Recruitment – what’s in it for me?
pharmafile | October 20, 2003 | Feature | Business Services |Â Â recruitmentÂ
Being 'client focused' is undoubtedly one of the buzz phrases of recent times, but are recruitment companies really focusing on what their clients want? Or are they inadvertently encouraging them to go elsewhere for their recruitment needs?
Recruitment needs have become ever more sophisticated as people increasingly have less time and money to spend on sourcing quality employees. The whole process of selection and interviewing can impact heavily on time, which clients need to spend concentrating on core business requirements. If they cant spend time on their day-to-day role this in turn can have an impact on the profitability of the client company.
A good recruiter will be able to take on board many of the activities involved in the recruitment process but is this what clients want? The following key areas of importance were identified in our recent survey to find out what customers really want from a specialist recruiter.
Quality candidates
Providing good candidates with relevant skills and experience that match the client's needs was the most important factor for 88% of respondents. Sounds obvious, but not all recruiters spend time and money generating good quality candidates, believing the client not the job seekers pay the bills. This is, of course true, but recruiters will not fill jobs without a good, consistent source of quality candidates.
It is important to use a recruiter who utilises a wide range of methods to attract candidates including on-line and printed advertising, direct mail, promotion at events such as recruitment fairs, as well as attendance at industry conferences and exhibitions. With skills shortages a common problem across the scientific sector today, looking further afield for the best candidates isn't just a good idea, it's essential, as the best person for the role in question may not be based locally but could be willing to relocate. So having a national, or even international, presence at events and in advertising is as important as having a local or regional one.
In addition to sourcing suitable candidates, clients expect recruiters to screen them before CVs are sent for consideration – it is better to supply only two candidates with relevant skills and experience than 10 that are not really a good match for the vacancy on offer. Again, this ensures the client's time is not wasted and reassures them that their recruiter can deliver what they want when they want.
Reliable and responsive service
Building a trusting relationship was a key factor for 79% of survey respondents. Today's client wants a partnership approach from recruiters so that they can offload their recruitment needs knowing with full confidence that these needs will be met. This in turn makes their job easier, with little or no disruption to the working day. Being honest is at the top of the list for clients so it is vital for a recruiter to make realistic promises and keep them, rather than sell the impossible in order to win business. If a recruiter promises an interviewed shortlist within 48 hours clients should expect that promise to be delivered – or a feasible explanation as to why not, long before the deadline is up.
It is not just a question of being able to ease the workload of clients and supply them with suitable candidates – how quickly a recruiter can respond is of the utmost importance too. Both responding to a clients initial request and also being able to supply the information/candidates promptly, especially when contract or temporary staff are required, is rated very highly in the survey. This speed of response should also include back office work, such as payroll and invoicing.
Equally important is establishing a relationship – making sure that a single individual handles a job from pitch to placement is rated very highly by clients. Some recruiters will send a sales person to pitch for the business, but when it comes to day-to-day dealings, they may use different people. Clients want to feel that they have someone they can trust, that knows their business and understands their requirements. Once trust is established recruiters need to avoid changing the people that worked hard to gain that trust.
Industry/client knowledge
Forty two per cent of clients want to deal with a recruiter who has first-hand knowledge of the scientific sector. Certainly within the majority of leading scientific recruitment companies most consultants are trained scientists, many of whom have worked for some time within the sector before crossing over to the recruitment industry. Additionally, recruiters should do their homework and have a good understanding of the clients business/particular industry too.
Communication
In the current commercial climate there is no excuse for poor communication. This is true when dealing with clients and candidates alike. Keeping people informed of the situation is not only good business practice but it is also essential to help build the trust and reliability that is shown in the survey to be rated so highly by todays recruiting clients. The best recruiters will never leave their clients and candidates guessing a weekly call or e-mail keeps them informed, shows progress and can flag problems before they escalate. In addition, all key discussions and decisions should be followed up with a written communication, even if its just an e-mail.
Summary
Many words were used in the survey results to summarise the service that clients want from a specialised recruiter – efficient, speedy, quality, reliable, flexible, knowledgeable, experienced, partner, able to provide good quality candidates. In today's commercial marketplace it would appear that recruiters have to try and be all things to all clients. The words of one customer who took part in the survey sums it up very well: Speedy, reliable, knowledgeable and easy to deal with – a one stop shop for all our scientific recruitment needs.
So if you're a client, is this the service you get? If you're a recruiter, take note – this is what your clients want!
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