Greg Wyatt

Bircham Wyatt Recruitment

Go-to-Market, Operational and Technical key hire recruitment. Formed around your business needs and objectives, without being prescriptive, at an appropriate fee.

I fill your key vacancies with the right people.

I set my business up in 2011, and had the privilege of supporting my Dad during the final years of his illness. He worked with me delivering on some key projects, and was incorrigible about it. Time I wouldn't trade for anything. Mike died in 2013 - if you knew him, I'd love to hear your stories.

Since then my business has been a platform for supporting my family and provide the best service I can to employers and candidates. 

I don't hide behind smoke and mirrors - I'll always tell you how it is, if I can help, and what we need to do to get the right outcome.

Bircham Wyatt is my business, and I'm accountable for everything in it - my successes and mistakes.

Recruiter / Founder

Cognate

Insourced, personalised recruitment for STEM and manufacturing SME's. In-house, enablement, projects, process improvement, employer branding and writing. 

www.bwrecruitment.co.uk/wp/cognate/ 
#cognatersi

A Bircham Wyatt Recruitment service.

We can do part, or all, of your internal recruitment for you, improving your processes for a better result. Or we can help you do it better.

Individually designed around your employment context, growth plans and business needs.

DM or call me if you'd like to establish how this can help your business.


I called this service Cognate as a tribute to Dad. His company was Cognate RSI. We chose Cognate for him, because it means 'from a common ancestor' in linguistics. Family and business.

Fractional embedded recruitment - a Bircham Wyatt Recruitment service

Workplace Law Group

Business development lead for HR / Health & Safety training, consultancy and support services.

Commercial Manager

Whitehill Pelham

Recruitment of staff at mid to senior level providing services in

Contingency
Search
Advertising & Selection

High level of success in recruiting roles in HR, Health and Safety, Sales, Marketing and Technical. Strong track record with a reputation for excellent service delivery, professionalism and integrity.

My proudest achievement was highlighted to me during an account review with a Cambs based multi-£bn CRO, placing 15 HR practitioners within their large matrix organisation. Our relationship was working on a contingency basis in competition with other HR recruiters, and as a US owned business metrics were important across all facets of operation. Their anecdotal feedback was great, but their numerical analysis was better - across all areas of recruitment locally, in a business of 3,000 staff internationally, I was their most effective supplier looking at ratio of volume of vacancies, against CVs sent and placements made.

This was a pivotal moment in my career and was key in my moving away from a transactional model. In looking at why we were successful here, it became clear that the processes I learnt during my earlier career in search, were what made me effective as a contingency supplier to this business. But the key thing was working to the business' needs, and while they limited the number of suppliers they worked with they had benefit in working multi-supplier. So I learnt that offering an adaptive approach that worked in line with a company's recruitment objectives, while challenging them appropriately, was how I could be most effective.

Senior Consultant, previously Consultant

Senior Account Manager, previously Account Manager

TNG Associates

Independent Search and Selection firm that worked in partnership with technology companies in the Cambridge area.

I learnt recruitment and search from the ground up, working for my Dad's business. I'd file and update CV's during my school holidays, learn how to find technical candidates in the early days of boolean search engines, then took over the day to day running of the IT, candidate management and business systems on graduation from my degree. All while learning the trade of a researcher in an executive and technical search firm that was highly regarded in the local tech community.

Researcher / Operations Manager

Outcome-led recruitment. Commercial, Operations, and Technical UK key hires.

I partner with STEM, manufacturing, product, service and digital employers where a transactional approach isn't working.

I'll help you recruit the right people while reducing the risk of getting it wrong.

You choose from services that fill these vacancies directly, run your recruitment for you, or enable you to do it better.

I work from insight, digging deep into your context, interpreting this with meaning, comprehensively accessing the market and advocating your business effectively.

Your candidates will experience a service that puts their needs first, cutting through a white noise marketplace. While treating everyone else decently.

Employers will tell you this is what I do, saving them time and technical debt compared to previous suppliers, while improving hiring accuracy and retention.

