About

VPS is a specialist provider of vacant, occupied and site security solutions. Leading the European empty property security services market, it provides a full suite of specialist solutions across the complete property lifecycle. It also offers a wide range of property services for occupied property; from locks and glazing to grounds services and remote site security. Expert teams work in close partnership with customers to understand their needs and design effective solutions.

Challenge

Andrew Viner, Group Head of IT Development at VPS, needed to recruit seven new employees into the technical team based at the Norwich Service Centre at the Broadland Business Park, east of the city. The roles covered a wide range of positions and required a variety of different skills including software development, software testing and management information analysis. The vacancies included four graduate developer posts, aligning with the existing graduate training programme that continues to prove to be successful   Having recognised that the organisation’s approach to recruitment was sometimes abstracted and faced with finding a large quantity of high-calibre candidates for specialist technical positions, Andrew decided to seek expert support.  

Solution

Andrew chose to contact Pure as the two organisations had already successfully worked together to recruit for HR related roles within VPS. Senior Recruitment Consultant Ruben Davis, who has been instrumental in growing Pure’s Technology specialism, visited Andrew to find out more.

Using his experience of recruiting in this field, Ruben was able to work with Andrew to not only recruit for the roles needed but to review VPS’s recruitment procedure, talent attraction and retention policies overall. He was also able to provide advice overcome the challenge of finding people with the right experience.

Ruben explained, “Andrew was really open-minded to our advice and this maximised our chances of securing the right people for the roles. During the process, we were able to work together to enhance the VPS employer brand and ensure the positions were pitched in a way which would attract the high-quality talent we needed to find. We worked together to refine the job specifications to ensure they fitted the calibre of candidates required and so that the applications we received were all a good fit. We also adapted the recruitment process, to help narrow down the shortlist to the very best candidates with the right experience, skills and attitude. We were able to successfully fill all seven roles and the new team members have settled in well.”

Benefit

Andrew describes his experience of working with Pure as extremely positive. One of the aspects he most appreciated was the consistent communication and advice he received.

Andrew said: “Pure always provides really good communication throughout the recruitment process and this has helped us to develop a long-term partnership. Because they are extremely knowledgeable of the local and industry market, they have been able to put forward high-quality candidates, especially at the graduate developer level we have been focussing on.”

Ruben added, “We’re always really open and honest in our approach to recruitment and this resulted in us being able to work collaboratively with Andrew. In return, Andrew was really open with us about the future plans for his team, and its projects, so we could talk confidently to potential candidates about the roles and really understand what Andrew was looking for both now and in the future. It was a true partnership approach and that’s exactly the way we like to work.”

The successful partnership has resulted in Pure continuing to support VPS in the recruitment of technology-focussed roles including actively sourcing two more graduate developers and three more system developers.