Channel recruiter strikes out on his own with InfraView

Tim Davey claims specialist industry knowledge will help him stand out from generic recruiters

A long-time channel recruiter has started up his own firm, which he claims will offer clients and candidates a better service than his rivals due to his specialist knowledge.

Tim Davey has spent 12 years recruiting for technical staff in the IT channel, doing stints at SThree, where he started its infrastructure division, and Stott and May, where he ran a similar business.

Now Davey (pictured) has gone it alone and set up InfraView, a specialist channel recruiter focusing on the cloud and infrastructure space.

He said once the business has ramped up, he hopes to place 30 candidates in the next 12 months.

"There are all the generic recruiters which have one or two people dabbling in infrastructure, but they don't necessarily understand the market," he said "[I have] that USP of 12 years' dedicated market knowledge which enables me to give that level of service."

He said that he will look at new ways to target potential candidates, spending his advertising budget on "more interesting" routes such as social media marketing, rather than jobs boards. Davey added that most of his placements are those he has headhunted, which is dramatically different to 10 years ago when job adverts were his main focus.

The IT channel has been suffering from a skills gap for a number of years, and many recruiters have spoken out in recent months about the struggle to source the right talent.

Davey said his experience in the market helps mitigate external issues such as the economy and its impact on available staff.

"It's harder than it has been, but I am lucky that I have been through a few waves of financial scenarios - boom, recession, boom - that sort of thing," he said. "The ideal time for me is coming out of a recession because there are lots of candidates about and lots of hiring.

"Because of the relationships I have, I am never short on jobs, even in a downturn, and that is perfect for me. The skill of a good recruiter is understanding the market, understanding the requirements and understanding the technology, and which companies are on their way up and down. It is like an escalator - I take people from the downwards escalator and put them on the upwards escalator."