GETTING YOUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS RIGHT

Spreading Joy: Sharp Consultancy’s Annual Easter Egg Drive

At Sharp Consultancy, our annual Easter Egg Drive has once again brought together our team, clients, and community to support local charities and spread a little cheer. As a finance and accountancy recruitment business rooted in Yorkshire, we’re proud to use our network to give something back—and this year has been no exception.Led by Tom Davage, Senior Consultant in our South Yorkshire office, our team has been out and about collecting Easter egg donations from our fantastic clients. The generosity shown has been incredible, especially given the ongoing challenges many continue to face. Thanks to everyone who contributed, we were able to deliver meaningful support to three wonderful charities in our region: Paces, a specialist centre supporting children with cerebral palsy and motor disorders; St Luke’s Hospice, which offers compassionate end-of-life care; and The Family Works, a trauma informed, family support project working alongside underprivileged families.Tom, who organised this year’s initiative, shared: “When you hear the stories from the people working within these charities, it really opens your eyes to the challenges others face. If we can bring a smile to someone’s face—even through something as simple as an Easter egg—it makes it all worthwhile. Every bit of support counts.” Seeing familiar donators from past years and welcoming new ones has been truly heart-warming. It’s a testament to the kind and community-minded nature of the businesses we work with. To all our clients who donated, thank you. Your kindness and continued support make this initiative possible and help us make a real difference. If you’d like to get involved next year or learn more about the causes we support, we’d love to hear from you. Together, we can keep making a positive impact—one small gesture at a time.

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A shortage of high-quality candidates can spell disaster for your recruitment strategy. Even during times where supply is more plentiful, the best candidates will always get snapped up quickly. To make sure that you secure the best talent for your organisation you need to have a focused and efficient approach to your recruitment search.

Creating the right role. Top quality candidates are ambitious; think about what is going to appeal most to somebody and highlight opportunities for growth and progression.

Research. Find out what salary packages are currently being offered by your competitors for similar roles – and understand what candidates are looking for. In times where opportunities outstrip available talent, then you could find you need to pay more to secure the best people.

Make recruiting your priority. Recruiting can be extremely time consuming. Dedicate the time you need to interviews and try not rearrange appointments to see potential candidates. Avoid cutting an interview short by allowing sufficient time for each meeting.

Streamline processes. Most candidates would expect to have a first and second interview. Try and keep the internal decision-making process as efficient as possible by inviting anyone who needs to be involved to attend and providing prompt feedback.

Talk to your recruitment consultant. If you are interested in a particular candidate, make sure you work closely with the recruitment consultant handling your search. They will give you valuable feedback from the candidate themselves and guide you on their salary expectations and any other opportunities they might be pursuing. They will also manage the communications between yourself and the candidate so if there are any internal delays on being able to make them an offer, they can ensure that your selected individual doesn’t lose interest.

Make a strong offer. Most candidates will expect an improvement on their current salary package – however, as well as the base salary consider what additional benefits will be included. Additional holiday allowance, contributory pension scheme and flexible working hours can all be attractive.

Your offer should be competitive and be prepared to be flexible – you don’t want to pay over the odds for someone, but you may need to stretch your budget to secure the person that you want. Also, be aware that their current employer may make them a counteroffer.

Keep on top of paperwork. Make sure any paperwork is issued as soon as possible – a candidate is unlikely to resign until receiving an offer in writing.

Communicate. Notice periods can vary in length – anything from one month to three months is common. It’s good to keep in touch with your new employee from time to time during this period and, if possible, arrange an opportunity for them to meet the rest of the team they will be working with before their start date.

Sharp Consultancy specialises in the recruitment of temporary, interim and permanent finance and accountancy professionals. With offices in Leeds and Sheffield our highly experienced team of consultants recruit for positions throughout Yorkshire and beyond. CONTACT US today to find out more.