Case studies
Crimestoppers
Assignment
Robertson Bell had previously placed their Director of Finance a decade ago who is to retire this year. Thanks to the success and longevity of the previous candidate, Crimestoppers again assigned Robertson Bell to run a targeted recruitment campaign for a replacement for this important position.
Client profile
Crimestoppers Trust is a registered, independent crime-fighting charitable organisation in the UK. Separate from the police force, the charity runs a helpline that allows anyone to report a crime or suspicious behaviour anonymously.
Assignment
Robertson Bell had previously placed their Director of Finance a decade ago who is to retire this year. Thanks to the success and longevity of the previous candidate, Crimestoppers again assigned Robertson Bell to run a targeted recruitment campaign for a replacement for this important position.
The nature of the position meant executive-level experience within finance in a third sector organisation, and proficiency in dealing with governance and legal bodies was mandatory. With this very specific brief in mind, it was important to appoint a recruiter who knew the third sector well enough to fulfil the criteria.
Considerations and challenges
- Emphasis was placed on attracting executive-level talent in the third sector, ensuring genuine intent to stay in the role for a long time.
- As the role is a part-time position, it can be difficult to find candidates open to a reduction in hours and potentially salary.
- The charity is renowned for its exemplary workplace culture and low staff turnover. On this basis replacing a member of staff after 10 years was a challenge our staff took very seriously.
- Being based outside of Central London meant a slightly reduced talent pool, a further challenge to be overcome.
Solution
Crimestoppers’ unique position enabled Robertson Bell to create a highly effective recruitment campaign. Working closely with the client to understand the specific role requirements, armed with a competitive salary and flexible work offerings, we executed a targeted marketing and advertising campaign.
The campaign covered social media and job sites, while the database searched through existing contacts for highly skilled individuals already within Robertson Bell’s network.
In addition, we utilised our In-Sight video screening platform to get a sense of the candidates’ presentation and communication styles, to ensure a good culture fit with the client.
Outcome
All elements of the campaign proved to be very productive in generating high volumes of relevant, quality candidates. There is a difference between good and excellent, and we are pleased to confirm we found an excellent candidate from our existing database.
The ability to manage a part-remote recruitment method streamlined the process and demonstrated the value of our operational assets. The use of In-Sight technology for screening proved to be effective in getting to know the leading candidate, establishing their personality and demeanour as a good match to the client’s internal culture.
Interestingly, the client reported that their own shortlist was vastly different from the final list enhanced by our technology, which produced a much better choice of candidate.
Due to the strength of the shortlist, and Robertson Bell’s strong position in the financial sector, our consultants placed a highly skilled and experienced Third Sector Director of Finance, who moved into the role from another charity.
The long-term relationship our consultants built with the charity and its previous Director of Finance meant that when it came to recruiting for this crucial role, we were the obvious choice as a trusted and experienced recruiter for the company.