From chaos to calm: Emma’s recruitment story

When Emma called, I could hear the stress in her voice.

She looks after recruitment for a multi-academy trust, and one of her secondary schools was really struggling.

First, they lost Tony, their much-loved Estates Officer who’d been there for 17 years. His replacement barely lasted a few weeks, and the next hire didn’t pass probation.

Now they had no one, and the school was feeling the pressure to keep their FM on track.

Emma felt she’d missed the mark. “Recruitment’s my job, so I felt personally responsible.”

“I could see the rest of the FM team were really stretched, and I just wanted to fix it—but I knew it had to be the right person this time.”

Schools? That’s My Thing

Emma had already tried a few FM recruiters, but they didn’t quite get it. “One of them started talking about stadium cleaning,” she told me “and I just thought, oh, you’ve completely missed the mark!”.

When she came to me, she knew I specialise in finding operational staff for schools. I understand what makes schools tick, and I know how to make the whole process as stress-free as possible.

I lined up 6 candidates who matched the JDPS, offering a mix of experience levels to give them options.

Of course, the jobs market is crazy right now so 5 of them took other offers before the interviews! It didn’t hold us back though because I’d seen this coming and had a backup list.

By the time interview day rolled around, Emma had four Estates Officers to meet, all of whom fit the bill. By the end of the day, the panel had made their choice and hired someone they loved.

The Weight Lifted

“Oh my goodness, what a relief!” Emma said after it was all sorted. “I’d been tearing my hair out, trying to figure out what to do next, but you made it so easy. From our first chat to helping with onboarding, it was easy. And the candidates were spot on—it made the decision so much easier.”

Emma told me the most helpful part of the process was having all candidates pre-screened before they met the panel.

Why Emma Chose Me

Emma’s trust had worked with me before, so she already knew what to expect. “You’ve found us great people in the past,” she said. “You understand schools and it showed.”

Now, the school has an Estates Officer who’s the perfect fit, and Emma can finally relax, knowing the team is back on track.

If you’re staring at an empty seat and don’t know what to do next, email me at kellie@appoint-ed.co.uk

Permanent recruitment doesn’t have to be hard—and I’ll make sure we get it sorted.