All our staff are guaranteed

If Ian Millner (“Pound of Flesh” MW January 25) does not know the kind of person he wants at his agency, what chance does anyone else have? As a “buyer paying a fantastic amount of money” for people, surely he has a candidate profile and job description to hand, to aid his choice of who is hired and who isn’t? Consultants cannot force candidates on agencies, nor are they given the opportunity to hold hands very often during the interview process – it is ultimately the agency’s decision.

Millner is inaccurate in his assertion that clients do not get refund. The Davis Company, like most other consultancies, provide a 28-day guarantee period during which our fee is totally refundable. This must be long enough for an effective management to know whether someone will “live up to their promises” or not – and is certainly longer than consultancies get to assess an individual’s worth.

I have some sympathy with his view that head-hunters can “trade in people” but the freelance market is probably more responsible than any other for enhancing the salaries of permanent staff. A boom-and-bust market is certainly not in our best interests. Recruitment firms want steady, consistent pay rises rather than salary inflation. The last time salary inflation reared its head we ended up in the late-Eighties recession, which benefited neither client nor consultancy.

Emily Martin

Recruitment consultant

The Davis Company