Sara sails Diane into her dream job at Amble Marina

Sara Eke Recruitment specialises in handling vacancies for permanent and interim positions from Berwick to Teesside, with many customers being located in her native Northumberland.

When she’s not recruiting staff, Sara enjoys sailing and sea fishing on board the boat she shares with her husband Brian. With Sara being a regular visitor to Amble Marina and knowing the business, she was asked by owner Karl Brunton to help him find the ideal candidate for his latest vacancy.

Finding someone who could do a variety of tasks, from bookkeeping to reception duties and selling in the marina shop to welcoming and tying up visiting vessels, was a challenge that Sara undertook at full steam ahead.

She said: “I love spending time on my boat and Amble Marina is a fantastic place. When I was asked to find a multi-skilled candidate to work here I realised that there wouldn’t be many people who could be so adaptable and flexible in the hours they would be required to work at occasional unsocial times and who also had the practical and customer-service skills needed.”

That’s when Sara used her 30 years’ experience in the recruitment business to her advantage by contacting potential candidates who she knew would fit the role.

One such candidate was Diane Darby, from Killingworth, who Sara felt had the breadth of experience and the flexible approach for this varied and important role.

“In recruitment you get a feel for the right person for the job. This only comes with experience and is based on a number of factors. Diane made a positive impression on me and I invited her for a chat to talk about this new unique opportunity.”

Indeed, Diane was an excellent choice. As a child growing up in Whitley Bay, her father would take her out to sea in his fishing boat and she never lost that love of all things nautical.

Diane was short-listed by Sara and interviewed by Karl, who then offered her the job.

“This is my dream job,” she said. “The variety is so refreshing and every day is different. I also love the idea of working for a small family business.”