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Welcome to issue 357 of the ukrecruiter newsletter. If you work in the traditional or on-line recruitment industry and are considering your next move, why not take a look at our recruitment specific job board. Recruitment, corporate HR recruitment and recruitment support services jobs at www.ukrecruiterjobs.co.uk | 
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CONTENTS
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My Favourites http://en.wikipedia.org - A free encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Superb reference guide. http://www.theaa.com - On-line route planner. Also print maps and check road conditions. http://www.applegate.co.uk
- UK and Ireland internet directory for industry, manufacturing and technology company basic information. Why not submit your 3 favourite web sites. See the guidelines at http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk/articles.htm |
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Article One: Take Control of Your Career by Gaynor Lowndes I recently read a newspaper article written by a certain well-known Career Education Academic (and I emphasize Academic). He quotes a recent US survey which found that seven out of ten adults wished that they had done more research into career options before they were “swept” into a job. The author of the article uses these survey results to argue that personal choice in careers is a myth, and that steps need to be taken to provide career choice and freedoms to those in society who are “trapped” in jobs that do not fulfil them. This article is a disturbing example of individuals in society refusing to take responsibility for their own careers. How strange, to suggest that because an individual is too careless to explore his or her career options, that it is somehow the society’s fault when he or she ends up in an unfulfilling job! These people certainly did make a personal career choice: The choice to not do their research, the choice to be “swept” and “trapped” into a job. In this age of litigation and finger-pointing, we no longer want to take responsibility for our choices in life and career. The reason I write about this issue, is to urge you, as a fellow Recruiter, to understand that you alone have the power to determine your career path. Let’s not create a mentality within our industry that success and fulfilment are out of reach, because we are supposedly not in control of our careers. Success will not come to you. You must come to success. And the same can be said of fulfilment. Here are three key decisions you need to make, as a Recruiter, in order to take control of your career for maximum success and fulfilment: Decision No. 1: “If I am not satisfied with my current career, I choose to change it!” Simple. The first step to taking control, is to decide what you really want, and act on it. So if you’re a recruiter, and you don’t feel as though recruitment is what you want … Get out! And this is not intended to sound harsh. Recruitment is not the profession for everyone, and that’s ok. What isn’t OK is letting yourself down, letting your agency down, and letting the industry standard down, by staying when you know it’s not right for you. This, in a more general sense, is what those surveyed in the newspaper article have done. They refuse to accept a fundamental truth: That their situations can definitely improve for the better, but only if they take steps to make it happen! As a trainer, I see this all the time. Recruitment, as with any sales profession, is about confidence and passion. If you are unhappy with your job, and feel “trapped,” it will show in your sales figures, as well as your attitude. I often train promoted receptionists who remain consultants simply because it pays better than their previous role. But the money issue quickly becomes a paradox; they are obviously unhappy and unfulfilled, and as a result, they generate hardly any profit! So I urge you to think carefully about whether recruitment is right for you, and to realise that you can handle your dissatisfaction far more effectively than those people surveyed in the newspaper article. Susan Jeffers, in her bestselling book “Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway,” urges us to “Correct, not protect,” when it comes to dealing with unsatisfactory career situations. If it isn’t working for you, don’t “protect” it just because you have the security of this job, or because you are afraid people may view you as a failure. You only become a failure if you refuse to open your life up to success and fulfilment, so “Correct” your situation by finding a career that is right for you, and the success and fulfilment won’t be far away. Decision No. 2: “I choose to think in terms of Success!” Stephen R. Covey, in his “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” states that all things are created twice, first mentally, and then physically. This is the basic concept of self-belief. If you decide that recruitment is the right profession for you, that you have the passion and confidence to succeed in this highly competitive industry, then start thinking successful thoughts. The newspaper article I refer to laments that only a privileged few have access to the best jobs. The author of this article seems to assume that these people somehow fluked their way to success. No, they started their road to success by creating success in their minds. And you, as a consultant, can do the same. It’s easy to be cynical about the old “self-belief” cliché, but it stands to reason that you will only succeed at something if you believe you can. Decision No. 3: “I choose to act on my thoughts of Success!” The other key element of success that the author of the article seemed to miss: Action. So now that you’ve established thoughts of self-belief in your mind, take those thoughts: the star candidates, the clients becoming retained, and the profit rolling in… and make them a physical reality. Focus on the level of commitment and effort in the actions that you take, and this includes a commitment to continuously improve and develop your skills, through practice and training. Take action to live the dreams and thoughts within your head, and you will look back and realise that those who are “trapped” actually built the trap themselves. I urge recruiters across the industry to take these decisions on board. If our consultants take ownership of their careers through these decisions, then they, and therefore the industry, can only reach new heights of success! Remember, the biggest billers are passionate about their work and their industry, so think success, and take action to ensure success!
