THE BRUTAL TRUTH #40

In the 40th edition of The Brutal Truth, let's relax as we wind down towards the end of 2024. No, no, no, no, no let's not. In my 30+ years in recruitment, I have learned that you need to finish strong and launch yourself into 2025, not crawl, so here are some tips from the things I did with clients at the end of 2023 to ensure 2024 got off to a flyer.

Finishing Strong and Starting 2025 with a Clear Plan: A Guide for Recruitment Leaders

As we approach the end of 2024, recruitment leaders must reflect on the year's achievements and challenges and set a robust plan for 2025. This period is about closing the year on a high note and laying a solid foundation for the year ahead. Here's why finishing the year with momentum and starting the next with a clear strategy is essential for clients, candidates, and consultants, ultimately, you!

Ask yourself just how sophisticated are your client and candidate acquisition processes. How are your consultant retention strategies going? Are they creating the results you want and deserve?

The Importance of Finishing Strong

Building Momentum: Ending the year with a head of steam helps maintain your team's high energy levels and motivation. This momentum can carry over into the new year, ensuring a solid start to 2025.

Example: This time last, a recruitment agency I am working with in London saw a 20% increase in placements in Q1 after implementing a year-end push that included extra client meetings and candidate engagement activities in December.

Client Confidence: Demonstrating strong performance at year-end reassures clients of your agency's reliability and effectiveness. It strengthens relationships and sets the stage for continued partnerships.

Example: A Leeds-based agency secured a major contract renewal with a top client by showcasing its successful year-end candidate acquisition strategy for the upcoming year, which complemented and mirrored the client's needs (do you know what your clients will need in 2025?).

Candidate Engagement: Keeping candidates engaged and informed about opportunities, even during the holiday season, ensures a steady pipeline of talent ready to hit the ground running in January.

Example: A generalist recruitment firm in West Yorkshire maintained regular communication with compliant candidates over the holidays, so at the start of 2024, they knew precisely who was available. This resulted in a 15% increase in candidate placements in January.

Team Morale: Celebrating successes and acknowledging hard work boosts team morale. Recognising achievements fosters a positive work environment and encourages continued dedication.

Example: All recruitment companies should hold end-of-year celebrations to review the year's highs and lows and set the company's expectations for 2025. This will significantly boost team morale and lead to an increase in productivity in the first quarter. It's not just a Christmas party.

Starting 2025 with a Defined Plan

Strategic Planning: Develop a comprehensive plan that outlines your goals and strategies and demonstrates, using 2024 trends and market data, how you will achieve your goals for 2025. This plan should align with the company's mission, values, market trends, and client, candidate, and consultant needs. Get the team involved; they need to know how they will succeed.

Example: A specialist recruitment agency I am working with developed a detailed strategic plan that included market analysis and client feedback, resulting in a 25% growth in client acquisition in the first half of the year.

Client Relationships: Revisit and refine your client engagement strategies. Ensure you have a clear understanding of their upcoming projects and hiring needs. Proactive communication can help secure early commitments.

Example: An IT recruitment agency held strategic planning sessions to understand its buying clients. This led to an early focus on the clients committed to the agency and the sacking or re-educating of some clients with whom they had, at best, a transactional relationship. This increased their placement ratios and meant they spent more time focusing on clients who made them money than those who didn't.

Candidate Pipeline: Strengthen your candidate pipeline by identifying key talent and understanding their career aspirations. Tailor your approach to match candidates with the right opportunities.

Example: A manufacturing recruitment firm in the North of England identified top talent already compliant in their CRM, and through targeted outreach, personalised email marketing and a call strategy, resulting in a 30% increase in successful placements.

Consultant Development: Invest in your consultants' professional development. Provide training and resources that enhance their skills and update them with industry best practices.

Example: A recruitment agency in the Midlands implemented a comprehensive Management training program for its up-and-coming and junior managers, which improved the culture on the sales floor and resulted in less attrition, increasing consultant productivity by 20%.

Technology and Tools: Evaluate and upgrade your recruitment technology and tools. Efficient systems can streamline processes, improve candidate experiences, and provide valuable data insights.

Example: A recruitment firm in Glasgow upgraded its CRM, and the resulting automation and AI gave each salesperson an extra 8 hours per week to invest in speaking to their marketplace.

Actionable Steps for Recruitment Leaders

Review and Reflect: Conduct a thorough review of the past year's performance. Identify what worked well and areas for improvement.

Set Clear Objectives: Define clear, measurable objectives for 2025. Ensure these goals are communicated effectively to your team.

Engage with Clients and Candidates: Schedule meetings with key clients and top candidates to discuss their plans and how you can support them.

Plan Team Activities: Organise team-building activities and training sessions to prepare your consultants for the year ahead.

Monitor Progress: Implement a system for regularly monitoring progress against your 2025 plan. Adjust strategies as needed to stay on track.

By finishing 2024 with a strong push and starting 2025 with a well-defined plan, recruitment leaders can ensure sustained success and growth. This proactive approach will benefit your clients and candidates and empower your consultants to achieve their best.

There are so many more things you could be doing, so take your feet off the desk, take your hands from the back of your head, and put yourself to work; now is not the time to take it easy.

This applies to recruitment agencies of all sizes, from solo businesses to multi-nationals. You are never too small to plan, and you are never too big not to have one. There is always more that you can do.

Thank you for reading this far. If you are stuck for ideas, why not contact me and Jump? You only know what you know, and what you don't know could be the key to a massive 2025.