Driving Forward – Andy File, the Managing Director of Andy File Associates

Andy File, the Managing Director of Andy File Associates, draws upon over 27 years of experience in the recruitment industry as he reflects on his journey with unLTD. In an interview with Joseph Food, he highlights how collaboration with ActionCOACH Sheffield has been instrumental in realigning his business towards a path of growth and success.

How did you first get into the recruitment industry?

When I was a student, I temped for a few agencies. I also took a job as a steward for Sheffield United. One day I turned around and asked my employers, “Do you need any more staff?” It pretty much snowballed from there. Before I knew it, I was running ‘Student Stewarding’ and the same company then asked me to help find students for police ID parades. At one point, I was paying out £2,000 to £3,000 a week to students, as well as trying to do my studies at the same time.

You clearly had a passion for this type of work from an early age?

I loved it. I’d have job lists and descriptions on a board in the halls of residence and get talking to people as they passed through. I played rugby and football for the halls, so managed to recruit people through that too.

Jumping ahead a bit, at which point did you set up your own business?

May 2009. I’d worked my way up at a national recruitment agency, Spring Personnel, where I was an area manager. After thirteen years with them, I was made redundant alongside six out of seven of the senior management team. Within two weeks of redundancy, I’d set up my own company.

Was it an easy decision to make?

Well, it was right in the middle of a recession, so perhaps not the best timing! But there’s always an element of risk, isn’t there? I’d certainly become comfortable in my former role and fate kind of made the call for me.

How was that early experience of flying solo?

My first client was a close friend of mine, Paul Collings of Timberplay, and I’ve looked after his business’s recruitment for over twenty years now. He helped me start up, gave me a phone and a desk in his office and I got to work. I found a lot of contacts through playing for Dronfield Rugby Club, which I’ve done since my university days, and that network remains integral for me. There are business owners and directors within the club who’ve passed work to me over the years, and I’ve also been able to place young players with suitable jobs. Six months on from starting out on my own, I was ready to take on more staff to ensure that I wouldn’t let anyone down. Slowly but surely, I continued to add to the team.

You’ve spoken to unLTD about how your experience with a business coach a couple of years ago helped to provide a new sense of direction for the company. Could you tell us about the big changes you’ve made since?

Yes, this was after the Covid lockdowns. I was feeling tired and like we’d hit a certain level as a company and were struggling to push on. I went to a conference that ActionCOACH ran down in Farnborough, originally looking for networking opportunities more than anything. They had a number of guest speakers and a lot of what was said resonated with me. I realised that I’d stopped learning and my aspirations with the business had hit a ceiling. So, off the back of that experience, I went to see John Asquith, the MD at ActionCOACH in Sheffield. We spoke about the structure of the company, and it brought home how I was stretching myself too far; I was managing a team while also being in charge of HR, finance, team management and business development. I was fearful of spending the money to change that. We were making a small bit of profit each year, retaining it in the business, and I had a real fear of losing what we’d made. I was given the choice: you either stay as you are, or you invest in your business to change it. My favourite part of the job is client relationships and business development, but to be able to focus on that, I had to bring in someone to manage and help grow the team. I brought in a Recruitment Manager, who brought with him a renewed focus on systems and processes and is really helping to get the most out of the team.

Has it allowed you the opportunity to take a step back and look at the business more holistically?

Yes. Fundamentally, I was spending too much time in the business, doing roles I didn’t have to be doing. It’s taken some time to implement the changes, but things have started to turn around. We’ve invested a good amount of money into a new CRM System, staff and advertising. It doesn’t happen overnight, but now the business is heading in the right direction. The investment is working.

You’ve removed the ceiling?

It feels that way! I’ve always been risk-averse, particularly since my kids came along. But it’s all about pushing on and growing. As well as adding a Recruitment Manager, we’ve had a new Business Executive starting this year, so it’s a really exciting time for us. It’s about pushing yourself out of the comfort zone. I’ve done that and I’m enjoying the job again. I suppose the best way to sum it up is I’ve changed my thinking from short-term to long-term, aligning that with the vision and culture of the company.

On that note, which values hold significance for your business?

Loyalty is a big one, and that’s reflected in the staff. Becky [Associate] will have been with us for 10 years in February. Debra [Senior Associate] and Anne [Business Manager] have been with us for 8 to 9 years. We’d like to think that loyalty is reciprocal, so we can offer support when people are going through a difficult period with their work. This team have a combined experience of 135 years in recruitment, and we’re really pleased with the people we’ve got on board. Importantly, I think that sense of loyalty extends to clients, many of whom we’ve looked after for a long time.

How has the recruitment industry changed since you first came into it?

Digitalization has been the biggest change. When I first started out, you’d meet everyone face to face. People would come in for an interview and you’d fill the paperwork in. We’d put job updates in the local paper or do leaflet drops around housing estates. Now, you can recruit anywhere throughout the world and we’ve recently placed someone in Australia for a software client of ours. There are a lot more recruitment agencies out there, which means it’s highly competitive. But not everyone spends the quality time with candidates anymore, and candidates don’t always want to spend quality time with you either! The whole process of applying for a job is so much quicker which has both upsides and downsides.

What would you say is a key challenge in the job today?

At times, it can be a frustrating sector to work in. You’re not working with a product; it’s people, which can be far more unpredictable. Sometimes you can do all the work during the week and on a Sunday night a candidate will drop out unexpectedly. So, I’d say managing people can be one of the toughest parts.

Finally, what gets you out of bed in the morning?

Family. And nobody else would hire me! But seriously, I really do enjoy the role. I like helping candidates and I like helping clients. When you go around businesses and see people you’ve placed thriving and making a difference to people’s companies, I can get quite emotional about it – as I did when I visited Stauff recently and met up with a couple of candidates I’d placed over 13 years ago.

If you are looking to recruit additional staff for your business or for your next career opportunity, email Andy File Associates on info@ andyfileassociates.com or call 01709 717842 // 0114 282 1281.