You can expect:

▪ A personal service designed against your needs
▪ effective consultation to ensure the right approach and hire
▪ qualified candidates who meet your requirements and enhance your culture
▪ 99.1% fill rate since 2020 (except for projects cancelled due to the economic climate)
▪ 1-year free replacement guarantee (I have been asked to do so twice in 12 years of trading)
▪ pay it forward with my 'Reciprocate' jobseeker coaching paid for by one-sixth of all profit from assignments. 

You'll see better accessibility and inclusion, leading to a more diverse team, with all the benefits that ensue.

The outcome is key hires often exceed expectations with an average retention of 3.9 years.


07896 092024 / greg.wyatt@bwrecruitment.co.uk / DM

Check out gregwyatt.substack.com for philosophy and tips on better recruitment, and jobseekerbasics.substack.com for advice on navigating the modern jobs market.

"Recruitment's secret weapon. Greg's consultative approach and lateral thinking have been invaluable to me on many occasions, particularly when filling senior roles and building teams. I owe him a huge "THANK YOU!" His forthright advice, honesty, and pragmatism foster enduring relationships. Moreover, I've recommended Greg for recruitment opportunities beyond my purview, and have consistently heard high praise."

Ask for a reference, check out my recommendations or go to https://www.trustpilot.com/review/bwrecruitment.co.uk to see how I work.

-


40,675 hours in - the more I learn, the less I know.

Go-to-Market, Operational and Technical key hire recruitment. Formed around your business needs and objectives, without being prescriptive, at an appropriate fee.

I fill your key vacancies with the right people.

I set my business up in 2011, and had the privilege of supporting my Dad during the final years of his illness. He worked with me delivering on some key projects, and was incorrigible about it. Time I wouldn't trade for anything. Mike died in 2013 - if you knew him, I'd love to hear your stories.

Since then my business has been a platform for supporting my family and provide the best service I can to employers and candidates. 

This testimonial from Rob tells you what I aspire to:

"Greg's consultative approach and lateral thinking have been invaluable to me on many occasions, particularly when filling senior roles and building teams. I owe him a huge "THANK YOU!" His forthright advice, honesty, and pragmatism foster enduring relationships. Moreover, I've recommended Greg for recruitment opportunities beyond my purview, and have consistently heard high praise."

I don't hide behind smoke and mirrors - I'll always tell you how it is, if I can help, and what we need to do to get the right outcome.


Bircham Wyatt is my business, and I'm accountable for everything in it - my successes and mistakes.

You'll see Product Search and Cognate below - they are service lines not separate businesses.

Unfortunately it appears a glitch has accidentally deleted my comment on the below post. And I don't appear to be able to see Michelle's account any more.

I'm sure this wasn't intentional given it's important to have open dialog.

My comment was this:

"It's interesting you should say this - in my research TA folk prioritised on people who are #opentowork.

They tell me that responsiveness and availability, combined with relevance and alignment is a killer combination.

I know several people who have gained employment specifically because they used the banner.

I'm sure there are people who will discriminate, and this may depend on demographic of role too. This just makes it important to understand the balance of risk in 'your' specific market.

While selling on fear, well that's not a good look."

I'm sure this was a mistake. @michelle volberg would you care to reply?

Outcome–led recruitment when your context matters. Commercial, operations and technical key hires. Problem solver. Author of A Career Breakdown Kit.

Another shocking scam to be aware of.

One which makes lives harder for good recruiters with real vacancies.

If you're here for a transactional recruiter with a 30% fill rate I'll be happy to point you in a better direction.

But if the promise of "5 CVs by Friday" works against you, a more strategic approach may be what you need.

I partner UK STEM, manufacturing, product, service and digital employers where transactional suppliers are ineffectual: key hires, problem vacancies and newly created roles across go-to-market, operational and technical.  

You can expect:

▪ consultation, audit and gap analysis of your vacancy and candidate requirements
▪ service agreed around the needs of your project
▪ full access to the candidate market across the right channels
▪ qualified candidates who meet your requirement
▪ a process that has led to a 100% fill rate for retained vacancies
▪ 1-year free replacement guarantee

Employers will tell you I save them time, find the right candidates who often go on to be future leaders and reduce their hassle and risk throughout. 

