Lighthouse Personnel Turns 5! See Gerard's Comments Here:

It all feels a bit surreal. During the pandemic we nearly gave up and here we are today; a growing and thriving team of six!

Even though it felt like we were back to square one during the pandemic, we have still managed to exceed the plans we set out to in our first five years in business.

In three months’ time Lighthouse Personnel will have been the longest employment I have held in my career to date, which feels like a great personal achievement.

I am delighted with what we have achieved so far and feel as determined and motivated as ever to continue building our unique business into something special, which we can all be proud of working for. 

 

1)      What was the reason behind starting Lighthouse Personnel?

Growing up, I’d like to think I was an entrepreneurial character. From selling ice-creams on a bike along the seafront in Harwich to re-selling sweets on the school bus as a teenager, I’ve always wanted to do my own thing. Those aspirations of building my own business only grew when working in the early stages of my career. 

 

Then the time came when I hit a crossroads with a previous employer, and I decided to take the plunge and go it alone!

 

Despite being given the opportunity to work in recruitment several times in my previous life; I was adamant it wasn’t for me. It was out of this that the original idea for Lighthouse Personnel was formed; to be the change I wanted to see.

 

2)      What was your biggest challenge within the first year of running?

The first year was great fun and relatively plain sailing for us, achieving great results early on. It was the 2nd and 3rd year that brought the challenges. We grew too quickly and, with Brexit and the pandemic looming, were sent back to square one.

 

That was a real challenge for me, and I was very close to giving up. We hung in there - focussed on giving free support to those seeking work during the pandemic and it has paid dividends. We are now in a great place!

3)      What is your favourite part of running Lighthouse Personnel?

Honestly, it’s the team we have! I have been really fortunate to recruit some great people into the business, all who are completely behind the vision and really believe in what we do. 

 

Having Beth, Sam, Gracie, Rosey and Donna on the team, enables us to go out and make the difference we set out to from the beginning.

 

 

4)      What are your goals for the next 5 years?

Over the next 5 years alongside the obvious; grow the team further, improving our service offering month by month and continue to be a great company to work for, we do have other plans!

 

We want to build on our support for schools, helping equip young people to decide what direction they want to take their career in, and to be able to get into the world of work through CV writing and Interview Preparation support and workshops.

 

Alongside this, we want to develop our training and support packages to clients; equipping them to attract and retain top local talent through enhancing their internal recruitment processes. Watch this space – we’re going to be busy!

5)      What’s your biggest achievement since starting LHP?

I hope this isn’t read as a copout – but my biggest achievement is ongoing. I personally don’t measure success by the amount of money we make. But delivering what we say we are going to and providing a quality service to our clients, I feel is our biggest achievement!

 

Of course, there are occasions when things don’t go to plan. However, as long as we continue to learn from these and build on our service offering to reduce the chances of things going wrong again, then we are continuing to be successful in my eyes.

Founded in 2017 by Gerard & Rosemary Francis, Lighthouse Personnel provides recruitment services and consultancy to businesses in East Anglia. 

Based in Langham on the Suffolk-Essex border, the independent company specialises in permanent office recruitment in industries including manufacturing, engineering, tech, retail, sales, marketing, accounting and finance, property & construction, and transport & logistics.

Roles placed typically include administration, sales, marketing, operations, customer service, finance and technical support. 

The team of six offer a bespoke service, which includes candidate packs, regular face-to-face meetings, headhunting, resources and tools, as well as a Recommend A Friend scheme.

Lighthouse Personnel was 5-star rated as one of the top 3 recruitment agencies in 2021 by ‘Three Best Rated’ and won Corporate LiveWire’s Professional Services Recruitment Company of the Year 2021 for London and the South East.

The firm undertakes pro-bono CV consultations to help young people get into employment in the region and prides itself on its pricing, transparency, long-term relationships, consultative approach, communication, efficiency and attention to detail.

Lighthouse Personnel is a member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) and adheres to the REC’s Code of Professional Practice.

For further information, please visit www.lighthousepersonnel.co.uk or call the team on 01206 984042.