“I’m really sorry to have to tell you this but the client has decided not to interview you.”

.. Is one of the most difficult and frustrating conversations to have especially because you genuinely believe in the person's ability and fit for the job.

It feels like you’ve failed the individual because you could have convinced the client to give them a chance at an interview. Of course, that doesn't take away from being happy for the selected candidates but if it's someone who should have gotten an interview, the conversation can be heartbreaking.

I’ll be very honest in saying that this is not a conversation I have had to have often pre-covid because I feel like the relationships built through being able to physically see new clients on their premises were incredibly strong and I left knowing my clients were confident I understood exactly what type of person and skill set would compliment their team.

Countless times clients have fed back that the candidate they ended up choosing is not the candidate they would have picked based on the CV, so what does this tell us?

Reputable, good recruiters know that their value is much more than a CV searching and salary negotiation services. We take the time to understand the business, the client, team, structure and culture and we do the same with our candidates through extensive relationship building and probing. When we deliver a shortlist we have reasons that go beyond x skill matches x on job spec; we don't want to waste time, we want to find the person perfect for the job and the business, long term.

Any consultant worth their salt should be able to justify in depth why they put each candidate forward for the position demonstrating they have understood the clients needs.

Is it that just because there are more candidates on the market, this isn’t being valued as much anymore?

Or is it because we as recruiters need the hands on involvement with clients that is partly taken away by not being able to physically visit new clients during this time?

Relationships and trust are built up over time that’s for sure and rapport building and the “selling” of your worth/services is a skill necessary but am I being old school by saying recruiting for new clients virtually pro-longs the end result, the transparent and trusting relationship, that we want? I'm not saying it's impossible, it just takes longer and the client ends up neglecting valuable candidates in the process.

Fellow recruiters, what's your thoughts?

Hiring managers, if you're spending time to engage with recruiters why not trust their judgement? And if your consultant isn't telling you why they have submitted each candidate, ask them, if they understand your requirement they should be able to answer.