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Recruitment Consultants & Recruitment Managers… Someone is fibbing…

16 May

Interesting isn’t it? You survey two different groups within the industry and get two very, very different sets of data…

I talk with recruiters all day long. Consultants, Managers and Business Owners. Some may say I’m a masochist… even I think I’m crazy sometimes.

liar1You see, on one hand I have my clients. And their favourite line is…

‘Craig… I need you to find me someone with 3-5 years experience, billing $400k plus annually… oh, and no job-hoppers…’

My thoughts? Even if I sent Indiana Jones on a quest with camels, freshly cut sandwiches and a LinkedIn Premium account, he may take a number of years – and a hundred false starts – to uncover a treasure like that…

On the other hand I have my Consultant candidates. And they tell me that whilst activity is up, billings are flat – based on decreased hiring intentions and margin pressure. Sounds plausiblish… (Oh come on spellcheck – surely plausiblish is a real word?).

So, it got me thinking. What does a Recruitment Consultant really look like? Not in the brown eyes, dark hair 6’2” kind of a way… More in the billing vs experience vs tenure type of information…

It led me to set up a simple anonymous online survey targeted at Recruitment Consultants… The number of respondents was phenomenal  – 1,110. That’s right 1,110 Consultants completed the survey. The data was very interesting and raised more questions than answers.

I ruminated (I’ve been dying to use that word in a blog for months!), for awhile about how I should present this data to the industry, how I could sense check it against existing industry beliefs, what it all really means, and – most importantly – how I could package the data to launch my consulting career, when I had a ‘light bulb’ moment…

‘Why not,’ I thought, ‘create a similar online, anonymous survey for Recruitment Managers and Owners?’

Brilliant… right? Basically I would have 2 sets of data, which hopefully franked each other and we could use to pin point challenges in the industry and commit to solutions… So, I dutifully launched the Recruitment Manager/Owner survey, and I had 112 respondents.

Rubbing my hands with glee I analysed the results… and they basically couldn’t be more different if I’d staged them!!!

See (very brief) summary below

liar21.  Years of experience.

  • 66.87% of Consultants said that they had 3 years or less industry experience.
  • 73.21% of Managers/Owners said that their Consultants had 3 years or more industry experience.

 

2.  Years with Current Employer.

  • 82.03% of Consultants said that they had been with their current employer for 2 years or less.
  • 92.73% of Managers/Owners said that their Consultants had been with their business for 2 years or more.

 

3.  Billing.

  • 58.11% of Consultants said that they were billing $20k or less per month.
  • 77.77% of Managers/Owners said that their Consultants were billing $20k or more per month.

 

 

There seems to be a huge disconnect between expectation and reality – and… which group do we believe?

I will be presenting a more detailed analysis of the results and how they may help your strategic development at the RCSA International Conference in August.

If you want access to the filtered data relevant to your business – contact me. *WARNING – it will cost you… after all I’ve been in the industry almost 20 years, and in my current business for almost 4. If I were to believe the Managers and Business owners out there I need to bill $45-50k per month… better get on it…

Craig Watson

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Recruitment X Factor… or Recruitment’s Got Talent… or…

2 May

My wife makes me watch some real crap on TV… ok, let me re-phrase that. On occasion I lose control of the television remote, and instead of choosing to do something else, like… exercising… mucking around with the kids… playing stalk the ex on twitter… etc… I stay on the couch and immerse myself in whatever is on – and usually, it’s crap!

CrapTV1Now please, don’t get me wrong – a healthy dose of crap TV is a great stress relief. A little bit of Beauty & The Geek, Come Dine With Me or even The Only Way is Essex helps make us all feel a little better about ourselves right?

But what about this over-saturation (is that even a real word?) of talent shows??? The Australia’s, or Britain’s or America’s, or Manu Province Papua New Guinea’s Got Talent… X-Factor… The Voice… Idol… I could go on…

These shows – and the fact that I have no real blog topic this week – got me thinking about talent in our (that’s recruitment) industry…

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (highly uncomfortable, and lets in a nasty draft during winter…), you would be aware that we  – as recruiters – are members of a much maligned and misunderstood industry.

