This month Datafin has much cause for celebration. We just turned 20! Yaaaassssssss & Yaaaaaaaayyyyy!!!!
Along the way Datafin has taken the hand of many a candidate, leading them to a different workplace, more suited to their culture or work ethic and enabling them to grow their skillset and abilities.
So, what’s it like for a business which has reached its 20th year milestone?
We asked Datafin’s co-owners and sisters Lindy and Bev, to give us some insights into the company’s endurance.
- I’m sure reaching 20 years in a business is no easy feat. How does this amazing accomplishment feel?
Bev: “On the one hand it feels like it has flown by, and on the other hand all the effort and work that has gone into getting us to where we are today feels like quite an intense journey. It definitely feels like an achievement, every day we keep working to maintain our position in the IT recruitment field as one of the top companies.”
Lindy: “It’s incredibly meaningful to have improved so many people’s lives and given them an opportunity to grow and learn.”
- What would you note as a few pockets of excellence during Datafin’s 20 year-journey?
This is what I wrote so that’s why I removed the question above ‘Getting clients is one thing but maintaining your relationship with them and possessing what’s also commercially termed as “Staying Power”, has been one of the key factors to Datafin’s success.’
Another pocket of excellence has been being able to engage with and place some high-level quality candidates.
“Finding a person, a job when they are not working, and now they can support themselves and their family,” says Bev has ultimately been one of the most rewarding parts of having a recruitment company.
Lindy noted that one of the highlights for her has definitely been able to not only double but “sometimes tripling a candidate’s salary.”
Before reaching 20, Lindy recalls how Datafin had its own humble beginnings and is proud to see how tremendously the business has grown since its inception.
“It’s been really incredible to watch our journey from a small flat in Sea Point to being one of SA’s top national tech recruiters.”
- What would you say have been the most challenging factors you have faced to keep the business afloat, especially having endured a recession?
Bev: “When there are not enough people to fill the roles, yet you have positions that need to be filled. Then on the flip side – when companies don’t get back to you even though they have indicated that they need to fill the vacancy. So basically, when things are not aligned and instead of placing, nothing seems to be moving, and things are stagnant.”
- To what do you owe Datafin’s longevity thus far?
When asked to what they owe Datafin’s longevity thus far, both sisters agreed that it’s a good mix of “hard work, good service which leads to repeat business, and the utmost dedication to whatever you do.”
According to Lindy, Datafin’s success has also been owed to having “an awesome team of recruiters.
Some of whom have been with us for 13 years. We focus a lot on treating our staff well and we have been able to retain them,” she added.
- What advice would you give to anyone else starting a business in the recruitment industry?
Bev advised that it requires due diligence and a lot of thought, saying: “Think before you do it, it is not easy!”
Lindy admitted that “It’s a jungle out there” and stressed that if there were two things you required bucket loads of before tackling your own business, it would be “Patience and Persistence”.
- What would you say is the vision for the company going forward to ensure perhaps another 20 years?
Lindy: “To continue to operate with authenticity and high ethical standards and being flexible to change according to market conditions and industry trends.”