Recruitment can be viewed quite suspiciously and be seen as a bit of a dirty word.
There have been countless meetings I’ve sat down at and the first discussion is a horror story, a scar or an unsavoury account of a charlatan recruiter.
Whether you work in recruitment yourself or are looking to start working with recruiters, hopefully these tips will help you get a handle on what makes a recruiter good and nice to work with.
1. Don’t turn up at a client meeting unprepared.
Having training to prepare and manage a recruitment meeting is essential.
Make sure you know the background of a company, the people you are meeting and some of their projects.
This will help you prepare the right questions to share with potential employees.
If you genuinely prepare, you have an opportunity to flex your consultancy and personality muscles in that meeting, and to build the foundations of a strong relationship.
2. Don’t blag it!
In our sector, the technology, methods, and production process all change so quickly.
Keep up to date with the sector, soaking up as much knowledge as you can and ask questions if anyone is talking about stuff you don’t understand.
A common horror story is that a recruiter came, took a brief and then sent a bunch of developers for a UX role – don’t be that recruiter!
3. Don’t send a CV without a candidate’s permission.
It’s wrong. End of.
4. Tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Up-selling a job or candidate is going to land you in hot water later on.
Best to find out the warts-and-all of a vacancy and the intricacies of candidate requirements early. Encourage the client/candidate to slow a process down if needed, and to be 100% sure before making/accepting an offer.
5. Don’t get accused and don’t be guilty of inflating salaries.
I had a situation with an MD who told me that they thought recruiters inflated salaries to get the most of their % fee.
Since then, I have always presented a client with the current salary and what the candidate would like to earn.
Ask people why they think they are worth more money and share this with your client.
6. Be organised and prioritise.
You are juggling a lot of balls in recruitment and just one call from a client can throw you a curve ball. Make lists, sense check you are prioritising.
A dropped ball has massive significance in recruitment (someone doesn’t get the job or the hire they want!). Set yourself deadlines and share this with the client – you can expect a call from me on Monday, a shortlist from me on Wednesday.
This removes any ambiguity and you have let your client know what to expect.
7. Be good and nice to people.
It’s really simple – your candidates become clients.
And, vice versa, don’t treat them any differently and treat them as you would like to be treated.
8. Be positive.
We all work in situations that can be demanding, and try your patience.
The best recruiters I know are the ones who can see past the moan and can come up with a solution.
9. Talk it out.
You are nearly always working in a team – take advantage of the different perspectives and experiences around you.
10. Don’t be a dick.
We are dealing with people, and you will bump into that person again, if you play your cards right.
Ethical recruitment can be tough to see through, sometimes it means walking away from a fee – you know what, it’s worth it in the long run. 16 years on I’m not just smiling – I’m having a right laugh.
While this article is written from the viewpoint of helping recruiters to be good and nice to work with, hopefully it also sheds some light on how to approach working with recruiters for the uninitiated as well.