Should I compromise myself?
During this pandemic, the recruitment industry is probably one of the hardest hit sectors out there. Global organisations have made two thirds of their staff redundant, some local agencies have had to furlough all or some of their staff and subsequently made redundancies and some have completely changed their business models to survive. Thankfully, Hoop Recruitment have a clear model of diversification which ensured no redundancies were made, we are proud to say that we came out of the first lockdown with more team members. We have grown in certain areas and been cautious in others but I have found myself in a situation quite recently that I struggled with - I had to ask myself should I compromise what I have been building for a quick win?
In October, I turned down the opportunity to work on a number of roles with various clients and that was an incredibly tough decision, but I had to because I am a specialist recruiter. I have worked for 9 years to build my relationships and market knowledge and I have to value that not only for what I want to build in Hoop Accountancy & Finance, but for my candidates and my clients.
Therefore, when a client says to me "I'm working with 4 other agencies at x price and they are not providing me with relevant candidates but if you match the price, I'll see your candidates", I have to say no, and the reasons are below:
- If I speak to a candidate about an opportunity out there with 4 other agencies and the company itself, all of which have advertised the same role on the same job boards, they tend to be put off and question why the company is not using a specialist, do they not value the role enough within their business to use a specialist? Would that be a company they would like to work with? It can cause reputational damage not only for the company, but for myself as well.
- I still hear horror stories about agencies who just send people's CVs WITHOUT speaking to them. Not counting the time I have spent with my candidates already, but I will spend at least 30 minutes to 45 minutes interviewing the candidates and I will do this for at least 20 candidates for a senior level role. Then, when I shortlist from these interviews, I prepare the CVs where I make sure I include all relevant details, I know with absolutely clarity their package and I get them engaged in the company / position. So, to then be told, sorry we received your CV from x agency who has never spoken to the candidate, is just wrong and for the candidates, incredibly frustrating. Also, is this the type of company they want to work with. More importantly, it is a breach of GDPR, it shouldn't be happening!
- I am a specialist recruiter, I offer a specialist service, I need to value that service, my experience and what I bring to my clients as their recruitment partner. If I don't value it, how can my clients? How can my candidates? How will the team I build? How can my directors?
So, all of this was at the core of why, in a global pandemic where companies are closing, we are in recession and my industry has been devastated, I turned down the opportunity to work 3 senior level opportunities in October.
I value what I can bring to an organisation as their recruitment partner, I value my candidates and how they should be represented, and I value what I am building at Hoop Accountancy & Finance. It was a tough decision, a scary decision, but the right decision.