The early days…
What a difference a couple of decades makes! We started during the time of,
– fax machines,
– lineage ads in newspapers,
– and this, our first logo!
The IT scene was in its infancy when 4it began our journey and lots of businesses hadn’t even computerised. The internet was working on pre-broadband dial-up and the world could still, just about, survive without IT. Oh and we had the Y2K bug!
The enthusiastic trio of 4it founders set up the company in 1999. We grew to an additional 6 people and built a solid reputation in the local Leeds market before a step-change in 2008. Esther Procter, our ambitious founding Director, teamed up with current MD John Edwards to take over the 4it story.
…and what an interesting time to take over, with the longest and deepest recession in living memory just about to begin!
No more cold calling…
4it adapted well, re-thinking each specific function within the business and working out how to perform them in the best way. We turned the traditional sales-led approach on its head and separated business development from recruitment delivery.
Cold calling is possibly the most annoying way to contact people. It was (and remains) an entry-level sales technique that people neither enjoy doing nor appreciate being a target of. Though still a popular tool of many recruiters, cold calling produces a tiny return with a real cost to company reputation.
So we completely stopped doing it. Cold turkey. Never again.
This was over 10 years ago now.
And so began the process of building, from the ground up, the client-focused, service-led and value-adding philosophy that has driven our growth ever since.
Doing things differently…
The service we deliver to our clients extends well beyond our core recruitment function. We go above and beyond, offering our expertise as IT recruitment specialists and consulting on their wider tech hiring strategies, for a holistic, integrated service.
Our daily work is collaborative. Working with hiring managers and internal people teams as part of a trusted preferred supplier list, or on a 1 to 1 basis. None of our work is hit-and-run, spot-business that has been so characteristic of recruitment. It isn’t best for clients, so it isn’t right for us.
Growing with the industry…
The work we do to grow the company is as service-led as the rest of the business. Change and development is focused and constant and we embrace improvement.
Of course, in such a competitive market for Digital, IT and Change skillsets, connecting our client businesses with the best candidates is front and centre of all we do.
Taking inspiration from the tech market, a few years ago we shifted the way we work on projects. We now build teams of resourcers and project managers to work on projects collaboratively and structure projects to increase efficiency.
Looking to the future…
The 4it model is the future of recruitment and is being emulated all around – there are now even business courses available on how to do things the way that we do them.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and we are delighted to be at the forefront of this new direction of travel that sees us and our sector mature into highly specialist business partners.
But we aren’t stopping here! We’ll continue to develop how we work to make sure we’re ahead of the pack and offering the best service.