Field Service Engineer

Call Summary:

Participants:

• Kate (Client)
• Oliver (Recruitment consultant from Verto)

1. Role Requirements and Location

• Key Responsibilities:
  • Field service role with focus on engineering and electrical aspects, specifically water treatment (but open to aligned experience).
  • Will train candidates without specific water treatment experience.
  • Looking for candidates who have a couple of years of experience in engineering, ideally with some electrical background.
  • Water treatment experience is a bonus, especially knowledge of processes like reverse osmosis or deionization.
• Location:
  • Role is based in the Southwest, but the team is open to candidates from other parts of the UK due to the rarity of the skill set required.
  • Field-based, so candidates may work across various sites in the region.
• Travel/Work Hours:
  • Expected to travel, with a mix of local and distant client visits.
  • Travel time of about an hour each way, with some short and long days.
  • Some days could be paperwork days working from home.

2. Challenges in Recruiting

• Previous Candidates:
  • A previous offer was declined due to salary mismatch (candidate accepted a higher offer elsewhere).
  • One candidate did well initially but was dismissed after a poor in-person interview due to unprofessional appearance.
  • Another candidate had a good phone call but didn’t match expectations in person.
• Vacancy Background:
  • This role opened up due to a promotion of an existing team member to Service Manager.
  • The recruitment process has been ongoing for several months, but no ideal candidate has yet been found.

3. Candidate Package and Expectations

• Salary:
  • Candidates with relevant experience could be offered around £40K, but those without it would likely be offered £35K to £38K.
  • Bonus scheme (typically 10% of salary) and overtime could add another £2,000+ annually.
• Other Benefits:
  • Training and support for candidates looking to transition into the field.
  • Overtime and allowances for working away from home.
• Work Environment:
  • Small company, meaning they cannot compete with larger corporates on salary and benefits, but they offer growth opportunities and training.

4. Process and Next Steps

• Interview Process:
  • Initial 20-minute Teams call for an introductory chat.
  • If there’s mutual interest, the candidate will be invited to the office in Cheddar for a more detailed in-person interview.
• Scheduling Interviews:
  • Kate is hoping to get an interview scheduled next week, depending on Matt’s availability (the person managing the recruitment and performing multiple roles).
  • A provisional call is planned for Wednesday afternoon to review outstanding candidates.
• Recruitment Consultant’s Role:
  • Oliver will send over CVs as soon as possible and will also provide a new signable document regarding fee adjustments.

5. Fee Structure Discussion

• Fees:
  • Previous agreement: 18% fee with a 3-month replacement guarantee.
  • Oliver is open to negotiating the fee but prefers not to reduce it below 18%. A potential compromise could be increasing the replacement period to 4 months.
• Rebates and Adjustments:
  • Fee reductions could come with the extension of the replacement period.
  • Oliver suggested a 4-month replacement guarantee, and Kate agreed to look into that adjustment.

6. Next Steps and Follow-ups

• Oliver to send over candidates’ CVs as soon as possible.
• Kate to confirm availability for interviews on Wednesday afternoon and finalize the fee document by the end of the week.

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