Lewis Byford, director of Antony George, considers how, as the pandemic persists, the firm has adapted its recruitment process to better fit with paraplanners needs
We have changed the way we approach Paraplanners in the market…
Paraplanners make up some 70% of our business. We do recruit Financial Advisers and Experienced Administrators but the majority of the positions that we recruit for are Paraplanning roles.
Throughout last year we had to change the way we approached Paraplanners, we wanted to be the go-to recruiter for any Paraplanner looking for a role. We didn’t want all of our conversations to be around recruiting, so we focused on helping Paraplanners improve their current packages, have better working patterns and better work life balances, whilst also addressing some concerns they have with their employers head on.
We are here to help guide paraplanners through their journey at every step of the way. From Trainee to experienced Paraplanners, team leaders, managers and Operation Manager/Directors. We know what the career path looks like. Trust me we have been there and supported one of your peers.
Engaging with paraplanners
To help strengthen the conversation with Paraplanners one thing we do is engage with them through different webinars and events that we know will add value. This year we have some fantastic events lined up with some of our existing & new partners. So keep an eye out for them, especially on LinkedIn.
Alongside the webinars we also write blogs for Paraplanners (a bit like the one I’m writing today.) This just gives a different perspective on topics that we think Paraplanners like and would enjoy reading about, a bit like one of our previous blogs – “How to ask for a pay rise as a Paraplanner” if you missed it, you can read it here: How to ask for a pay rise as a paraplanner – Professional Paraplanner
Changing how we communicate
When it comes to recruiting, we use a range of different methods. Calling, texting, LinkedIn messaging and emailing are the main methods we use to engage Paraplanners. We have seen a change recently that more and more people prefer a text or WhatsApp message, as it much easier to read something this way or arrange a call with us. We find it is also more personable.
We do however also, (controversially to some) use work emails as a last resort to get in touch with some of our Paraplanners, we do this when we need paraplanners in certain parts of the country where there is such a shortage, and where we may not already have built connections and relationships. Some don’t like this approach but when they understand the reasons why, most take it as compliment. But again, we understand that some don’t like this and we always take individual feedback onboard for future correspondences.
The reason I started this business alongside my business partner was because we wanted to add value and change the way recruitment is done. When I review my week and look back on the calls and conversations I’ve had, the best ones are normally from candidates that I may never place. We hope that candidates see what we do in the industry and ask for advice. For example, ‘Do I operate a Pod based approach or Pooled approach with my team?’ As I have seen this first-hand from 1-man firms growing a business to large multi-nationals we have seen the pros and cons to pretty much everything.
If you have any ideas of how we can help benefit you in the future I would love to hear from you directly. You can reach out to me on LinkedIn, email [email protected] or head over to www.antonygeorge.com
