The Faceless Recruitment Agent!
Adrian Soper
Product Specialist Driving Digital Transformation for Data-First Insurance
For 5 months I continued a daily routine of checking job boards, reviewing emails and speaking with as many recruitment agents that would contact me based on the applications that I had made.
It was a tortuous journey, waking up each day and wading through the job boards, giving my individual responses to job adverts, and even making changes to my CV so that it fitted with the relevant job advertised. It was hard work that is for sure, far harder than doing any role that I have ever done previously.
You make an application, it is reviewed by a Recruitment Agency employee and if they feel that this CV they have before them is a good fit for their client, they will of course submit your CV to the client and drive it forward from there.
Some agents are good, some agents are average, but for some they are completely faceless, no human characteristics or passionate to a cause. The faceless ones have seen the money, they see just a commission, they cannot keep an individual informed of what is happening or how things are going to progress.
Throughout my process I have seen them all, but the ones that stand out to me are the ones that failed me, they are the faceless recruitment agents. They don't see a person, they aren't speaking to a person, all they see are the numbers, the bonuses at the end of the month.
So who is at fault here?
Is it the company, is it the agent themselves, or is it the environment and working practices in place!
It isn't so hard to put business processes in place to ensure that the selection process drives the choice of the correct candidate for a role, and to derive from the client essential feedback once a CV has been submitted and reviewed by the end client. It also isn't so hard to keep the candidate informed of progress through the recruitment cycle. Communication methods are so available to everyone that there is a vast choice to stay connected and communicate within a process.
Even after the process of recruitment has been completed and a successful candidate has been placed with a client. It doesn't take 5 minutes to make a call or send an email to ensure everything is ok.
So I am reaching out to all Recruitment Agents, don't be a faceless agent, be a proactive and diligent one. Candidates and clients alike with appreciate it.
Author, NED, Startup COO/CPO |Speaker| Strength based Coach
9 年As a recruiter, we all want to be as engaged as possible with our candidates. If we could, we want to have coffees, catch up calls, and talk to the candidates that we get along with personally, constantly. If you only work core hours, we want too. But ever so often, recruiters are still on their phones talking to candidates and clients on the way home just because you couldn't take a call for a phone interview with us during your work hours. Time is exceptionally tight, especially given the current market situation now where almost everyone is looking for a new job. Be it just looking for a change, new challenges or frustrated at their current role, EVERYONE is looking. Almost. Yes, we've been trained and told that as recruiters, communication is key. But please also understand that there are countless circumstances on why your recruiter hasn't rung you up yet. If you are indeed suitable for the position and we have forwarded your CV to the client for consideration, the client might then take 2345 days to come back with a "Yes" or "No". As a candidate, are you ready for a phone call from your recruiter every other day to give you the same "I'm sorry, I have no feedback" message? And that is a whole other can of worms to open. Or are you READY for a recruiter to give you a "I'm sorry you are unsuccessful" message constantly? That's why "Rejection Emails" were invented. Don't get me wrong, I completely agree with your thoughts and often take these articles as a reminder that I am still working in a "human" industry, but it also sounded like you are just a bit frustrated with your experience alone. Every job has it's hurdles. What's stopping you from picking up the phone next time if you want the attention you are seeking for? The process of working with your recruiter is a relationship like any other. Takes two to tango.
Board Director/Group Managing Director/Chief Operating Officer/School Governor/Commercial cleaning and security expert/ A proud Martial Arts Master ??
9 年Great piece and so true
Facilities consultant
9 年I recruited 3 BDM's direct through Linked In for a TFM but personal works, my contacts of 10 years ago are still the ones I chat with x agency or not!