We are forever the butt of abuse from candidates… ‘I never hear back from recruiters when I apply for jobs’ (as an aside – a long aside, but an aside nonetheless – I received an application from a candidate yesterday for a Management Role – where I was specific in required experience… a number of years in the niche, measurable commercial/agency recruitment success, existing professional network, tertiary qualified etc… This applicant? Had only one job since leaving high school in grade 10… three years as a freelance rap dancing instructor. Now, I am supposed to take time out to respond to this applicant as to why they are not a right fit for the role??? Seriously, they can moonwalk over and kiss my..).

Anyway, you get the picture… candidates who aren’t successful often have an axe to grind with the recruiter. Similarly, the client often sees us as a ‘necessary evil’ but conveniently ignores the value our industry can provide their business, as a ‘trusted advisor’, or ‘strategic partner’.

craptv2So, what if we could hi-jack a major TV network and put on a series such as Recruitment Voice… Recruitment X Factor… or Recruitment’s Got Talent? No, seriously… work with me here, it’s not as stupid as it sounds… (*Disclaimer – before I continue I realise there have been a few unsuccessful attempts at Recruitment TV shows…Top Recruiter, The Headhuntress, to name a couple, but I am talking about something much, much bigger.).

A captive audience, a panel of high profile recruiters as judges… and the contestants are candidates! Brilliant right? We could start with blind interviews – where the recruiters (judges) backs are turned, so contestants (candidates) are not judged initially on appearance or presentation. The judges could shortlist candidates into teams, then battle over behavioural interviews, personality assessments and business plan presentations… Over a series of weeks each judge (recruiter) whittles down their team and their shortlist interviews live in front of the Client. On the grand final, referees are invited on live to give their reference checks live to camera… the audience at home can sms, or vote online… then the winner is announced.

What absorbing, high rating, adrenalin pumping TV right?… no… what crap!

 

Point is, we as recruiters are never going to get the opportunity to let the wider television audience know the value we provide day in, day out. Our reputation is going to continue to be moulded by our interactions every day with clients and candidates. We do make mistakes, we do get lazy and sometimes we do get selfish… Make a promise to yourself that you will try to make a few less mistakes, be less lazy and above all to not be selfish. By doing so you will become a better recruiter, and you will help to rub off a little of the stigma that tarnishes the silver fabric of our great industry…

 

Craig Watson

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The Recruitment Holy Grail…

18 Apr

A recent conversation with a client went something like this…..

‘Craig, I need someone now! We’ve just picked up a major PSA client with volume roles.  At the moment I’m working the desk and it’s taking me away from what I need to do…’ Note the tone of desperation in this Manager’s voice…..

‘Sure, John, we’ll get on it straight away.  It may take a while to find the right person.  Would you consider a Contractor to help you out in the meantime?’ There I said it… the dreaded ‘c’ word….

contract2‘Um…. No…. We don’t really do Contractors Craig.  I’ll muddle through until we find someone permanently.’

‘Are you sure John? I’ve got someone who can start on Monday and will be able to give you six months?  They have 18 months experience, but he’s committed to going to university in September…’

‘No….No… We really want someone permanently. Contractors leave whenever something better comes along, they will probably take our database with them, and it’s just not worth the effort…’  We ‘to and fro’ for a few more minutes,  I won’t bore you with the details – bottom line is the Recruitment Industry is……. Contractorist!

That’s right ‘Contractorist’ (Contractorist – adj. Describing a person or institution who discriminates against Contractors.) – OK, I made that word up, but you get the general idea….

Let’s look at the main arguments against contracting in agency recruitment:

  1. Continuity and Tenure – Most contracts are 3-6 months. This doesn’t allow effective relationship building within accounts
  2. IP – The recruitment industry is a Sales industry where client and candidate data is the most important asset of any business.  Contractors may take this information to their next employer.
  3. Training Time – Teaching process, database etc. would take too long

Now…… Let’s look at the facts….

ContractFact 1 – The average tenure of a Consultant in an agency recruitment in Melbourne is……… wait for it…….. 13 months!!!!  That’s right 13 months.  I know many recruitment owners/managers may say their retention rates are much higher, but you can’t argue with the stats.  We randomly selected 82 resumes from our recruitment consultant database to put that data together.

