Traffic Wardens get a Raw deal in my Opinion! Contraversial?

Traffic Wardens get a very raw deal in my opinion.  Why? Because they regularly feature at the head of those persistent “most hated profession” league tables that PRs love so much (ironically, PRs are also universally reviled in these rankings, normally level-pegging with Estate Agents).

But I contend that if you ran a survey among Human Resources professionals as to their most hated occupation, our old friends ‘recruitment consultants’ would romp home with a larger margin of victory than Usain Bolt.

I’ve never – and I mean this  - met any company owner who thinks that recruitment consultants are anything less than mercenary bandits who charge exorbitant fees, and provide very little in exchange.

It’s a bit like the poser ‘what are wasps for?’   There is no positive answer.

I’ve met plenty of candidates – many during interviews – who naively defend their decision to supply their CVs to a recruitment consultant as being their understanding of how the job market works.

Says who?  Well I think you can guess.

It’s very rare for the media to criticise the role recruitment consultants play in the professional sector.  And no wonder, when one looks at how much money publishers make from recruitment consultants via advertising.  Why, there are even recruitment awards now to honour their efforts.

So how do you choose which consultancy to use?

Is it down to cost alone or is it because the consultants are friendly?  Is it because they are a well-known brand or because they have managed to supply you the right person in the past?  Or is it a combination of all the above?

My personal opinion of Recruitment consultants in the past has been poor owing to the fact that I have given up my time and energy to explain exactly what I want, for it to be promptly ignored!  Then been inundated with CV’s that bare no relevance to my exhaustive role descriptions!

I decided to do something about this and took on a role as Client Services Director for an innovative and entrepreneurial young man who owns a consultancy call Precision Recruitment.

 

 

Where do I start with this company? 

They have great processes, they have really loyal and enthusiastic staff who really (And I mean really!) understand their target markets, they have a corporate image that portrays their sectors well, they have the facilities to manage any recruitment requirements; from a small family run business to a large multinational corporation and they treat every single one of their clients in exactly the same manner!

So what is the necessity for my role within this company if they have all they need?

The thing they encounter most often in any industry is the unanimous hatred and grudging acceptance that they are a necessary evil for businesses that have attrition; whether that is natural churn or planned growth.

So my role is twofold:

Firstly my aim is to make the industry transparent! 

I need everyone in the marketplace to clearly understand exactly what processes are employed in the recruitment process and how the company follow those to the letter!  As an organisation, Precision has developed processes that are revolutionary in their delivery and ability to provide what the customer wants, or to be honest with the customer and tell them when they can’t! 

Honesty is a rare trait within recruitment and one which, as a successful salesman, has reaped benefits in the long run for me, and I wish to apply this to my newly chosen career.

There are companies out there that have tainted the view of employers, the expression “you are only as good as your last placement” is bandied around quite often!  Some major brand names within recruitment are happy to lower their percentage and flood you with CV’s but do you really get value for money?  Are these the companies that taint the sector?  Do you know how they allocate their time on YOUR business or how they market YOUR Company?

Having an open door policy at Precision Recruitment allows them to be wholly transparent.  Having a clearly defined and proven method of effective sourcing of candidates and maintaining this regime, no matter how large the organisation, allows their clients to see their value for money and return on their investment!  Having a revolutionary delivery system allows consistency, ease of use and the ‘right’ branding for your company!  But most importantly, you get introduced to the best talent in your chosen timeframe or there is no fee! 

 

 

 

Secondly, my aim is to clearly cost justify expenditure on the use of a recruitment consultancy or outsourcing your recruitment needs! 

Many companies focus purely on the lowest percentage rate they can negotiate, without considering the service provided. 

How much of your time is given to composing a job specification, a paper based advertisement, an update to your website?  How much money is spent advertising in multi media outlets?  How much time is spent sifting through the CV’s and shortlisting candidates?  How much time is spent organising the relevant interviewees and gaining specific time slots for interviews?  How much time is spent trying to contact candidates to attend first interviews?  Only for the first candidates to be not suitable, not the right fit for your current team or missing crucial experience relevant to the role?  All this time costs a variable amount per hour and tangible costs for advertising! 

When considering recruitment consultancies it may be like choosing a new car!  You can buy a 1999 Ford Escort but, you know it is going to be unreliable and not too pleasant to drive in.  However, if you spend a bit more money and consideration you then decide to buy the Mercedes that is reliable, consistent in quality and looks good!  Remember, a recruitment company, once engaged, becomes a marketing branch of YOUR Company!  How do you want YOUR Company to be viewed?

So I have my work cut out for me and I bet you don’t envy me my role but, I will succeed and I will prevail because I have the Tenacity of a lion and the skills of a ninja. 

I also need your help too!

I need your assistance with feedback on your experiences with recruitment consultants, was it good or was it bad?  Did you feel you received a great ROI?  What did you like and most importantly; what didn’t you like?

I need YOUR help to fully understand YOUR experiences in order that we can learn from them and strive to be the beam of sunshine in an overcast sector!

Thank you for your time (Many people forget that time is money) in reading this article and I hope this in itself, may go some way to alleviating the pain of previous experiences, in knowing there is a company out there that takes pride in what they do and deliver a cost effective solution that is painless!