I heart Recruitment... (gasp)

And it's not for the money.

Why? Why, then, should somebody enjoy the trials and tribulations that come with being a recruitment consultant. HR HATE you, Managers despise you, receptionists would rather stick pins in their eyes than endure another 'introductory sales call' and Financial Controllers see us as an unnecessary cost.

CORRECT?

Well, there are always PROS and CONS in using a recruitment consultant, but what about the PROs and CONS of hiring a new person. Trawling through endless CVs from people who haven't read the specification, or are looking to change direction and give the job a go but have done nothing to their CV to suggest this. What about those people who apply, then call, then email,, then follow up, then keep calling... and they're not even that good? Well I CAN TELL YOU that having somebody take all that away from you is an amazing opportunity. It's like pouring raw meat into shark infested waters and jumping in yourself.... however, this time, you've got recruitment consultant chainmail to protect you.

Recently for one role I scanned under 900 CVs for one vacancy in order to find an initial shortlist of 25 people, from there I then called all 25, left 18 voicemails and emailed them all too. Then I utilise my network to find the recommendations and referrals, speak to them and then gage the interest enough to put them forward legally and speedily. Once I've got some good talent, I then send over the best 3-5  people. So, the manager/HR/director receives only the quality that has been found trough my hard work and dedication to delivery. They also get a personable person who is there to provide the best service at the least convenience. YES THERE IS A FEE, but it's a small price against the man hours taken away from the individual who is recruiting... even HR have work to do. :-)

BUT HOW TO HANDLE US:

- Firstly, honesty is always the best policy. We have to market you in the best possible way and we ask questions to ascertain that, sometimes they may be personal or come across inappropriately, but through cooperation, you will alnd the dream job and not have your time wasted. I wouldn't be calling you if I didn't think you were worth it - and I'm fussy.

- Secondly, don't be too quick to give away your references or people's names if you haven't built up a good relationship. I work hard at building a trustworthy relationship with my candidates, and by giving me names of people they used to work with only encourages me to develop my network. A bigger network means more opportunities for the candidates, so it can only be a good thing.

- Thirdly, listen and love. Listen to each other, take on board advice and suggestions and provide feedback as much as you can about what's your up to and how you feel... the love will occur naturally.

Its building these relationships that make me love my job, getting to know people who have real passion and belief behind what they do and helping the grow and develop throughout their career. I. LOVE. IT (information technology)

IF YOU HAVE ANY VIEWS ON RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS AND WHAT WE DO... let me know. I'll be happy to answer your questions.