We were approached by AFR while we were advertising in the job centre.  We advised at the time we did not want to use an agency due to cost but we agreed to meet Tammy to discuss this further.  We had an honest conversation as to what we were looking for and whether AFR would be able to help.  We did not want to be tied to any exclusivity periods as we have had issues with this in the past.  This was not a problem for AFR.

The recruitment process went well.  We looked at several CV’s before we arranged any interviews and Tammy always advised honestly on any concerns we might have with any suggested candidates.  

All candidates were well presented and had a good knowledge of the company and the position they were being interviewed for. Tammy was not pushy and was very easy to talk to.  I see no improvement needed in AFR Consulting’s recruitment service.

“I was introduced to AFR Consulting by one of the partners from our Accountants when we were looking to recruit a new head of Finance. I met two of the directors at AFR Consulting and we discussed our requirements, our company and the type of individual we would be looking to appoint. It was obvious through our conversations that they knew most of the finance directors in the area. As a result I decided to use AFR Consulting exclusively which avoided getting bombarded by numerous agencies all offering the same candidates. By using AFR it made it a painless process and by giving them our exclusive commitment they were able to give the assignment their full attention. We agreed an advance date for first interviews which allowed AFR time to draw up a shortlist and interview each applicant and this ensured the candidates had the personality and the skills that we required. The process worked extremely well, we were remarkably impressed by the calibre of the people we met and it was obvious AFR had been thorough in preparing each of them for interview. With the aid of AFR Consulting we have now appointed our new head of finance and I am extremely grateful to our accountants for referring AFR to us. Finally, I would recommend AFR consulting to any organisation who wants to ensure that they recruit the best finance staff in the market.”

I would like to thank you for your help on our recent finance vacancy. For this vacancy we used AFR and a well known national recruiter from Manchester whom we found to be extremely disappointing. Your knowledge and experience of the Lancashire area was clear to see as you totally out shone your competition.

Having used several agencies from different sectors in the past it is refreshing to come into contact with someone who really knows their candidates. We took confidence in the knowledge that you had interviewed all the candidates and as a result you able to give us your professional advice on who we should meet. If I have another finance vacancy I will be definitely back in touch.

AFR Consulting are always my first choice when a vacancy arises within my department. What I like about AFR is that they take time out to come and meet myself and my team to really understand our requirements. When they send candidates through for interview it is always obvious that they have been carefully selected in line with our requirements and that they have been well prepared for the interview. I can almost guarantee that any candidates AFR send through will be successful.

Andrew Webron Ltd. is a Company that prefers to work independently and therefore in the majority of situations, would not use a recruitment agency when recruiting employees.  However, when seeking a Financial Director to replace the retiring incumbent, it was felt that some specialist knowledge and experience was required.

In the first instance, however, a certain consultancy was engaged without AWL being aware of the services of AFR Consulting.  In the early stages, Phil did approach the company with a couple of candidates, but as the original consultancy had been engaged, these were not pursued.

It did however become apparent that that the candidates put forward by the original consulting company were some way off what had been clearly outlined.  AWL is a textile manufacturing company and had specified that candidates be put forward who had a strong manufacturing background, and a maximum salary range had been also specified.  None of the candidates put forward were from the manufacturing sector, and the majority were already in receipt of salaries in excess of the salary offered.

At this point the MD elected to interview one of the candidates put forward by Phil.  This candidate was ultimately successful in being appointed to AWL.  A second candidate, also put forward by Phil, was equally employable and AWL would have been more than happy to employ this candidate had our first choice not accepted the job.

In conclusion, therefore, AWL would certainly recommend the services of Phil Scott / AFR Consulting.  Phil had a number of potential applicants who were local, in the appropriate sector, and at the specified level for our Company.

I first came across Phil Scott and AFR back in 2004 when I was personally looking for a job and found him to be very helpful and supportive in my search for a new challenge. Subsequently Phil placed a number of my ex colleagues in suitable position around the Blackburn area.

On the basis of my past experience of Phil's work, I asked him to source suitable candidates for my own current position as it is my intention to retire in April 2009. I also gave the same brief to two of the larger recruitment agencies to get the best spread of potential candidates.

Phil provided by far the best service and best quality candidates. The length of time he has spent recruiting in the Blackburn area and his networking skill have provided him with a large database of potential candidates at all levels and a wide knowledge of businesses in the area. He speaks to each candidate about the positions and gets their agreement to him representing them for the specific role which avoids any conflict with other agencies who provided some of the same candidates but had obviously not spoken to them. His in depth knowledge of the candidates helped to ensure that we got a shortlist of the most suitable candidates for our specific role.

I would have no hesitation in recommending Phil Scott and AFR to any business particularly in the Blackburn area based on my dealings with them.

AFR understood our requirements very well, the criteria in terms of candidate selection and timescale met our expectations. A very good candidate was successfully placed, I wouldn't hesitate to use AFR again- great job!

AFR made the recruitment process simple and easy, giving appropriate CV's and listening to the feedback. The communication with both me and the candidate was excellent. I will look forward to working with AFR again in the future.