Bringing Recruitment into the 21st Century

The unique approach offered by Exceptional People

In the competitive world of recruitment, many agencies find themselves carving out their own niche – whether that’s the industries they recruit for, or the type of recruitment model and method they adopt. With versatility and the ability to pivot becoming more of a premium, those recruitment specialists that do stray from the ‘standard’ approach are an attractive prospect for companies looking to hire professionals and c-suite executives of the highest quality. The retained search model, where businesses will retain the services of a recruiter for ongoing hiring assignment, is a popular method in the industry today – but why should agencies limit their services to that alone?

With a forward-thinking approach, Manchester-based agency Exceptional People stands out from the crowd in the field of IT, change, and transformation recruitment. From retained search and executive search to interim management and approved contractor hires, the recruitment specialist has never pinned itself to one method and instead, it adopts the best practice procedures from all proven models to obtain the best hires for its clients on every assignment. Exceptional People searches far and wide for the best professionals and executives for a range of sectors that rely upon the skills of IT professionals, from finance, education, and transport to manufacturing and retail. The agency has carved out a stellar reputation for finding niche skillsets in a busy and competitive talent pool, and its ability to pivot from one recruitment model to another – or blend their best elements – for the benefit of its clients has been a key part of its success.

This is all part of Exceptional People’s DNA, which truly puts people at the centre of everything it achieves day-to-day. With this in mind, the agency has put corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives front and centre too. It is a social enterprise that gives back to underprivileged communities. Companies turn to Exceptional People for its quality recruitment methods and proven results, whilst also retaining those services for the strong values that underpin everything its team achieves.

Giving back

As a social enterprise, Exceptional People commits at least 50% of its profits towards initiatives that ignite positive social change. For example, the agency has set up and funded a Christmas food initiative, which has resulted in thousands of hampers being given to families living in poverty across the UK. Furthermore, Exceptional People’s charitable efforts have extended beyond the UK and assisted orphanages in Myanmar and Kenya through the donation of 7.5 acres of rice paddy and 50 bee hives, respectively.

Front and centre of its contribution to positive change is the agency’s Olinda Community Gardens C.I.C., which it has developed and funded itself. This initiative is focused on creating community spaces that are rich in natural biodiversity and has been further boosted through a partnership with National Trust since 2023. Olinda Community Gardens’ core space is an organic community farm based in Trafford which comprises a kitchen garden (which donates the majority of its produce to a local food bank), a gardening club and wellness initiatives that offer welcoming spaces to the community’s most vulnerable residents and local businesses simply seeking to revitalise their employees.

Exceptional People’s appreciation for the environment has become an important element of its own operating policies, with sustainability becoming a core part of the agency’s identity in recent years. A partnership with international conservation charity World Land Trust that started in April 2020 set in motion the agency’s bid to become Carbon Negative, which it has since achieved, whilst it also offsets the carbon footprint of its hired contractors and associates.

Best practice recruitment

Exceptional People’s growing reputation showcases the impact that a best practice approach has had on its clients. The fluidity and agility highlighted by the agency’s methodology has delivered benefits not just for employers, but for those professionals recruited too – as professional interim candidates gain lucrative opportunities to become contractors or take on executive roles. Exceptional People’s Managing Director, Paul Belton, has shaped the agency’s innovative approach through more than three decades of experience in the recruitment industry. The specialist remains hands-on across the agency’s recruitment projects, and clients regularly benefit from the deep pool of talent that Exceptional People has access to through Paul’s networking and experience.

When it comes to sourcing the best talent, companies encounter all manner of challenges that prevent them from achieving those hires alone – and that’s why Exceptional People’s services are so vital. The agency takes time to gather a comprehensive understanding of the company’s hiring needs first – using this open and honest conversation to guide its recruitment methodology. This could involve adopting an executive search approach to source talent and convert them into a contractor or tapping into its pool of interim management associates for high-level executive roles, where Exceptional People’s unrivalled ability to unearth potential is so important.

To find out more about Exceptional People’s recruitment services and how they can support your organisation, please visit www.exceptional-people.co.uk or call their office directly on 0845 576 0123.