We are proud of our history and heritage, which is a good thing as we have a lot of it! Having been recruiting as ‘Bucks and Berks’ for 100 years this year we have navigated many changes and challenges in the marketplace and supported countless businesses across the Thames Valley. Through providing reliable and talented temporary staff or by helping growing businesses find those perfect permanent employees. In that time we have learnt a thing or two which has been passed on through the generations that have successfully managed the business allowing it to continue to grow and develop.
We are members of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation and have been for a VERY long time. So when we were asked to contribute to their Recruitment Matters magazine with a little insight from our MD Joanna Cooper on how we had achieved 100 years in business we jumped at the chance. Here is the interview from Jo, if you do want all the wonderful insights, industry news and support the REC provides on a regular basis you’ll need to sign up.
The basics don’t change
Our business is 100 years old this year, and the fundamentals are still the same as when my grandmother bought it in 1947. The company assets then were a set of index cards with the details of the clients.
It’s who you know
Relationships are the key to everything. In 1947, a successful recruiter would know all the personnel managers in the local employers and, when a promising candidate walked in, they would contact them and say “you need to see this person”. They didn’t need CVs. It was all about the relationship and the client trusting the recruiter to know their business and understand their culture. This is still crucial today – and it’s why recruitment can never be fully automated. Successful recruitment depends on human interaction.
Take the long view…
I’m the third generation of my family to run the company, and we know that it goes back at least to 1922, because we have a letter from 1947 referring to it being established for 25 years. We’re not the oldest recruitment company in the UK, but I think we may be the only one that still has retained its name (it was originally called Bucks and Berks Commercial and Domestic Bureau). Some of our team have been with us over 25 years, our clients and candidates stay with us too – we have placed the grandchildren of former candidates in their first roles.
… but evolve constantly
We’re proud of our long history, but we have survived and grown by continually moving with the times and the market. The fundamental ethos is constant, but everything else evolves.
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