When trusting an external recruiter to find the perfect match, companies want a partner that understands not just that role, but the company and the market they’re operating in.
In the past, companies have gravitated towards large, general recruiters, but today’s market is all about “super specialists”: take a look at the Recruiter Fast 50 and 80% focus on one sector.
Companies can choose an agency with a deep understanding of their industry and job seekers can pick agencies specialising in their desired career path, increasing the potential for a great match from the very start.
Fintech’s unique requirements
Having an in-depth knowledge of the market is critical for Fintech recruitment, especially when it comes to sales roles.
Fintech sales requires a unique combination of industry and domain knowledge, and the sales models used are fundamentally different to those in the traditional financial services and banking sectors.
A recruiter that is a Fintech market expert will understand the product, its place in the market and potential sales drivers. Understanding the context allows specialist recruiters to pinpoint candidates with the right experience, network and approach to ensure a successful match.
A picture-perfect reflection
Recruitment agencies are an extension of your team. As the people kicking off the hiring process, they’re often the first representative of the company that candidates meet.
Specialist Fintech recruitment agencies are able to represent a company much more accurately. With deep industry knowledge, they can paint an honest and compelling picture of a role’s challenges and potential, as well as that company’s unique culture.
An accurate and engaging description of the role presented by a market expert creates a great first impression that hooks in top talent.
Not just perfect on paper
Whereas large, general recruiters tend to rely heavily on CVs, specialists are able to combine information about skills and experience with knowledge of candidates themselves, and an understanding of whether there’s a good cultural fit.
Cultural fit is a high priority for candidates. Figures from Glassdoor show that over three-quarters of candidates consider a company’s culture before applying and a similar percentage won’t apply if their values aren’t aligned with the company.
A specialist recruiter should invest time understanding your company culture. Having specialised in Fintech for over 16 years, we’ve worked with many of the key players before, helping them grow from start-ups to industry leaders. We know the companies, their quirks and preferences and use that context to find a great match.
Getting to know you
For new companies, we build that understanding of company culture by asking a lot of questions – the right questions.
It’s why we always meet the hiring team including the founders, CEO or other members of the executive management team. We ask not just about the product or solutions, but about how a company is positioning themselves in the market, why they believe they’re successful, and the growth strategies they’re putting in place to build on that success.
By meeting senior leaders, we’re able to build an understanding of the soft skills and approach a candidate would need to be successful in that particular organisation.
With each role, there’s an element of understanding the company culture, defining the employer brand, then finding the perfect match.
Great existing relationships
A great specialist recruiter should have an established network within the industry and strong, existing relationships with top talent.
As well as having worked on behalf of many of the top firms for many years, two decades of focusing on Fintech means we’ve placed many candidates before, some of them multiple times throughout their career.
It enables us to spot emerging leaders, building relationships with them from the very start of their career and matching them to the perfect company when they’re ready to step up.
It also means we can draw in passive candidates who make up 70% of the talent market, based on a great mutual fit.
Accelerate commitment
An excellent understanding of the market and an established network of high-quality, verified talent enables companies to accelerate the recruitment process.
The latest figures from LinkedIn show that the average length of the recruitment process is 36 days – a lifetime to high-growth companies where people requirements and revenue goals can change overnight.
Using a specialist agency with an established network that already understands the market can rapidly speed up the recruitment process, getting the right person on board, up to speed, and delivering growth as soon as possible.
The foundations for long-term happiness
Getting the right person in a role doesn’t just offer quick benefits, it creates the right conditions for long-term success.
With turnover rates as high as 50% in the first 18 months, hiring badly can cost companies as much as 1.5 to 2 times a team member’s annual salary – an avoidable cost that businesses need to avoid in economically challenging times.
In a tech-focused industry where people have a natural interest in the next big thing, retention can be a challenge. A specialist recruiter that can matchmake based on cultural fit as well as skills maximises the chance of building a team that’s perfectly placed for long-term happiness and success.
Fintech is not just our specialism, it’s our passion. It’s what we live and breathe every day. If you’re hiring for your Fintech sales team, get in touch with us to understand more about how our established network of top candidates could help you find your perfect match.
