A DINOSAUR'S VIEW ON RECRUITMENT: NOW COMPARED TO 20 YEARS AGO…..

Who remembers the days when the world wasn’t digitalised and you could get away with almost anything within reason … with no additional comments on this from me!

I recall the time when I literally got down on my hands and knees whilst trying to hide from a Security Guard attempting to do a marketing drop to a potential client. I got caught and thrown out of the building!

Security is that strict now that I would never get away with it and even if I did I’m too old to get down on my hands and knees, never mind be able to get back up again!

Here are just some of my favourite memories:

1. Everything is digital now. I remember when you would sit in the office, facing Reception so that you could see all of the amazing candidates walking into the branch. We would race to the front of the office, knocking each other over to get to the best candidates. Now you’re a lucky Recruiter if candidates want to come in and see you!
2. Everything used to move so quickly, not like some of the situations we have now and all of the red tape we have to deal with! I remember registering a candidate, getting them an interview and a job offer on the same day and a start day of the next morning – impressive or what!!
3. All of our CVs come through to us now via email … back in the dark ages I remember faxing CVs through to the clients fax machine (what even is that anymore?) This was all done through the main office, nothing like candidate confidentiality in them days!
4. Today people get offended if someone uses a vape in the office. When I was a Rookie and introduced to the world of recruitment it was totally acceptable for our Manager to shove her shiny shoes on the desk and puff away on a fag whilst drinking a glass of wine! Despite phones ringing off the hook in the background and people having way too much banter, she was having way too much fun so really didn’t care!
5. On my first day in recruitment I had the yellow pages thrown at me (literally!)  I was asked to book two client appointments in my first week without any previous sales training. Training now starts as soon as you walk in the door and continues until you retire! In the meantime you get lots of strokes and kisses and are constantly told how amazing you are and what a great job you’re doing! Back in the day I was told “either do your job or get out!”
6. We now also have great systems that match our candidates to our jobs (job done!) I used to spend ages looking through paper based cards wondering who would be perfect for that dream job. I didn’t know what I was doing but that was the art of magic recruitment! 

20 years later, I think this dinosaur has got the knack of it! It’s been an amazing career and even though times have changed, I don’t think the old ways of doing things were all bad!