CASE STUDIES
& TESTIMONIALS

I approached McCarthy when we had an unusual requirement for assistance with a volume management recruitment campaign. We worked together to create a bespoke process and a way of working that delivered what we needed in terms of numbers and timescales whilst remaining within my budget. We had worked with McCarthy for some time but we had not recruited at this volume before and I needed a supplier I could rely on to deliver but also work closely with my internal teams and ultimately a partner we could trust.

McCarthy were easy to work with, they are upfront, honest, challenging, and flexible in their approach;  they have delivered over 200 hires with a ratio of fewer than 3 CVs to successful placement in short timescales. They have assisted us as a true partner and their professionalism and passion for doing a great job shines through with each interaction.

We continue to work with them in partnership and assisting with many new and diverse projects.

McCarthy has supported us for two years now across a number of disciplines and through a consultancy approach, advising us initially on eliminating unconscious bias in our recruitment process. The relationship has grown considerably, and they have become a trusted partner providing us with knowledgeable advice and service that now includes recruiting roles across multiple functions in our business.

The team is straight-talking, honest and has become an extension of our team, they understand our business, culture, and goals which is a key element for any of our suppliers. Their pragmatic and commercial approach is refreshing especially in the recruitment space and their advice has been invaluable. I would not hesitate to recommend their services and approach to any business requiring HR, recruitment, or consultancy support.

The McCarthy team impressed us from the outset, they were professional, discreet, and understood our business challenges. They worked with us as partners and assisted in the development of selection materials and competencies for our ATS business.

The process was detailed, and they skilfully got under the skin of what we needed to assess against skills and behaviours and were able to turn that into detailed competencies and assessment materials for external and internal assessments.

Not only did they create the materials they trained our teams on how to get the best out of them and how to assess fairly and robustly.

What I love about them is their honesty, their positive and fresh approach, they are practical, and their training delivery shows tangible results. I would not hesitate in recommending them.

We engaged McCarthy to review our recruitment practices. The process was conducted extremely professionally from start to finish. The completed scoping report proved to us that they fully understood Selco as an organisation, our sector, and the constraints that we operate within. The report was written in a style that matched its intended internal audience perfectly. The findings were insightful and opened our eyes in many ways.

We have adopted many of the resulting recommendations which should be beneficial to our business for some time to come and we welcome the collaborative approach that McCarthy offers.

Kate and Ian have supported us at Sticky Paws in recruiting additional team members for our business and we were delighted with every aspect of the process, and especially their ability to take our passion and vision for Sticky Paws and reflect that in the candidates they presented to us.

We could not compliment them highly enough and have already recommended them to numerous business associates. They are definitely a great business to partner with for all your recruitment needs.

McCarthy’s product “The Hunter” is unique in the market and it is very clever in its approach. You get a dedicated consultant who carries out research and effectively provides you with multiple warm leads for candidates interested in engaging in a recruitment process with you. The cost savings from traditional recruitment models are significant, it is a perfect model if you have your own in-house team who are capable of following up on the leads provided.

The McCarthy team are professional, discreet and were highly successful in attracting interest to our brand. I would not hesitate in recommending them and using them again for a multiple placement project.

We wouldn’t go to anyone else for our senior recruitment. McCarthy goes above and beyond every time and we recognise that they deliver candidates to us that we just wouldn’t attract ourselves.

We know from experience that their candidate management and rapport building has ensured senior hires have engaged with us because of their professionalism and ability to sell our opportunity with engagement and accuracy.

I started to work with the McCarthy team over 7 years ago when my Area in Aldi was experiencing a huge expansion and we had exhausted our pool of internal candidates. We had only used agencies infrequently so I was cautious and a little cynical about what they could offer.

From the beginning of the relationship with McCarthy, it was clear that their partnership approach was more than just words and that they had a real passion for understanding what my needs were and working within the Aldi structure and processes. I am not an easy person to please and have exceptionally high standards, additionally, at this time I had an urgent need. The team’s response was exceptional, they were keen to see where they could add value and as they attended the first assessment center it meant they had an excellent grasp on what I wanted from my store management team, they understood the brief and this translated that into them providing great candidates. This service has continued and I have continued the relationship outside of Aldi and unlike other suppliers the stream of candidates has been consistently good, proving that they can deliver a longer-term people strategy and don’t just run out of easy-fill candidates from their database.

It was obvious that McCarthy takes the time to be proactive in their search for candidates including undertaking extensive headhunting. I would highly recommend McCarthy, they are straightforward, understand retail, and are very human to talk to.

At Gail’s, we are a growing business and our in-house processes had developed over time and I needed support to review them and improve our efficiencies to save us time and ensure we were as effective as possible as a team.

I had a really in-depth 1-1 to establish our ways of working and for McCarthy to understand what we need to achieve from our people plan and strategy. They are very supportive, they listen, they understand, and they go above and beyond. What was refreshing was that they didn’t try to sell us anything, their agenda was our agenda, they even sat in on a pitch for onboarding products and their contribution and way of thinking was extremely helpful.

