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StopPress anniversary: Past thoughts and future forecasts with Marsden Inch

StopPress turned 10 this year and to help celebrate we spoke to some of the partners that have supported us since day one. Here, Marsden Inch talks us through the ups and downs of the past decade, and what they hope to see in the recruitment industry before 2029.

Q&A with Robert Roydhouse, Jeneal Rohrback and Barry Williamson of Marsden Inch.

  • If you could go back to 2009 and give yourself a piece of advice, what would it be?

Never focus on the almighty dollar. People are the most important, so give more than you take, be respectful, be empathic and don’t work with assholes. Then make your money. In today’s automated world, human interaction is even more important.

  • How do you see the recruitment services changing over the next ten years?

There will be a move towards online recruitment utilising AI for candidate/role screening.  But like any relationship-driven business, it will come back to personal interaction between people – face-to-face. We have always built our business by going beyond just recruiting, by becoming long-standing mentors and coaches who create talent, and a lot of the time, good friends.

  • How do you think your industry experience has helped you become a leading voice in recruitment?

It’s simple. With all our collective years in the business, we have got to know a hell of a lot of people. We understand their values, the nitty-gritty of their businesses, their wants and want-nots.

  • What do you hope to see in the industry before 2029?

More woman. More creativity. More manners. More altruism.

  • What roles were most in-demand in 2009 and how have those changed?

Back then there were a lot of intermediate roles across the board. Intermediate people were cheaper and had just enough experience that they didn’t need hand-holding. In theory, this makes sense. But what agencies didn’t bet on was that these are the first people to grow quickly and move on quickly. Employers have now learned that the most loyal are the perhaps the juniors and seniors.

  • How have the likes of LinkedIn and In-house recruitment impacted on how you operate?

Yes, it has changed things in the sense that anyone can search for candidates. We use it ourselves. But they won’t have the inside knowledge of passive lookers, confidential lookers, and overseas lookers, just to name a few.

  • How have the needs of talent changed since 2009?

Although there’s a bigger demand for digital specialists, as budgets shrink there’s still a need for jack-of-all-trades people. There’s also a concerted (and well-reported) shift towards work-life balance and workplace flexibility too, not just limited to returning mothers.

  • As automation improves – could bots ever become recruiters?

Yes, but it would be a soulless experience, and sooner or later you have to have human contact. The true indicator of a good candidate is when you look them in the eye and know that they’re the right for one for the job. We always looked beyond the CV, scripted questions, assessments, degrees, first impressions, or initial skill set.

This story is part of our wider celebration of StopPress’s 10 year anniversary. To check out more, click here.

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