Fact 2 – 17% of Contractors in the IT industry ‘go perm’ after accepting a 6 month contract. And a further 62% have their contracts extended for (at least) another 6 months. (IPro data 2011). Yes, I understand the IT Industry has little in common with agency recruitment, but this stat shows that at least 79% of all contractors within the IT industry remain with their employer for longer than 12 months… So, if we accept the premise that 79% of all contractors remain with their employer for over 12 months, and the average tenure of a full time ‘permanent’ Agency Recruitment Consultant in Melbourne is 13 months we begin to see the arguments against using contractors beginning to lose their allure…
Fact 3 – I don’t care who you are, or what you say – it can not be productive, efficient or cost effective to have a Manager sitting on a desk to the detriment of their other duties, (which may include running their own desk).
Fact 4 – Permanent Employees pose as great a risk to your IP as Contractors. They have the same access to sensitive data – and, as shown they will probably stay in your business for a similar length of time….

Contractors do have a place in Agency Recruitment. Whether they be on a project basis, or as a stop gap whilst you make your next strategic hire.
It really is time to practice what we preach to our own clients, and open up this important pool of talent to our industry.

And, just to leave you with my thought of the day…. The more I think about it, the more my twitter has become like my fridge… I know there’s nothing new in there… but I keep on checking it every 10 minutes just to make sure…

Craig Watson

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Recruitment… It’s a God Damn Love In…

4 Apr

Recruitment eh? What a funny old business we have chosen to spend our 40, 50 or maybe 80 hours a week in. Many candidates see us as a barrier to meaningful employment. Some clients view us as a necessary evil. Even a few of my friends can’t help but draw on the ‘used car salesman’ analogy at occasional wedding, christening or bar mitzvah.

hug2It’s a tough gig we have. Pressure to perform in a very, very competitive marketplace and disgruntled candidates that believe they are qualified for every vacant role in town.

Sometimes the pressure gets too much and we say things to colleagues, bosses, clients, candidates and even competitors in the heat of the moment that we don’t mean. An errant email that is mistakenly sent to the wrong person. A social media blunder that builds like a Pacific Ocean Tsunami. Or, avoiding making that awkward call to a candidate… and that never ends well…does it?

So, I’m launching a little campaign to help wish away the negativity, the bitterness and the blatant nastiness that can hover like a North Korean nuclear threat over our wonderful industry. I was going to call it ‘Hug a Recruiter Day’… but… meh… it’s been done… well not ‘Hug a Recruiter Day’ but it doesn’t take a very thorough Google ™ search to see there has already been everything from Hug a Redhead Day to Hug a Croatian Day… How many of you are headed straight to Google™ to check? Go on… be honest…

So, I’ve decided to call it… Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everything that’s wonderful is what I feel when we’re recruiting…day… Don’t ask me how I came up with it – stroke of purely original brilliant thought… right?

Anyway, I’ve decided that Monday 8th April 2013 is going to be the inaugural Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everything that’s wonderful is what I feel when we’re recruiting…day…

hug1How do we celebrate this auspicious occasion I hear you ask. Well quite simple really. I am going to ask you to do 3 things on Monday April 8th 2013.

  1. An office based good deed – This could be anything… clean the office kitchen… bring in a cake to share… give someone a sincere compliment… offer to do something outside your job spec… c’mon – you’re smart – good deeds are easy, and usually don’t cost you anything.
  2. A candidate based good deed – I want each of you to re-visit a candidate that you couldn’t place over the last 3 months and give them a call. Ask them how their job search is going. If they have found work, congratulate them. If they haven’t, draw on your experience to give them some relevant and helpful advice.
  3. Mend a bridge – If you have been in recruitment for more than 2 years chances are you have been guilty of upsetting someone (or numerous people) in your travels. Workmate, boss, employee, candidate, client or competitor. We have almost to a man (or woman) all done it… Time to pick up the phone and apologise. It’s tough I know, but it will improve you as a recruiter… and a person.

So, what do you say? Monday, April 8th 2013… that’s next Monday you know! The first annual Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everything that’s wonderful is what I feel when we’re recruiting…day…

Do your bit to improve the image and the professionalism of our Industry. And if you can’t… take a sickie on the 8th and look for a new career…

Craig Watson

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Recruiters are the modern day Slave Traders…

21 Mar

So anyway… I was at a party recently. I found myself talking to an Accountant… I’m not going to prejudice this blog by applying sweeping generalisations like… ummm… Accountants aren’t boring people… they just get excited about boring things.