Don't take my word for it - ask me for a reference.

You'll experience a service-first approach rather than one built on sales KPIs. 

You'll also see the benefit of better candidate experience, both as a consequence of effective recruitment and because it's the right way to work. It's the best way to attract the right people.

My goal is to become a trusted advisor and better enable your recruitment as our relationship develops.

My fill rate is high because I only work on vacancies I can service effectively, and where you and I will work well together.  If I can't help - I won't waste either of our time.

Given it's estimated the cost of a failed hire can be as much as 3x their salary, plus all the damage that's left behind, my priority is to make sure we bring on board new employees who will thrive in your company over the long term.

My management and leadership hires stick around, with an average retention of over 4 years.  I've only been asked to honour my free replacement guarantee twice in 12 years of trading.

We agree on an individual, custom service that meets your needs and I get on with it. 


Get in touch to discuss whether I'm the right recruiter for you: 07896 092024 / greg.wyatt@bwrecruitment.co.uk / DM.

Ask me about 'Reciprocate' and how I help exec jobseekers find fulfilling careers, fully paid for by one sixth of all profit from assignments. 

While you are here check out my bulletin on better recruitment for UK employers - click on the link at the top of the page or use this: gregwyatt.substack.com .

Matching visionary Founders to their ideal ‘Operator' (COO/MD/CEO/Integrator) to execute ambitious plans and enable structured growth

How low can recruiters go?

I had a weird experience on a first call with a very experienced COO candidate this morning.

He looked a good fit on paper, but he seemed cold and oddly sceptical about the role we were discussing.

Gradually he relaxed and began to open up about himself and his experience.  The conversation got a lot easier and we both agreed he could be a contender for the role we were discussing. 

As we booked a follow-up call, he explained why he had been cold initially - 

Over the past week he had 3 calls with recruiters.  Each time, instead of openly discussing the pros and cons of his match to the role, they tore through his CV, telling him he had no chance of securing a role with that CV.

Then they offered to rewrite his CV for £1000.

Is this a common scam tactic that some recruiters and search firms are using to make additional income from candidates?

To the leaders trying to CANCEL all REMOTES:
 
Here’s the truth:

Voice activation does not work.

Read that again.

I say “Work from Home”
Alexa says “Playing Home Alone”

I say “Give people a chance”
Siri says “Now deleting all your emails”

I say “It’s 2025 people!”
Google says “Replaying 2020 from March 15th”

I use a long stick to change the channel AND THE TV BREAKS.

Remote controls are the new standard!

It’s 2020 people!

Agree?

🚀 follow #GaryW for thought loss 💥

When seeking expert advice be sure to ask probing questions about technical acumen.

This BLACK FRIDAY, leverage a 97% discount on our standard MEGATRON-ATS-COMMAND HAXOR v1.209a ATS+AI override system.

For £997 (price previously £9809809*) you can enjoy the power of CVResume compliance and beat the bots straight into a 150k job**.

Order before Friday at 7am and receive a free upgrade to the Deluxe Plus Max Ultra edition.

Simply comment AVADA KEDAVRA and I’ll send a you free coupon (admin fees apply).

🚀 follow #GaryW for the real deal 💥 

 


*price correct 29/02/1997 in our Uranus office.
**your career may be at risk
 





(***employees of R361 (do one, better) cannot guarantee any knowledge of recruitment, talent acquisition or experience, but we read about Automated Tracking Systems in a blog somewhere)

Introducing my new service: Recruitment for Dummies

The absolute bog standard that you can expect from me, whether you ask me to fill an easy vacancy or a tough to fill key hire:

- I will meet you about your vacancy
- I will push back if your vacancy isn't realistic
- I will help you make it realistic
- I will advertise, whether that's on a job board, in a message, or on the phone
- These adverts will give your ideal potential candidates reason to want to find out more
- I will speak to all candidates and tell them who you are before sending their CVs over
- I will check they can do your job - whether that's capability, salary, location, right to work or something else. No surprises
- No one will get ghosted (ideally including me). Everyone will get feedback appropriate to their investment
- Everyone in the process gets a free eReader copy of A Career Breakdown Kit
- I'll make sure they can give their best at interview
- I'll listen and help them make better decisions
- I'll make sure where I can that anyone in your process leaves with their lives a little better for it (you have a part to play too)
- I'll help with those steps where things can fall apart, during offer management, before they start and during the early days

The basics of what you should expect, and something that is an investment in your team's future, not just a cost.

