The Latest Advice From The REC On Being A Great Recruiter
In April the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), the professional body for the recruitment industry, launched their ‘Good Recruitment Campaign’, to highlight good recruitment practices to business small and large across the UK.
As recruitment consultants play an integral role in many business’s recruitment strategies, we thought we would take a look at some of the key attributes a recruitment consultant needs to provide a great service.
A good recruiter understands the importance of relationships, and always looks at the bigger picture.
Thousands of people enter the recruitment industry every year, but very few of them last more than twelve months. There are a number of reasons for this. Some may not be able to handle the pressure.
Others may be struggling to hit their sales targets. The underlying reason though (which can result in poor sales and added pressure) is their failure to understand the importance of relationships.
A good recruiter values the relationship with their client above anything else. Poor recruitment consultants jeopardise the relationship with their client by chasing short-term gains, trying to ‘sell’ them poor quality candidates just to hit their targets.
A good recruitment consultant never gets themselves in this position. Through a thorough understanding of their client’s business gained through a positive and transparent relationship, a good consultant will always put their client first.
A good recruiter looks after their candidates.
Just as their relationship with their client being their key concern, a good recruitment consultant always looks after their candidates, because without good candidates, they cannot provide their client with the service that they deserve.
A good consultant will have an open, honest and transparent relationship with their candidates, and only put them forward for suitable jobs, keeping them updated and informed at every stage of the recruitment process. Happy candidates make for great employees.
A good recruiter has a little bit of OCD, and assumes nothing.
One might assume, with the huge importance placed on both the relationship a consultant has with their clients and candidates, that recruitment is the ideal career for more outgoing, gregarious types, rather than the more careful and cautious, who take great pleasure in the detail of things.
In reality, a good recruitment consultant has to have both these sides to their character, and an attention to detail is crucial.
There is a huge amount of trust placed in a recruitment consultant, and a good consultant understands that they cannot assume anything, whether it be details to do with a job description or doing full background checks on a candidate. Never will a good consultant cut corners and risk their relationship with their client.
A good recruiter utilises modern technology, but recognises the importance of ‘the basics’.
Social Media and other relatively recent technological developments have improved not just the recruitment industry, but business as a whole. However, sometimes it can be too easy to get caught up in modern technology and methods, and forget the basics.
This is something a good consultant cannot, and will not do. Being fully conversant with social media and other methods is crucial for a modern consultant, but so are some of the more ‘old-fashioned’ methods and values.
Emails are are a quick and efficient method of communication, but they lack the personal touch and can be misinterpreted. Compare this to a face-to-face meeting, or even a telephone call, where a real relationship can be built, with a deep understanding of the client’s needs and wants.
A good consultant recognises this and will never fail to understand the importance of the basics.
‘Till next time,
Cheryl