Welcome to issue 282 of the ukrecruiter newsletter.
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Article
One: Why are we still contingent recruiters? By Gaynor Lowndes
As a leading trainer for the recruitment industry, I meet many hundreds of recruiters each year ranging from blue collar to executive and everything in between. I am still alarmed at the number of recruiters who still work their desks contingently. In the current candidate short market we have the power to make real change in the industry – how many of you are up to the task?
Contingent recruitment (sometimes called non exclusive) means that you are competing on the role either with other agencies or indeed your client should your client have advertised the role on a job board or their website etc. You still only get paid should you successfully fill the role. This is the way most of you work and it is working this way that the recruitment industry got the reputation of “throwing resumes against a wall”. That’s because this way of working means that you have to be quick – do a quick database search and get as many resumes that look OK to the client. The reason that we send all that we have is that we don’t want to risk our competitor sending someone who we have registered on our database. This way of working I believe does not produce the best result for either client or you. How can you produce quality results when you are under so much pressure to move quickly? This is a transactional way of working where not much of a relationship is formed between the parties.
Exclusive roles are where you have the role exclusively, but you still only get paid on success. There are huge benefits in working this way over contingent recruitment. Namely that you have more time to do the exercise properly and as a result I believe your clients get a better quality hire at the end of the process. Interestingly, you charge your client no more and in many instances many are willing to discount their fee to get exclusive work. The way we should all be working as professional recruiters, I believe is on a retained basis. This is different to the other ways mentioned above as you get paid a fee for service rather than a fee for success. You get paid for the work you put in, not the end result you achieve. You have the time to do things properly, including headhunting, tapping into passive networks as well as searching through your active candidate database. Typically, your client will pay you a percentage of the expected fee up front then another payment when you produce the shortlist and then the final balance on success. The first payments are not refundable should the client cancel the role. The benefit to your client in working this way is he/she gets 100% commitment as you have time to do things properly. It strengthens your relationship as you work together to produce the outcome required. Your client returns your calls and is responsive during the process. Retained recruitment means you need to work less jobs to get the same result as a contingent recruiter and with much less stress!
For too long we have not been prepared to change. Many recruiters that I meet are being dictated to by their clients “You are the third agency I have called and I expect you to work this job at 100%” is a familiar threat for many. Why are we continuing to work this way when quality candidates are in such short supply? Gone are the days when you could put your job up on the job board, get plentiful quality response and fill the job quickly and effectively. Now you may not get a single response from advertising so our job has become so much harder. The cost of delivery on your roles has gone up as a result as you spend more time working your candidates at the cost of working your clients.
How do I change?
Ask and you shall receive. The more clients you ask for retainers, the more that will say yes if you can present your case in a compelling way. Start with the benefits of working retained for your clients. The biggest is that you have more time to source appropriate candidates which will ultimately mean a better quality result at the end of the process. Remind your clients that it costs no more to work with you this way and in fact many recruiters are moving their clients to this model as it is more effective in producing the outcome required.
Don’t be frightened of turning contingent roles away. If you are the third agency contacted, then do you really want to waste your time working a job that you may already be too late to fill? Typically, I would say to clients “what I suggest you do is to evaluate what you get from the other agencies. If you are not happy with the quality of the response then come back to me and we can discuss how we can work together.” You will be surprised how many clients will call you back and then it becomes easier to move him/her to the retained model. Move your existing clients to retainers by explaining that to do the job properly in this candidate short market you need a commitment from them before you spend the extra time required to source quality candidates. Remind them that the market has changed and contingent recruitment will not produce the quality outcome they need. Reiterate that it costs no more than contingent recruitment.
More importantly, continue to remind yourself that you are a professional and deserve the fee that you charge. Also remember that you are in control – you have what your clients need (quality candidates) so ask for retainers on each and every job you decide to work on.
Finally, the biggest benefit for me when I was a recruiter was less jobs = more success = more money = less stress. Convinced?
Gaynor Lowndes, the Managing Director of The Recruitment Training Company, has over 18 years recruitment experience, gained in both Australia and the UK. If you liked this article, consider Gaynor’s highly successful book “The Art of Recruitment”. Visit
www.trtc.com.au to place your order.
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Article
Two: Setting (Great) Expectations by Bill Radin
We assume that our candidates know exactly what to expect from us, but that's not always the case.
Whenever I hear complaints that recruiters don't lift a finger to help job seekers—or at the other extreme, become so insanely zealous that they indiscriminately blast their resumes around the world—I know there's been a failure to communicate.
On the flip side, it's the same failure that leads recruiters to gripe about the lack of cooperation or even outright interference on the part of candidates. Relationships always get strained when ground rules or expectations are never clearly established.
So what can you do to make sure you and your candidates aren't rubbing against each other like two dry sponges?
Scripting Your Intentions
I've found it useful to state clearly in the very beginning exactly what you can and cannot do to help your candidates, and to outline your respective roles in the placement process. Since no two recruiters or candidates are exactly alike, it would be unfair for the candidate to compare your style to that of another recruiter, or to expect your candidate to follow rules he never knew existed.