I could not recommend them enough; a breath of fresh air and they do what they say they are going to and I would even go as far as to say that Kate is my recruitment Fairy Godmother!

Thank you

I have worked with McCarthy Recruitment since they started trading and have worked with Kate personally for over 18 years. McCarthy are innovative, passionate, and focussed on delivering the best talent for our business. They are flexible in their approach and able to adapt to changes in our business quickly and effectively, working with us to save costs and develop new processes.

The results achieved demonstrate their ability to provide quality candidates even with a tough and changing brief. Their advice, support, and achievements are excellent and I would recommend them as a recruiter who really does strive to exceed expectations. They are committed to developing relationships and my ability to trust them implicitly makes my job easier and ensures that together with my Resourcing Department we provide our Internal Stakeholders with an excellent service.

McCarthy are different from other agencies due to their complete commitment to delivering what they say they will and their total honesty is extremely refreshing. I have been approached an awful lot this year by other agencies offering extremely cheap rates for their services; I have not been at all tempted to use any of these other businesses as I know their service will not be a patch on the delivery that McCarthy always delivers.

McCarthy provided a complete outsource support for all of our recruitment. They provided all levels of management and customer advisor teams for all stores and critically the new store opening programme; which on average was 20 stores a year.  McCarthy provided an end-to-end service which was hassle-free and extremely cost-effective – they really felt like an extension of the business.

In addition to sourcing and placing great candidates they have assisted with designing assessment material, role profiles, job descriptions, recruitment processes, and advertising materials – they truly have a consultancy approach that ensured they add value to their clients.  Nothing is too much for the Team at McCarthy, they are available 24/7, are responsive, and work with pace; they mirror the inclusive values and culture I share.  From the first contact I had with them it was obvious that they were different from other agencies in that they were always looking at ways that we could improve our recruitment success and essentially save costs at the same time.

I think what really stands out to me is that normally when you are provided with a cost-effective solution it affects service, however, with McCarthy, the ratio from CV to placement remains at 1:2 and their efficiency and understanding of their customer’s needs is first class. They are dedicated, honest and I would not hesitate in recommending them to anyone and especially to retailers who have a significant volume requirement and need a business that they can absolutely trust and rely upon to deliver what they promise.

When I was responsible for stores across the UK, the retail functions, and the teams that work within the stores, McCarthy was our go-to agency. When we opened a new store in a new town because we are doing recruitment in large numbers in a short period of time the biggest challenge for us was retaining the quality. However, working with McCarthy changed that and the quality of staff we saw coming through were all people that were passionate about customer service but without question passionate about the outdoors which was is central to the business model.

The quality of teams that were recruited was a real contributory factor to new stores hitting the ground really quickly and exceeding targets, particularly within those early weeks.

McCarthy are one of those businesses that can truly understand the market from both sides of the fence as many of the team are ex-Retailers themselves. They use this knowledge to create mutually beneficial value-adding solutions for their clients and candidates.

They really understand our market and keeps ahead of trends. If you are seeking a Recruitment Partnership with whom you would like to build genuine relationships with then I have no hesitation in recommending McCarthy.

I just wanted to say a big thank you for filling the vacancy in our Commercial Team. Having previously tried several times to recruit the role using our internal HR, without success, the whole process was much faster and more effective than we expected. It makes me wonder why we didn’t go straight to your company in the first place, rather than waste valuable time.

The candidates you put forward were all top quality, which obviously resulted in us accepting two people rather than the one we originally planned. I especially like the way McCarthy were able to understand the key behaviours we required and show us candidates from outside our sector that ordinarily we never would have found. In my view, this has resulted in a better calibre of applicant with skills and experience of commercial channels still emerging in our industry.

I would have no hesitation in recommending you or McCarthy Recruitment to another company and we will certainly be in contact over future roles.

I have worked in recruitment for 3.5 years within an agency and subsequently in-house however have not come across service to the levels I receive from McCarthy.  Not only do they understand businesses inside out but the lengths they go to find talent and communicate during the recruitment process – I can genuinely say I haven’t experienced before.

They challenge me when they need to but in a solution-based way and only backed by their desire to deliver on our challenging vacancies.  They never cherry-pick the easy-to-fill vacancies and I know that they are relentless in headhunting – whatever the level.

Our contact at McCarthy has been the same now for over 12 years and has maintained their passion for delivery for our business so taking over as the contact lead was effortless and genuinely enjoyable with many laughs along the way!

I have worked with McCarthy for some time now and I have to say I am extremely impressed with the service we have received from the overall team as well as our Account Managers there. As we were experiencing a spike in our Recruitment needs for Store and Assistant Store Managers we were keen to find a recruitment partner who could not only deliver on volume needs, but also provide a great service at competitive rates.

