Overcoming Recruitment Challenges in a Competitive Rural Market
A large FMCG poultry manufacturer was facing mounting pressure to scale production quickly, with 28 engineering and operational vacancies needing to be filled in a highly competitive market.
Based in a rural location with a limited local talent pool, recruitment activity had stalled. The challenge was further complicated by negative perceptions surrounding the industry and workplace environment, making candidate attraction increasingly difficult.
Despite working with six other agencies, the business had seen very limited success.
That’s when Pioneer Selection partnered with the client to take a completely different approach.
Looking Beyond the Job Description
Rather than simply advertising vacancies, the project began with a full candidate and competitor market analysis to understand the realities of the local talent landscape.
Through on-site meetings with key stakeholders, we challenged existing recruitment processes and uncovered opportunities that previous campaigns had failed to highlight.
Key strengths such as structured training programmes, long-term career progression and succession planning opportunities were repositioned as central selling points within the employer brand.
Alongside this, a regional salary benchmarking exercise identified the need for increased remuneration, leading to salary increases of up to £5,000 per annum for key positions.
Building a Stronger Employer Brand
The project quickly evolved beyond recruitment alone.
Working closely with leadership teams, we helped shape a refreshed recruitment strategy focused on employer branding, candidate engagement and long-term attraction.
This included:
- A refreshed Employer Value Proposition (EVP)
- Improved recruitment processes and stakeholder engagement
- Greater focus on attitude and behavioural fit
- Stronger messaging around development and progression opportunities
The result was a significant improvement in candidate engagement and hiring success, with Pioneer Selection becoming the only agency able to successfully fill the roles.
Delivering Lasting Impact
The partnership delivered measurable improvements across the business:
- Successful recruitment during a critical production growth period
- Increased employer brand awareness within the local market
- Improved candidate engagement through enhanced salary banding
- Greater recruitment efficiency and stronger long-term hiring processes
A Partnership Built on Understanding
“I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for the exceptional service and partnership provided by Pioneer Selection. The team demonstrated a deep understanding of our organisation’s culture, values and hiring needs, consistently providing highly qualified candidates who were a strong fit both technically and culturally. What really set them apart was their personalised approach. They took the time to understand our challenges and developed tailored hiring strategies aligned to our goals. Thanks to their hard work and dedication, we have been able to build a highly talented and motivated team that has helped our business grow and thrive.”— HR Manager
At a Glance
The Challenge:
- 28 urgent hires required
- Rural location with limited talent pool
- Saturated recruitment market
- Negative industry perception impacting attraction
The Outcome:
- Increased employer brand awareness
- Improved candidate engagement and attraction
- Enhanced salary benchmarking and remuneration strategy
- Streamlined recruitment process with improved hiring efficiencies