Cityscape Recruitment is a specialist construction and civil engineering recruitment agency, first founded 16 years ago by two directors who are still deeply entrenched in the business today. Their leadership team and many of their consultants have firsthand experience in the construction industry, ensuring they can deliver a deep understanding of the sector and results that align with their clients’ ambitions.

That ethos was supported by steady growth over the years. However, by 2019, Cityscape Recruitment recognised their technology was starting to hold them back.

The challenge: Outgrowing an outdated database

Cityscape’s legacy database was clunky, slow, and increasingly misaligned with how their consultants needed to work to stay competitive. 

“Our old database was starting to fall behind. It hadn’t kept pace with the rest of our tech stack or the kinds of improvements we’d come to expect in the tools we use day to day.”

– Rebecca Hulmston, Operations Director of Cityscape Recruitment

On top of that, the previous system was maintained by just two individuals, bringing future scalability and reliability into doubt. 

“Staying on that platform started to feel like a risk. It just wouldn’t support the way we needed to work going forward.”

– Nathan Hall, Managing Director of Cityscape Recruitment

With these challenges in mind, the agency went looking for a solution that was modern, mobile, and capable of seamless integration with the rest of their tech stack.

How JobAdder was able to help

After reviewing options, Cityscape chose JobAdder for its clean design, cloud-based integrations, mobile on-the-go access, and continual focus on delivering a more intuitive user experience. 

“The platform was sleeker, more intuitive, and came with smarter features that gave us a better way to work.”

– Nathan Hall, Managing Director of Cityscape Recruitment

Here’s how the process of switching went for Cityscape, and the difference that JobAdder has made to their operations.

A smooth migration with complex data

By the time they switched to JobAdder, Cityscape had more than 10 years of candidate records and intricate skill combinations to transfer – in other words, data migration could easily have been a headache. Instead, the transition was seamless and straightforward. 

In particular, Rebecca recalls that “the mapping of the data was clear and it [came] across cleanly and clearly.” 

This smooth transition gave consultants immediate confidence in the system, and allowed them to continue doing their jobs without disruption. 

Smarter use of their own database

One of the biggest wins Cityscape has had using JobAdder is the ability to get more value from their own candidate pool. With JobAdder, it’s faster and easier to search for, track, and engage directly with candidates already in the system, improving both efficiency and placement quality. 

“JobAdder has made it much easier for us to tap into our own data, whether that’s finding candidates already in our system or managing their progress through the recruitment process.”

– Rebecca Hulmston, Operations Director of Cityscape Recruitment

This has translated into measurable results, with Cityscape now making a third of placements through their own database and, in turn, reducing external advertising costs and competition for talent.

Real-time visibility and reporting

As a business managing multiple roles and contractors, live visibility is essential for Cityscape. JobAdder’s custom job dashboard, which was tailored to Cityscape’s internal processes, gives consultants and managers a snapshot of activity across the business at any given moment.

“We can easily see how many roles are coming in, how many interviews are underway, and what’s sitting at the offer stage.”

– Rebecca Hulmston, Operations Director of Cityscape Recruitment

This has resulted in a more agile team that can quickly adapt to client needs and market shifts, without having to spend hours on manual reporting.

Streamlined temp recruitment

Temp recruitment comes with its own unique challenges, from speed-to-market to compliance and payroll. Cityscape is able to use JobAdder to:

• Customise fields to suit the needs of contractors
• Easily store all key documentation in one place
• Set automatic reminders for expirations 

These functions are integral for helping the team stay on top of checks and qualifications, such as Right to Work.

Operationally, Temp Express is a stand-out feature for Cityscape, as they’re able to use it to access real-time insights into contractor availability. Integrations like Timesheet Portal and Xero further streamline things, with the ability to automate timesheets and invoicing. 

This has dramatically reduced admin and helped Cityscape manage the temp recruitment process end-to-end with far less manual effort, ultimately freeing the team to focus on higher-value activities.

Stronger client and candidate relationships

Since inception, Cityscape Recruitment has proudly been a relationship-first recruiter. JobAdder has further added to this strength, with clear records of interactions allowing consultants to seamlessly pick up conversations, creating a more personal and connected experience for candidates and clients.

This consistency has then helped drive referrals and repeat business.

“JobAdder has helped us strengthen relationships, supporting candidates into roles and, over time, into clients. 

By being their recruiter of choice, we’re seeing more referrals and word-of-mouth introductions to other construction professionals.”

– Rebecca Hulmston, Operations Director of Cityscape Recruitment

Get the right results with the right recruitment tech

Since implementing JobAdder, Cityscape has taken their recruitment operations from strength to strength. A smoother workflow, deeper insights, and better support for building strong relationships have all driven tangible results.

As Rebecca sums up:

“For a recruitment company, the database is arguably our most important tool, so it’s vital that it adapts, grows with us, and is backed by a responsive support team. That’s exactly what we’ve experienced with JobAdder.”

Ready to see how JobAdder can transform your recruitment process, too? Book a free, personalised demo today, and see why we’re worth the switch.