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Article Two: A Candidates View of the World of Recruitment – Part Two Following on from last week’s article (which you can read here) a senior candidate talks about his experiences of the recruitment industry. Last week we started looking at ten simple tips for the recruitment company that excels in customer led thinking. 4. Invest in your website. This is your window to the world. It is also where you communicate your values, mission, positioning and approach. Candidates and clients often get their first impressions from your website and if it is not well designed and easily navigable then it will do more damage than good. I can identify 2 out of the 31 company web sites that quite honestly are awful. 5. Don’t be afraid to share information. It is amazing that of the 31 companies web sites only 5 list the current vacancies/assignments that they are working on. It is difficult to understand why this is. Some companies when asked which person in the organisation deals with which sector would not give me the information. 6. Ensure that you respond to all incoming requests. A shocking 17 out of 31 companies did not respond to my email in which I introduced myself and attached my CV. All were sent repeat email four weeks later, 13 subsequently replied, leaving 4 that have still not replied ten weeks after the first email was sent out. Needless to say, as a future client, I will not be approaching these companies. 7. Decide which candidates to meet with and those not to meet initially. It is tempting not to meet candidates simply because there is no existing opportunity. If their details look interesting it is worth meeting them even if there is no current search. There are four reasons for this. Firstly they could be future clients. Secondly, you are better prepared to assess the candidate when a vacancy arises. Thirdly, a great candidate can always be of interest to a client even if there is no existing vacancy. In my management role, I never refused to consider external talent even when I wasn’t actively recruiting. If the candidate has clear exceptional skills and competences I would try to make room for them to join. Fourthly, candidates can be a great source of information and market intelligence. They can be used effectively in this respect. 8. Treat the candidate interview as a meeting. Where I come form, we had a set of rules for any meeting. It included obvious rules like preparing well so as to use the time effectively. It also involved setting an agenda and ensuring all participants had the same expectation of the meeting. Perhaps most of all a meeting would result in an action list with clear action holders, deliverables and time scales. So more often than not I have met with a recruitment company and the last sentence will be “keep in touch” or “good luck with the search”. If the candidate is good enough it is worth investing a little time to ensure at the very least a planned follow up is arranged. It might only be a phone call. I understand that the Directors of recruitment companies need to drive revenue by ensuring that focus is on delivering the existing searches for existing clients, but to focus entirely on this aspect of your business is short termism and is a mistake. 9. Build long term trusting and sustainable client relationships. There appears to be an industry debate on whether it is more advantageous to be small (I hear the phrase “a boutique”) or large (I hear reference to “the top six”). Clearly there are pros’ and cons. In either case, it is important that either as an existing client or as an individual ex client that you are treated extremely well. As a client I did have the feeling to an extent that the companies I worked with focused on the task in hand, completed it, and then moved on to their next assignment. Quite frankly they could have explored a lot more opportunities with me, particularly as the very task they were delivering on was part of a wider change in the company. An opportunity missed. One major recruitment company that I commissioned for a search for a Sales Director could have explored the context of that search to offer services and consultancy on the wider change that was taking place in the company. 10. Strive to differentiate yourself.
Many of the companies I have had contact with claim to be different. After all they say so on their web sites! The simple fact is that with the exception of one or two of the 31 I have found it very difficult to differentiate them. The exception to this is the quality of their staff. This is a clear differential and competitive advantage, as indeed this is basically what the recruitment company’s business is built on. However, had I been able to look deeper into the organisation, I would be able to experience and taste the culture, to appreciate the extent of the services being offered and so forth. Where I am sitting, as a current candidate it’s very hard to detect the differences a part form size. If it’s not that obvious then are they missing a trick? The author of this article has asked to remain anonymous. However, if you wish to contact him please send an email via contact2@ukrecruiter.co.uk. |
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Regards
Louise Triance
UK Recruiter http://www.ukrecruiter.co.uk
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