Let’s just say the conversation was about as interesting as a sightseeing bus on the Nullabor. So interesting in fact, my wife had flitted away from us very very early on..

‘I’ll go and get you another drink and find us something to nibble on.’ She smiled. But her eyes were saying something very different. ‘You’re on your own  – sucker!’

The Accountant and I – let’s call him… ummm… Eugene… continued to make small talk for the next few minutes… weather… he didn’t care much for the sun… sport… he didn’t care much for sport… wine… he didn’t care much for alcohol… a few prolonged moments of silence ensued… then…

‘So Craig,’ he pontificated. ‘What do you do for a living?’

‘Oh, I’m in recruitment.’ I replied. My eyes scanning the party for my wife, hoping – no praying – I was going to be saved… or at least she had secured a plate of arancini balls and a fresh beer for me…

‘slave1Ohhhh recruitment, I see.’ Do you? Do you really see? I doubt it very much – oh, and here comes the, confirmation. ‘It is a disgusting industry. Recruiters are the modern day Slave Traders.’

Excuse me? I thought. ‘Excuse me?’ I said… with maybe a slight hint of confusion – or unbridled anger – in my voice.

‘Don’t get me wrong,’ he preached. Don’t worry buddy,I won’t get you wrong. I’m not even going to get you a beer, or an arancini ball. By the way – where’s my wife?

‘I just don’t see the difference.’ He continued. Dismissively waving his hands in the air.

‘Well Eugene,’ I countered… in a very measured tone. ‘I’m not sure who you speak with when you are looking for a new role, but I’ve been in the industry for 20 years now, and I’m fairly sure I have a pretty good grasp of how it works. In my experience I’ve never come across any recruitment consultant who travels to a far away country to kidnap a bunch of candidates, then sails to the new world (or if there’s no wind has his new candidates whip out the oars and row), and then auctions off these candidates to the highest bidder with no regard for their welfare. So to be quite honest Eugene… and don’t get me wrong… I’m pretty, bloody offended by what you just said!’

slave2And with that I dramatically turned on my heel and strode away… over to my wife, who – by the way – had found that plate of aracini balls and assured me she was just making her way back with my beer.

Point is this. It is easy, very easy to make generalisations about industries, people and situations. Eugene clearly had had a bad experience with a recruitment consultant – maybe more than one bad experience. And now he has formed an opinion – a very negative one – based on his experience. It’s dangerous, and it’s wrong.

In the recruitment game we have all had a bad experience with a candidate who’s let us down, or a client who has stuffed us around. It has happened and it will continue to happen. We are dealing with humans and everyone is different…

My advice though is don’t make generalisations, don’t expect every candidate to be dodgy, or every client to be dishonest… most aren’t.

You will enjoy your time in the recruitment industry much more if you are positive in your relationships, believe what you are being told and work with a strong code of ethics. Sure you will be disappointed from time to time – even surprised with some behaviour. But the unpredictability of what we do is a major part of its charm…

And, if you want an uneventful, predictable… dare I say it… boring career… go work in a library… or… maybe… as an Accountant.

Craig Watson

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Does the average Recruitment Consultant have 2 heads?

7 Mar

mirror111Funny isn’t it? We sit next to, drink with and bitch about those we work with on a daily basis…

Most of us even ‘dip the toe in the water’ from time to time to see what might be out there for us at other recruitment agencies. Most of the time decisions to stay or go are made via a combination of culture fit and what the hell they will pay us…

And this got me thinking… what does the average recruitment consultant in Australia look like? Not necessarily our physical features – there has already been countless studies attesting to what we already know. In short we are the best looking and smartest of all professions… but that aside no-one has ever really asked consultants about themselves.

Sure, there are quarterly surveys completed by business owners for their viewpoint on the industry, but what about the grass roots? The coalface? The frontline? Blah, blah, blah.

So I thought… what about a very short census for the recruitment consultant? We could really find out a thing ,or two about ourselves, the industry, and what actually works…

mirror_homerSo, without further ado, I am going to ask you all a huge favour…

Please click on the link below and complete the Recruitment Consultant Survey.

