As the award-winning co-founder and MD of Whyfield, one of Cornwall’s fastest-growing accountancy firms, very little fazes Laura Whyte about all things accountancy. 

Marketing, however, is another matter, and this was a problem. Whyfield had outgrown its external marketing and needed to create an in-house role. But although Laura had employed around 15 people since start-up, they were all in accountancy-related roles. Now she needed someone in Marketing and felt like a tourist abroad: no maps, no apps and no fluency in the language.

Unlocking Potential Jobs were able to help. Laura already knew us having spoken on her specialist subjects at a couple of our Breakthrough events. Now she found her role changing, from expert helping deliver a programme, to someone in need of a programme’s help. We introduced her to one of our recruitment experts, Debbie Horner, and Laura began to relax.

Between them, Debbie and Laura worked out what Whyfield needed and created an advert. Debbie’s expertise helped to assess and filter applications, to shortlist, create interview questions, and support the first appointment Laura would make into her newly formed Marketing Department.

Laura says:

We would definitely have struggled to appoint the right person without Unlocking Potential Jobs. Recruitment can be such a long process: getting the wording right, making sure you get the ad under those noses of the best people, it’s so time-consuming. 

The successful candidate, Adam Matulewicz, was interviewed and appointed during the first 2020 lockdown.  He began in April, and since, he’s enjoyed nine months of formal mentoring, focused development and support, as well as more informal contact and the freedom to call us whenever he likes, now those nine months are up.  
 
Adam says:

I actually underestimated the amount of support I’d get. It began as soon as I started and definitely proved its value. Some aspects of the role I had plenty of experience in; other elements – like more strategic work – were newer to me, but UP’s help meant I was able to develop those skills on the job.

Reflecting on the recruitment process, “the value of support from Unlocking Potential Jobs was three-fold” comments Debbie.

Laura was able to find the right person for the marketing role; we provided Adam with mentoring and development to get him thinking more strategically about his position; and – added icing on the cake – we provided a small wage subsidy in those first nine months to ease cashflow.