The Harrogate-based beauty recruiter giving hiring a glow up

by Fiona Callow

| 14 Jun, 2024

Annabelle Pounder (Image: Roth Read Photography)

This story is sponsored by Annabelle Charles Associates.

The beauty industry is simultaneously highly niche and filled with a surprisingly wide range of job opportunities – just ask Annabelle Pounder, director of Annabelle Charles Associates.

From retail to head office roles, alongside manufacturing and customer-focused positions, the career possibilities are far-reaching.

But with such a broad spectrum of skills and requirements needed for each position, trusting that the right candidates are being selected by someone with experience and knowledge across all sectors is paramount to success.

This was a key reason that Annabelle first set up her own business in 2015 – she identified this as a gap in the market that she could fill with her experience of recruitment and her lifelong passion of all things beauty.

She explained:

I left school wanting to be a beauty therapist, but my life didn’t take that direction at first. After working in retail, I decided I needed a change – I took a pay cut for a role as a receptionist in a recruitment agency and moved through roles there.

After experience in commercial and industrial recruitment, as well as launching a start up for another business, it was actually a client that suggested to me: ‘you need to make money for yourself, not other people’ – and that’s exactly what I did.

The business of beauty

Today, Annabelle Charles Associates counts numerous well-known beauty brands and cosmetic companies as clients, establishing its nearly decade-long reputation for finding high calibre candidates from entry-level to director roles.

Additionally, the company is proud to offer a fixed fee of 15 percent for every client and across all positions – no sliding scales or hidden costs, but honest and upfront pricing.

With offices in London and Leeds, Anabelle Charles boasts a vast network of clients and candidates ready to be matched to the perfect position.

An overarching ethos of the company is to act as ‘true ambassadors’ for every business and candidate it represents, taking the time to understand clients’ core values and then using them to champion the brand and attract top talent.

In turn, candidates are taken through a thorough screening process to assess suitability, hand-picking the most qualified individuals for the role, to avoid wasting time and to maximise the possibility of a successful hire.

Recalling a candidate success story that summarises this bespoke approach, Annabelle said:

The most memorable candidate that I have placed in my career was a retired director of a textile business. He was in his 60s wishing to return to work and felt that no one would give him a chance.

Obviously with all his experience running a company he was financially astute and had a lot to offer.

I approached a manager of a huge client that I worked with and told her what a star I had available. She hired him and despite the average age in the team being 30, he fit right in and was one of the top performers.

I nominated my candidate for a diversity award, and we were invited to the House of Commons for the presentation. It is so important not to discriminate as a recruiter or you can miss out on top talent.

Community and charity outreach

Collaborating with charities in order to give back to the community is important to Annabelle. One of the company's promises is that with every successful placement, it donates to its cancer charity partner, Look Good Feel Better.

In the past Annabelle Charles has supported the charity's beauty and wellness events, aimed at empowering people and giving them the confidence to feel like their best selves.

Now a Harrogate resident, Annabelle herself has most recently attended one of these events at Rudding Park. Describing it as ‘an amazing experience’, she said:

It’s important to me to be able to share my love of beauty and helping people by supporting such a great charity.

It was amazing to see how the women that attended left feeling confident and beautiful.

New look, same vision

This year, the Annabelle Charles website has had a makeover of its own - a celebration of how far the company has come, and its commitment to continue to provide the same quality of service.

Annabelle would encourage beauty businesses, companies and producers across the Harrogate area – and beyond – to browse the site, and find out how Annabelle Charles Associates can help them hire their next bright star.

Find out more

Clients and candidates alike can find out more about the services that Annabelle Charles Associates offers by visiting the website, emailing annabelle@annabellecharles.co.uk or by calling 079726 65337.