To add clarity -- and to establish a more cooperative relationship -- try using a script like this (modified, of course, to fit your methods):
Mr/Ms. Candidate, your background is very impressive. But before we begin to work together, let me explain exactly what I do, how I work, and what you can expect from me. Here are the main points:
The recruiter's role. My job is to fill
position. I'll do everything I can to help you, but my primary obligation is to the hiring company, since they're the ones who write my paycheck.
Making the match. If your background fits an open position, I'll present your qualifications with the intention of setting up an interview. If the situation is appropriate, I may also explore other positions within the company, or at different companies, to give you as many options as possible.
Confidentiality. Anything we discuss about the hiring company is strictly confidential. I'll expect you not to disclose any information about where you've interviewed, who you've interviewed with, or any details from your interview. In return, I'll be sure to get your permission before I disclose any information about you to prospective employers.
Accuracy and disclosure. I'll assume that everything you tell me about yourself is factual, including your skills, education, work history and salary. I won't make any claims regarding your background that I know aren't true, nor will I disclose anything about you that you ask me to keep confidential, as long as your request doesn't interfere with my ability to do my job. If anything about your employment or job search status changes, you'll need to let me know right away.
Coaching. As a personnel consultant, I'll do whatever I can to help you prepare for interviews and improve the quality of your presentation. I may also make suggestions regarding the content and appearance of your resume, but I won't make any changes until I've discussed them with you.
Brokering the deal. If you and the employer are interested in working together, I'll work with both parties to put together an acceptable offer. Once the offer is accepted, I'll give you some tips on how to make a graceful exit from your current job and a smooth transition to your new one.
These are the basic guidelines. Is there anything I've said so far that isn't clear or that you don't feel comfortable with?
By setting simple ground rules in the very beginning, you'll avoid a multitude of problems that typically arise whenever roles or expectations are fuzzy.
Bill Radin’s extensive recruiting, management and recruiter training experience makes him an ideal source of techniques, methods and ideas for rookies who want to master the fundamentals or veterans ready to jump to a higher level of success.
http://www.billradin.com
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Don't
Miss This
Global ERE (Electronic
Recruiting Exchange) Expo 2006, 27-28
November, Amsterdam
"Following the success of last year's event in Brussels, Global ERE Expo 2006 taking place in Amsterdam, 27-28 November will help corporations from around the globe develop and sustain world-class, industry-leading recruitment and staffing functions. Never before has such an elite group of corporate recruiting leaders gathered in one place at the same time.
Global ERE Expo 2006 will explore a broad range of hiring and workforce management issues, including workforce projections, employer branding, metrics, sourcing, recruitment technology, and other topics that are affecting the global recruiting industry.
Speakers include recruiting industry thought leaders and practitioners from companies such as Degussa AG, Deloitte, Maxxium UK, Swedish National Labour Market Board, T-Mobile UK, Time Warner, UnitedHealth Group International, and others."
Register online at http://www.ere.net/global06
or call +1-212-671-1181. As a ukrecruiter subscriber you can save an additional 10% on your registration fee by using product code AM06UR when registering.
Press Release: MotivatingMates.com
"Have you ever wished you could just click a button and receive instant Motivation to do the things you’ve always wanted to do? Well now you can with MotivatingMates.com. The UK based site encourages people to buddy-up and take part in healthy lifestyle and learning activities, like running, playing golf, caving, learning a language or a new skill. The site also encourages members to set their goals and record when they have been achieved. The site is an excellent service for employees who have relocated or have large territories and need to stay away on a regular basis." For more information visit
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Discussion
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Online
Recruitment Update (sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk
for "the UK's favourite job posting system")
Hitwise top 10 Recruitment
Sites, week ending 30th September
The most visited UK recruitment sites last week, starting with the
most popular, were www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk,
www.totaljobs.com, www.monster.co.uk,
www.jobsite.co.uk, www.reed.co.uk,
www.jobs.nhs.uk, jobs.guardian.co.uk,
jobs.tes.co.uk, www.eteach.com
and www.jobsgopublic.com. Hitwise don't aggregate data from sites who
form part of a network such as fish4.co.uk For more information about Hitwise, visit http://www.hitwise.co.uk
Louise's UK Recruiter blog
I've been a bit quiet on the blogging front in the past seven
days with just two posts (one about "take your dog to work
week" and the other mentioning the ERE Expo). However, you can view all my previous posts if
you've not seen them before and are interested You can
read "Louise's UK Recruiter blog" at http://ukrecruiter.typepad.com
Press Release: Workcircle re-launches with PPC search engine
Workcircle has re-launched its job search engine. The new site indexes UK jobs from job boards, agencies and employers. Rather than carry job advertisements itself, Workcircle now links out to the job on the advertisers site.
Workcircle’s new service charges advertisers per click (PPC) sent through to their site.
Workcircle is offering a free trial to advertisers giving them an opportunity to gauge the quality and quantity of traffic Workcircle can send their site.
www.workcircle.com
Blog Watch - Mike Taylor
This week in his Online
Recruitment Marketing blog Mike talks about Dice.com
acquiring eFinancialCareers.com for £48 million and News International
Buying Milkround.com.
This section is sponsored by http://www.broadbean.co.uk;
"the UK's favourite job posting system".
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Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk
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