I was recently discussing with a potential client about why they should use Marine People and myself.
Despite being UK based I have always worked with a wide range of clients around the world, with a particular focus on European, North American and Australian Naval projects. Of course, the UK and Australia couldn’t be much further apart in terms of geography, but I have never seen that as an issue.
For me, being able to speak to a recruiter who can make you aware of roles in-country and internationally is far more valuable and helps to foster long-term relationships. Of course, the argument can be that it makes no sense to use a UK firm to hire Canadians for a Canadian shipbuilding project (For argument’s sake). But if that recruiter specialises in that area, understands your requirements, has contacts in that region, can deliver, then what does it matter? Especially with today’s technology and various other means of communicating now available.
In the office, we cater our hours accordingly to match our clients’ needs – to help reduce time zone differences. Anyone who knows me or has worked with me previously knows I will always make myself available whenever needed.
Despite being effective at opperating from the UK on overseas projects, an Australian office is something that we are seriously looking into.
Recently we have been in dialogue with an Australian organisation that wants assistance in identifying highly skilled shipbuilding candidates. We have been talking about the option of me spending some time in the business to get used to the culture of the organisation and to be involved with the hiring process. We will be looking to hire ten candidates early next year. It’s an exciting project to be involved with and we are looking at moving quickly on all the positions with the market being increasingly buoyant and competitive. For me, jumping on a plane to come back to Australia is something I am really looking forward to. And I look forward to visiting more regularly over the coming years.
Whilst it is an important part of any business, for a recruiter your role is pretty simple. Find suitable candidates and look to manage them throughout the process – working closely with your clients along the way. For me, you build relationships by providing a good service to candidates and clients and meeting when possible.
I was recently at the Pacific 2019 Exposition in Sydney and enjoyed meeting clients old and new. I would actually argue that over the years my best business was done over a coffee or a beer rather than sitting in a boardroom for hours on end.
Shipbuilding has so many exciting projects and is a very niche skillset. Of course, there are transferrable skills, but like every project & industry, you do need subject matter experts at various levels. Which due to the level of projects internationally are becoming increasingly thin on the ground. Again, being well networked in that sector is key.
I have always been a big believer in that candidates & clients should aim to work with the best recruiters in their relevant area. Not just pick a recruitment company. Of course, this is easier said than done and there are circumstances where an agency will advertise a candidate’s ideal job, they hit apply and everyone is happy. However, in most circumstances, it isn’t the case. Especially with how competitive the market is now becoming. Ultimately this does take some time with identifying relevant recruiters for your area, but for me this is valuable. A lot of candidates & clients we work with tend to come from our network/ referrals. For me people buy people.
An added advantage of Marine People is our affiliations with STEM returners and IMarEST allowing us to offer much more than your standard agency.
It is a very exciting time in Shipbuilding, and I look forward to continuing to support our clients around the world with both local and international opportunities and hires.
James Martin – Managing Director of Marine People
