Recruitment agencies adapting to new situation
Titul: Czech Business Weekly Vydavatel: Stanford Autor: Tony Karas
General recruitment agencies that operate on the Czech market work with ever demanding clients in a very competitive market. We all know of the well-documented issues surrounding lack of quality and depth of candidates in various sectors, but what has also changed is how we in recruitment agencies go about finding suitable candidates to meet our clients’ needs.
In the past, general recruitment agencies usually worked with their existing databases, searching various job Web portals and advertising on job Web portals to find new candidates. These recruitment methods still remain. However, more than ever, we have to use direct search to find more candidates, as traditional sources such as job Web portals are not as fruitful as they once were. This project would not be a typical executive search project, but it would be on a success-based fee. The reality is clients tend to not care how you find candidates, but rather the ones you present are quality and that they match the requirements of the position vacant.
Over the last four to five years we have seen general recruitment agencies adapt to the changing times and employ researchers in their organization in order to further develop their means of finding candidates more pro-actively. The role of the researcher is to identify appropriate firms to target, and then directly approach potential candidates in those firms, not only senior and top management, but also lower and middle management are approached, as are other types of specialists. The benefits are obvious, as there is greater opportunity to find more suitable candidates; this generally improves efficiency in finding candidates for your clients’ vacant positions and the recruitment firm is perceived as a more dynamic agency in terms of delivering results.
The role of the researcher used to be the main domain of international executive search firms who have the methodologies and expertise to carry out direct searches for candidates, now many recruitment agencies use them. However, the standard of some agencies isn’t always professional in terms of searching for the appropriate candidate and when speaking with candidates. Typically, managers would be approached by leading executive search firms, and the candidate would usually recognize the firm they say they are calling from. However, with so many firms using the same approach in finding new candidates it has become a minefield for candidates.
Researchers should be well-prepared for the role they have; including professional telephone mannerisms, research methodologies, as well as having a full understanding of the client and position they are working on so as to appropriately present a position to the candidate they have contacted.
What to do when a headhunter calls
The job market is mature. Even nonmanagers are constantly approached by researchers. Most candidates seem to be willing to listen to a new opportunity, and then decide if it is interesting for them or not.
Candidates, however, may be reluctant to trust an unknown agency; there is the issue of confidentiality, for example. As a candidate, you should always ask for the name and the recruitment firm the headhunter is calling from; the headhunter should oblige, particularly if they want to be taken seriously.
When a headhunter calls, you should check if they already know who you are and what you do, or if they are just surfing through organizations to update the firm’s database. If you are not able to talk to the headhunter at the time of their call, ask them to contact you back when you are free or when there are fewer people around you, if for example you work in an open space environment. Most candidates are willing to listen to any new interesting job opportunities, but need to determine when it appropriate to meet a headhunter.
When a position is presented, you need to carefully consider if it is the right role in terms of your professional growth and responsibilities. You should never feel rushed into making a decision about a position presented over a phone call. If you need some time to think about it further, you should ask for extra time to decide, perhaps ask if further information can be sent to you.
As a candidate, you should feel free to ask relevant questions about the position so you can make an informed decision. You should also try to ascertain the type of client the headhunter refers to, to get a better sense of the sector it belongs in. If the position sounds interesting and you are open for a change, you should agree on a meeting, usually at the recruitment agencies offices. If you wish for greater privacy in the first contact, you may suggest meeting informally over a coffee or lunch.
Addressing the future
When you decide the offered position is not what you are looking for or the timing is not right now, don’t be afraid to advise the headhunter what kind of opportunities could be of more interest, or what timeframe is more suitable. Most likely the recruitment agency will note that information in their database and then, hopefully, approach you in the future with a position that suits your career ambitions.
In the past, general recruitment agencies mostly relied on Web-based job portals to attract new candidates, however in this evolving market of directly searching for candidates, recruitment agencies need to ensure professional work standards when they actively approach candidates. This will benefit general recruitment agencies in the long term in improving the delivery of good candidates to their clients. It also will help in not creating a negative impression in the workplace and in having candidates feel that headhunters are simply an annoyance to them, when instead it could be seen as an opportunity to listen to an exciting position on the market that they might not be aware of.
Tony Karas is team leader responsible for banking and finance, and IT and telco
sectors of personnel and consulting agency Synergie.
