The recruitment industry is characterised by intense competition and a multitude of players, and while people, skills and talents are mandatory focal points for all operators in the space, here is one recruiter who is ahead of the game. Introducing Richard Coomber co-founder and Director of Queensland based Sapphire Recruitment and an active recruiter on our iMaven platform.
Recently our Business & Product Manager – Christine Iannarella caught up with Richard and here are the edited highlights of their interesting chat.
“I do believe that in a small business like mine, you need to go above and beyond.” It’s your reputation that’s on the line when it comes to actually working with somebody in order not to let people down.”
Specialisation: Following his gut and never playing by the book, Richard has mastered his niche of soft napping, recruiting, accounting and finance over the last 20 years.
Career moves: Coming from the travel industry with a love for people and accounting, Richard started in recruitment in the late nineties in the UK. After six years Hayes brought him over to work in Sydney and that’s where he met Sapphire business partner, Michael Connell. After working together for a number of years, they decided that they wanted to go out on their own, setting up Sapphire in 2012. Named after the gem stone of Queensland, Sapphire represents their strengths of accounting and strong relationships built over time.
How he works: “It’s about being persistent and being willing to sort of keep working to get the right result for both sides,” says Richard, who is known as a master networker and people connector.
He brings a wealth of knowledge to the table and the ability to quickly understand what the requirement is from an employer. And to be able to translate that into understanding what candidates going to fit from a culture, technical and holistic perspective.
He isn’t fazed by a challenge and is willing to go the extra mile. Richard is known for his workflow, processes, commitment and enthusiastic attitude towards his clients.
Industry changes: Today, in every industry, ambiguity and disruption test the mettle of corporate leaders. We all face the pressures and the power of the customer. In Richards sights are those who understand the impact of technology, can craft a strategy and adapt it and take people on the change journey.
It’s gone from faxing resumes to instant emails. Technology is constantly changing and you’ve always got to try and keep up with that in terms of how to reach out to people, how to engage people. It’s also about embracing different forms of social media these days to try to engage with people.
The last 18 months, have also caused massive changes in terms of working from home for recruiters as well as for a lot of employees. There is now a whole shift in mentality towards working from home in the industry that Richard focuses on.
How he sees good employers attracting and retaining candidates: “It’s all about offering that flexibility.” Says Richard, he continues “if they’re not willing to give people the opportunity to work from home on a semi regular basis, or even on an as needs basis, then they’re just going to look like dinosaurs.”
Today businesses need to come to the table more in terms of offering different benefits to their staff, to keep hold of the best people. These could include non-financial benefits, such as improving the environment for the employee or offering additional sorts of perks that make it feel like a better place to work and a better culture. Employees these days are offered things like discounted products or health benefits and even things like free fruit and coffee and stuff like that when they’re in the office.
Richard is always looking to get the best for his clients and isn’t afraid to discuss salaries as well. Even in junior roles, salaries are up for discussion, they are all on the increase and if employers aren’t ready to see that and come to the party, they’re going to lose good people.
How he knows when someone is the right fit: “Recruitment is fundamentally based on personality, being hard working and never giving up, it’s that combination.” Says Richard.
To view Richard’s LinkedIn profile CLICK HERE