How do we define quality in our business?

I was asked recently by a client how we define “quality” in our business which raised some very interesting points of discussion.?I thought it might be interesting to summarise my response and share here on LinkedIn.

1. Our service.?As a specialist recruitment consultancy, it is our job to make the right connection between skills, culture and role.?We understand that recruitment has become an increasingly important and occasionally time consuming process, and it is for this reason that we are committed to working in partnership with our clients to build long-term relationships, consequently ensuring we put their needs first and achieve the best result each and every time, delivering a top quality service along the way.

We also believe it is important that our clients are fully informed about the market and, due to the many years of recruitment and industry experience we have between us, we are fully proficient to talk with them about the challenges, opportunities and changes that are happening which could impact the recruitment process.?We will happily provide guidelines relating to salary and package, we can present statistical analysis of our progress with any vacancy placed with us, and we will keep our clients fully informed of any challenges we encounter along the way.?Our senior management team will also meet with HR and hiring managers periodically to review the quality of the service our consultants are providing so if there are ever any concerns they can be rectified immediately.

2. Our people.?Our consultants are all experts in their fields and we go through a thorough 3 stage interview process with every new consultant who joins our business to ensure they have the ability to provide a quality 360 degree recruitment service to both clients and candidates alike.?

This involves meeting each prospective consultant for an initial face-to-face interview where we ask them a series of competency-based questions to identify their suitability to the role they are looking to undertake with us.?We then ask them to go away and prepare a business plan which they are required to present to us as step 2 of the interview process.?This gives us further insight into the methods by which they plan to approach their target market, and provides us with key information allowing us to define the quality and depth of their knowledge in their specialist area.?The 3rd stage of the process involves them meeting with the rest of the team in a series of short one-to-ones to give them the opportunity to build a broader picture of those they will be working alongside and ask them any questions they may have.?Following this, if required, the senior management team will then sit down with them again and probe further into any areas of concern to further ensure their approach to the role we are interviewing them for will be at a quality level acceptable to our business.

As part of our commitment to the ongoing development of our consultants, we provide them with extensive internal training and a structured development programme.?We hold regular one-to-one coaching sessions with each and every member of our team and we closely monitor the quality of the service they are delivering from both a client and candidate perspective, ensuring there are always the necessary tools and support available to enable them to continue to grow and improve throughout their time in our business.

3. Our candidates.?Naturally we select the candidates we work with very carefully to ensure that each and every individual we send out on assignment, or place into a permanent role, is a good representative of our business with the proven ability to undertake the role required of them.?We generally only work with professionals who have a considerable depth of knowledge and experience in their specialist fields, and throughout the candidate registration process our consultants have key criteria they are looking to obtain in order to be able to confidently move forward to the next stage with them.?This includes gathering references from their previous employers to ascertain their suitability for any positions they are being considered for, and verifying such information as their reliability, work ethic and whether they have the ability to build strong relationships with colleagues and clients.?We also endeavour to meet our candidates face-to-face wherever possible to further strengthen our relationship with them and to see how they present themselves professionally, how they will fit into specific “company cultures” and how effectively they will manage relationships with internal stakeholders.

All of this information, once gathered together, gives us a good overall picture of the quality of each individual we are representing to our clients.?However, in terms of defining the overall quality of any recruitment project the true conclusion can only be reached when a placed candidate successfully completes their probation period and goes on to achieve above and beyond what is expected of them.

By adhering to the above methods of quality control and, most importantly for any recruitment business, by taking the time to get to know your candidates and clients properly I personally believe it is possible to get it right most of the time.?I always stress to our consultants how an open, honest and highly communicative relationship with their clients and candidates will be the key to their success in this business.?Due to subtle differences in everyone’s definitions and expectations, and due to the very nature of the constantly evolving world in which we live, it is imperative that our gauge of quality always remains in line with that of those we work with.?I believe this can only be achieved through regular contact, both on the telephone and face-to-face at meetings, and by putting the effort in to provide a high degree of after-care to ensure our methods of quality control are working.?It is simply not acceptable, particularly if you are describing your business as a recruitment “consultancy”, that you allow these standards to slip.

To quote the dictionary, quality is defined as “the standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind; the degree of excellence of something”.?I’m always mindful that we are just one recruitment team in a sea of many – it’s impossible not to be when you work in recruitment! - and when you’re always being measured against the performance of your competitors, ensuring you and your team are constantly exploring new ways of improving the quality of the service you are offering should surely be at the forefront of your growth strategy at all times.