52 Recruitment
HURRY THE FCUK UP
Robert Kenward , fitability ® recruiter at You Search & Select , says its high time to speed up decision-making
often hear that one of the biggest challenges faced by event agencies is when clients appoint them and then don ’ t sign off on the work . It ’ s really frustrating when clients don ’ t return your calls and go silent isn ’ t it ? To be led down the garden path and then , abruptly , be put on hold just as everything was about to get exciting . Yet , this happens all the time in recruitment . Why ?
When companies decide to recruit , people get excited because everybody likes the first part of the recruitment process ; everybody loves briefing the recruiter , telling them what they need . They love interviewing , meeting new people , talking about the role , the company and themselves . But then it is decision time and that ’ s when people freeze . This is when you find out who are ‘ just ’ the stakeholders and who are the real decision makers .
A stakeholder may be someone important in your business , but they will not make a recruitment decision . This is when the recruiter realises all the decision makers are away on holiday or start pointing to others . Or when doubts and trepidation about the whole industry kick in and the reasons to recruit come into question . This is because recruitment is seen as something flexible , that can be paused right up until the moment the candidate is offered the job .
To delay recruitment mid-way is a
Robert Kenward
“ Recruitment is seen as something flexible , that can be paused right up until the moment the candidate is offered the job ” really bad look for your brand . Most companies are trying to entice people in with the promise of a great company culture , but they fall at the first hurdle if the first employee experience is delays and being kept hanging about . It ’ s a small industry and people do share their experiences , and when you are a candidate waiting to hear if you have clinched that amazing role , no news is definitely not good news .
Delays and procrastination will lead to losing great talent . As a recruiter , there ’ s only so much I can do to keep a candidate waiting if they have another offer on the table . If a great candidate is looking for a new role , they are most probably looking at other opportunities too . Expecting a candidate to put their life on hold while you ponder their fate can come across as a tad arrogant and it may even mean having to start the whole process again .
Recruitment is one of the most important parts of a business because most companies are built on the strength and skills of their people ; take a look at every agency ’ s website and you are bound to see the mantra of ‘ our people are our business ’ ( other phrases are available ). Yet I see so many companies treat candidates ( i . e . potential employees and brand ambassadors ) really badly , like a product or a subscription service that can be paused and put on hold for a while .
The recruitment process is a little bit like dating , with both parties eyeing each other up to see if a long-term match can be brokered . Recruitment is the fun www . conference-news . co . uk