(EDIT NOTE: To avoid any confusion in delivering this message, we have ceased operating as a licensee of Sterning Group, and are now trading under the same ABN as Hire Purpose Talent Solutions. Sterning Group continues to operate, and we wish them well.
Having spent 5 years trading as Sterning Healthcare, I'm proud that we were the first recruitment business to kickstart Sterning's group licensing model in 2014. Since those beginnings, the group has expanded to include other recruitment owner-operators in the HR, IT, Engineering, Logistics, Design and Digital areas. They're great people, and I'll happily recommend each of them as recruiters. As the saying goes however, all good things come to an end, and it's time for our business to spread our wings and leave the Sterning nest. The Sterning Group will continue to thrive without us, and I wish them continued success.
Introducing (drumroll please) Hire Purpose Talent Solutions. Today I want to give you an insight into why our business decided make this change, along with an example of how we'll be doing recruitment differently, starting right now.
Consider this: There are literally thousands of recruitment agencies in Australia. Some are undoubtedly better than others. If you look at a hundred recruitment sites today, you'll see the same blurb trotted out a hundred times in different fonts, with different branding. Generally they'll boil down to:
1. We're bloody good at recruitment
2. Generic blurb about a 360 degree methodology, the best database in the world, awesome team, track record, footprint, etc, etc
3. Check out some testimonials from our happy candidates and clients (they'll only publish the good ones)
4. Here are our current jobs
5. Send us your CV
6. Give us your business.
How many can genuinely say they're different? Could I? What were we really doing better than the rest? How was I significantly improving the recruitment experience for candidates or clients? If you're not in business to improve on the way things are done, why are you really there? As I asked myself these questions, I realised that I'd lost some of my personal mojo because I couldn't answer them with enough conviction. I'd become stale, was losing motivation, and knew that for me, something had to change. So I did some soul searching, and realised I wanted to do significantly more for our candidates and clients than they traditionally expect from a recruiter. Leaving Sterning was a difficult decision, but the timing felt right - we had an opportunity to make amazing things happen for people during their first 12 months in a new job. Think bigger. Do good. Make a real impact. That's our higher purpose. Sterning's an example of a forward-thinking recruitment group, but as a licensee you don't have full control, and I wanted to structure things differently for our business moving forwards. This has involved redirecting some of our costs away from the back office support structure Sterning provided. As we are no longer part of the Sterning Ecosystem, we needed a new name, and Hire Purpose Talent Solutions was born.
A key aspect of the Hire Purpose model is providing unusually awesome post-placement support (UAPPS may be a crappy acronym, but the benefits to our candidates and clients are very real). By providing bespoke, meaningful assistance, we'll help people to achieve their goals in both work and life during their first year in a new role. This goes far deeper than 'finding people a job they like'. We'll be offering candidates free access to a personalised post-placement program including areas such as wellness programs, life coaching, career planning, and a host of other benefits including professional/personal development, EAP, loyalty and referral rewards. We'll even throw in a hug.
If one of our candidates wants to run a marathon this year, we'll help them on their way with new running shoes, gait analysis, a running club, and accountability check ins - and when they're fit and ready, we'll pay the race entry. The race is in Rome? We'll sort you out with a language course. If you're reading this and thinking you'd rather eat your own eyes than run a marathon, that's cool too, this is about your goals, not ours. Professional development and up-skilling's more your thing? We'll contribute. Always wanted to learn to surf? We got you, bro. Time to shave some shots off that handicap? We'll tee that up. If you have a major personal issue, our EAP services could help you stay on track. You get the picture. Giving people opportunities to thrive makes us happy. There's no pressure - if you just want us to help you secure your next job, we can - but we'd like to offer more.
Healthy and motivated people are more energetic, engaged, and productive, enjoying better careers and more fulfilling lives. This is going to be great for our candidates and clients, and amazing for us too - we'll get to enjoy making real connections, and we feel warm and fuzzy inside because we'll be making a meaningful difference, not just putting bums on seats. I'm really excited about what we're going to achieve with Hire Purpose and I'd love to share the full vision with you. The bottom line for Hire Purpose is this: We have to be more than an ordinary recruitment business. The litmus test will be how our candidates and clients feel about us 12 months into their appointment - if we're perceived as 'normal' recruiters, we'll have failed.
Call me on 0421 378406 or if you're in Sydney, join me for a coffee (or a walk/jog in the park if you're feeling energetic), and we can talk more about what we're doing differently to support our candidates in achieving their goals in work and life, and to ensure our clients enjoy the benefits of an engaged, happy, and productive workforce.
Wish us luck!