portion of Archers’ roles but are not usually a huge revenue driver, saw a significant increase during the pandemic – bringing in much needed revenue for the recruitment agency. Pharmaceutical and IT clients saw substantial growth and Archers was proud to support key workers through a difficult period.
Traditionally Archers sees a peak in May for educational roles, but the peak in 2020 came in September due to home-schooling. Fast forward a couple of months and Archers invoiced its highest week in November.
It sounds like you responded very well to what was a very challenging year for many!
“We quickly adapted to the current environment by introducing online forms and video calls to replace the face-to-face meetings we’ve always had with our customers and candidates.” Mark explained. “It’s not quite the same, but we have used the resources and technology to create the best outcome for the scenario we find ourselves in.”
“Will we go back to ‘the good old days’ with face to face meetings and interviews? I hope so! But it has created more flexibility, proving things can change and still be successful.”
How important has reed.co.uk been throughout the pandemic?
50% of Archers Recruitment’s placements come from reed.co.uk. Archers says that the quality of candidates from reed.co.uk is among the best compared to other job boards it uses, especially when it comes to Commercial roles.
“Our relationship with reed.co.uk has always been good. During the pandemic however, it’s been great. Our account manager has been in constant contact with us throughout the pandemic, focusing on our relationship as opposed to commercial details. This is valuable and is something none of the other boards do.”
Any final words?
“I was told once that the only thing in business that doesn’t change is people. The last year has shown more than ever that it’s all about the people – and that is where the focus must remain.”
