Posted January 7 2024
By Kirsty Scott
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Many of you might think that hiring is more straightforward than ever. You put an advert on a job board or on social media and that should do it, right? There must be so many more candidates on the market, are there not? Doesn’t that make it easier to get 20 CVs in front of your clients?
Well, actually, it doesn’t - for two reasons.
For many candidates, the pandemic gave them the chance to reassess what they are looking for from their career. And for clients, a similar period of reflection has occurred. They are now looking beyond a candidate’s CV and experience and considering things such as attitude and culture fit.
I’ve built up my relationships with my clients over the course of many years. And while consistency has often been at the heart of maintaining those relationships, in recent months, adaptability has been key. Client expectations – in terms of standard of delivery and candidate – rightly do not change so I’ve had to change my approach.
Right now, in terms of supporting clients – some of whom I’ve never met or spoken to before owing to their location – I am doing all I can to ensure that the level of service I provide stands out from any other agency they deal with.
How am I doing this?
Communication
Where I can, I will always book in a video call to actually put a face to the name. This is so much more personal than an email exchange or sending CVs into a portal. I like to get to know my clients on a human level and strongly believe that face to face communication is often the best way to solve any issues before they arise.
Asking the right questions
What does your current team look like? What kind of person would fit in? Is experience or attitude more important? Is it contract workers you need to complete a project or something more permanent? There are so many variables in recruitment right now – especially in a key sector such as contact centre – so it’s important to get the answers to these in order to find the candidates who will best fit the team and the overall business needs.
Finding out was has changed
Covid-19 has changed a lot of things for a lot of people. Maybe that means you’ve had to pivot your business priorities and grow a particular team that you weren’t expecting to. I’m more than happy to help my clients prioritise their areas of growth and find the right candidates to help them achieve their ambitions (whether they are short- or long-term).
Taking time with candidates
As I noted before, many candidates have had their priorities change over lockdown. That’s perfectly understandable as circumstances have been very challenging this year. To ensure they are fully bought into the role before I even send a CV across, I telescreen then videoscreen my candidates.
Getting to know a business area
If you are a gas and electricity contact centre, I want to be able to talk to you about winter energy schemes. If you provide parcel tracking support, I will know that nearly 27% of UK household do their shopping online. No matter what the area of expertise, not only do I get to know the hiring manager, but I get to know their sector, too.
Providing critical feedback
It’s very easy to become siloed in your own recruitment needs. But did you know that your competitors offer £2.5k more for the role you’re hiring? Or that they get provide candidate feedback one day quicker than you? All of this feedback is crucial when it comes to refining the hiring process. I regularly provide my clients with market intel that is going to help them attract the brightest and best.
If you would like to speak to me about meeting your volume recruitment needs – across the UK – you can click here to drop me an email.