If you aren't at least getting this from your suppliers, find some who will - there are plenty around. It doesn't have to be me.

Recruitment should be your competitive advantage, not something that leads to resentment.

A poll for employers and recruiters only.

What percentage of the job applications that you receive are viewed by a human?

I last ran this poll 6 months ago, with the result that 12% voted less than 25% of applications, while 81% voted over 75%.

In following it up with direct questions to the respondents, of that 81%, the overwhelming majority actually meant 100% of applications are reviewed by a human, representing more than 10,000 vacancies. Applications received were between 50 to 400 per vacancy.

So - have things changed?

Certainly LinkedIn are prioritising on their AI upgrade in job adverts - my experience was terrible when I ran an experiment in October, though they are trying to make improvements quickly. And there are around a billion AI solutions, some of which are better than others.

While AI has been around a while now, it only really seems to be more widely deployed recently, and anecdotally the majority of recruiters I speak to are still representative of these results, even when using AI to support their work.

Please vote below. Your vote will remain confidential, and I'd love to hear from people who are relying on AI in their process. No judgement from me - I just want to report results as truly and fairly as possible.

These results and additional research will help me update the 2026 edition of A Career Breakdown Kit as well as give current insight to job seekers in what's actually happening right now.

Vote, comment, react, reshare - let's spread this poll as widely as possible to people who are currently hiring.

Employers / recruiters: what percentage of the job applications you receive are viewed by a human?

The author can see how you vote. Learn more

My first fractional Talent Acquisition gig was neither fractional nor TA.

"What do you want us to call you, Greg?"

We settled on Internal Recruiter.

This was in the olden days of 2012 with their need to fill 30 vacancies in 3 months as part of a transformation programme to bring more of their supply chain in-house.

Ultimately it proved 50 vacancies over six months, including precision engineering roles I'd never recruited before.

3 days a week, but only 1 needed on-site for in-person meetings, which was more like 4, working past midnight many days to get the job done.

We charged a low daily rate, capped at 3 a week, with a discounted fee for hires. Over that time we saved the business £33,000 as well as improving time to hire, quality of hire and looking back: retention. Better agency relationships too - they might have received fewer vacancies, they were better enabled.

Precious time, given my Dad fulfilled quite a few vacancies for me - we weren't to know he'd pass away a year later.

The funniest line that sums our relationship up was when Kate said to me, "Why do you always look so happy when we have a new vacancy?"

Perhaps that's difference between doing a job you love, and having vacancies crop up that get in the way of your day job.

The biggest benefit for me has been long term. A 9 year relationship with that employer after the project finished.

And great work with three other employers (Vegan food, Scale-up process manufacturing, International engineering) when their outgoing HR team wanted to emulate what I'd provided.

Sales pitch: I have capacity for one fractional client immediately. Maybe it won't look like this one above, but we'll aim for similar if not better outcomes (I'm always trying to improve my work).

There's one benefit I'd like you to think about, which won't be directly for you. It's that we'll leave your unsuccessful candidates with a better experience than any other employer.

If that matters to you, you're in the UK and ideally nearish Cambridge, we should talk.

I don't mind if people use AI to support their job applications, though there are a few points that should be considered.

From my side, I see its use as people trying to put their best foot forward. People who may be competing with others that have paid for CV writing, or who have simply taken good advice.

As long as what is represented is materially truthful in terms of how they might fulfil the job.

If you use it to materially misrepresent your candidacy, I see this as fraud - because you take opportunity away from other candidates that behave with integrity. As well as say if a job has legal requirements which you don't have. 

I hope the law tightens in this area, because there is a huge amount of faked applications, which takes oxygen away from good candidates.

