Hottest agency in Dublin?

The next in our series of Recruiters Abroad, Pro-Recruitment Solutions interviews Ken Harbourne, Managing Director & Owner of Wallace Myers International which is the recruitment agency in Dublin right now.

Please tell us about Wallace Myers and what the key areas of expertise are within your business.

I established Wallace Myers 5 years ago, my employer Robert Half pulled out of several European countries at the time and Ireland was one of those affected. So, with my first child on the way, a large Celtic Tiger mortgage around my neck and no clients I moved across the road and set up WMI.

As Country Manager at RHI, I hadn’t been a full cycle, hands on, A-Z recruiter for 7 years but I took to it like a duck to water and just got back to basics. I filled anything and everything I could get my hands on and just focused on the client’s needs and filling everything they had, regardless of what it was. With no money or database I just used Basic LinkedIn which at the time was perfectly sufficient.

Soon, some of my ex-colleagues and other people I knew from the local market wanted to reteam with me and we built it from there. The more successful we got the more attractive we became to potential recruiters. 5 years on, I’ve a team of 30 in Ireland and this year I’ve opened up an office in the Czech Republic employing 3 staff. The company also owns the office outright now, in central Dublin 2, which will house 70 people at capacity.

We are a full service professional recruitment company and have an ethics first policy with everyone we come into contact with and a long term relationship view with everything we do.

Previously working as Country Manager for Robert Half you were with them for a considerable time. What inspired you to take the plunge and set up on your own?

Nothing inspired me really, I and the team at RHI Ireland were heavily focused on banking recruitment which when the recession hit, devastated the business. What was left of the team and I were made redundant in late 2010, just when things were turning.

So it was a ‘back to the wall’, make it happen moment and I strongly felt that having worked for the best in the world I couldn’t work for anyone else locally, so I took the best of RHI, added my own local market tweaks and Wallace Myers International was born. I’ve never looked back!

What advice would you give to aspiring recruitment entrepreneurs about lessons learned from setting up a business?

1/ You are the best recruiter in the business so always stay hands on recruiting, it has so many benefits from a lead by example culture, the performance of the business to a healthy bottom line

2/ Don’t hire rookies in start-up mode – they’ll take up far too much of your time which could be best served building a strong bank account for cash flow. Ideally hire 2-4 yrs experience, so they can bring in revenue, require less mentoring time but are mouldable

3/ Don’t get caught up on fee % or specialties in the beginning – just fill jobs and work with whatever the client wants.

When looking at hiring someone, what are the 3 main areas you focus on to determine whether they will fit in with your business?

1/ A proven billings track record

2/ Normal human beings with a positive attitude – one bad egg will destroy a fledgling culture

3/ Perseverance & stick ability – a start-up is the hardest but most fruitful of opportunities. Most people can’t wait 2 years to build a business but that is what it takes in reality.

What do you look for on Recruiters resumes?

1/ A proven track record of billings

2/ 2 to 5 years experience

3/ Ideally, sporting/competitive achievement at a high level

How do you measure your staff and what is the best way for an employee at Wallace Myers to get promoted?

I measure my staff with a Qtrly financial target as opposed to monthly. Bespoke management is better with a start-up. Blanket KPIs don’t work, every area is different so it’s a case by case basis. If someone needs hands on KPI mgmt. we give it to them.

As a new business we can offer opportunities no-one else can – We’ve a 40 million euro plan on the table, which we are speeding towards and that will require at least 6 Directors and I’m the only Director currently. It’s a pure meritocracy here so I can literally paint promotion by numbers for anyone.

Is it billings only or a mixture of factors?

Billings mostly but also Interviews happening with clients.

How do your Recruiters structure their day?

As they please, based on a 1-1 with their manager and objectives set for the week.

What actions and behaviours do you think separate an average biller and a highly successful consultant?

A star has something deep down to prove and huge billers operate in the same market doing the same thing for years, they don’t chop and change.

What does 2016 hold for Wallace Myers and where do you see the most growth?

We plan to open two new offices, one in London and one in Luxembourg. We also plan to open new specialist areas in Dublin, as we find great people, which will mean growing headcount by another 50% next year and significantly increasing profits.
Any recruiters out their looking for a return to Ireland?

Written by
Dualta Doherty
Pro-Recruitment Solutions