Services
Start with the problem. Not the recruitment product.
You don't need to know whether you need Permanent Recruitment, Retained Search, Fractional Leadership or Market Intelligence & Advisory before we speak.
Tell me what you're trying to solve, what's not working and what the business actually needs.
Then we'll work out the right route.
Find your route
Four ways I can help.
You know the problem. You don't need to know what recruitment product it's called.
Permanent Recruitment
Permanent marketing recruitment. Done properly.
“We know roughly what we need and want somebody permanently.”
Explore Permanent RecruitmentSpecialist, success-based recruitment for marketing, digital, PR, communications and agency hires.
Get underneath the brief. Pressure-test the market. Search beyond applicants. Introduce fewer, better candidates who are actually worth meeting.
Retained Search
When the hire matters enough to search the market properly.
“This hire really matters. We need a committed search of the market.”
Explore Retained SearchA research-led search for senior, confidential, difficult or commercially important appointments.
Deeper briefing. Market mapping. Direct approaches. Transparent calibration. Proper assessment.
Fractional Leadership
Senior marketing leadership. Just not necessarily five days a week.
“We need senior capability, but another full-time permanent hire isn't necessarily the answer.”
Explore Fractional LeadershipWork out what leadership the business actually needs, then find an experienced CMO, Marketing Director or senior agency leader who can deliver it.
Market Intelligence & Advisory
Before you recruit, make sure the brief actually stacks up.
“We're not ready to search yet. We need to understand the market first.”
Explore Market Intelligence & AdvisorySalary intelligence, talent mapping, competitor insight, brief design and practical hiring advice to help you decide what — or whether — to hire.
Still not sure? Good.
You don't need to diagnose the recruitment product yourself.
Tell me what you're trying to solve and I'll give you a straight view — including if I think the answer is not to recruit yet.
How Essential works
Different routes. Same basic principles.
Whichever route makes sense, the thinking underneath it doesn't change.
See how Essential Resourcing works- Get underneath the problem.
- Reality-check the market.
- Look beyond who's available.
- Get behind the evidence.
- Help you make the decision.
Agency-side. Client-side. UK-wide.
Manchester-led. North West-rooted. UK-wide.
Essential Resourcing has its roots in Manchester and the North West, with particularly deep experience across the marketing and agency market.
But the search doesn’t stop at the M60.
I recruit agency-side and client-side marketing talent across the UK when the brief needs it.
Next step
Not sure which route you need?
Good.
Tell me what you're trying to solve.
If it's a straightforward Permanent search, I'll tell you.
If it needs Retained Search, Fractional Leadership or some market work first, I'll tell you that too.
And if I don't think you should recruit yet, that's a perfectly valid answer.
Start with the problem. We'll work out the recruitment product afterwards.