Apr
04
2014

Top marks for company's graduate policy

by Katherine

A commitment to providing graduate opportunities is reaping rewards for an Aberdeen software specialist as the company prepares to build on a recruitment strategy which has been at the core of the business since it was established 14 years ago.

Codify develop custom software and employ more than 20 people at its city centre office. Around 43% of the current team joined as graduates and half of those had previously worked with the firm during university placements before securing full-time employment.

Graeme Humphrey, managing director of Codify, believes the fresh ideas brought to the mix by graduates will continue to be vital to the growth strategy.

He said: “We have established excellent relationships with both RGU and the University of Aberdeen. We have been able to provide opportunities for a number of students through year-long placements. In turn we have benefited by adding talented and committed graduates to our team who have continued to work for us part time while they finish their course and then full time after they graduate.

“We pride ourselves on having an atmosphere and working environment that encourages development, so it is a natural fit to welcome placement students. We are very proud that so many of our placements students have gone on to pursue their career with us. In particular it confirms to us that we have created an interesting and challenging place to work in which the students wish to continue to work.

“As a growing team there is an excellent mix of experience and fresh ideas, something we will continue to foster as the business expands. We have welcomed two recent placement students, Ben Owen and Andrea Cowe, to the full-time staff and will continue to work with the universities as well as reaching out to experienced candidates to add new members to our team.”

Codify is currently recruiting following recent contract wins, including the firm’s first venture into Scandinavia after clinching deals with Norwegian companies Norsk Helikopterservice and Acona, as well as promoting the development of its existing team.

Graeme Humphrey, a University of Aberdeen computer sciences graduate added: “Of course it’s not just graduates, we do look to the open market, particularly when recruiting for certain roles. However we strive to provide graduate opportunities where possible as encouraging young talent is very rewarding and the new ideas and enthusiasm they inject into the team brings many benefits.

“To date the graduates have been primarily in technical roles but we are in a position now where we are aiming to extend that to include other positions, such as analysts and project managers. We’re very proud of our ethos at Codify and it is important that new additions are a good fit with that. As a small company with a range of customers of different sizes and industries, the work is varied and fast paced. This is attractive to people who like a challenging role where every day is different.

“We treat placement students as we would permanent members of staff and the recruitment process reflects that. We advertise placement opportunities through the universities and consider each application on its merits. The next stage is setting a programming challenge to gauge technical ability before the interview stage. The response from this challenge helps us to understand a candidate’s suitability for the role.”

“From day one our students provide a valuable contribution to our support team. Watching their confidence grow over the year, from building relationships with our customers to confidence answering the phone, confirms to us the value of placements. Taking on placement students has worked extremely well for us over the last 14 years and it is something we recommend to other businesses to aid growth.

Codify builds custom software covering a range of business applications which include logistics, health and safety, recruitment and tool rental management. The company has become established as a specialist in the oil and gas industry.

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