But the problem with AI is how it works - it provides generic content based on your prompts producing generic output that looks like statements. Such as if you update your CV against a job description.

Whether you care about that statement or not, you will care about the consequence - a high volume of very similar looking applications. How is an overburdened hiring process supposed to differentiate?

Good candidates will be hidden by this kind of customisation.

The other problem with using AI this way is that it can't know the uniqueness of your career - your context, employer context, your impact, applicable skills and achievements.

I'd take a non-customised CV that shows those points any time over a generic AI customised CV.

I should point out - I don't have the same problem of high volume fake applications as others I hear about. I'm low volume by choice, which allows more conversations with applicants, and it's pretty straightforward to differentiate those that are suitable (and require more detailed discussion) and those that can't fulfil a vacancy.

My adverts tend to focus on aspiration and context too, rather than responsibilities and shopping lists of requirements, so I expect if there is generic customisation it would look a little different.

So if you come across one of my publicly listed vacancies (should be advertising a mid level marketing role in Suffolk shortly) feel free to do whatever you are comfortable with to put your best foot forward. 

Or you can just call/email me, something I invite advert readers to do, and few ever do.

This article gives on overview on how to access your 'whole of jobs market'.

Implicitly this includes hidden jobs, which is why hidden jobs aren't something to worry about.

I had the nicest feedback today on A Career Breakdown Kit, my guide for navigating a challenging jobs market, which promises another good review to add to the 100% 5 stars.

Ultimately all I ever want to do in business is help, whether that's filling vacancies, giving evidence backed advice or challenging bullshit.

I've found this mainly compensates fairly, with people reciprocating my efforts, something I've been grateful for throughout my career.

In many ways, a kind word pays most of all, and I hope - if you choose to click Visit My Store above - you'll get such a boost you'll feel obliged to do the same.

We're at an odd time in your job search.

On the one hand there's the perception of Christmas and no one recruiting. Maybe taking the month off and starting 2026 strong seems sensible.

On the other hand the Budget has been delivered. Whatever you think of it, there's one key element that's most important - it's been delivered.

No more second guessing, the facts are clear, so companies can plan, including those that have held off recruiting until they have clarity.

The smart employer that has an efficient recruitment process knows there's time to recruit before Christmas: engage, assess, 2 interviews, offer. 

As an agency that's happened for me a few times, and is one of the reasons the day before Christmas break is the most busy for offers throughout my career. The urgency of an 'enforced' break can galvanise action.

Of course these will be few and far between, while many prioritise eggnogs and online shopping in the pretence of replying to emails. And some sectors might be flatlined in December.

But you only need one job.

So maybe, rather than stop entirely, get back to first principles.

What's the one job you are most suited for?

Articulate this through everything you do, including your LinkedIn profile and CV. Keywords, impact, context, achievements.

Make yourself discoverable online to recruiters that aren't advertising, but are keen to get one last deal in, in 2025. You might be the Cyber Monday deal they're hoping for.

Only apply to the vacancies you know you are a great fit for, where your CV will shine with human readers.

Reciprocate the level of care you experience - you don't need to be available 24x7, but you can be responsive when it counts.

Maybe you'll only have one or two conversations that matter. And the benefit of this focus is it takes less time, so you can still recover for a potential grind in January.

While you might just get lucky, by doing the work that works.

An article on how to apply work skills in a job search, how and why to do an annual career MOT, and how you can apply job search skills in your career.

I'm sat in Costa Coffee in Cambridge by John Banks Hyundai for the next few hours while I wait for my broken car to be diagnosed. If you're local feel free to drop by to share war stories, talk about recruitment or maybe about how you can improve your odds in your job search.

Advertising jobs can be really challenging in this climate of mass applications, especially if a high volume can't fulfil your vacancy.

