Many recruitment companies invest a large proportion of their annual budget on building relationships with customers, holding and sponsoring events for their specialist industries.

But what about the recruitment industry?

No longer is this seen as an sector filled with unskilled workers who are out there to make “quick cash”; Respected recruitment professionals work long hours and build trusted relationships. SME’s through to international corporations rely on these relationships to ensure they are privy to candidates where most employers are met with a skill shortage.

This industry can be a minefield to navigate and unless recruitment individuals and companies stay up to date and engaged with the latest changes – marketing, customer service, employer branding, recruitment techniques etc, then the likelihood of business expansion and growth will be threatened.

Welcome, The Recruitment Canaries. A Midlands recruitment community focusing on sharing best practices and success with a like-minded network. Dal Shoker, MD at Niyaa People and Matt Collingwood, MD of VIQU founded this group in 2018 and Thursday 14th June showcased the inaugural Canaries event.

Held at the impressive Malmaison Hotel within the iconic Birmingham landmark, The Mailbox. 68 professionals and business leaders from 31 companies came together for an evening of networking, discussions and presentations from industry thought leaders.

Speakers

Jeremy Snell – Co-Founder of Zero Entropy Networks

Jeremy and Zero Entropy Networks specialise in helping recruitment companies grow and are recognised as one the leading training providers in the industry. From resourcers to consultants and team leaders, Zero Entropy Networks create bespoke training talent builders to enable consistent learning and development throughout your whole company as well as hands on training days, tailoring themes to your training needs.

Jamil Qureshi – World Renowned Speaker

Jamil is a performance coach, psychologist, author and keynote speaker. He was worked with talent and organisations across the world from the European Ryder Cup Golf team, English Premiership Football Clubs, fighter pilots, F1 Drivers, medical teams, Coca Cola and Emirates Airlines to name a few.

Gordon Stoddart – Co-Founder of The Recruitment Network

Gordon is a business coach, speaker and consultant trainer. With over 15 years experience, he has helped and coached ambitious and multi-award winning recruitment business achieve their potential, enjoy profitable growth and outperform the market through a focus on strategy, leadership and customer experience.

About The Recruitment Canaries

“Many stories seem to start with; “whilst over a beer……”. One evening Dal Shoker and I were out, sharing ideas and experiences and the topic of collaboration came up. We both agreed that with the growing number of start-ups and SME recruitment business there was a real opportunity to put some structure around our network and ultimately share success, and this is how the Canaries were born. The name came from the concept that we all ‘chirp’ as much as possible, sharing as much knowledge as to support each other. The only code we ask is that each member chirps and contributes when they can. In the last 6 months, we’ve seen GDPR workshops, networking, introductions to clients which have seen placements and teams grow through referrals.” – Matt Collingwood, VIQU

What does it mean to be a Canary? All the recruitment leaders are part of a closed messaging group where you can participate in discussions about best practice on any number of topics that concern growing a business. Alongside having access to invite only events such as the Summer Conference and be part of the Midlands biggest recruitment networking group.

As they always say though, the proof is in the pudding. So take a look at the promotional launch video and quotes from attendees on the night below.

To find out about becoming a Canary yourself, it’s easy, just contact Dal (dal@niyaapeople.co.uk) or Matt (matt.collingwood@viqu.co.uk).

“The conference gave me several new things to try and implement with my team, to hopefully drive the right thinking.”

“I worked for a major corporation for 13 years and never experienced such quality speakers in training. Extremely thought provoking, thank you.”

“The speakers challenged my thinking and this has encouraged me to do the same in my business.”

“Best event and value for money of any conference I’ve been to.”

A huge thank you to the sponsors, without them this event wouldn’t of been possible: Engage, SourceBreaker and Kingsbridge Contractor Insurance.

Recruitment Canaries: LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

VIQU: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Niyaa People: Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube