Something to consider if you’re thinking of starting up your own recruitment company – Be careful how you service the service sector.
Appearances matter. You know that. You’re a recruitment consultant. You know how to dress for visiting clients and you certainly know how to advise candidates to dress for meetings and interviews.
But now there’s a different aspect to consider. And if you’re planning to recruit for the service sector it’s something you really need to be aware of.
Without getting into specific cases suffices it to say that if you’re asked to place a job seeker into the service sector you need to be aware of any instructions that the client, or employer, might be intending to impose regarding a dress code which could ‘single out specific groups. Taking it a step further you really need to know if the employer is actively seeking, or singling out, a specific type of person – female for example – or ‘young’, or those with ‘particular physical characteristics’.
Making such distinctions are contrary to the Equality Act 2010, but the point is that if you, the recruiter, know about those ‘requirements’ you could be liable under law as much as the employer. And with a list of protected characteristics that includes age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation there is a real need to be vigilant. In short it’s an offence to help someone else do something discriminatory.
Now add in all the other legislation that’s pertinent to placements, and all the other sectors it could apply to, and you’ve got a job for full time legal and HR departments which probably weren’t on your ‘must have’ let alone ‘can afford’ lists for your new company.
How many new startups in the recruitment sector have that sort of back up and support to call on anyway? Well there are 42 on our website right now. They’re all recruitment consultancies that have been set up with the backing of The Recruit Venture Group.
Every one of them was launched by a recruitment professional who wanted to go it alone, and came to us because they recognised that we represent the most comprehensive, most risk free, start up solution available.
They all received full financial backing, help with legal and company registration matters and then access to our back office systems and support. Able to pay themselves a salary from the outset each and every one of these entrepreneurs – because in truth that’s what they are – was free to focus on building their brand and growing their business. And they really have grown. The group has a combined sales turnover of in excess of £131 million.
All of those consultancies have grown their own way. The owners own them. They have shares in them, and receive dividends from them. We don’t get in the way.
But, we don’t go away either. We’re there to provide back up, support and guidance when it’s needed. When it’s asked for. And importantly we’re there to keep them up to speed with legal and HR advice, especially when it comes to legislation that can really impact the business. In fact we are the legal and HR departments most other recruitment start ups can’t afford.
Sounds like something you’re interested in, let’s talk. We need to know that you have five consecutive years’ experience in the recruitment industry, and ideally three years track record within the same sector. If you’re ready to launch your own recruitment business in the uk, Apply Now
We can help you deliver the service you imagined, without the problems you didn’t.