The Challenge
In the early part of 2018, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) relocated its operational headquarters to Colmore Row, in the bustling business district of Birmingham city centre. This move was part of a strategic initiative to embark on a comprehensive two-year digital transformation programme aimed at enhancing the digital experience for all global community user groups within RICS. This transformation includes the integration of advanced technologies such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 and SharePoint to promote future professional development and encourage collaboration.
Following this, RICS found itself in need of additional skilled IT professionals to support this initiative. Having previously recruited two successful candidates through Crimson, RICS engaged the agency again to assist in filling five more IT roles, including business analysts, test analysts, and project managers.
The Strategy
The recruitment campaign was led by a dedicated Account Development Consultant from Crimson’s Permanent IT recruitment team. Initial discussions were held with Amy Jones, Project Delivery Manager at RICS, to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the digital transformation programme, the required experience, company culture, and technologies involved.
The recruitment campaign was strategically designed to capitalise on the positive publicity surrounding RICS’s office relocation and digital transformation projects, aiming to attract high-quality candidates. Leveraging its deep-rooted connections within the West Midlands, where Crimson is also based, the agency tapped into its well-established network of candidates, developed over more than a decade.
A meticulous selection process was followed, resulting in a shortlist of outstanding candidates. The consultant personally met with most candidates before and after their interviews to ensure they were fully prepared, understood RICS’s culture, and to assess their enthusiasm and feedback. This comprehensive approach facilitated efficient communication between candidates and the hiring team.
The ROI
The proactive and tailored approach resulted in swiftly lining up candidates ready to join RICS, providing the necessary talent to commence the digital transformation programme without delay.
As a result, the partnership between Crimson and RICS has continued to grow, with ongoing discussions to meet RICS’s evolving IT recruitment needs, well into the future.
The Candidates’ Words
Sue McLean, Project Manager, said: “Crimson kept me informed at all stages and they were very pleasant and informative. A real pleasure to deal with.”
Hardeep Sidhu, Project Manager – SharePoint, said: “I have worked with a number of consultants from different agencies in the past and I can say Crimson are on a different level, extremely professional and likeable. We had numerous calls which were informative and relevant throughout the process.”
The Customer’s Words
Amy Jones, Project Delivery Manager, said: “Initially we went to Crimson looking for one BA, and they sent through three excellent candidates. I interviewed the first and thought ‘this is the one’, but then the second was equally good, as was the third. All three candidates offered slightly different skills and would have brought different things to the team. In the end, we offered the original role to the first candidate and recruited the third as well.
“Then when we needed five more people (another BA, a tester, a SharePoint PM, an infrastructure lead and a general PM) in a mix of permanent and FTC roles, I got in touch with Crimson again, within a couple of weeks we had interviews set up with another mix of strong professionals and easily filled all the roles in one round of interviews.
“Crimson has a talent for matching people with roles and company culture. All of the recruits have fit well into our team and all have hit the ground running to deliver for us right from the start. The only problem I have with using Crimson is the candidates have been so strong I could have picked them all.”