Case Study | Keble College - Eve Braddock

By taking the time to understand the brief, Venn Group’s Estate and Facilities team gave Keble College the confidence to hire from a single recommendation

Requirement: Interim Maintenance Technician

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The Challenge

Keble College needed to quickly strengthen its Estates team following a period of staff turnover. With operations spanning two sites and year-round activity supporting students, conferences and accommodation services, securing the right Maintenance Technician was business critical.

The role presented a number of challenges. The College's central Oxford location and limited parking significantly reduced the available talent pool, while the successful candidate also needed a full UK driving licence and the practical experience to make an immediate impact.

Having already engaged multiple recruitment agencies and received unsuitable applications, the College was looking for a recruitment partner who could accurately identify the right candidate without creating additional workload for the hiring team.

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Our Approach

We began by taking the time to fully understand the brief, the operating environment and the factors that would determine long-term success in the role.

Rather than adopting a volume-led approach, we focused on precision. Through a targeted search of our network and the wider market, we carefully assessed candidates against the College's technical requirements, commuting constraints and organisational needs.

While we approached 22 potential candidates, only one met every aspect of the brief. Confident in our assessment and understanding of the requirement, we presented a single CV.

This wasn't a case of sending multiple candidates and hoping one would fit. It was about identifying the right candidate first time and enabling the client to make a decision quickly and with confidence.

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The Outcome

Within four hours of receiving the brief, we submitted our candidate.

The candidate was interviewed, offered the position and accepted, with the entire process taking just over one day from brief to offer.

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Impact

Quality over quantity | We submitted just one CV because we were confident we had identified the right person. Our thorough qualification process meant the hiring manager only needed to review a candidate who genuinely met the brief.

Speed through expertise | By understanding the requirement from the outset and leveraging our specialist network, we delivered a suitable candidate within hours, helping the College secure critical resource at pace.

Respecting the client's time | The client was clear they did not want to sift through unsuitable applications. By focusing on accuracy rather than volume, we reduced the time spent reviewing CVs and accelerated the hiring process.

Delivering where others couldn't | Despite the challenges of the role and the involvement of multiple agencies, we successfully secured the right candidate first time, providing Keble College with the stability it needed and demonstrating the value of a consultative, specialist recruitment approach.

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​	For specialist interim, permanent, and executive housing recruitment solutions, contact Eve Braddock on: ebraddock@venngroup.com 07441 916285 LinkedIn