CASE STUDIES
Seal for Life make industrial coatings, and as their name suggests, they make them tough. Think protective coatings for pipelines, wind turbines, and offshore installations. It’s a specialized field, and they need specialist talent.
Seal For Life SVP for Western Hemisphere Field Joint Coatings, Stuart Wilson recalls how he first started working with The Dragonfly Partners. “I met Amy back in 2015. We stayed in touch, and I knew she’d started a recruitment consultancy. Then in 2020, the business I ran was acquired by a private equity firm and became part of Seal for Life. We had a small HR team, we had integration programs and new growth mandates, and we knew we needed help. So, when it came to recruitment, Amy was at the top of my mind.”
“What stood out for us was The Dragonfly Partners’ personal focus. We’re not a Fortune 500 company, and we didn’t want to be deprioritized by a larger firm due to our size. With Amy and Susan, you get seasoned professionals who’ve been recruiting for years. You don’t get delegated to a junior recruitment associate; you get director level experience with a personal touch.”
Experts in tricky, technical roles
The Dragonfly Partners’ specialty is filling difficult roles. Stuart says, “We’ve technical roles with specific skill sets that are very bespoke to recruit. Amy and Susan really get that. They make sure they understand the profile of the person we need and spend time with the hiring manager of the business unit before they go searching, so they get it right.”
“We first engaged The Dragonfly Partners because we weren’t getting quality candidates from our previous recruitment agency. In fact, it felt like that agency was blaming us because their candidates weren’t very good. So, we decided to give The Dragonfly Partners a chance.”
“The pace at which Amy and Susan came back was impressive. If you’re on your second recruitment agency for a difficult role, you don’t want another marathon. The Dragonfly Partners deliver your first round of resumés within seven days, and the quality of the candidates feels like you’re short cutting to final interview. Partnering with them gives you an accelerator.”
“The way The Dragonfly Partners communicate makes a difference. They’re email light and phone call heavy. And that’s something the whole world has lost. But when you’re trying to recruit at pace, keep urgency high, and candidates interested, they keep everything flowing.”
The one that got away
As it happens, the first recruitment project we did with Stuart did not result in a placement. But he still came back for more. He explains why he gave us a second chance. “We had a challenging recruitment project for a senior strategic sales role. It was that period after the first wave of Covid when inflation rallied, and everyone was selling again. Companies that had streamlined their sales team were rehiring. So, it was a very competitive environment.”
“Amy and Susan found us very strong candidates. Unfortunately, when we made those candidates an offer, some accepted, but then had big counter offers from their existing employers. When that happens, it’s pretty tough to blame the recruiter.”
“The Dragonfly Partners’ whole process was so impressive, and the quality of the candidates so high that we offered well beyond our budget to try and secure them. I couldn’t fault the quality of Amy and Susan’s recruitment. So that’s the reason why, despite our first engagement being unsuccessful, we partnered with them again. We’ve made a dozen or so good hires with them now, it’s going very well, and we’re very pleased with the results.”
Strong communication and a balanced approach
It’s critical to keep everyone in the loop on recruitment projects. Stuart says, “The Dragonfly Partners’ communication is very strong, but it’s how they communicate that makes the difference. They’re email light and phone call heavy. And that’s something the whole world has lost. But when you’re trying to recruit at pace, keep urgency high, and candidates interested, they keep everything flowing.”
“Often you have this tennis match with a recruiter, where you send your requirements, and they go quiet. So, you’re following up, looking for your first round of resumés. Before you know it, a month has gone by and you’re nowhere. That doesn’t happen with The Dragonfly Partners. They help ignite this sense of urgency and maintain momentum, and that’s paid off for us.”
“Amy and Susan also communicate just as frequently with your candidates. So, you rarely hear them say, “Let me ask the candidate,” because they’ve already asked the candidate all the questions you want answers to, and they can answer on their behalf. I often ask candidates how their experience was with The Dragonfly Partners, and they’re always very complimentary.”
“Another reason I work with The Dragonfly Partners is they represent our company and our candidates in a nice balance. For recruitment to be a success, both sides have to be happy. But companies often get fixed on thrashing candidates into their budget and their terms. Amy and Susan do a good job filtering what’s important for the candidates so both sides are happy.”
“With Amy and Susan, you get seasoned professionals who’ve been recruiting for years. You get director level experience with a personal touch.”
Stuart Wilson, SVP for Western Hemisphere Field and Joint Coatings, Seal For Life
We help businesses recruit those challenging specialist and senior executive roles, guaranteeing you at least three exceptional candidates within seven working days. If you’ve a tricky position you need to fill fast, book a first meeting (it’s free) and tell us about your recruitment needs.
