20 years of providing recruitment consultancy is an incredible milestone for us at Pure. Following our first two blog posts, we’ve talked to two more of our team who were there right at the start.

Caroline Batchelor has been with Pure since the beginning with Joseph O’Sullivan joining soon after. Here are their thoughts on how Pure has changed over the years, and what that means to them both personally and professionally.

Caroline Batchelor, director of HR recruitment

Gill, Ian and I started Pure from an office the size of a cupboard with three computers and a phone that didn’t ring for the first few months. Then all of a sudden it just took off. And here we are, 20 years later. I’m incredibly proud of this milestone. Every year here is different as we’re always doing something new. For me, what makes Pure so special is getting the chance to work with such great people – both within the company itself and with clients and job seekers.  

I’m also very proud of how we’ve stayed true to our values. We’ve never compromised on quality, not even during the pandemic when times were tough. This is reflected in the fact that we have so many loyal customers.

My happiest moment at Pure actually wasn’t in the office – it was at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in 2007! Standing there, after climbing it with my friend and colleague Caroline Meeson, raising money for the charity EACH, is a really special memory.

I’m sad to be saying goodbye to Gill this year, as we started this journey together. But it’s amazing that I still get to work with David, Lynn and Ian. And that we all still care as passionately as we did back in 2002.

As for the next 20 years, I hope that Pure will continue making a difference to people’s lives. I also know we’ll continue to live by our values and treat everyone – whether that’s our employees, our clients or job seekers – as we’d like to be treated ourselves.

Joseph O’Sullivan, Senior Manager

The last 20 years have gone by so quickly – it doesn’t feel like we’ve been doing this for two decades.  Every week brings a new challenge, and new solutions and ideas. Yes, there have been peaks and troughs. But knowing we’ve spent the last 20 years helping people get jobs, offering advice and encouragement, and giving them confidence in their ability is priceless. I really feel like we’ve made a genuine difference by helping people realise their ambitions and dreams.

It’s amazing that it still feels so new and fresh as well. A lot of this is down to the fact that we never sit still. We’re always looking to innovate, be proactive, learn, develop and improve, and invest in our people.

Ian and I have been friends and colleagues for years – in fact, I introduced him to recruitment back in 1990. And I’ve been a firm part of the Pure furniture since the beginning. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve all achieved together, starting with establishing an office in Norwich in 2005. Our first client was Aviva – we were the first independent recruiter that they signed up to, which was a huge achievement. 

I’m also proud of the reputation we’ve built. People I placed in first jobs back in the 1980s are still coming back to us as clients – so we must be doing something right. As well as this, I love seeing my colleagues develop and get promoted. And I’m also delighted at the way we give back to the communities we work in – it really is part of Pure’s DNA. One of my favourite memories is of a day spent painting a hospice for the charity EACH.

As far as the future goes, I hope that our brand and the values still mean as much in another 20 years as they do now. I’m also hoping we’ll be offering much more than just recruitment – like expanding our programmes and consultancy services. And I’m sure we’ll continue to be a forward-thinking organisation providing excellence in recruitment consultancy.

HAVE YOU GOT A PURE STORY YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE?

If you’ve got a fond memory of Pure, whether that’s as a client, job seeker or business partner, we’d love to hear from you.