Anna Smith

With nearly 30 years industry experience (14 years in marketing agencies; 15 years in marketing and creative recruitment), I am a bit of a veteran!

I am one of the founders and take the lead across all of our permanent sectors - Creative, Digital, PR, Marketing, Client Servicing and Delivery. I am also still very much hands-on!

With the many years I have within the industry, I have access to a vast network of people, which is an essential channel to exhaust the marketing for suitable candidates.

I'm extremely driven by my values of empathy, openness, fun and hard work, and these are lived by, not only in my day to day work, but also filter through every touchpoint here at Beyond The Book, and ultimately have a positive impact on client and candidate experience and results.

I love talking, listening, consulting, project managing, and working tirelessly to delivery. I can promise you a positive experience.

Outside of work, I can be found enjoying wine, laughs, my local pub, my dog (Sonny) and my spot on my sofa.

01789 451510

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“Kaisa and the team at Beyond the Book helped me secure my first freelance job on-site at a Milton Keynes based design agency which has since turned into regular remote work. Kaisa has been great. She always keeps in regular contact and I've always found her to be friendly and professional. I would definitely recommend Beyond the Book to any designer looking to take the plunge and begin a freelance career.”

“So, we all know that 2020 has been a dumpster fire of a year - and this has hit so many different agencies. This includes recruitment, but despite this the team at Beyond the Book have provided not just a professional service but a personal and caring one - having been found my position redundant just as the pandemic hit, I stumbled upon this agency and reached out - not only did they put huge effort in supporting me during the search, but they checked in regularly to share updates. Both Anna, the founder and her Colleague Emma instantly understood my level, my potential and matched it to their network. And while landing the job was my responsibility - they made sure I was one hundred percent prepared going in. I was so worried that this whole situation would affect my career and all of the effort I had put in to succeed, Beyond the Book made sure that didn't happen and that if anything I am now working for a much better company than before. lastly a little side story - once I started the new role, I received a good luck card personally written by the team. that ladies and gentlemen is a sign of real class. whether you’re looking for hires or a new job yourself I can’t recommend this company highly enough.”

“BTB are the best recruitment consultancy I have ever encountered as a candidate in the marketing industry.”

“I was lucky enough to connect with Michelle during my redundancy and from start to finish she was fantastic. She listened to my very particular wish list and found me a fantastic job that was not only a great industry fit, but also a great cultural fit. She was professional, friendly and incredibly supportive throughout the interview process, I’d highly recommend Michelle to anyone looking for a job.”

“I am so happy that I connected with Michelle in my job search! She's the kindest, most understanding and friendliest recruiter I've ever had the pleasure to work with. From the get-go, she was someone that I could trust, and she immediately understood what I was looking for, as well as what roles my skills were most suited to. The best part was her encouragement and positive mindset at all times, even if the employers returned with negative feedback and the fact that I was applying during a worldwide pandemic! I would highly recommend Michelle at Beyond the Book for any marketing, PR, content or communications roles within the West Midlands and beyond. Thank you, Michelle!”