It is completely anonymous, it will take you less than 3 minutes and I will be publishing details (where relevant) across future blogs…

Two things though are extremely important

  1. You must be a current Recruitment Consultant (doesn’t matter what level), Resourcer, Team Leader or Manager to complete the survey.
  2. Please be honest. I really want the data to be clean – and a truthful representation of our industry.

I would love to bribe you with a reward, or prize – but I can’t… It’s anonymous remember?

So, if you care about the recruitment industry… no, if you care about me… forget that, if you care about your mother – you WILL complete the survey by clicking below… please.

Enter Recruitment Consultant Census

Craig Watson

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Recruiters… Ever had a Client backdoor you?

28 Feb

I’ve been sitting on this one for a while… just a little too nervous to let fly.

After all, some of my clients have admitted to reading this blog… and… to be quite honest… upsetting my clients = no business.

Anyway, imagine this if you will…

bad-client1I make contact with a candidate who fits my client’s requirements to the letter – could not be more perfect!

So, I complete a thorough (but fair) interview. During the interview the candidate tells me that he interviewed with the hiring manager about a year ago – when the hiring manager was recruiting for a different role, at a different company… remember that… at a different company.

I call the HR Manager and tell him that I have this amazeballs candidate. I tell him that this candidate covers off every competency, skill, personality trait and experience level that they have been looking for. I tell the HR Manager the candidate’s name and ask them if they have interviewed, or received a direct application from my candidate… I’ve used the word candidate far too many times already… let’s start calling him Duane… So, the HR Manager tells me that he’s never heard of Duane. In turn, I tell the HR Manager that Duane met with the hiring manager… let’s call her Mata Hari… when she was working for her previous employer and would that be a problem? I received an emphatic… ‘No!’

I emailed the profile over immediately. I followed up twice over the next 24 hours, and again the following day. Finally, the HR Manager returned my call. (Let’s give him a name too… how about Louis Tully?).

‘Hi Craig. Louis Tully here, sorry I keep missing your call.’

‘Not a problem Louis. I just wanted to tee up an interview for Duane – with yourself and Mata – as soon as possible.’ I began confidently enough.

‘Ahhh… yes… about that…’ Here we go… ‘I spoke with Mata, and she said that she’s not prepared to accept an introduction from you in relation to Duane as he is already in her network…’

What!? I thought. ‘What?’ I said.

bad_client2‘Yes, Mata tells me that she is already connected to Duane on Linked In, and if she had have known that Duane was interested in the role she would have contacted him directly.’

But, she didn’t… I thought. ‘But, she didn’t.’ I said, or implored, or screeched. Whatever it was, it was definitely an octave higher than my previous utterance.

‘Be that as it may,’ Be that as it may? Who says that? ‘Mata won’t accept the referral. Mata also said that Duane is probably not quite right for the role anyway, and won’t fit our culture…’

I don’t really remember much more of the conversation. Let’s just say that the culture must have changed, because 2 weeks later Duane was employed by Mata for the exact role I had represented him for…

So, what are my options? I could say that by accepting the profile binds you to our terms of business, which are clearly laid out in sub-section blah, blah, blah of our commercial arrangement. I could sack them as a client, and headhunt the hell out of them, or I could look at what this business spent with me over the past couple of years and let this one slide…

I’m not going to tell you what I did, I want you to tell me what you’d do… comments below please!

Craig Watson

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Recruitment in 2013… Evolve… Like an IPhone…

14 Feb

Recruitment in 2013… Evolve… Like an IPhone…

 

It always amazes me at the rate and speed that our industry has evolved. I remember back in the mid-nineties when I was working solely from a phone, rolodex and a notebook. These days it’s a Iphone, MacBook Air and coffee shop.

crazy invention2In recent times we have seen the death of print media advertising. The rise of social media. The advent of cloud based solutions and the proliferation (I love that word, proliferation, but I did have to use spellcheck to get it right)… As I was saying, the proliferation… find me a blog post that has used the word proliferation four times before the end of the second paragraph – I dare you… so… and the proliferation (5 times) of skype based interviewing.

With these massive shifts in thinking and ways of working, over a relatively short period it makes sense to make some bold, cutting edge predictions on the probable advancements in our humble industry over the course of 2013.

