Catriona Dick, Head of Human Resources at Zonal Retail Data Systems, on her experience hiring graduates from our 16-week programme.
Asked to summarise the company’s purpose in a sentence, Catriona explained Zonal as “the UK’s leading provider of technological solutions to the hospitality industry”.
The tech company has over three decades of experience in helping hospitality business to monitor sales, stock and wastage through technological solutions – built from their base in Edinburgh and serving customers across the UK. Currently, over 9,000 companies turn to Zonal solutions for their needs in hospitality and POS systems.
In terms of what life as a Zonal employee is like, Catriona believes the job throws up new challenges every day.
“Nothing is routine about life in Zonal. We change and grow from day to day, so we offer employees variety in tasks to keep them motivated and engaged.“
As for searching for employees, the attributes important to Zonal’s team are clear.
“The labour market is currently very buoyant and fast paced, particularly within technology and in Edinburgh. Employers have to be prepared to move really quickly to land the best candidates.”
Hiring CodeClan graduates
“What we’re looking for is enthusiasm, coupled with great technical skills, knowledge and ideally some previous exposure to our products,” continues Catriona.
“Anyone who has worked in hospitality for one of our customers and has used our technology is at a big advantage!”
Our graduates bring their own qualities to the table and Catriona can see the advantages of hiring from our immersive programme. Also, the opportunity to meet and get to know students throughout their training brings with it a unique potential hiring strategy.
“We’ve been lucky to secure a number of employees via CodeClan who have worked for our customers. They’re candidates with good technical skill and knowledge who also have life experience, often within a relevant field.”
Building a rapport
According to Catriona, meeting CodeClan students as they progress through the programme, and having contact with them at different stages, allows a rapport to build from an early stage.
“It allows us to have a better understanding of each candidate and to build a picture of where they could slot in within our organisation.
“In turn, the candidates also build up better knowledge of us as a potential employer and we can ensure those candidates who are particularly interested in us are the ones who we consider for employment.
“You don’t get this opportunity when you recruit university graduates or other candidates.”
Find out more about our 16-week programme course and becoming our next employer partner.
