It’s been a while since I have blogged on our escapades but here we are 9 months in and Windsor Employment Agency is well and truly on the map and flourishing!
And what a wonderful opportunity I now have to reflect on the last 9 months of establishing this new branch for the business. So much has happened, yet it is still hard to believe that we have been around for 9 whole months! Where did that time go?! One thing I do know is that if my Manager asked me when I started this venture “what does the branch look like to you in 9 months’ time?” I would have probably had a mild panic attack and laughed nervously….internally visualising myself with a red and white spotted neckerchief of goods over one shoulder and a sign around my neck saying ‘looking for work’.
Looking back my most poignant memory was sitting in front of an empty whiteboard thinking right “where do I start?!” I had my phone, my computer and my wonderful assistant Shannen…all we needed now was jobs and candidates! It was do or die … so I started doing!
So I started picking up the phone and talking to people. An interesting concept when you have no jobs to send candidates to and no clients to send your candidates to – but I put this conundrum to the back of my mind and went for it! I knew we had a good offering of sound experience and the support of clients already in the area that I had worked with at our Uxbridge Branch. On top of this I had the solid support of our team in Uxbridge who were on hand to do anything they could to help us and so I started sourcing reputable clients; who needed agency support and identifying top candidates who were committed to their job search in the local area. And low and behold things started to happen. One thing I realised is that if you don’t pick up the phone to speak to people then you will not get anywhere!
‘So’ I hear you say ‘what things started to happen?’ Well firstly, I remember that our introduction calls were received very positively and lots of clients and candidates were truly interested in our new venture. Candidates wanted to come and register with us, and clients wanted to know more about us. It reinforced in my mind, something that’s easy to forget and that is that the majority of people want to support a new crusade, and anyone who dares to step in to the unknown!
Other than that, I could say it was miraculous OR that my high-end recruitment skills gained me new business (Lol). However, I believe it was our passion, our persistence and refusal to give up when we did get the knock backs that meant that slowly we gained momentum and now have some great clients of a global and domestic nature and some truly outstanding candidates who we are proud to work with and place into our new clients.
Fast forward 9 months and we already have an established client base ranging from Legal, FMCG to Oil and Gas. Not only that, our network of candidates and talent from the local area is growing daily. We are supplying long-term and short-term temporary cover, permanent and fixed term contractors and the thing that I most proud of is that we have already generated loyalty and repeat business amongst our clients and candidates. I am proud that we have gained this trust as a Consultancy that people really want to work with and support and this is truly inspiring to me and to all our team both at Windsor and Uxbridge.
So when I think back to the day when I sat at my new desk with my lovely assistant, and we both looked at the empty job board, I am so proud to see how far we have come in just 9 months when we started with so little.
Without my 6 years’ experience at Uxbridge Employment and the support of the team there is no way I would have been in a position to set up a new branch. I learnt everything I know about recruitment with this team and when we open our official office site in the not too distant future in Windsor I will be sad not to see their lovely faces every day – although I know they are already telling me they are coming to visit us!
I am so looking forward to finding out what the next 9 months brings as I know it will be substantial. If you want to learn more about our branch you can follow us on Twitter: @windsoremp or search for us on Facebook: Windsor Employment Agency. Oh and of course, watch out for our soon to launched Website (Nov 15) with all our new jobs and opportunities for you to register.
So to summarise our experience so far…
Should you have anything to add to this or you would like to share any experiences then I would love to hear from you. I am always interested in hearing from people who dare to walk in unknown lands! In the meantime if you wish to register with us then please email your CV to lauren@windsor-employment.co.uk or visit us at www.windsor-employment.co.uk. Alternatively you call us on 01753 290260!