Worldwide brewing giant Carlsberg Tetley needed a Business Analyst at their Northampton office - at short notice. Vanilla organised a local advertising campaign to specifically attract people with the specialist skill set required. Response to the Vanilla promotional and advertising activity locally was strong - and resulted in the niche requirements being filled by a first class candidate with exceptional experience.

"Dealing with Vanilla Recruitment has been both enjoyable and hassle-free. All candidates were closely matched to the requirement and conducted themselves well in interview. My thanks go to Eloise who has worked extremely hard on making this recruitment campaign a successful one. Carlsberg UK looks forward to working closely with Vanilla in the future."
Bryn Keech, HR Specialist - Recruitment, Carlsberg UK (CLIENT)

Cheers to that, Bryn!

Poor Phil Shipman had a number of roles he needed to fill in his call centre - but felt as if he was up against 'Same old same old' consultancies. At least, it was like that until he got a taste of Vanilla ...

"So often nowadays there are so many recruitment agencies who just want to be another 'me-too', doing the same job as the next and blurring together as one. It is so refreshing to see someone who stands out from the recruitment agency crowd - in going that extra mile to make a difference. (Regarding the) "Vacancies that were posted with you recently - all the candidates were punctual, smart, well briefed and more importantly - suitable for the role they were applying for! After successfully completing the interviews we are looking forward to welcoming two new members to the team - a testament to a job well done."
Phil Shipman, Head of Retail Sales, LEI Group (CLIENT)

Going the extra mile is the only direction we take, Phil!

Specialist recruitment consultancy Systems Accountants are so specialised, when they need a permanent or temporary member in their administration or accounts team - they don't do it themselves - and neither do they settle for second best...

"Over the past 2 years, we have found Eloise and her organisation to be very responsive and proactive in reacting to our needs. The time taken to understand our requirements has led to successful matches against our requirements - and I have been hugely satisfied with the services received. As a growing organisation in the recruitment business ourselves we are fully aware of the value of a trusted recruitment partner to turn to for our internal staffing needs, and Vanilla has performed this role well."
Allister Kitchen, Director, SystemsAccountants.

You know it, we know it Allister!

Unimpressed by two other agencies' candidates - and their apparent inability to fit into the roles he had available, Operations Director Peter Taylor was finding himself disillusioned by recruitment agencies. But then he met Vanilla - who went to see the environment, assess the job requirements and skills required for the role, spent time with the person doing the role that was leaving - before shortlisting 3 suitable candidates. And because the successful candidate was available immediately, the whole process took 2 weeks in total from first meeting to new starter.

"It was refreshing to find a recruitment agency that acted so professionally in this task. You took the time and trouble to fully understand our requirements, interviewed all the candidates thoroughly before putting the correct ones forward, prepared your own CVs for each candidate rather than relying on theirs which made them easier to read and compare, chose carefully which candidates you put forward, prepared the candidates prior to interview with information on the company and role - and - acted promptly and professionally to close the deal." "Overall you provided a far higher level of service than the other local recruitment agencies, and certainly put far more work in to the process."
Peter G Taylor, Operations Director - Gilbarco Veeder-Root

Thanks for a crystal clear commendation, Peter!

Harborough based clothing company Joules needed an experienced Team Manager for their call centre - however they'd become frustrated by the calibre of candidates submitted from other agencies. Vanilla took the time to get under the skin of the operation, soon discovering it had a distinct corporate culture - geared to excellent, professional customer service, with a passion for clothing, friendly, relaxed and team orientated...all contributing to high staff retention. Vanilla knows it's crucial to understand the culture within a business, and ensure that candidates who fit the specification, don't just fit on paper...

"Vanilla Recruitment is our first point of call when recruiting staff. The Vanilla team work closely with you to ensure they provide you with an efficient and effective service. Vanilla takes the time to pre-screen and select quality candidates for our positions. We would have no hesitation in recommending Vanilla Recruitment to prospective candidates or employers."
Ben Ford - Customer Service Manager - Joules Clothing Ltd

A stitch in time, Ben!

As his fire safety business grew, Mark realised they needed an office based administrator. Unsure whether it would be a part time or full time role - Vanilla took the initiative, suggesting a flexible, temporary administrator who worked the hours they needed - and often under their own initiative. Simple. The only trouble was - he'd never recruited an office person before! In no time, Mark had guidance on interview questions and processes... and thanks to Vanilla's great database of candidates - it wasn't long before he had the right person.

"As a relatively small company, but looking to grow, it is vital that we get our selection process spot on. Without your help and advice I would have struggled. There is certainly a level of expertise required and pertinent questions to be asked that I am sure I would not have considered. Most importantly, your advice was forthcoming in those early stages and I am very grateful for that. I will certainly recommend "Vanilla" to other business acquaintances and thanks again for your professional help."
(Mark Parmer) Help and Safety At Work

All part of the daily fire fight, Mark!

Regular client Janet was concerned about returning to a mountain of work after her holiday and needed cover in her absence. In spite of it being short notice, Vanilla successfully got it sorted.

"Thank you for your assistance with our staffing crisis last week. The temporary cover provided was excellent. I am very pleased to see that things have obviously been in safe hands during my absence!"
Janet Stewart - Andrew Granger & Company

We're not just pretty faces, we're a safe pairs of hands too!

Voice Connect needed a number of experienced, high-performing telephone sales professionals - who were loyal and keen to stay with the business - in order to attain the sales growth it needed. Vanilla met with Alastair Campbell - quickly establishing his requirements for the role. The Vanilla solution was to produce a series of assessments which could be completed prior to interview, to ensure the candidates had the personality attitudes as well as work experience for the role to reduce his turnover of staff. By recruiting people with the right attitude and desire to do the telesales positions Alastair was able to stabilise his team and achieve his sales targets whilst restoring his faith in the value added services a professional agency can provide.

"I have dealt with many recruitment organisations over the years, but I have never come across one as friendly and professional as Vanilla. I have over a period of time become quite cynical about agencies as they to my mind have played lip service in the past to service and finding the right people for the right jobs - but Eloise has certainly changed that perception for me. From the first moment of contact to the follow up calls after a candidate is successfully placed I have nothing but praise for Eloise."
Alastair Campbell, Marketing Manager - Voice Connect

A nice assessment too, Alistair!

Rural Northants business Clarity Credit Management had been using agencies in Northamptonshire to support their rapidly-growing business. However, they identified a need to bring in more staff from Leicestershire, who would be willing to commute a short distance to work and found that they couldn't get this service from their usual agencies. And, they needed people to start straight away! No problem - in stepped Vanilla to take a brief on Wednesday, for a new permanent member of the team they needed to start on... the Monday following! Liking a challenge, Vanilla made sure Tomazina had Vanilla-flavoured candidates, carefully selected from its special database of exceptional candidates, the DAY AFTER THE BRIEF and SHE had a new starter the day after that! How's that for a fast turnaround?!

"We rated the service as 'outstanding' from Vanilla, as we did for commitment and professionalism and our general overall experience."
Tomazina Callaghan, HR Assistant, Clarity Credit Management

We like to get people out of a sticky situation, Tomazina - and thanks for your feedback score!