Division: Human Resources
Role/Assignment: HR Director / HR Mentor
The Challenge
A new client approached Bond Williams following a recommendation. They were already working with another recruitment agency but the CVs they were receiving were not aligned with what the business actually needed.
The organisation had an existing HR professional who was studying and developing within their role. Rather than bringing in somebody to take over the HR function, the client needed an experienced HR professional who could mentor, guide and support them while helping to build their capability and confidence.
This made the appointment particularly sensitive.
The successful candidate needed to bring the experience and credibility expected at HR Director level while understanding that their purpose was to support and develop the existing HR professional, rather than replace them or make them feel threatened.
The search was further narrowed by the requirement for someone who was:
- Available for a part-time fixed-term contract
- Level 7 qualified
- Experienced enough to provide credible HR mentoring and guidance
- Motivated by a mentoring-focused assignment rather than a long-term HR Director position
- The right personality fit to work collaboratively alongside the existing HR professional
Our Approach
We met with the client and explored the requirement in detail rather than simply recruiting against the HR Director job title.
It became clear that the most important element of the assignment was the relationship between the two HR professionals.
We therefore focused the search not only on qualifications and senior HR experience, but on identifying someone who would genuinely enjoy mentoring and developing another HR professional.
We were also very clear with candidates about the purpose of the assignment and why their experience was needed.
The successful candidate had recently returned to the UK after living overseas. They wanted to re-establish themselves within UK HR but were also interested in using their experience in a slightly different way.
We positioned the assignment around the opportunity to use their existing senior HR expertise while developing additional mentoring and coaching experience.
This created a strong match between what the client genuinely needed and what would make the opportunity attractive to the candidate.
The Outcome
The role was briefed, the successful candidate identified, interviewed, offered and accepted within 10 days.
The client was very happy with both the speed and quality of the outcome.
More importantly, the successful appointment provided the business with the senior HR expertise it required while supporting the continued development of its existing HR professional.
Key Results
✔ 10 days from initial brief to accepted offer
✔ Successfully recruited a part-time HR Director / HR Mentor for a fixed-term assignment
✔ Secured the required Level 7 qualified HR experience
✔ Identified a candidate specifically motivated by the mentoring element of the opportunity
✔ Found the right personality fit to support and develop the existing HR professional
✔ Delivered a successful outcome after the client’s existing agency had struggled to identify suitable candidates
