Ongoing relationships that work
Linda Durham, Business Manager, Kennedy Scott Camberley
Kennedy Scott’s success lies in our long term relationships with both customers and employers.
As a company we are proud to be deeply rooted in the communities we work in – our Camberley customer centre staff live in Camberley and really understand the employment challenges faced by local people and businesses.
We value this knowledge so as a company we invest in our staff and help them develop, so they can stay and build their career with Kennedy Scott.
Reaching out to local businesses is an important part of our work, as it is through these relationships, of mutual understanding and trust, that we can find our customers work placements and ultimately jobs.
We help employers by offering them a free recruitment service that they find works better than expensive alternative recruitment paths. We make great effort to match customers to the criteria our employer partners set, as it’s in no one’s interest if things don’t work out. As a Business Manager it is a source of great pride to me that we’ve never had any complaints from Camberley employers about the matches we’ve helped to make.
At Kennedy Scott we also work closely with our customers to prepare them for the job vacancies identified. We develop a deep understanding about our customers’ past experiences, circumstances and the barriers they face to employment - which can be as diverse as housing problems, childcare issues, criminal records, health problems or lack of self-esteem.
Once vacancies have been identified, our customers usually still need to impress an employer at interview and for some this process is itself a barrier to securing work. So we undertake interview preparation seriously, providing workshops on techniques, making sure they have done their research on the company and know what the employer will be looking for. We also make sure our customers have the right clothes and shoes to look the part (and do the job).
Our customer relationships also don’t end when a job is secured. We provide continuous in-work support and we are well placed to go in and work to resolve any issues that arise that might otherwise prevent the customer from being successful in their new role. In my experience this can be particularly important for customers with learning difficulties, who might struggle to take everything in the first few weeks and subsequently fail to make the right impression or lose confidence in their ability to do their role.
Fundamentally, we only put our customers forward for jobs we thing they are ready for and that will leave them better off than being out of work. It is also important that customers go to jobs they will enjoy and thrive in. This means we need to know our customers and employers well, and what I think makes Kennedy Scott so successful our ongoing relationships that allow us to do this.
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