When Jack Francey joined Alexander Steele, he was not new to recruitment. He already had four and a half years of experience but was ready for a different challenge and the opportunity to apply what he had learned within a new sector.

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Four months into his role, Jack is developing Alexander Steele’s Commercial recruitment offering across Sales and Marketing roles in the FMCG industry. He has also brought in a new client, made his first placement and introduced another vacancy that was successfully filled by a colleague.

We spoke to Jack about why he chose Alexander Steele, his experience of moving into FMCG and what his first few months have been like.

Moving into a new market

Recruitment appealed to Jack because of the direct relationship between the work someone puts in and the results they can achieve.

“I’ve always liked that recruitment is a career where you get out what you put in, and the results are directly linked to the effort you make. Having already spent four and a half years in recruitment, I’d built up a strong set of skills and experience, and I felt it would have been a waste not to utilise them.”

Rather than starting again, Jack wanted to take that experience into a completely different market. The variety and familiarity of FMCG quickly stood out.

“I get to work with businesses and brands whose products you see every day, whether that’s in supermarkets, pubs, restaurants or elsewhere. It makes the industry much more relatable.”

Jack now recruits Commercial, Sales and Marketing professionals across the FMCG sector. His working week includes speaking with candidates and clients, sourcing for live vacancies, introducing candidates, developing new business and managing interviews.

Why Alexander Steele?

The size and culture of Alexander Steele were important factors in Jack’s decision to join.

“During the interview process, everyone I met came across as friendly and welcoming. Alexander Steele was a smaller business than the company I had previously worked for, which really appealed to me. There seemed to be a strong sense of camaraderie and a close-knit team environment.”

He was also interested in the businesses Alexander Steele works with and the opportunity to recruit for established and recognisable brands.

Since joining, Jack has found that the specialist nature of Alexander Steele’s work has made a noticeable difference when speaking with the market.

“Clients are generally more open to conversations, whether that’s through business development or when working together on a live vacancy, and candidates are also more accessible and willing to engage. There is also a greater appreciation of the value of specialist recruitment within FMCG. It makes it easier to build genuine partnerships with clients rather than simply being seen as another supplier.”

Freedom to develop his own market

Although FMCG was a new sector for Jack, he joined Alexander Steele with established recruitment skills and the experience to begin building his own desk.

He has been given the freedom to identify businesses he wants to approach, develop relationships and introduce candidates when he sees a relevant opportunity. At the same time, he has been able to draw on the market knowledge of Greg Carroll, Alexander Steele’s Head of Commercial.

“I think there’s a really good balance between having the freedom to build my own market and having the support and guidance there when I need it. Greg’s guidance has been really beneficial in pointing me in the right direction, while still giving me the freedom to develop the desk myself.”

For Jack, this balance has allowed him to use the recruitment experience he already had without being expected to understand a new sector immediately.

Making an early impact

Jack’s proudest achievement so far has been developing a relationship with a business Alexander Steele had never previously worked with and going on to make a successful placement.

He also secured another vacancy from a different area of the same business, which was filled by another consultant within the team.

“What made it rewarding was that this all happened within my first four months at Alexander Steele. The initial expectation was that I would make my first few placements through delivering on roles alongside Greg, so to bring in my own client and make a placement with them so early was a great achievement.”

His experience demonstrates what established recruitment skills can achieve when combined with the right market, support and opportunity.

For other experienced recruiters considering Alexander Steele, Jack’s advice is straightforward:

“You’ll be joining a company with a great working culture and an exciting market. You’ll have the opportunity to work with established businesses and household-name brands, which makes the job much more interesting and rewarding If you’re hardworking, resilient and willing to put the effort in, Alexander Steele is a great place to learn, develop and build a successful career in recruitment.”

Alexander Steele is growing and would like to speak with experienced recruitment consultants interested in developing their careers within the Food, Drink and Consumer Goods industries. To find out more about joining the team, contact us for a confidential conversation.​