Over the last month, we have seen a noticeable uplift in People Plus searches landing with our teams.
That tells you something about where the energy market is right now.
Projects are moving, deadlines are tight, and technical talent is still hard to shift.
When a key role sits open, the impact is rarely isolated to one team. It shows up in delivery risk, safety load, contractor reliance, maintenance backlog, stakeholder pressure, and the simple reality that work does not pause because hiring is slow.
That is why more employers are opting for a model that is built for priority, speed, and control.
That model is People Plus.
What People Plus is (and what it’s not)
People Plus is Astute’s retained recruitment solution, designed for employers who are serious about building exceptional Power, Renewables and Nuclear teams.
It’s not “just pay more and hope harder”.
It’s a structured partnership with clear commitments on both sides, where we bring the full weight of resourcing, marketing, and delivery focus behind your vacancy.
The headline performance speaks for itself:
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93% success rate
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Average time to fill of 39 days
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Compared with an industry average of 67 days
That gap matters.
In energy and defence, Personnel Today reported over 67 days to replace a specialist in 2022.
Why the market is pushing employers towards People Plus
The cost of waiting has increased
Vacancies used to be inconvenient. Now they can be genuinely expensive.
A missed commissioning milestone, an overstretched O&M team, a delayed outage plan, or a stalled project schedule can quickly outweigh the difference between contingent and retained recruitment.
One People Plus client in energy from waste put it plainly, the market is “extremely tight” with “almost no available candidates”, and delays cost more than small salary increases.
Candidate behaviour has changed
The best people are not sat refreshing job boards. They’re working, they’re selective, and they won’t move for a vague advert and a slow process.
If you want high quality candidates, you need two things:
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A properly marketed opportunity
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A process that feels decisive and respectful of their time
People Plus is built around both.
Internal hiring teams are stretched
Even strong employers don’t always have time to run a full search properly. Writing the advert, handling volume, screening, chasing feedback, rebooking interviews, and keeping candidates warm takes time and focus.
People Plus is designed to take that load off your internal team while giving you better control and better outcomes.
As one client said, “our time is valuable”, and they needed “a streamlined solution”.
What makes People Plus different
People Plus works because it blends the best tactics from contingent recruitment and executive search into a single delivery model.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
1. Exclusive partnership, so the search has momentum
People Plus starts with a commitment, which creates a different level of focus.
We go deeper than a standard briefing. We get clear on what “good” looks like, what is non negotiable, what can flex, and what story will resonate with the right people.
This is where we stop a common issue early, a role that is technically correct on paper, but not compelling in the market.
2. You become the hero of the story, not the job spec
A job description explains tasks.
It rarely sells a career move.
People Plus is designed to position your opportunity properly in the market, including featuring your company name and the opportunity in external marketing so the role stands out.
You also get premium, fully designed adverts, a featured job spot on our website, and paid advertising across the most relevant platforms.
Your role is also included in our newsletter, reaching more than 10,000 engaged professionals.
That marketing layer isn’t just a “nice to have”.
It’s often the difference between reaching active candidates only, and reaching the passive talent you actually want.
One People Plus client summed up the impact like this:
Reached a far larger audience than we could have independently.
3. A dedicated team, not a single recruiter juggling 20 priorities
For each People Plus role, you get a dedicated team: a Recruitment Partner and up to two Talent Specialists, plus a marketing specialist.
That matters because resourcing and attraction are two different jobs.
When both are done properly, you move faster and with more confidence.
4. Priority scheduling and delivery focus
People Plus comes with the highest level of prioritisation, including a Dedicated Delivery Team and high priority scheduling.
In plain terms, your vacancy doesn’t get treated like “one of many”.
5. Reporting, insights, and an extended guarantee
People Plus includes reporting and talent insights, plus an extended guarantee.
That means you aren’t guessing.
You’re making decisions with real market feedback, including what candidates are saying about salary, location, shift patterns, clearance, remote options, and competitor offers.