McCarthy have come up trumps in every area and have truly left no stone unturned in finding us the best candidates for our roles up and down the country. They have even been able to headhunt candidates for vacancies that we have had open for over 12 months, which has inevitably meant that we can become more profitable as a result!

The Team at McCarthy have been able to get to grips with what ‘good’ looks like to us really quickly and they have also always been available at the end of the phone or in-person to support our staffing needs. Nothing is too much trouble for the team and we have all enjoyed building a relationship with such an honest and efficient Recruitment Consultancy.

Engaging McCarthy as the ‘go-to’ agency since the rebrand at Carpetright was not been a decision that I regretted once as they truly delivered in every way against the promises that they made us when at our first meeting with them. As a business, we had been driving a strong cultural change and McCarthy has worked closely with us to understand the business and work with us during that change process.

Through developing true business partnerships with each of the Regional Managers and HR Business Partners they were able to deliver what we need when we need it. The McCarthy Team has placed across the Carpetright business from Store Management roles to Home Flooring Surveyors as well as supporting us with finding talented Regional Managers and filling Head Office roles as well such as buyers and merchandisers.

McCarthy delivers by listening and doing what they promise, they are straight talking and understand that their service has to deliver a return on investment. They go above and beyond and we have an honest, challenging, and trusted relationship and refreshingly this works both ways. The quality of the candidates McCarthy has been able to source for us has surpassed those that we have been able to find ourselves and additionally, they have even managed to fulfill what we would consider ‘hard to fill’ vacancies without fail.

I have thoroughly enjoyed dealing with Kate, Ian, and our designated Account Manager who is always on hand and never fails to pick up the phone to us no matter what day or time. I would highly recommend McCarthy as a recruitment partner which is why I have continued the relationship beyond my role at Carpetright and for me their consultancy services set them apart, they are so much more than a traditional agency.

McCarthy’s experience in the recruitment market and their knowledge of the market ensured that they were able to offer a well-thought-through, planned, and relevant approach to delivering the right candidates. Their results have always been second to none.

I have worked with McCarthy Recruitment for 7 years since and the biggest thing that McCarthy offers me is service and consistency. During my time at Marks and Spencer we recruited heavily in food and in fashion which is quite difficult for our service providers, but with McCarthy, I feel that they really nail the service, they spend time in my business to understand my needs and they deliver consistently.

I have a strong relationship with McCarthy Recruitment who have supported me whilst at Odeon with a number of tough recruitment campaigns namely the recruitment for General Managers in the London branches as well as Flagship roles in other areas that are tough to recruit in.

I developed strong ties with Liz lee, one of the Team at McCarthy who has shown professionalism and dedication throughout all of my dealings with her; she knows her market and is always available. I have been extremely happy with the quality service we receive from McCarthy and will continue to use their services going forward.

Thank you so much for your fantastic service in finding us our new Area Manager. We informed you of our criteria that we needed to fill this position and you achieved this for us. The service that we received from McCarthy Retail was exemplary.

We would like to personally thank our Account Manager for her commitment to us, she worked hard and totally understood us from our very first conversation. We will definitely always use McCarthy Retail for our recruitment and highly recommend others to use you too.

Once again, thank-you so much

McCarthy Recruitment were instrumental in sourcing high calibre candidates for some of the store openings whilst I was at Pure as well as undertaking general ad hoc recruitment in Head office and Store and Area Management for us.

When looking for a provider there was plenty of choice available, however, we chose McCarthy as not only was their ‘Runner’ (new store opening) package extremely cost-effective but additionally, their knowledge of the Retail market and ability to access high calibre candidates is unparalleled. In addition, we also used McCarthy to assist with the rewriting of our assessment material and used them for a number of consultancy projects, for example, Kate trained our Store Management Team on competency interviewing which really demonstrated McCarthy’s commitment to our overall working partnership.

As a business, we were very specific about our brand and the staff we take on to represent the Pure Collection ranges in-store, as such our providers need to adhere to very specific standards. McCarthy took time to truly understand what we were looking from in both skills, experience, and behaviours and sent us candidates over who were bought into our business and well suited to our brand. McCarthy delivered our store openings promptly, effectively, and professionally.

I felt we got a first-class service at an extremely competitive rate and would not hesitate to recommend them as a recruitment partner.

From the moment I met McCarthy, they demonstrated to me that they really understand the principle of working in partnership with a business. Their knowledge and expertise are second to none and I know that they will be honest with us and assist in not only recruiting new talent but also ensuring we approach our recruitment in the most effective and efficient way. They are passionate about our brand and really have spent time understanding our customer service proposition, culture, and values. Their approach is different and refreshing, I look forward to them continuing to deliver great results across our Head Office and Store teams

We have been working with McCarthy Recruitment for around 5 years at Specsavers we have our own in-house recruitment services, but what we needed was a second-tier supplier that will work with us and really match the vision and values of Specsavers and help us on those tricky roles where you just can’t find the right candidate and we knew McCarthy would do that!