Wycombe graduate Jamie Mistlin has taken on the might of the recruitment industry to try to bring about a revolution in student and graduate recruitment through a new direct m marketing online service. The former Buckinghamshire Chilterns university college (BCUC) music student made a stinging attack on his competitors at the launch of his business which, he says aims to “abolish exorbitant recruitment agency fees” and give more client money to candidates.
The 27 year old started planning recruitmentrevolution.localhost with his partner Anna Taylor, 24 within a week of leaving university last year and admits they have a David and Goliath battle on their hands. They relish the prospect of running the business borne out of the struggle and experiences which Mistlin and his friends has whilst temping during their studies.
“I was startled at the discrepancy between my hourly earnings and what the agency was actually for my services. It seemed obvious to reduce the middle man fee allowing the client to pay less with the candidate also benefiting. Anna and I felt that companies and clients needed more transparent platform on which communicate directly” he said.
Research conducted by RecruitmentRevolution claimed:
• 95 per cent of graduates resent the profits recruitment agencies make out of them.
• 80 per cent of graduates are rarely happy with the service provided by their recruitment consultant.
• 90 per cent of graduates feel that agents do not act in the employees best interests.
Strong words from Jamie attracted business attention at the business launch at the B2B exhibition in Windsor with a stand which outstripped others for its smartness and hi tech marketing for the Sunninghill business. Taylor said fellow graduates from BCUC, the London University where she studied English, and college students from Maidenhead, helped with the website, marketing and print material as well as survey research. The pair chose a plumb expensive exhibition location opposite the institute of Directors executive lounge at B2B and were pleased with the response with the first battle with the giants.
Traditionally companies pay recruitment agencies to market and manage vacancy fulfilment and charge a percentage of the employees starting salary, but according to Mistlin an agency can earn as much as £3,600 by placing s £20,000 a year graduate. Although many recruitment agencies handle advertising and take pride in their search and selecting, there are agencies which cherry pick and have rich picking in the temp business in particular. Customers can be faced with added burden of advertising their own vacancies and are required to manage the short listing, interviewing and background checking of applicants and have large advertising bills to pay on top of recruitment fees. “Whilst a Temporary worker might be earning £8 per hour, the client could pay double that to account for the agencies’ commission” said Mistlin.
Susan Cranie, managing director of Careplan recruitment in Wycombe – specialising in social worker recruiting, was recently appointed to the executive committee of Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC). She is a former social worker who has been in recruitment 12 years. She has also sat up a general recruiting company herself in the last year and had a word of warning for the new recruiter. She said “I congratulate Jamie and his team on a fresh and forward thinking business model. “Clearly he’s had some poor experiences of recruitment in the past, but I would strongly counsel against tarring all agencies with the same brush. “Choice for candidates and clients is always welcome, as the success of Fastrak recruiters over the past year has demonstrated. “In the recruitment, competition has, is, and always will be healthy, otherwise things would remain static. But recruitment is unlike more transactions, a people business.
Castle Hill House