People are always asking me: “Why do you even exist?”
When I ask them to clarify, they explain that they’re actually talking about recruitment agencies, not me personally.
When there’s a shortage of candidates with the skills you need, the answer is obvious. Recruiters can find and approach these people on your behalf – even if they’re not actively looking for work.
This takes time, experience, and access to CV databases and search technology (like LinkedIn Recruiter). 🔍
When jobseekers are not in short supply (as is the case right now in some areas of IT and Finance) – why not just do it yourself and save some money?
It’s a reasonable question. And I’ll answer it… but first, let’s take a quick detour to France.
A Lesson from Mont St Michel
I was in Normandy last week on a road trip with my family. We stayed about six miles from Mont St Michel – the spectacular tidal island crowned with a medieval abbey, and one of France’s most iconic landmarks.
From a distance, it is silent and serene. Up close? CHAOS!
See this picture? It was like this all the way to the top. The crowd forces you along – there’s nowhere to pause unless you’ve booked (and paid for) a restaurant in advance.
You can’t browse in the shop windows, admire the architecture, or smell the roses 🌹. The whole experience becomes stressful and unrewarding.
Why would anyone put themselves through this?
The Recruitment Parallel 🏃♀️💼
If you’ve recently tried recruiting for yourself, you might recognise the feeling.
How do you whittle down the 60-odd people in this “crowd” to a meaningful interview shortlist?
Easy – you ask an expert to do it for you.
What a Good Recruiter Does for You 📋
A good recruiter will:
Review every CV received
Send polite rejection emails to those who don’t make the initial cut (likely at least half)
Read the remaining CVs in detail
Create a shorter shortlist of 10–15 candidates
Send polite rejection emails to the rest
Call all shortlisted candidates (half won’t answer first time) 📞
Hold initial phone interviews with those who do pick up (probably three quarters after callbacks)
Narrow down to around five strong candidates
Send you prepared CVs and covering notes for discussion
Conduct video interviews with your chosen candidates 🎥
Send you these recordings so you can decide which two or three to interview yourself
In other words – we climb the recruitment mountain on your behalf, while you enjoy the view.
P.S. I did enjoy Mont St Michel… but I don’t want to do it again! 😉
