Harvey John
Unit 2 Ferry Wharf
Hove Enterprise Centre
Basin Road North
Portslade, East Sussex
BN41 1BD
Overview
SwimTrek, are an award-winning and market-leading tour operator providing open-water swimming holidays to over 50 locations worldwide from Hawaii to the Ionian Sea off the west coast of Greece.
David was introduced to SwimTrek by a mutual business contact when they were looking to hire a permanent Financial Controller.
“Working with the primary decision maker is key to really understanding the requirements for the role in terms of the required skill set but more importantly, to get a clear understanding of the cultural values of the business” added David
“I had a good feeling that I’d get on with Ash after he made a comment about how ‘formal attire for interviews makes him anxious’, as well as taking the initial instruction call when Ash was on a boat somewhere in the Mediterranean!”
Approach
“David was absolutely brilliant. He took a measured and considered approach. Really listening to what our needs were, rather than just trying to fit a potential candidate (square peg) into our requirements (round hole).” – Ash Van Wensveen, Managing Director
First Interview
All 7 candidates who were submitted to the role were given the opportunity to outline what tasks they would accomplish in the first 100 days if they were hired. Based on their answers, 4 of the 7 candidates were shortlisted to the next stage, an informal interview.
Final Interview
2 candidates were subsequently invited to present their response to 4 scenario based questions relating to the strategy and growth of the business, becoming the foundation of conversation during the later, formal final stage interview. Not forgetting to discuss the results of their DISC profile assessment!
Placements
Building upon the successful introduction of the Financial Controller, we have recently introduced another talented individual to the SwimTrek Team who will play a vital role by offering new expertise and fresh perspectives to further enhance the team’s skill set.
Results
Over 2500 candidates were considered before presenting a shortlist of 7 candidates…
4
First round interviews
2
Final interviews
1
Accepted offer
Conclusion
“I said to David at the time of securing our FC, never has it given me this much pleasure to hand over a commission to a recruitment agency. And incidentally, this was the single biggest recruitment cheque I have ever written, by some way. But it has been worth every penny. This was by far the best recruitment process I have experienced and David simply knows his stuff better than any other recruiter I have met.” – Ash Van Wensveen, Managing Director
Ash was the perfect client from a recruiter’s point of view. Not only did he take the recruitment process seriously, why wouldn’t he as this was a key hire for the business, but he also listened and took advice when it came to the process from someone who recruits on a daily basis.
By initiating the search with clear instructions from the client and gaining a thorough understanding of the role, all parties enjoyed a straightforward and uncomplicated hiring process.
And if we say so ourselves, if you don’t mind the pun, it all went rather swimmingly!
