We understand before we act.
We discuss the role, salary, team and timescale with employers, and experience, availability and expectations with candidates, before recommending a next step.
Why Howard James
Recruitment should feel informed, honest and personal.
Howard James Recruitment focuses on understanding before recommending. That means asking better questions, giving practical advice and staying involved throughout the recruitment process.
The Howard James approach
What makes the Howard James approach different?
Useful recruitment advice is specific. It should help an employer make a better hiring decision and help a candidate decide whether an opportunity is genuinely right.
We tell you what we think.
We explain market realities, challenge assumptions when the brief may restrict the search and give candid feedback on roles, interviews and offers.
We focus on quality over quantity.
Shortlists are deliberately focused. Each candidate is assessed against the brief and spoken to about the opportunity before an introduction is made.
We stay involved.
Consultants coordinate interviews, gather feedback, support offer conversations and remain available as the successful candidate prepares to start.
Two sides of the same process
Employers and candidates both deserve a better recruitment experience.
Employer experience
Clear advice and properly assessed candidates.
Expect direct market feedback, a focused shortlist and consistent communication from the first brief through interviews and offer.
Hire StaffCandidate experience
Honest conversations and suitable opportunities.
Your CV is only shared with permission. You receive clear role information, interview preparation, feedback and practical support through the process.
Find a JobQuality over quantity
We would rather introduce three candidates worth interviewing than thirty CVs you have to reject.
In practice, that means clarifying the essentials before the search, speaking to candidates properly and presenting a shortlist with a clear reason for each recommendation. It saves time without removing the judgement a good hiring decision requires.
A clear working relationship
What you can expect from Howard James
- Direct access to experienced consultants
- Honest market advice
- Clear communication
- Focused candidate recommendations
- Support through interviews and offers
- Long-term relationship after placement
Meet the team
The people behind Howard James Recruitment.
Recruitment is built on conversations, judgement and trust. Meet the people responsible for supporting employers and candidates across Howard James Recruitment.
Recruitment is personal.
When you work with Howard James, you work with people who take the time to understand what you need, explain what is happening and stay involved throughout the process.
Howard Forster
Founder & Branch Manager
Howard leads the business and works directly with employers to understand their hiring challenges, shape the brief and decide what a successful appointment needs to deliver.
Focus: Business development and employer recruitment across the North West and wider UK.
Email Howard
Sarah Howen
Talent Acquisition Lead
Sarah oversees candidate sourcing across Howard James, helping the team build relevant pipelines and introduce people whose experience and expectations have been properly discussed.
Focus: Candidate sourcing and talent acquisition across the sectors Howard James recruits for.
Jonathan Barclay
Training & Development
Jonathan supports consultant development and helps the team apply consistent recruitment practice, clear communication and high service standards.
Focus: Consultant development, recruitment practice and service standards.
How we work as a team
We share market knowledge
Consultants share what they are seeing across candidate availability, salaries and employer demand so advice is based on current conversations.
We communicate openly
Questions, feedback and difficult conversations are handled directly, without leaving employers or candidates guessing.
We support long-term relationships
The team stays involved after an introduction or offer and values the next conversation as much as the first.
Howard James Recruitment
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