For 45 years Park has been evolving, and now the recruitment agency has launched a new division, Park Executive. Toni Bracken and Cam Stables tell their story to Emily Moore
IF you were in Jersey during the 1980s, there is a good chance that you will remember a building in Beresford Street whose floral façade brought a splash of colour to the town.
“For a long time, that’s the image that came to many people’s minds when they thought of Park,” explained Toni Bracken, the recruitment agency’s director.
But the agency has, as Toni continues, come a long way since it was established in 1979.
“Any business with a 45-year history will have evolved to remain competitive,” she said, “and Park has certainly done that. From those early days, when it was associated mainly with recruiting secretarial positions, it has refreshed and moved with the times, reflecting both the changes in the recruitment landscape and the needs of our clients and jobseekers.”
One thing which has remained constant, though, is the emphasis which the agency places on trust and relationships.
“We have gained a lot of knowledge and experience of the market and our clients over that time, and the relationships we have developed with the companies we work with, which includes a number of major players, have deepened,” Toni added.
Working predominantly with financial and professional services firms, as well as with some larger commercial businesses and digital enterprises, Toni says the level of trust established between the Park team and each client is integral to the agency’s success.
“Our longevity has helped us to build that trust and develop a true partnership approach with our clients,” she said. “It has also enabled us to build a strong network, which puts us in a good position when it comes to finding the right people for our clients – and the right companies for our candidates. That cultural fit is so important now, as people increasingly want to work for an organisations whose values align with theirs.
“We can also, because of our knowledge and experience of the market – which is tremendously competitive at the moment – suggest alternative solutions to our clients. For example, it can be very tempting for a business to recruit like for like. However, by drawing on our understanding of the client, their roles, culture and team, we can add another layer of value by suggesting a different approach, which might also help them to build a more diverse workforce.
“This can also be very valuable, as we are in a global war for talent, with the opportunities available far outweighing the people. While that has led many businesses to invest in training and ‘building their own people’, it also makes our knowledge of the market more important than ever, as we can advise on the positions which will be hardest to fill and ask whether they have thought about a different option.”
Indeed, it is this holistic partnership approach, adds client services and business development manager Cam Stables, which has led to a new division of the agency. Park Executive, which launched officially last week, has, he says, been formed in a direct response to “a demand from clients to help them recruit at a senior level”.
“While Park has always recruited people for every level, we have seen the demand for executive and senior leadership roles becoming greater all the time,” he said. “Park Executive therefore provides a dedicated space for both businesses looking to fill those senior positions and for jobseekers who have reached that level in their career.”
Acknowledging that this is another competitive sphere of the market, Toni added: “We know that there is good competition in this area but we are confident that adding this focused division is the natural next move both for Park and for our clients.
“It is important to emphasise that this focused service has been built because the business has grown organically in that way. On a personal level, given the time we have been in the industry and our experience, it is also natural that our peers and the people for whom we’ve been finding roles are progressing in their careers, and are now looking for those more senior positions.”
While the company’s partnership approach will be a cornerstone of Park Executive there are, as Toni and Cam explain, many differences between recruiting for junior and middle-management roles and the top jobs.
“One of the key differences is that many of the most senior roles are not public knowledge, so jobseekers won’t necessarily be aware of the opportunities,” Toni said.
“That’s where the strength of the relationships we have built with our clients comes to the fore, as clients will share their plans with us and tell us about positions which they expect to become available in the next few months. Having that knowledge of their longer-term strategic plans enables us to align future directors with them.”
“That has been a hugely successful area for us,” added Cam, who, after joining Park three and a half years ago after a career in financial services is leading Park Executive. “Even if a business doesn’t have a vacancy on its books, if we meet someone who we know would align with that company, we can introduce them and then let things take their own course. As we know, it is hard to recruit top-level talent, so even if a company doesn’t have a tangible position at the time of the introduction, having that contact is invaluable.”
Of course, cultural fit is important at any level of the organisation but, as Toni says, it is even more vital for those at the top.
“Leadership is massive,” she said. “Having strong leaders in place is so important because that filters down and shapes the culture and feel of the whole organisation, as well as giving more junior team members something to aspire to.”
And in an island like Jersey where, as Cam says, “everyone knows everyone”, the impact that this has on an organisation’s reputation cannot be stressed enough.
“Leadership is a big part of the recruitment piece,” he said. “Everyone knows everyone and everyone knows every company and has a perception of that place. People also want to work with great people and be happy at work, so a large part of recruitment comes down to aligning personalities and values.”
This, he adds, has become even more importance since the pandemic.
“Post-Covid, we have seen a transition in the mindset of jobseekers,” he reflected. “They are now less focused on salary and the opportunity to climb the ladder as fast as possible. Instead, they are now prioritising a work-life balance. Covid was a wake-up call. People have seen that there is more to life than work, and they want their professional and personal lives to co-exist.”
“This is natural, as Covid forced everyone to stand back and reassess what is really important to them,” added Toni. “Feeling valued at work is now more important to many people than their salary, and flexibility is a massive consideration among jobseekers. That doesn’t just apply to people who are combining work with family duties. Flexibility is about aligning with individuals’ values, which can be anything from finishing work in time to do the school run or being able to get away at 3pm to take advantage of the best surf conditions.”
Recognising people’s changing priorities, workplaces have, says Cam, made “real changes”.
“Because the environment is so competitive, clients have had to keep up to date with this new regime of recruitment to be able to attract and retain talent,” he said. “This is also where working with an agency can help clients, as we can explain that cultural piece to candidates in a way which wouldn’t necessarily come across in a straight-forward advert.”
While company leaders play a key role in transforming and shaping workplace culture, their own values and aspirations may, as Cam says, be somewhat different.
“In more administrative roles, the people element is critical, as the job itself is pretty much the same in any organisation,” he said. “At senior level, though, the job itself is key, as people are often thinking about where they will be in five or ten years’ time and whether the position offers future ownership potential or the opportunity for them to be captain of the ship.
“At top level, this longevity piece is key, as people are incentivised by the opportunity to play a key role in shaping the direction in which the business goes. They will therefore feel more inclined to stay if they feel part of the company, and can see that their voice and expertise is valued.
“Again, we draw on our knowledge of the market and our network to find the right people for those roles. We don’t just wait for people to walk through the door. If a client makes us aware that a position will be coming up in the next year, we approach people who we feel would fit the bill.”
And the same approach, says Toni, applies to jobseekers.
“Sometimes people are looking for very specific opportunities to reflect their skills in a niche or specialised area,” she said. “They know that jobs like that don’t come up very often, so by fostering the relationships with both clients and jobseekers, we are ready to connect people when the right position arises.”
