Recruitment agency launched during Covid celebrates birthday with award win

Blue Orchid Recruitment, based in Shrewsbury but with a national client base, was started by Rob Griffiths after being made redundant from another recruitment company which closed because of pandemic-related pressures.

Two years on and Blue Orchid Recruitment has gone from strength to strength and is celebrating winning the Best Emerging Recruitment Agency category at the Midlands Enterprise Awards 2022, hosted by the SME News Magazine and aimed at showcasing the very best of business in the Midlands.

Mr Griffiths said: “We are delighted to have won and must admit to being pleasantly surprised because we are a small fish in a huge pond – but it just goes to show how far we have come in a short space of time.

“Blue Orchid Recruitment is a professional family run business providing a personal touch.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge launching the business during Covid but with lots of hard-work and dedication we are proud of how the business has grown. It’s allowed us to demonstrate that when you push through difficult times you can build a successful business. Being a recruiter you have to be resilient so this mindset has come in very useful.

“We specialise in office and commercial opportunities but also provide career coaching and have a particular interest in helping disadvantaged people who can often get overlooked by other recruiters or struggle generally and need that extra support and confidence building.

“Our focus is on assisting the employer and candidate in the best way we can – helping all parties come together in a working environment in which everyone has the opportunity to thrive. We work with a wide range of businesses from SMEs and charities through to big corporations, covering every industry, so we have clients who are one-person bands up to multinational companies, including one who makes parts for the aerospace industry.”

Blue Orchid Recruitment predominantly works across Shropshire, Mid Wales and the West Midlands but also boasts a number of national clients. Mr Griffiths said the plan is to grow the company organically rather than forcing it, ensuring it adapts effectively to market changes and customer needs.

“We are dedicated to providing a great service for the employers and candidates we represent,” he added. “Excellent customer service is the key to the success of Blue Orchid Recruitment, something proved by the number of customers who keep coming back and the fact that 95 per cent of our business is referral based.

“There are plenty of job opportunities at present but there are also challenges in certain areas, such as hospitality which is still undoubtedly feeling the effects of Brexit. The pandemic has also seen a rise in the number of people who want to continue working from home or take on the flexibility of hybrid working.

“There are a lot of candidates out there for jobs across many sectors and it’s all about businesses making themselves attractive, so we are working hard to put them in the best position possible to attract those candidates.

“We are committed to supplying the right candidate for the right employer and the beauty of being a small recruitment company is that we provide a personal service from start to finish, meeting the needs of all parties, whatever those needs happen to be.”