We have decided to close CJ. Talent and here’s why

I’m writing to share some news about CJ. Talent – and to explain the reasons behind it.

Where we started

When we launched Capability Jane, CJ. Talent’s precursor, back in 2007, very few high quality part-time jobs were available or advertised in the market and traditional recruiters and head-hunters had no appetite for or mechanism to deal with part-time roles.

Lack of high-quality flexible working roles blocked over 2m people across the UK from returning to, remaining or progressing in their careers and left an untapped pool of exceptional talent unable to bring their skills and talent to organisations across the UK.

It was our founder Sara Hill’s inability to find a high-quality part-time job after having a family that drove her leave her career and focus on widening access to part-time roles for all others in a similar situation. And with that, she founded Capability Jane launched, the first recruitment company to focus solely on high-quality, part-time jobs.

Changing the world of work

Sara’s mission was to effect change and open up opportunities for the 1000s of talented people who had found returning to work or finding high quality flexible work a challenge. And following her passion, this has been our been our guiding mission for the past 17 years of doing business.

Over the years we have helped many people navigate the market for part-time roles and delighted hundreds of customers with the incredible talent that was previously inaccessible to them through traditional channels.

On our journey we have been passionate campaigners for increased flexibility and gender diversity, advising the government and policy makers and organisations on employment practices. We were pioneers of some of the first returner programmes in the UK and launched the Job Share Project to raise awareness of job sharing in senior roles as a really effective solution for enabling part-time working while maintaining a senior career path.

We are delighted that on our watch we have seen policies change (you now have the right to request flexible working at the point of recruitment) and a significant increase in the promotion and adoption of flexible working and more specifically job sharing.

CJ. Talent has come to its natural end

Now, finally, thanks to all the work we and our fellow champions on the flexible working campaign trail (too many to name but you know who you are!) and the normalisation of remote working post-covid and the 4-day work, flexible working is increasingly becoming everyday practice. Now, both employers and mainstream recruiters are open to and promoting flexible options, and the new Day One Flex legislation is likely to see that increase further.

So after nearly 20 years of moving this market forward, we feel that the time is right for us to bring things to a close here at CJ. Talent. We are sad that this journey has come to an end but we are also happy and proud to have been part of this movement and the impact we have had to effect change and enable careers for so many people and growth for so many companies.

If we have connected you to great part-time talent or if the work we have done has helped you in any way then we would love to hear your story; please email us back or DM our LinkedIn account.

The Campaign is not over…

While CJ. Talent is closing, our founder’s campaign to build inclusive workplaces is not over. You can follow Sara’s ongoing journey here at RoleMapper.

Thank you

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for being part of our story and we wish you all the best for the future.

Caroline Doherty

Managing Director