Working in recruitment we are privy to a wealth of information about our candidates, the companies we deal with and the contacts within those companies. But do we use the tools that are at our disposal effectively?
Candidates provide us with resumes that include information about their job history, academic qualifications, career achievements, hobbies and referees. Sometimes reading between the lines however will tell us much more about the person than their written words. We also interview candidates and probe into their backgrounds and work history. Preparation is critical before any meeting and a candidate interview is no exception. There is no excuse for not reading resumes thoroughly and preparing technical and behavioural questions well before walking into the interview room. If we don’t demonstrate our respect for the information we have already been given, how do we expect to truly engage with the candidate and encourage them to share their personal career aspirations with us? Going for a job interview is a very personal and often intimidating experience and candidates are often guarded and hesitant to bare their soul. Yet it is important they do, so their Consultant can work with them in a constructive manner and provide advice, support and deliver job opportunities that match their aspirations.
We can learn about companies from annual reports, brochures, organisational charts, job descriptions and we can access information on their website, asx.com.au, Google etc. There is no shortage of information at our fingertips. But, again I ask, do we use it? This information can be used for a range of purposes including winning new business, recognising recruitment opportunities, consulting to clients and making suggestions, overcoming objections and preparing candidates for interview. It also demonstrates to our customers (both candidates and clients) that we are experts in what we do and we know our stuff.
Clients are not companies… they are the people within those companies. What do we know about our contacts? What is important to them and why should they use us? This information can be tricky to source but it is essential if we are to uncover their “hot buttons” and then be able to provide a value proposition. This is why emailing job descriptions and resumes is such a hit and miss recruitment tactic. There is no substitute for speaking to hiring managers (ideally face to face) to put context around any recruitment process. In an industry that largely works on contingent recruitment assignments whereby we don’t get paid unless we fill the job, surely it is in our best interest to gather as much relevant information as possible to minimise the risk of missing the mark.
We encourage our consulting team to have as much face to face candidate and client contact as possible with the view to gather and share pertinent information. We also have a strong team culture with daily office wide updates on every job we are recruiting. We believe this is what will set us apart from internal recruitment teams, other agencies and give us that competitive advantage in a saturated recruitment industry.
Ben Walsh – General Manager – Qld