Practices that perpetuate the negative recruitment stereotype

It only takes a few cowboys (and girls) to change people’s perceptions of a profession. Head over to Google, type: “recruiters are…” and take a second to look at the search predictions. The results don’t make for great reading (although recruitment is not alone). For the thousands of great recruiters there are a select few that continue to damage the industry’s reputation.

Today anyone equipped with a smart phone can in theory set up and start to compete for work. From a company perspective this can mean more choice and potentially a better deal. However the low barriers to entry also leave companies more at risk to working with a rogue recruiter.

In this blog I highlight a few of the traits and practices that perpetuate the negative stereotype, things that ultimately affect your bottom line, practices you should drive out of your office.

A poor recruiter is…

Overpowering
Recruiters and clients generally love a quick turn around, however both the candidate and company need time to make informed decisions. A recruiter should utilise sales techniques, advising and persuading, but they should not become overpowering, forcing decisions that are not right.

There is little point in pushing a candidate to accept an offer if they are not convinced by the position. If the candidate accepts and then shortly after leaves you are likely to lose a future candidate and client. You might also miss out on that commission depending on the timescales.

Properly considered placements maximise the chances of the fit being right and the candidate sticking around. An overpowering recruiter’s placements don’t tend to last the duration.

Misrepresenting
Misrepresenting is a recruiting sin that can seriously affect both an agency’s reputation and bottom line.

Misrepresenting jobs and candidates is both wrong from an ethical and business perspective. Clients and candidates put trust in recruitment professionals so mutually beneficial relationships can form, by misrepresenting either party you damage that trust.

When positioning a job or candidate sell the benefits but make sure what you say can be backed up with facts. In recruitment misrepresentation benefits no one.

A poor communicator
Acquiring clients and candidates isn’t easy but keeping in touch and communicating regularly should be. A poor recruiter will only reach out to candidates and clients when they need something, where as a top recruiter builds and maintains relationships to drive repeat business.

Keep your candidates and clients informed through out the recruitment process, provide constructive feedback and most importantly listen.

Communication is key to successful recruitment, utilise your recruitment software, calendar, social networks, phone and email. Keeping in touch with candidates and companies can make hitting those targets much easier in the long run.

Uninformed
In the digital age there is a wealth of information on industries, companies and people at the fingertips of every recruitment professional.

Knowledge and understanding increase candidate and client confidence. Clients want to work with recruitment professionals who understand their business, industry and requirements. Candidates want to work with recruitment professionals who understand their skill-set and specialisms.

Allocate time for research, get to know the industry’s you recruit within and the people you deal with. For the most part an uniformed recruiter is a lazy recruiter.

Do you have any more points to add? Get involved using the comment box and social media links below.

Useful links:

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• The Recruitment Newsletter