The benefits employers actually feel
This is the bit that tends to get lost when recruitment is described purely as “a service”.
People Plus isn’t just about filling a vacancy. It’s about improving decision-making and reducing risk while the role is live.
You get a tighter shortlist
Less noise, more relevance.
EcoPowerSoft called out that we reduced their workload because they received candidates who matched both the technical and cultural requirements.
You move faster, with fewer false starts
People Plus is designed to shorten time to fill, without cutting corners.
One client described how clear the shortlist was:
Within three minutes of speaking to him, I was going to hire him.
That only happens when the brief is tight, screening is strong, and the process stays moving.
Your internal team gets time back
For many employers, this is the hidden win.
ENPRO SWISS described People Plus as “one and done”, and said it “put all that time back in our pockets”.
That is what a managed recruitment approach should do, protect internal bandwidth while improving quality.
The process feels better for candidates too
When the process is clear and communication is consistent, candidates stay engaged.
EcoPowerSoft said:
The process felt a lot more personal.
That matters, especially when you are trying to hire people who are currently happy in their role.
A few examples, straight from People Plus case studies
EcoPowerSoft, niche skills, culture fit, and market reach
EcoPowerSoft described their role as a niche hire requiring technical proficiency and a strong cultural fit.
They also highlighted the value of marketing reach:
Extensive advertising and marketing… reached a far larger audience.
They called People Plus “structured and focused”, with the upfront retainer deducted from the success fee.
ENPRO SWISS, tight market, speed, and reduced effort
ENPRO SWISS is in energy from waste, recruiting Technicians in a very tight market with high competition for skilled labour.
They wanted a streamlined solution, and relied on Astute to “take the reins and manage the process”.
Steve Vick International, specialised hiring through sector growth
Steve Vick International spoke about expanding into nuclear over the last 15 years, and needing a Project Manager to support that growth.
It is a familiar story right now, growth into new markets, new contracts, and a sudden need for specialist capability that is not easy to hire for quickly.
What People Plus includes (a clear breakdown)
People Plus gives you access to:
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Premium advertising
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Bespoke marketing support
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Referral programme
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Dedicated Delivery Team
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High priority scheduling
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Reporting and talent insights
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Extended guarantee
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Access to 100,000+ candidates
It is also suitable for permanent and contract recruitment.
How to get the most out of People Plus
If you want the fastest, cleanest People Plus outcome, these are the behaviours that make the biggest difference.
1. Decide upfront what can flex
Salary range, location, shift patterns, clearance, hybrid options, travel requirements.
If everything is “must have”, the shortlist shrinks fast. If we know the real priorities, we can move quicker.
2. Block interview time early
The best candidates do not wait weeks.
If your diary is full, we can work around it, but speed is part of the model. A quick first stage interview window often wins hires.
3. Agree the story you want to tell
Why should someone join you, right now, in this role.
People Plus marketing works best when the message is clear, honest, and specific.
4. Keep feedback tight
Two things kill hiring momentum, slow feedback and vague feedback.
Fast, specific feedback helps us keep candidates warm and refine the search in real time.
When People Plus is not the right fit
People Plus is designed for critical roles and high impact hires.
If you’re hiring a role that is genuinely easy to fill, or you want to “test the market” with minimal commitment, a different model may be more suitable.
People Plus is built for situations where:
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You need speed and quality
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The hire is business critical
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The skill set is niche
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The market is competitive
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The cost of waiting is high
If that sounds like your situation, People Plus is usually the right conversation.
Final thought
The reason we are seeing more People Plus deals is simple.
The hiring environment is still tough, and most businesses cannot afford drawn out recruitment cycles that produce mixed results.
People Plus creates a structured, prioritised process with proper marketing reach, a dedicated delivery team, and accountability from day one.
If you have a role coming up and you want to understand whether People Plus is the right route, speak to Astute and we will tell you straight.
