One of the reasons you may be unhappy with your Recruiter is due to the way in which you engaged them. Here we look at an all to common mistake made by businesses when engaging a recruiter and how you can overcome this.
Engaging a recruiter without planning
Often we come across a scenario where a business has been approached over the phone by a recruiting agency that has a candidate that the recruiter feels would be a perfect fit for the business.
Now the business doesn’t actually have a role open at this point in time but they think it wouldn’t hurt to have a look at the candidate because who knows what’s around the corner.
So they agree to look at the candidate’s CV with the idea in mind that it would be good to know who is out there. Maybe even get a feel for how the market compares with their current employees.
At this point the recruiter sends through their terms document for the business to sign before they send the candidate’s CV.
The business signs the terms document not really thinking about it too much as they aren’t actually recruiting at the moment, they are just looking. The reality is that they have just signed a contract with the recruiting agency.
When they do need to fill a position further down the track they will probably contact the agency given that they now have a ‘relationship’ with them. Especially if they are sending potential candidates that look like they may meet their needs.
The business now feels like they are locked into a relationship with the agency that may or may not be the best solution for them and their business.
Engage a recruiter in the same way you do other suppliers
One of the ways you can avoid the above scenario is to approach selecting a recruiter in the same way you do for other suppliers such as IT, marketing and maintenance.
Use the same selection process you used to bring these suppliers into your business. Start with a list of criteria that reflects the type of relationship you are looking for. Create a brief that allows potential suppliers to really understand your business and respond appropriately.
Use the same due diligence here that you would for other suppliers to your business. Check references, ask for evidence of expertise and experience in similar environments.
Sometimes we get busy at work and don’t have time to select suppliers in the right way. If you take the time to use a selection process and apply due diligence you are more likely to find a supplier you are happy with. If you would like to know more about this topic or you would like to suggest a topic for me to write about then please contact me paul@paulgreening.com
