The AJ Origins Story...
The recruitment industry in Aotearoa, New Zealand is a small one. So small in fact that in the 2018 Census, only 4,500 people classified themselves as “recruitment consultants”* which makes our numbers three times less than the real estate industry**.
It makes sense that our Founding Directors Tim Slyfield and Stuart Maxwell have known each other a long time having worked in the industry for over 30 years collectively, so while it might not be uncommon for recruiters to know each other it is rare for them to be united by such a clear vision of how they want the future of recruitment to look and feel for those experiencing it.
Cast your mind back to 2010; Prince William came for a visit and opened the new Supreme Court building in Wellington, the first of the devastating Canterbury earthquakes hit in September, GST is raised to 15%, and the Pike River Mine tragedy occurs in October.
It was also the year that Tim and Stuart start floating the idea of establishing a search-based recruitment consultancy committed to partnering with clients to build long-standing, organisational-wide relationships so a more in-depth understanding of culture and employee value proposition is achieved.
Several months and conversations later, Alexander James was launched in January 2011.
Over the course of the next decade, Alexander James quietly and deliberately made their reputation for delivering outstanding recruitment solutions within the accounting & finance and technology sectors, while staying true to their vision of treating those who work with us as though they matter, because they do.
As the consultancy grew, it became part of our ethos to employ people who embodied our values and then “grow our own” so we’re walking the talk at all levels. And in 2019, Tim and Stuart decided to extend their reach and launched AJ Construct to service the building, construction, engineering, and manufacturing sectors.
Side note: “grow our own” means investing in training and developing people from Candidate Managers through to Consultants, to Senior Consultants and ultimately Team Leads. For a number of years, we’d typically only hire to replace someone who had been promoted internally but as we continue to grow, our needs have changed therefore so too has our hiring requirements.
So, what are these values that we hold so dear?
Our Core Values | Nga Uara
- Do The Right Thing
Treat all people with respect and compassion by doing what's right, even when it's not easy
- Better Together
Our unity gives us the strength to succeed together
- Deliver with Passion
Our customers deserve our best efforts
By putting the best interests of our clients, candidates and staff at the forefront of the decision-making process, it goes a long way to ensuring a clear and distinct difference between us and other recruitment consultancies. It was never the goal to be the biggest consultancy around or a consultancy with cut-throat tendencies, instead Alexander James wanted to be known for punching above our weight and delivering successful recruitment solutions by finding the right person for the right role, every time.
We’re proud of how much repeat business we continue to generate, and we love it when a client or candidate is referred to us by someone who enjoyed working with us.
There’s also something to be said for being able to retain staff for as long as we do; our longest serving member has been with us almost since Day 1, and several others will celebrate their seven years this year (2022).
We know you’ve got a number of consultancies to choose from to represent you, but we invite you to experience the AJC Way and how we’re a bit different from the rest.
Ngā mihi nui
*2018 New Zealand Census – Stats NZ
**According to the Real Estate Authority, 15,237 real estate professionals worked in New Zealand in 2020 – careers.govt.nz
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