Here are some tips to make it easier for the right people to find their way to you:

- Prioritise on your ideal reader's needs. Why should they entertain getting touch, let alone apply? Cater to these sceptics and the easy going will benefit too.
- Describe why they'll flourish in your job, what they'll get and what a career might look like.
- Make sure your Responsibilities are clear, specific, representative and unambiguous.
- Avoid innovative buzzwords and snazzy adjectives. Write simply- W3C standards for accessibility offers good guidance a google away.
- Use only 3 non-negotiable selection criteria. I call this minimum viable. Don't use 'preferred criteria' - if they're negotiable, scrap them from the advert.
- Where possible advertise full compensation and benefits. Help readers self-select.
- Clearly define your working arrangements. What do you mean by hybrid or flexible?
- Do not use EasyApply or similar.
- In the UK at least, make it easy for them to get in touch by phone and email.

-- Adverts are inbound option. Consider outbound activity: sourcing, headhunting, networking.

It's not easy to give great service to people at scale, but if you get these points right, you will at least appeal to more suited candidates.

If you're struggling, and you're a decent enough UK employer, happy to chat around how you can find improvement.

Last night the dog barked for 2 hours, just when I was falling into a deep sleep.

Here's what that confusing moment between dreaming a client was barking at me and being awake taught me about recruitment:

- sometimes client expectations are unrealistic and you need to help them find what will work in practice
- this doesn't mean they are barking mad and indeed might be grateful if you point them on a better path
- that's why our job titles are often Recruitment 'Consultant' and you shouldn't just accept CV pushing as a service
- but also if your client is barking, it's probably a dream

Anyway if your recruitment is barking up the wrong tree, you have agency to make change, and you don't want it to end in a shaggy dog story, maybe we can talk.

What would happen if you answer recruitment-related questions before they are asked?

I think you know the answer?

There are two sets of questions that guide me professionally in anything I do.

Is it true and fair? A question from the accounting profession about the representation of information.

Is it suitable and sufficient? A risk assessment question that determines how appropriate and proportionate an action is.

It's something I can ask of statements I come across online:

ATS ate my CV
80% of jobs are hidden

These statements don't achieve 4 out of 4, so you have you question why and what a better statement might be. My article on 'Through-the-Line', a better way to look at where your next job might be is a consequence of this - published tomorrow.

You can ask this of AI use in recruitment:

Is it true? Does the tool operate as described?
Is it fair? On balance does it solve more problems than it creates?
Is it suitable? How might it be misused?
Is it fair? Does it lead to a better outcome than not using it?

The answer here is "It depends", depending on what's offered, how it's deployed and how it's used. In the case of my recent experience of LinkedIn AI for job adverts, the answer is a resounding No on all fronts (link in comments), and is why I rated it -2 out of 10. LinkedIn do seem to trying to improve matters.

I use it for candidate messaging and for how I represent candidates. Invariably if something goes wrong 4 out of 4 hasn't been achieved. In the human business of recruitment this is often down to information not shared, and people having minds that change. 

It guides my strategy, how I approach disagreement, and is a north star for achieving good outcomes. 

If I don't achieve all 4, I dig deep to find out why, so I can improve for the next time. 

Often in a disagreement it's down to lack of sufficiency - my knowledge or how that knowledge is conveyed - why is why I value them so much as a path for learning.

Funnily enough I ask myself whether this principle is true and fair, suitable and sufficient, and I find it is - which is why it's a principle. 

Because if you can break down a principle, it isn't a principle after all.

What are your guiding principles?

I have some unexpected availability this week with a marketing and an ops role being put on hold.

Need any help with an urgent UK hire or with capacity in your talent acquisition? We can get it done before the end of year slow down.

Have you been putting off a project, maybe revamping your advert, how you communicate with your ideal candidate audience, and EVP? That could be a 2025 ticked box too.

Need some guidance on your recruitment strategy? We can talk.

It's a shame as both these roles were urgent and aiming for an early January start - inevitably that would have meant prioritise on people between jobs or in temporary contracts, and potentially some good news for them before Christmas. I expect they'll go live in the New Year.

There's still time to secure your next job in 2025 - the day before Christmas shutdown remains my busiest for offers in my career.

Plus I like to work while others are browsing for Christmas shopping in the pretence of admin.

Why take 8 words, when you can 19 words to say exactly thing, unless that 19 words provides additional meaning and can't be simplified I suppose?

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