When talking to clients about tackling the
skills shortage, I spend a lot of time emphasising the importance of having a
strong employer brand and giving the candidate a good experience. This advice
doesn’t just apply to them though. The Recruitment sector finds itself under
the exact same pressures from this skills gap, but how can taking our own
advice help with recruiting Recruiters and ensure we set them up for success?
Understanding the Issue
At face value, the Recruitment industry
shares the same challenges the rest of the working world do; the global skills
gap, hiring for cultural fit and employer branding to name a few. Recruitment has
historically been dismissed as a profession, or a viable career choice for
entry level people, as there are limited qualifications specialising in this,
and it is viewed negatively in the market as a career. This can make
effectively persuading industry experts to move into an unfamiliar field very
difficult. If you ask most Recruiters
how they became one, chances are they’ll probably say they fell in to it – it’s
not something they typically sought out as a career.
Hiring quickly to fill a gap, ignoring what
your team has to say or failing to train / induct new hires properly can often
result in a bad hire, which can
be costly for any industry. A bad hire for a recruitment agency however,
can damage both the agency and its clients, potentially bringing the entire
industry’s reputation into disrepute. The key to avoiding making a bad hire is
found within the same advice we give our clients - hire for cultural fit, give
the candidate a great experience and ensure you are diligent with the
recruitment process and you’ll end up hiring once.
Finding an Ethical Recruiter
Whilst industry or Recruitment experience
is crucial, understanding the depth of that experience is equally as important.
I have worked alongside a number of recruiters in my time, and maybe I’ve been
lucky, but whilst looking for experienced Recruiters recently to hire for OCG –
I’ve realised how unethical some organisations out there actually are. Each recruitment agency has their processes;
so double checking an experienced Recruiter’s way of working can go a long way
- do they interview every candidate? How was their performance measured? What
is their way of differentiating themselves?
Having a complete understanding of their experience helps me build a
solid understanding of their suitability.
Finding a candidate with Recruitment or
industry experience is only half the battle though. In fact, whilst experience
is important, so is prioritising candidates who have genuine care. Care about connecting the right people to the
perfect job, care about how they conduct themselves through a process and care
about their personal brand. A persons’ ethics and attitude is of equal importance
to their experience.
In my mind an ‘ethical Recruiter’ is someone who:
- Instils confidence in both their clients and candidates by being a force of positivity, even if they’ve just lost a star candidate to a competing offer.
- Portrays an honest and transparent disposition with a genuine care for their clients, candidates and stakeholders.
- Is able to do what is right over what is necessarily easy by going above and beyond what is expected of them.
- Understands the benefits of constructive criticism by sharing ideas on how to better recruit talent and improve internal processes.
But how would you find an ‘ethical Recruiter’?
We tell our clients that hiring for
cultural fit means to identify their own brand, values and culture. The
interview process is perfect for painting a realistic view of our culture and
ensure what the role involves is properly understood. This allows us to remove
the need for compromising and set up our new hires to thrive. When someone is hiring – they are hiring for
you / your career, and for them – it is the right thing to do to ensure you are
setting them up to be successful, in your environment. At OCG we will always take the time to find
an ‘ethical Recruiter’ that matches our values, allowing us to be smart with
who we hire for us and for the Recruiter.
Caring for the Candidate
Just like hiring for cultural fit, we spend
as much time telling clients to pay attention to their candidate experience.
Candidate experience plays an important role in how we approach potential hires
when recruiting Recruiters.
Industry experts have become so by having a
well thought-out career plan and will more than likely be comfortable where
they are and know what looks right. Attempting to persuade them to leave that
comfort zone and move into an unfamiliar sector / company can pose challenges.
Persuading any candidate to take a new role
comes down to setting clear expectations on what they can expect to be
different, what can be better. If you’ve found a great candidate, chances are,
so has someone else so the way you will differentiate is by giving them a great
experience, regardless of the outcome.
We understand more than anyone, that people
who enter a new company, will be subjected to the pressures of quickly adapting
to new challenges - sometimes overwhelming them in the process. This is why our
advice to clients focuses on ensuring their new hire becomes an essential part
of a professional, pragmatic team that is focused on the growth of the
candidate and the business. We have to follow the same thought pattern for our
internal hires, and allow our new employees to experience that supportive environment which
in turn, fosters these values.
Summary
Recruiting a new professional to any organisation
or any industry has its challenges, and recruiting Recruiters is no different.
Tackling these challenges relies heavily on seeking out candidates that thrive
in your company’s culture, and ensuring they’re properly equipped to succeed in
your environment.
Whether you’re an industry expert looking
for your next move, or a seasoned Recruiter looking for a fresh environment,
there’s always a helping hand waiting to point you in the right direction. If
you’d like a quick chat about what you could achieve at OCG, don’t hesitate to contact me today.