Perspective is subjective for the Graduate Recruiter

Having recently returned from a relaxing holiday in Dubai, I decided to contact a candidate who I felt I had let down by going away. I’m sure I would have placed her had I had not gone away as she was everything you’d want in a graduate not to mention the fact that we got on really well when we met.

It turns out that she had managed to find herself a role. I was a little disappointed to hear that it was not in recruitment as she had initially indicated that this was her chosen path and she seemed extremely determined to pursue a career in this field. I also felt that I was more disappointed than she was, which I have to admit took me back at first.

What’s this? What do you mean you don’t want to be a Recruitment Consultant? Surely this was a mistake?!

What followed was a graduate’s perspective on the recruitment industry based on her personal experiences having interacted with consultants throughout her search (those of us who tried to place her and those who had interviewed her). We managed to put her off the industry forever. She has turned her back on us and will never look back.

I know exactly what most of you are thinking; good riddance! She was never cut out for recruitment! In some cases - yes I agree, this isn’t the industry for her. She has come to realise that she didn’t want the same things as we do and I can respect that. What was interesting was her opinion on what these things are.

According to said candidate we:

• Are cold, know that we are and have no desire to change.
• Are money motivated and put money above all else in terms of work.
• Work long hours and deal with enormous amounts of rejection on a daily basis (including some weekends apparently), not to mention pressure and stress purely for the potential earnings at the end of it.
• Have no genuine interest in the wellbeing of our clients or candidates

Our job satisfaction apparently doesn’t come from placing someone in their dream job and improving their quality of life. Our “warm fuzzy feeling” is a product of billings, progression and earnings.

Ummm…. Well we aren’t all like that…. ?!?

Not everyone is capable of running a successful recruitment desk and where it would appear my candidate had some first-hand experience in her dealings with other consultants. There are those of us, who deal with the highs and lows on a daily basis and who strive to build and maintain their reputation within this business.

There is truth in what the graduate thought about us as we can relate to her experience and may have even on occasion been guilty of such traits or witnessed it ourselves from colleagues but overall – in this industry - if it wasn’t for our drive and ambition to be the best and succeed we would be pretty poor consultants. Certain traits and characteristics are needed in order to do well and enjoy what we do.

I have to say that I really love my job, more so now that I am building something for myself - A recruitment to recruitment business that specialises in the graduate and senior markets across industry. I am finally investing in a business that will return on that time, commitment and investment. I can honestly say that there isn’t anything else I would rather do. I also have to admit that I do receive satisfaction in earning well and my favourite saying is “I work to live not live to work”. I work hard for both candidates and clients, so that I too can pay the bills (upgrade the house).

YES my fuzzy feeling is dependent on my pay slip but I have met some great people along the way who I have learned from. Ethics play a big part in how I do business; I treat my candidates exactly how I would expect to be treated and respect my clients and the demands they face in equal measure.

This is who we are, what we do and how we do it.

To conclude I’ll admit that the candidate made me the exception to the rule (I know). I was the only rec2rec that had contacted her to find out how she was getting on. I was the only one who cared enough to see if there was anything else I could do for her even though she didn’t get the job I put her forward for. I was proof that human recruiters do exist.

As nice as this was to hear, I’ll admit to you all now that I only called said candidate about a recruitment role that I had just picked up as I thought she was absolutely perfect for it.

Alas, the truth remains, she just isn’t cut out for recruitment...