So, here goes…

  1. 1.     QR Code Resumes – Why not? I can get a restaurant menu on QR Code, I can check into my flight with a QR Code, so why not resumes? Just imagine it… Bus stop advertising… Need a Payroll Officer – scan our QR Codes below for the best talent on the market… What do you think? Too many privacy law breaches? The point is that the technology is there – let’s find away to use it!
  2. 2.     rbay™ - Yes… you read right… rbay™! Seriously, you can but almost anything on ebay™ – except people. So, ladies and gentleman I give you rbay™. (Please note I have trademarked the name, so don’t try to steal my idea). Yes, rbay™ an online market to buy and sell people… No… no… stick with me here. It’s an website set up with categories to represent different career groups. You post an ad with the candidate’s profile/resume – set a reserve price, set a buy it now price and relax for 7-10 Days. Easy. I know… I know… slavery has been abolished in most countries for 150 years – give, or take – but rbay™ is hardly a mechanism for slavery… is it?
  3. 3.     UN Working Visa – How good would that be? An International UN based committee decides on high demand career streams. If you are qualified with an internationally recognised accreditation you receive an international visa, with the right to work anywhere (that’s right… anywhere) in your field. Nurses, Doctors, Teachers, Mining Engineers etc… etc. It’s simply one of the best ideas I’ve ever come up with!

crazy invention1OK, time to be a little serious. It’s pretty clear that none of the above predictions are likely to happen in 2013… maybe 2014… but not this year. My simple message is this. Technology and ideas are moving quickly – bloody quickly. How are you using the technology and innovation available to you, to differentiate yourself from your competitors?

Your employer – and the success of your desk – relies on you coming up with new ideas. They aren’t always going to be right… you may be ahead of your time… you might be right off the reservation. But keep thinking, keep innovating and keep evolving… Our Industry depends on it…

Craig Watson

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Recruiters… Do you even know what you’re doing?

31 Jan

OK… so it’s the end of January already… one third of the quarter gone… one sixth of the financial year spent… one twelfth of the calendar year… well… you get the idea.

plan1So how’s your January been from a billings perspective? Mine’s been rubbish – thanks for asking. I mean, I spent the first 2 weeks getting client’s and candidate’s voicemail, or out of office replies to my emails… and the last 2 weeks speaking to clients who need people soooo desperately they are working 25 hour days and need me to be working for them 25 hours a day, and candidates too freakin’ busy to interview.

But you know what? The buck well and truly stops with me. I knew January was going to be like this… I have been in the game long enough to realise that ‘lining my ducks up in a row’ and ‘managing the process’ is my responsibility – especially at this time of year.

I could bitch and I could moan – like every second person I have spoken to in the industry over the past month, but where’s it going to get me? Empathy? Not Likely… Sympathy? What for a Rec-2-Rec… ummm… I don’t think so. More business? Yeh right!

No. All it will do is increase my levels of stress and pressure, send the wrong message to my staff and piss off my wife… now I’m a Richmond Tigers supporter and I spend six months of every year doing those three things already…

Solution? Or, at least a good starting point… easy… how well do you know your last calendar year?

Think about it… I’m going to ask you 4 very simple questions – all relating to January to December of last year. If you know the answers, and are using that data to plan, sense check and strategise for this year there is absolutely no need for you to ever read another blog post of mine. In fact, send me your details and you can have a go at writing a couple for me…

plan2If you don’t know the answers – it’s not too late… probably… around Valentine’s Day is too late, so get a wriggle on…

  1. 1.     What did you bill last calendar year, and did you hit your target? The first one is always the easiest… If you can’t answer that question and you are a billing recruitment consultant you have no business being in the game… sorry.
  2. 2.     What was the most common role you recruited last year, and how many did you fill? Why? Let’s just say the most common role you filled last year was a Company Accountant, or a Receptionist, or a Solutions Architect, or a Project Manager, or a Fork Lift Driver… and you filled 20 of them. That means, just to remain on par you should have filled 1.666666 Accountants, or Receptionists, or Solutions Architects, etc., etc., etc. in January – have you?
  3. 3.     Who were your top 10 clients in terms of money spent last year… in order? If you don’t know your top 10 find out… tomorrow. Talk to all of them… tomorrow. Get a client meeting… tomorrow. And when you do find out how they think you performed last year. Find out what their strategic, expansion – but most of all – hiring plans are for the current calendar year… and make sure you are working with them to achieve those plans.
  4. 4.     What was your average placement fee last year? Again, it gives you something to work with. Say, for instance you are a Recruitment Consultant working a permanent desk. Last year your average placement fee was $10,464.00… and your monthly target is $30k. It doesn’t take Einstein to work out that you need to make 3 placements per month… I know Einstein was a Physicist, but I don’t know any famous Mathematicians… I could have said ‘…it doesn’t take Ms Burke to work out that you need to make 3 placements per month…’ but unless you were in my year 9 Maths class it would have meant nothing to you… see where I’m going here?

