After 25 years away, experienced recruiter Emma Grace returned home to Sheffield with an ambition to do things differently. Together with Talent Partner Natasha Holland, she’s building The Talent Division around an increasingly rare commodity in recruitment: genuine human connection.
It’s very much Monday afternoon vibes at The Talent Division when I visit their Ecclesall Road South office, but if I’d swung by the previous Friday evening, I’d have encountered a rather different scene.
The relaxed, tidy workspace where I’m sitting with founder Emma Grace and Talent Partner Natasha Holland was packed with family, friends, clients and contacts celebrating the official office opening. Such was the party atmosphere, a few passers-by even wandered in from the street under the impression that a new bar had opened.
Maybe not what you’d expect from your everyday recruitment office, but perhaps fitting for a business whose entire philosophy revolves around getting people through the door and engaging face to face.
“We opened this office because we want people to come in,” says Emma. “We want to get to know our clients and candidates personally. Recruitment has become very online and process-driven in a lot of areas, whereas we’re probably a bit more old school in the relationships we build.”
Opening The Talent Division also represents something of a homecoming for Emma. Sheffield-born, she left the city at 23 and spent around 25 years away, building a career in recruitment that included a decade with Office Angels in Cambridge and then Ipswich.
Covid eventually provided the opportunity to spend more time back in Sheffield with her parents. She initially continued working remotely for her employer in the south, but something important was missing.
“You’re in recruitment for the people. I wasn’t visiting clients or meeting the people I worked with. Eventually I thought, why am I 200 miles away from everybody I love? I’d wanted to come home for years and the time finally felt right to start my own company.”
The business officially launched in June, with the team moving into its S11 base the following month. Emma knew from early on that she wanted Natasha alongside her. The pair had a mutual friend but had barely seen each other for around 20 years before a chance encounter brought them back into contact.
“Our paths crossed again completely by accident, but her personality shone through immediately and I thought she’d be great,” Emma recalls. “You can teach the job, but you can’t teach personality, care and people skills. You’ve naturally got to have those to do this well.”
That belief in personality over process now sits at the heart of the business. The Talent Division primarily recruits across professional, manufacturing and engineering roles, while its remit can stretch from front-of-house appointments for smaller companies to senior international sales positions.
Rather than simply matching a CV with a job description, Emma and Natasha want to understand the business, candidate and circumstances around each appointment.
“If you ask me to find you a PA and I’ve never been to meet you, how do I really know what you need?” says Emma. “I need to know what the office is like, what you’re like, whether it’s casual or formal. Moving jobs is a really big, stressful thing. It has to fit your life, your family and what you want from your career. It’s all part of a big jigsaw and we’re looking for matches that have longevity.”
Technology still plays a significant role in how The Talent Division operates. The company has invested in tools to identify and headhunt potential candidates, but Emma says they draw a firm line when it comes to allowing technology to make the final judgement.
“A lot of recruitment agencies have invested heavily in tech to sift CVs, but there are so many nuances in people’s experience that I wouldn’t trust AI to make those decisions. We have technology to help us find the right people, but then we contact them properly. We don’t let computers make the decisions.”
The team also refuses to rewrite candidates’ CVs into a standard agency format. Natasha argues that speaking to somebody can reveal qualities no automated process or sheet of paper will necessarily capture. “Someone can look great on paper and then you speak to them and realise they’re not quite right. Equally, someone might look just OK on their CV, then you speak to them and they’re amazing. You need to be able to see beyond the paper – it’s an important part of the job.”
They pride themselves on going a step further in a way you wouldn’t necessarily find with the bigger firms. Natasha recently helped recruit someone returning to the UK after 17 years abroad for a senior international sales role. The candidate needed somewhere to live and help arranging care for her dog, so Natasha attended property viewings and researched local dog care on her behalf.
“She’d never lived in Sheffield before, so I helped with all of it,” she says. “Even finding places for yoga and Pilates. We don’t really think twice about doing those things; it’s about being helpful and genuinely caring.”
That level of attention appears to be turning first-time clients into repeat customers, with some businesses already returning with fourth and fifth vacancies. “When companies use us and then come back again and again, that’s really rewarding,” says Natasha. “Some can be hesitant about using a smaller firm, but once they work with us, they can see the difference.”
Sheffield has proved fertile ground for building that kind of relationship-led business. Emma notes that, after a quarter of a century away, she has been struck by the openness of the city’s business community.
“Coming back here has been like a dream. The business community is so supportive and friendly. There’s no facade. People are genuine and it’s an absolute delight.”
The ambition now is to turn that warm reception into sustainable growth. Emma and Natasha plan to add to the team, potentially doubling its size over the coming years, while remaining around Ecclesall Road even if continued expansion eventually demands a bigger office.
“This isn’t a hobby for us,” says Emma. “It’s a serious business and we want to grow it. We want to build a really good base, bring more people in and make our mark.”
We can only hope that, when the next office opens, unLTD gets an invite to the bash.
THE TALENT DIVISION
916 ECCLESALL ROAD
S11 8TR
0114 331 0092 // TALENTDIVISION.CO.UK
