It feels counter-intuitive to turn business away ā after all, youāve got some space in your diary, youāve got staff that can help you, so why wouldnāt you want to help a client with their recruitment project?
Strangely enough, thatās exactly what weāve done this year ā several times in the last 12 months weāve been approached with vacancies that we have opted not to work on. And hereās why.
- We asked the client if we could speak to the hiring manager ā they said no, they are too busy.
- We tried to arrange a meeting with the client, to discuss the opportunity. They said no, weāre too busy.
- We asked how many agencies they were working with ā they werenāt sure. āQuite a few, I thinkā, advises the HR assistant.
- We suggested they commit to a date for CV feedback, and get some firm dates in the diary for interviews. They refused.
Sadly, this is what many companies understand recruitment to be. āGet as many agencies onto it as you can, as quickly as you canā. The outcome for them is usually one of the following:
- The role gets filled internally. They neednāt have involved half a dozen agencies.
- They make an external hire. The employee hasnāt been vetted properly though, and canāt do the job. They make do, until he (or she) leaves.
- They make an external hire. The employee resigns before the end of his probationary period. In hindsight, he wishes heād known more about the job in the first place. It wasnāt a good fit. Ultimately, he was a āright nowā employee rather than a ārightā employee. And they couldnāt be more different.
The ārightā employee will have the following characteristics:
- He may not be on the active jobseekers market.
- He has been interviewed and properly vetted by the recruitment agency.
- You donāt have any doubts about how he will fit into the team, because heās done a Thomas Personality Profile assessment, and a Motivational Map.
- He really wants the job. Both the role, and your organisation, are right for him.
- Heās making a considered career move, so his intention is to stay for the duration.
The āright nowā employee, on the other hand, has the following characteristics:
- He looks ok on paper.
- He is currently looking for a job.
Thatās really all you know about him. Will he last? Maybeā¦
But maybe not.
So, what then? Will you send the same job vacancy out to half a dozen agencies, and pay another recruitment fee for another āright nowā employee?
And the next time? And the time after that?
Erm, good luck with that. But weāll pass, thanks.