Duncan Smith works within our Asset Management services, utilising his extensive professional expertise in the market and nurtured relationships. A glimpse into Duncan’s market knowledge of 20 years is shared in the following questions he answered for us below.
1. What are the current challenges facing the Asset Management market?
While we continue to see our Asset Management clients constantly reviewing their systems and delivering to ongoing cycle of regulatory change requirements. This calendar year we have seen the impact of the proposed IR35 changes significantly affecting the Asset Management recruitment market. For example, we have seen some clients making drastic decisions around this proposed legislation, and many clients are taking a “wait and see” approach. At RED10, we are working closely with our clients around this proposed legislation to provide advice and guidance where possible.
2. In your career, where have you seen the greatest benefit in working with a recruiter?
It is a big decision to change your job. I believe that creating a trusted relationship with a recruiter is fundamental. There are candidates I have personally worked with since I started working in the industry which in some cases I have placed numerous times and in others have become clients. While there has been a push for automatisation in the recruitment industry, at RED10 we believe the personal touch is integral to the recruitment process.
3. What advice would you give to a candidate thinking to make a change to their career?
My advice would be to reach out to the people in your network that you trust, but also to someone that already has done the change. In my career, I found that people are hesitant to pick up the phone to a recruiter just for advice. At RED10, we pride ourselves on honest, straightforward recruitment and I am always happy to give time to people to discuss their potential options. In some cases, I can honestly say there are candidates that I have a relationship with for over a decade before I found them the right role.
4. Tell us about a recent assignment you were involved with and felt satisfied with the result.
An assignment that comes to mind which experienced recruiters may find amusing. A key client informed me that we were looking for a candidate to head two significant areas of IT within their business. I identified several suitable candidates and presented these to the client. However, the client’s senior management decided that they will be working on this particular opportunity exclusively with another supplier.
Given my long-standing relationship with one candidate, I advised that individual to contact the chosen supplier rather than miss out the opportunity. In the end, the candidate secured the role. RED10 might not have financially benefited from this placement, but I was hugely satisfied with the result. The candidate was eternally grateful and is now a key client of the business.