By Jay Gray
Some might think the difference between a recruitment agency and Konvergent is negligible, considering both deal with the recruitment of Enterprise Architects, Solution Architects and so on. Ben Clark, who worked in the recruitment industry before setting up Konvergent, puts it this way: it is a little bit like comparing a Ferrari to a Fiat, and he knows which one he would rather drive. Here are the key distinctions.
| What you get | Konvergent | Recruitment agency |
|---|---|---|
| Architects vetted by architects | Yes | No |
| Have worked directly with associates | Yes | No |
| Access to templates and guides | Yes | No |
| Architecture visualisation facility | Yes | No |
| Access to the architecture community for support and questions | Yes | No |
| Project delivery oversight is available if requested | Yes | No |
| Senior management with 25 years of experience in the architecture industry | Yes | No |
Unlike recruitment agencies, where the consultant’s role often ends after presenting CVs for selection, our journey at Konvergent begins with choosing a resource for a project. Our team and partners have worked on the projects to ensure delivery on very tight timescales, as most Konvergent projects are under 12 weeks. This gives us deep insight into their strengths and areas for improvement, ensuring the right fit for specific roles. This first-hand knowledge goes well beyond the surface-level understanding typically found in recruitment.
We have a bench of associates built up over eleven years in the industry, covering nearly every architecture discipline and domain. Our managing partner, Ben Clark, has ultimate oversight of this, and his 25 years in the industry and knowledge of what good looks like mean the standards are exact, with an element of quality control that no recruitment agency can offer. Meet our associates.
We interview our people pretty hard, as giving would-be associates an easy ride benefits no one. Architecture is such a vast and expansive area that it is impossible to have worked alongside someone (who is also available) for every need. Our selective approach often leads to rejecting candidates who would easily pass through recruitment agency filters. We would rather not send you anyone we know is not suitable for your requirements.
We offer an array of exclusive resources: reference architectures, templates, our application rationalisation methodology and even a composable architecture assessment. Konvergent has also branched out into the tool market with its roadmap tool, Konexis, which all associates on Konvergent projects can access. These resources are invaluable and not something a recruitment agency can provide.
Those who follow Ben on LinkedIn will know that he is incredibly passionate, and maybe even outspoken, about one area of the architecture industry: the quality of visual outputs. There is a vast difference between high and low-quality output from a visual perspective. Do any of your business stakeholders really understand anything produced in Visio, ArchiMate or by someone with substandard PowerPoint skills? What we can offer as part of any resource augmentation is the ability to turn those confusing and ugly outputs into something that can wow your business stakeholders. This level of expertise in visual communication is rare in consultancy, let alone in recruitment.
From developing target operating models, driving HR transformations and selling the vision of composable architecture to a very sceptical business, to defining the ERP strategy for a global company, Konvergent can offer you a great deal more if you need it.
For those seeking the highest calibre of architects and exceptional output quality, Konvergent Associates stands out as the unrivalled choice. See how we find and manage associates in Engaged Search – Associates, or get in touch to discuss your specific architecture needs.
