Firstcomm Case Study: IMA

“Extensive search within passive candidate market for key engineering role”

Project Detail

IMA UK are a renowned engineering business, which provides parts and services for the high quality machinery used for the processing of wood based panels, used in areas such as kitchens and furniture. Everyone who works for the organisation, including sales and back office staff, has detailed knowledge or in depth training to ensure they are the market leaders in the woodwork and panel processing industry. Their engineering team in particularly pride themselves on the depth of their experience across a wide range of engineering sectors, including mechanical, electrical and pneumatic, combined with hands-on factory expertise. To support their ongoing business needs, IMA was looking to hire an engineer of an equally high calibre.

The Brief

The brief was to find an engineer with a comprehensive engineering skill set, who would also have the soft skills to work within a small, yet highly niche team. The client had previously put the vacancy out with a number of agencies, who had not been able to deliver the appropriate skill set. Firstcomm was selected, as we have a 20 year track record within the engineering market and we devoted considerable time getting to know the needs of the client, as well as understanding specifically what the person would be doing on a day to day basis.  This was achieved by speaking to a number of directors, to translate their requirements into a detailed job description. Rather than taking a reactive approach and simply relying on advert response, we undertook a targeted headhunting campaign, ensuring that we had done a thorough job at covering the passive candidate market, within related fields of engineering. It also took a considerable time investment to really listen and understand the skills of every individual, with whom we spoke.

The solution

The main challenge with this vacancy was to find someone who had a sufficiently broad range of skills from several engineering sectors, yet who was not simply a generalist. Our in-depth screening process meant that the client only met candidates, who were fully qualified and able to do the job. After several weeks we secured a solid candidate, who the client felt long term would be a strong match for the role. As a result, the hiring manager is now extremely happy with the new addition to the team and the specialist knowledge this person can contribute.