Award-winning Chester recruitment agency Searchability has been named in The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies list for the first time.

The IT, digital marketing and creative sector specialist are 18th in the competitive top 100 list and 11th in the list of Best Companies to Work For in the North West.

Searchability’s high engagement scores were a result of extensive investment into the company’s culture, employee development programme and benefits package, according to Best Companies, who collate the list with The Sunday Times.

The agency were noted as having built a ‘fantastic framework for a company that has grown to over 50 talented and dedicated people’.

In a positive profile of the Chester firm, Best Companies added: ‘The feeling in the office and amongst the employees is fantastic.

‘They are rewarded not only financially but by feeling like a part of the growth and culture at Searchability.

‘Each employee genuinely helps to create a brand that is unique in the market place.’

The ‘Best Small Companies To Work For’ list is restricted to companies who employ 50 to 249 staff.

Searchability was founded in 2012 by Wirral-born founder and managing director Martin Blythe to “disrupt the traditional recruitment market and do things a little differently”.

Eight years later, the company is a leading player in tech recruitment, covering areas such as software development and testing, eCommerce, big data and analytics, digital marketing, creative and design.

The companies success has led to a move to Chester’s impressive HQ building and expansion into Europe and the USA. Searchability employ 51 staff and reported a revenue of £4.9m.

The new offices will include a state-of-the-art Meet Up space, designed to bring a variety of events within the technology and recruitment sector to the city.

Founder and Managing Director Martin Blythe said:

“We were absolutely delighted to receive such an honourable recognition within The Sunday Times Best Companies to Work For, especially as it is the first year we have submitted an entry through the Best Companies engagement survey.

“Since we opened our doors in 2012 our aim has to become a leader in the IT and Digital Recruitment space, and to do that we needed to create an environment and culture that attracted the best people, and most importantly retained those people too.

“The feedback we had from our employees through the engagement survey was so positive, it was wonderful to hear that our people feel so happy and supported in their roles, and also learn how much they love our unique benefits package too!

“Our goal for 2020 is to develop this even further, and we have already launched two brand new offerings around employee wellness based upon the honest feedback we had from our people.”