Anyway, my point is you need to understand where you have come from to understand what you need to do next.

If you have the answers to the questions above, you have the information you need to plan and track your year. Right down to what clients you should be spending your most time with, what candidates you should be spending most time with, how many placements you need to make per month and where you need to build your expertise…

There are going to be those out there who are in their first year of recruitment, or have started a role with a new company… simple, go to your boss and ask him/her the above questions in relation to the best biller in the company – and mimic…

Best of luck to you all in the 11 months ahead – and make sure you all have a plan… a good plan…

Speaking of planning…Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says ‘In an emergency, contact:’ I put Doctor… I mean, what’s my wife going to do?

Craig Watson

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No one likes to be told their kids are ugly…

17 Jan

It’s true you know… No one, and I mean no-one likes to be told their kids are ugly – and let’s face it… there are some damn awfully ugly kids out there… Sometimes though, you just need to man up and call it like it is.

blog1Ok… enough of the vague innuendo, what I’m really getting at is are you tough enough to have the types of conversations you need to have, to be a successful recruiter?

Sometimes candidates and – God love them – clients need to be told they are wrong. It’s your job as a Recruitment Consultant to consult damn it!

Whether it is a candidate with unrealistic expectations, a client dragging their feet, or either a client or candidate who is not engaged in the process, you need to do something about it – and early…

I was working with a candidate recently… let’s call them… I don’t know… Lance Armstrong. Anyway, Lance – who was a rather handy cyclist, but had experienced some serious health issues along the way, oh and had a penchant for the occasional fib – had an inflated opinion of his worth in the market. He believed that to change roles he needed an additional 20%… why? Apparently a friend of his – with a more stable work history, greater success and working in a field with a higher demand – just secured a 20% increase changing roles. Lance told me that he had been to see two other recruiters, but had not heard back from them…

My options… Sure, I could follow the lead of the other recruiters and just never call Lance ever again… or, I could advise Lance on the market and where he fitted in. I chose the latter. I consulted to Lance and did my job. Eventually, we secured a new opportunity for Lance with a healthy 10% pay rise… Unfortunately, Lance recently confessed to some past misdemeanours and I’m not sure he’ll make it through his probation period…

blog2And what about clients you ask? Well, I’m glad you did… just before Christmas we were approached by a client for an urgent need. We were told we could have the role exclusively for two weeks. One of our consultants dropped everything and focused solely on the opportunity. It seems Mr Client may have caught our good friend Lance Armstrong’s fibbing bug. Of the first 6 candidates we spoke to, 3 of them had already spoken with another recruiter in relation to the role. The 3 that hadn’t were of strong quality and were duly represented. Unfortunately, Mr Client didn’t return calls, or emails for the next week… sound familiar? By the time we were able to speak with the client we were informed that he had secured a candidate himself that he was about to offer… Options? Well, we could have chosen the easy road and waited for the client to ‘throw us another bone’ down the line…or… we could consult to him. Again, we chose the consulting option. At a meeting we went through the process and explained what exclusivity meant to us, and how important it was for the relationship to be transparent and honest. I don’t know if we will work together again, but at least rules are in place…

I guess the message here is that you – yes you – are an expert in your field. It is your job to consult and advise your clients and candidates. Don’t work with people who do not understand your process and why it works. Don’t work with people who are not engaged in the process, and don’t work with people who are not completely honest and transparent. If you catch a candidate or client lying – they will probably do it again, and if you do catch them call them on it!

Next time you doubt your ability, or even your authority, have a look at your business card, or email signature… Does it have the word Consultant on it? If it does I suggest you consult – or you won’t last in this business…

Craig Watson

 

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