30 October 2023
It’s all in the ad
Zapi Group is a world leading manufacturer of electrical components for industrial electric vehicles. Its UK subsidiary works closely with OEMs to deliver system engineering support, from design and prototype testing to production. The company was looking for a dynamic sales and business development engineer with excellent people skills, to foster successful, long-term client partnerships.
The challenge
The talent gaps in engineering are well documented. With an estimated 20% of the current UK engineering workforce due to retire over the next three years, they’re set to widen further. So, when we were asked to search for an engineer with a person specification that included the qualities of charisma and emotional intelligence, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Persuading a gifted graduate to eschew the bright lights of a big-city talent hotbed for rural Shropshire, harder still.
Our approach
Localised standard recruitment practices wouldn’t cut it. Restricted by regional salary bands, we needed to communicate the outstanding opportunity, an opportunity for someone to make their mark in a world-leading business, at the forefront of transitioning to an all-electric future. Aimed at a young, more dynamic demographic of engineers, we led with a quote from original industry disruptor Henry Ford:
“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted...they’d have said a faster horse.”
The ad went on to describe the security of working in a subsidiary of a growing, global brand, which also offered the exhilaration, agility and autonomy that comes with being a disruptor in the UK EV market. In essence: ‘A truly unique opportunity for personal career growth and sector recognition.’
The result
The engagement from our advertising was overwhelmingly positive. After conducting the first-stage interview process, we were able to collate a shortlist of eight proceedable qualified engineers. Such a sizable pool of talent is unheard of in the Shropshire area. Being presented with eight CVs of equal standing can be overwhelming. As a benchmarking exercise, we created a scoring matrix based on key measurables and presented this to the client to assist with the subsequent interviews.
The client was genuinely shocked at the quality and passion – for the company, its products, and services – the candidates demonstrated during interview.
The whole process was managed from start to finish over an eight-week period, including assisting the successful candidate with relocation from the Northwest.
“Thank you for the exceptional job you did filling our vacancy for a sales and business development engineer – we are aware of the challenging nature of this position! We were very impressed by your approach, which gave us confidence that we would get a candidate who was well tailored to our organisation. We are highly satisfied and will certainly reach out to you for future vacancies we have.”
30 October 2023