Behind The Recruiter - Alan Staunton

The next up in our ‘Behind the Recruiter’ series is Alan Staunton. Alan has a wealth of experience in our recruitment space and has been at ProTech for just over a year. We sit down with Alan to discuss what he gets up to away from the office but also get his view what is currently on his desk and discover his views and advice on recruitment more generally.

So Alan, how long have you been working in recruitment for?

I’ve been working within the recruitment space for approximately 25 years and during my time have seen and encountered a lot during my time in the industry. My longest stint at a recruitment company was just over 14 years!

That’s a long time to be partaking in recruitment. What do you like to get up to outside of work that has allowed you to continue to perform at such a level for so long in your career?

Well, I spend most of my time when I am not working looking after my daughter. I can’t think of anything better to do during my down time and really all the work I do, day in and day out, is for the people I care about. If I find enough time beyond that then I thoroughly enjoy following the fortunes of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club (at least when they are winning fairly often!). You’ll often find me pottering about to get some time to myself with my dog.

You certainly love your dog. I remember you taking it with us on our wellness walk. What’s her name and how long have you had her for? Any favourite spots to take her out for a walk?

Layla the Lurcher is her name. She is nearly 4 years old. My favourite place to take her out for a walk is Cassiobury Park in Watford, especially because it’s quite spacious and Layla can run about a fair bit. If she’s not running about then she spends the rest of her time sleeping!

What industries do you recruit for?

Engineering and Technical – this involves mainly the Aerospace, Mechanical, Automotive and Electronics industries for me. In the main I recruit for UK based clients but have recruited extensively before in mainland Europe.

What sorts of roles do you deal with mainly?

From white collar roles such as Buyers, Designs, Management and Planners through to shopfloor staff which could be anything from Inspectors, Testers, Welders, Assemblers and Machinists. I have a wide range of roles coming through my desk but I enjoy it as it keeps my days varied.

Is there any advice you would give to candidates that are currently looking for work in the current environment?

Mmm that is a difficult one to answer? Maybe not to try and please agencies, just be open and honest as it will make finding you a suitable role quicker and easier.

How can a candidate smooth the process with you?

I am happy for candidates to approach me in any way that they feel comfortable with. My only advice is to be honest with me (or their recruiters in general) as this means that the information I am providing to the company doing the hiring is as accurate as possible.

Do you have any advice you’d offer to companies that are hiring from a recruiters perspective?

20% minimum or don’t darken my door (but really) – as above with candidates be honest with your recruiters and also keep a focus on improving your hiring process – quicker is great but you also need to be accurate in your hiring process AND also be honest with both agency and candidates. This allows me to offer candidates genuine feedback and means that they come away from the process with a good impression of the hiring companies reputation regardless of whether they are ultimately successful in their pursuit of the role or not.

How have you found mentoring some of the younger members of our team? 

It’s really rewarding. Being able to help people to learn more and achieve more is a bit of an extra motivation for me.

Fair play! Finally it has to be asked once you mention a football team. Are Sheffield Wednesday going to finish in the league this season?

ECL Winners – sorry you said this season – promotion I hope.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions Alan.

No problem. 

You can find Alan Staunton on LinkedIn or contact him on his direct dial on either 01442 299033 or 07741 911377. Alternatively you can email him at alan.staunton@pro-tech.co.uk