During the fall of 2013, I pitched up for a coffee with a long standing client from the field of recruitment. The topic of conversation swiftly centered around the failings of the recruitment industry and how agencies ought to address areas of decline. It was considered in a hypothetical scenario how a prospective new agency might corner the market and how key components of the social media era could be used as a branch for success. The conversation soon escalated to a discussion as to how two individuals (Mike and I) might go about changing the field of recruitment ourselves. In practise a conversation earmarked for 30 minutes to discuss radio advertising soon progressed into a five hour exchange long into the night about how we might tackle the market ourselves.
Mike and I share a common philosophy dating back to 2011 upon achieving early success of an advertising campaign. Our shared philosophy was simple; forget industry standards. No more KPI’s, let’s throw out pre-historic expectations of an agency and let’s focus on the ‘bugbears’ of the stakeholders that matter; companies looking for their next recruit and applicants running up against brick walls. Without sounding clichéd we fully immersed ourselves into the personal experience of recruitment. I know every recruiter will say that, but we meant it.
When was the last time a recruiter met face to face with a client and got the subsequent recruit right first time? Let’s face it, it rarely happens because the culture of a business is rarely factored into a decision. Our duty is to ensure that any company, job or applicant we align ourselves with we consider; who works there? What does it take to be successful? What issues have been encountered previously? What is your true motivation? Why are you recruiting? What is the direction being taken? If we can find common ground between all parties when considering all factors we would be able to start our thorough process in order to ensure we are able to match all parties.
This approach has led to bedroom to boardroom in six months. From day one if this ever detracts from submitting CV’s on a ‘hunch’ like other recruiters, then so be it. Our niche is that we are different and we buy into that philosophy.
Remember, if somebody offers you a coffee it might just lead to something more.
