Since April 2017 we have been supporting our clients to recruit across a wider variety of sectors in Private and Third Sectors.  Diversifying within the Healthcare Environment in fields such as Legal, IT, Human Resources, Marketing and Communications and administration.   Over 2018 and 2019 we supported many candidates who would like to transition from the Private Sector in the Public sector and with our rebrand in 2020 this allowed for the Company to support candidates to move across the Public, Private and Third sectors for temporary, contract and permanent opportunities. 

One such candidate was Lorna who joined Keenan as a Solicitor in the Public Sector after years of Private Practice.  She discussed her experience with me in her comments below:

“When I started my new role after abruptly leaving the private sector I felt I was jumping in the deep end and did not know what I was in for... However, I was instantly put at ease by my manager who was aware of the situation.   I was introduced to the full team within my department on my very first day and coupled with hand sanitiser we all shook hands and made our introductions.  I felt instantly like one of the team.  

Shortly after this, the lockdown occurred and a lot of us were deployed but are due to return to base soon.  However, the team has kept in continual contact via our WhatsApp Team Group and emails.  My manager has also had regular telephone check ups on us all to ensure we are all keeping safe and well.  

As I sit here now writing this, on my 39th birthday with a salary to match my age, I wonder why I didn't do this sooner and make the decision to look into recruitment agencies and see what else was out there for me.  I'm glad I made this decision and will be ever grateful to LL for helping me on my journey.”

Lorna has since been joined by additional Legal staff and this has allowed the Recruitment Consultants within Keenan Recruitment to upskill and learn more about this sector and how it relates to the Employment Community. 

LL Thoughts on Recruiting for New Roles outside of Health Care Professionals

“I was really excited about diversifying our Recruitment Platform to include the specialist/technical roles as it would allow me to meet a greater range of people who would be contributing to supporting our Frontline Workers.  My background in the Performance Management and Service Directorate of the Health Care Board gave me an advantage as I had previously worked in an organisation that merged the Front Line and Support Systems and included HR, Communications, Legal and IT as part of daily functions.   The detailed Job Descriptions and Specifications also guided my knowledge and the new Clients were very open to chatting about the roles and their teams which made it easier to get a feel for what candidates experience actually working there.  This has been really helpful when recruiting in the Private and Third sectors where workplace culture and ethos can differ greatly between Clients.

The Candidates in these sectors have a very strong sense of the type of work they are looking for and often come with a strict criteria which has been challenging at times to meet each one and so we spend a good portion of our meetings discussing their Essential and Desirable criteria within the current marketplace which I particularly enjoy.  Understanding new Marketplaces and Sectors has been essential in order to manage expectations of candidates and clients and I find LinkedIn, Business Eye, and the Business Sections of Local Newspapers excellent resources to keep up to date.  

We are here for you if you want to chat about anything Recruitment related feel free to get in touch on 02890447144 or email specialist@keenanrecruitment.co.uk  “