What The Candidate Journey Looks Like On The Extra Mile

When Marcus Taylor started Taylor Sterling Associates in 2013, his goal was to alter the recruitment industry and develop a new approach that goes above and beyond the traditional candidate experience.

By focusing on client and candidate relationships and providing a personal and tailored approach to each, Taylor Sterling was able to create a strong brand and gain the loyalty of clients and candidates who refuse to work with anyone else. 

Focusing on their core strengths in construction and engineering and harnessing their industry and local knowledge, they turned themselves into a respected leader, published across multiple platforms, with keynote speaker engagements at industry symposiums, and were ranked one of the EMEA Top 25 most socially engaged specialist boutiques in 2016 by LinkedIn.

Following their values of integrity, transparency and accountability, they believe that going the "extra mile" is what gives candidates and clients peace of mind and makes them stand out from the crowd, ultimately creating business continuity.

Here’s how Taylor Sterling prioritizes the interests of both client and candidate to achieve success in the recruitment industry.

Building a candidate experience that lives beyond the placement

Taylor Sterling differentiates themselves from competitors by providing a positive and memorable candidate experience, assisting and guiding candidates every step of the way. “From the beginning we will identify a candidate who is the right fit for the role, for the company and its culture. Once we’ve identified that person and approached them, that’s when we start the Taylor Sterling approach – so if they want to come here there are no surprises,” says Marcus.

“Moving to a new company or country is difficult, and this causes a lot of stress and uncertainty,” says Marcus. “It’s part of our company structure to go the extra mile, to keep the candidate informed and in control. The idea is to retain the candidate for our clients, long-term. If you can ensure that a candidate has an understanding of their benefits on their first day, when they get paid, the support structure in place, where they get their driving licence, where they get their wife’s visa, where their kids will go to school, how much accommodation and transport cost – they don’t have to worry about anything else and come in focused on the job at hand.”

“I try to advise them about everything they’ll face before they come”, says Linda Truksane, a resourcer at Taylor Sterling, “so they understand what’s happening, what stage we’re at and what’s going on, without making any false promises.”

This personalized approach is the reason that Taylor Sterling benefits from referrals. “We go so far as to pick our candidates up from the airport, or walk them in on their first day and introduce them to their new team,” says Erik Everling, Senior Resource Manager at Taylor Sterling.

The one-on-one attention doesn’t stop once the position has been filled. “We have coffee or monthly barbeques with our candidates and become friends with them. This individual approach is crucial, not just to ensure our candidates are happy, but also, to ensure our clients retain that candidate,” says Linda. “We provide a unique candidate journey. It’s the reason why candidates choose us,” continues Erik.

"We’re always available and we always make an effort to know the client and to understand what they really want,” added Lana McGhee, Associate Partner at Taylor Sterling.

Utilizing LinkedIn to springboard to the next level

In a transient country where job titles change frequently, job portals and databases are often outdated. LinkedIn offered a way for Taylor Sterling to provide live information on candidates, both active and passive, while establishing themselves as an industry leader to over 32,000 followers. An ever-growing strong network that the Taylor Sterling team use to not only source their talent and keep the market informed of industry news, but actively promote their clients successes.

After the recession there was a lot of change. The workforce today is generally younger, more socially interactive and increasingly more adept at utilizing new technologies. LinkedIn gave Taylor Sterling the medium to engage with a variety of clients – the very decision-makers they target – and the candidates who are the future leaders of their clients.

Used for marketing, recruitment, head hunting and business development, LinkedIn allows Taylor Sterling resources to get a higher response rates and to better communicate with candidates.

"LinkedIn is a fantastic tool that we embraced to stay ahead. And a large part of the success has been down to the LinkedIn team here in the Dubai office. From the moment, they came to see us it’s as if they have been a part of our team for a long time," says Marcus.

“A key tool for me to connect with talent in the Middle East is through LinkedIn,” Lana agrees. “These days, I wouldn’t be able to do my job properly without it”.

Delivering a new form of synergy

“Every company is different; every hiring manager wants to do things differently. Bearing in mind that each company wants to create an edge in the market with its own structure, we work out a solution tailored to each client that is focused on delivery,” says Marcus.

For Taylor Sterling, upholding each and every client’s name and reputation in the market is paramount. “We ensure corporate compliance, with a professional approach and delivery that looks at business continuity, rather than a fast-track approach. With a commitment on both sides we can do the job properly, strategically and proactively – delivering the right people when required. We keep clients aware of the market trends, undertake salary surveys to see what the industry standard is and how they compare, ultimately making sure we tap into what’s happening in the market so our clients can benefit from our knowledge,” he continues.

By truly understanding the client and their specific needs, Taylor Sterling resourcers are better able to assess whether a candidate would fit within the culture of their company. “We ask our candidates as much questions as possible, providing an in-depth profile that is suited towards a client’s unique needs,” says Aija Kurzemniece, a resourcer at Taylor Sterling.

“We have strong ethics and values, and take the responsibility of representing our candidates to clients very seriously, with transparency and accountability. It’s not just about filling seats. It’s about proper delivery, about being proactive, representing the right opportunities on the market for the right candidates, and engaging them,” says Marcus.

“Our approach with clients is to create synergy with their company – we are not a recruitment consultancy we are a recruitment partner with a strategic, proactive, personal approach that is ultimately a cost-effective one that upholds our clients’ reputation and positions them as an employer of choice,” he continues.

Getting placements that result in positive feedback from both client and candidate is not only rewarding it’s essential.

“From a client side, when clients extend their exclusive agreements with us, they want to continue their relationship with us – it’s a sign of their faith in Taylor Sterling,” Eric continues. “We are what we stand for.”

Ultimately, this is what Taylor Sterling strives for – not only recognition for their efforts in setting new standards in recruitment, but to be known as a brand that lives by its promises.