Why we work the way we do (and why I think we can get away with it)
Fellows and Associates’ recruitment consultant, Phillipa Field, explains why she thinks it is important to inject personality into a business model and gives her views on whether it is a help or a hindrance in the Intellectual Property sector.
It was apparent when I joined Fellows and Associates in 2012 that it would be very different to any other recruitment role available on the market. I arrived at my interview with my thoughts tainted with bad experiences born from my very short lived time at another recruitment firm, but thankfully my expectations could not have been more wrong. This was down to a mixture of the individual working practices adopted by Fellows and the Intellectual Property industry being a very different animal to most sectors recruiters operate in. IP is an extremely niche, mainly high value low volume, market and the professionals working within it demand a highly knowledgeable and softer approach to recruitment compared to the extremely target driven strategy of recruitment firms working in more generalised markets. Working in one particular sector, such as Intellectual Property, allows you to focus your knowledge, become highly attuned to what it is your clients and candidates are looking for and provide a well-informed service without having to throw everything at a project to see what sticks.
The unique personality of Fellows and Associates might be at odds with our fellow recruiters in the sector, especially when working in such a highly specialised area of law. However our brand model has worked extremely well for us over the years, which has led me to think that in an industry such as IP, where you are working closely with your clients and candidates in a collaborative and knowledge led manner (as opposed to offering them a production line of potential matches), then personality could be important – and that’s not a bad thing.
Intellectual Property offers us few direct competitors. Instead we tend to overlap with other firms, competing with one recruiter for a particular type of candidate and then with another for a different assignment. This can make it difficult to gauge where we rank against the other recruiters in the field.
Activity in the Intellectual Property sector is most definitely on the up, with an increase in opportunities across all technical disciplines and firms beginning to leave the hesitations of the recession behind. We are seeing roles being created due to expansion, rather than replacement, and there is an openness to recruit at all levels of seniority – including Partner positions. It really is an exciting time for IP recruitment and, with all of the players having something different to offer, it is probably safe to say that there is enough room at the table for all of us to coexist happily (and successfully).
The choice in the market is beneficial to all involved. Firms are able to have their requirements packaged in a number of different ways, helping to appeal to the widest candidate pool possible, as well as being offered fresh solutions when the efforts of others have fallen short. Candidates are able to find a personality and working style which fits their own, making them feel comfortable during an otherwise stressful process. And not forgetting us recruiters, I can only speak for Fellows and Associates, but since the turn in the market, we are now able to offer our candidates a variety of opportunities and are able to pitch less conventional candidates and campaigns to the now more willing ears of our clients.
As a business we rely on the decisions of others in order to be successful. Candidates and clients need to decide to come to us for our help, firms need to choose our candidates over others in the market and our candidates need to make the decision to join the firm we represent over their potential other options. It ultimately comes down to choice – the decision to choose us over our competitors, but do we really need to be at the top of the pile for everyone? Or do we, by striving to be different, alienate some but become a first choice for others?
It goes without saying that we, Fellows and Associates, have a unique approach to our branding which can perhaps result in us becoming estranged from a portion of our target market, but that’s OK. Brand identity is extremely important when creating a presence in such a niche industry and if we were all to operate in the same way then quite frankly it would be incredibly boring. The Fellows brand is an extension of our own personalities and we are extremely passionate about the business we represent. Of course we are happy (and able) to work to traditional parameters and provide a traditional recruitment service, and do so regularly, but we are also able to succeed where others may fail by suggesting bespoke strategies – and have the experience to back it up.
As with any business, reputation is key, and it is rather a moot point to have a fantastically individual brand identity if no-one is going to turn to you. It is a known fact that patent attorneys, and trade mark attorneys to a lesser extent, are a meticulous breed. Reputation in the industry is built on years of whisperings, folk lore and every business decision – good or bad – that has ever been made. We spend a significant amount of time dispelling the myths and rumours surrounding a particular firm that a candidate may have heard and replacing them with our own experiences and understanding of what the environment and culture is like.
We find that a significant proportion of IP professionals with whom we have had conversations with in the past, but did not place for one reason or another, return to us at some point. This we believe is down to us having a long term view, providing frank advice to benefit the client or candidate and prioritising a trusting and lasting relationship over a quick fee.
Everyone has their own preferences; it is simply about creating enough inroads with those who do choose to use us and keeping those successful relationships alive and, as our reputation continues to build, reinforcing their belief in us when helping others in the future. I believe that in order for your clients and candidates to invest in the services that you provide then you yourself need to truly immerse yourself in what you’re trying to offer. And what better way to achieve that than by enjoying what you do and being allowed to add your own personality to the black and white of business.
Phillipa has been spending the best part of two decades cultivating a personality. Sometimes she’s not entirely sure if she has the one she wants but then she meets someone who convinces her that she could be a lot worse off. Of course all of her candidates and clients have the best personalities Phillipa could possibly hope for.