Since its launch almost half a century ago Earl Street Recruitment in Maidstone has successfully ridden the wave of societal and technology driven change. That challenge though is a constant, with competition fierce and the needs of business and candidates ever evolving.
From reams of paper filing in triplicate to the world-wide web; the rise of social media to the smart phone revolution, the recruitment industry has changed beyond recognition since Elaine Craven first opened the Earl Street Employment Agency, way back in 1977.
Add in some of the most challenging business conditions in living memory, complete with the impact of a world-wide pandemic and you’d forgive Director Alex Craven, for being circumspect about the future.
Setting sights on the long term
Instead, the business has its sights set firmly on the long-term, embracing the latest trends while retaining the personal touch and attention to detail that has been the secret of its success from the start.
It’s a real testament to the resilience of Earl Street Recruitment – and the expertise built over time-where both staff and client retention is high, that it continues to thrive, placing hundreds of candidates with office and industrial vacancies every year.
We caught up with Alex about the next chapter and the rationale for the recent support Pillory Barn has been providing the company, as it responds to where the world is headed and adapts – once again – to changing times.
“The whole experience of the pandemic made it apparent that we needed to complete some succession planning and reflection on where the business needs to be,” recalls Alex. “I’m a director in my mid 50s, my mother is Managing Director and while she still works part-time, she will want to reduce her involvement in the business. “Going in to 2022, as we came out the other side, we decided to review the business and ensure it was one fit for the 21st Century, without losing our identity or values.
“At that time, our website was fairly basic. It wasn’t interactive. You couldn’t register online apart from sending in a CV. It wasn’t an epiphany, as such, but I started to think forward about we needed to do.”
Adapting to a more digital world
Smart phone advances and increased internet use had already seen the numbers of candidates visiting their Maidstone town centre office in person dwindle over time. Covid-19 brought it almost to a stop. It switched to email and phone.
“Our reaction to that had been to send our registration packs – complete with forms to fill out to candidates – manually,” recalled Alex. “This wasn’t very cost effective or quick. We reached the point where we thought we had to make ourselves fit for the 21st Century.”
Brand and digital impact since launch
That included a more interactive website that would allow potential candidates to sign up and register online, making it easier for people to interact with the business.
Launched in September 2023, it has already had an impact, freeing up Alex and his team to focus on what they do best – matching clients with candidates for a broad range of temporary and permanent office and industry vacancies and opportunities.
There’s still work to do, including some added functionality to allow potential candidates to upload an introductory video when they register, but the online experience has been transformed.
The brand identity and logo has also been refreshed for the first time in a decade, producing a cleaner more contemporary look.
Modern touch with traditional values
What hasn’t changed is the personal touch that clients and candidates can expect. It’s been the company’s USP from the start and while the methods of communication or contact may have shifted, the desire for customer service excellence has not changed one iota.
“We’re a local business who have been trading for some 47 years. We know the area, we know the market, we know the people. We also retain our clients. Some have been with us from the beginning,” Alex says.
“We treat our candidates as we would want to be treated ourselves if we contacted a recruitment agency for work. We put ourselves in their shoes.”
Staying the distance
You get a good sense of the quality of a business from its people, with a loyal seven strong team that have stayed the distance. Diane Williams, the Senior Recruitment Consultant is the longest serving, having joined in 2000. Recruitment Consultant Diana Jukonyte has been with the business over three years and counting and Bookkeeper Evelyn Brockman has been with Earl Street nine years.
“One of the things about us is that our staff tends to stay with us,” Alex says. “It means that our clients can ring up and still speak to people that they know or have worked with.
“We know what sort of staff they need and how they work, who will fit their requirements and who will not. It’s all very personal and we take pride in that. That level of service is not something that will change.”
What has changed is how candidates communicate.
“People are getting less confident about talking on the telephone or face to face because the default now is to text or email,” Alex says.
“There are times when we have to coax people into speaking to us on the phone as it’s normal these days not to. We often say we can’t employ you or send a CV onto a client until we have spoken.
“For all the online capability we now have in place, that in-person, bespoke level of service will remain important to what we do in supporting candidates and delivering for clients.”
What hasn’t changed is the sense of reward at finding the right person for the role.
“With some of the roles such as finding a student to cover a job for two or three weeks, it can be quite a transactional thing. They need work. The client needs someone to pack boxes,” says Alex.
A real sense of reward
“But once you get to someone who has been out of work a while who hasn’t really got their head around how the job market works and their CV isn’t looking great, there’s often a real sense of reward. That gives me a lot of pleasure.
“You ring them up and they’re amazed that you’re communicating by phone and we’re tweaking their CV because they’re underselling the skills and experience, the personality, drive or enthusiasm they have. There are times we see something in them that they perhaps don’t see themselves.”