Reflections on 2018, was it AnyGood?

This post was written by our Co-Founder JuIiet Eccleston

2018 has been a great year for AnyGood? The platform has gone from strength to strength, with increased growth and a vast amount of interest being generated in our work. Continued coverage across the recruitment, HR and business press has really helped put our offering on the map. This has been extremely encouraging and the rest of the team and myself will endeavour to make sure this continues into the New Year.

Trust In Recruitment

I’m especially proud of the work being done on our Trust in Recruitment campaign, a movement which has already brought us fascinating insights, a wide canvas of opinions and stimulating debates. This is something I’m really keen to push forward in 2019 in order to really challenge and address the traditional bad practices driving so many away from the industry.

Diversity

Furthermore, I’m delighted that our emphasis on increasing diversity and equity in hiring processes, something integral to AnyGood?, has been so well received by others, be it in my personal networks or in the press. This is really encouraging for the future.

Change is needed

However, despite all the work we’ve been doing, the behemoth that is the recruitment industry is stubborn and definitely resistant to change. This much could easily be seen from some of the participants in our debate! Nonetheless, I’m convinced that progress is needed, and if things stay as they are, the consistent bad publicity around the industry, some of which I’ve reflected on in my blogs, is not about to let up anytime soon.

A more personal and effective system

Rather than get disheartened, I believe the dissatisfaction we are seeing shows there is a huge demand for a more personal, effective and trust-based system, and that crowdsourcing is the perfect way to achieve this. This is not just conjecture, as the statistics from our Trust in Recruitment survey show. Over half of people using agencies in the last year do not feel they were dealt with honestly, and for the specific task of “making sure the job is right for you”, a shocking 90% of people say they do not trust them to do a good job, something that could easily be solved by having a system whereby candidates are recommended for jobs by people who know their capabilities intimately.

As we go into 2019, we will be working tirelessly to make sure that this system can be brought to as many people as possible, and ultimately bring lasting change to the recruitment industry.  Our team has been fantastic, and we’re continually looking to grow it, evidenced by AnyGood? recently joining the London & Partners’ Business Growth programme.  Also, I’m delighted to announce that we’ll be welcoming a new member to the company, with the vastly experienced Jeanette Rooms joining as a non-executive director.  Finally, we’ll be continuing to drive ahead with diversity initiatives, learning from and endorsing those who are making workplaces more inclusive as much as possible. Next up is an exciting PwC event on the 1^st February.

Finally, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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