Recruitment, as we all know, is a very diverse, varied and fast-paced industry. Being quick off the mark is key, but fruitful longer term relationships are built upon delivering a quality service which meets the needs of the client in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
It’s interesting that when you speak to recruiters about the challenges that they face, lack of suitable candidates tends to be pretty high up on the list. This is the reason why agencies sign up to job boards and post out to social media, etc. No prizes handed out for this one!
So when one recruiter mentioned to me that “they have too many candidates” – this really resonated with me and made me pause for thought.
Initially, my thoughts were – “Well that’s great. Good on you and all the best!” But upon reflection, their comment was either boastful hyperbole (to get me off the phone!) or showed a fundamental flaw somewhere in their recruitment process.
For argument’s sake, let’s go with the situation that we have “too many candidates”. The first question to ask would be – “too many candidates for what?” – Are they all suitable for your vacancies? Secondly, I’d have to question the screening and vetting processes in place.
As mentioned at the start of this piece, delivering a quality service is what a good recruiter should be about. Therefore if you have “too many candidates”, how can you realistically filter appropriately and in turn deliver your best selection of candidates efficiently?
Surely recruitment has not become a pure numbers game? Yes, volume is important, but quality has to override quantity every time. Therefore ensuring that you as a recruitment agency are attracting relevant and suitable candidates for your vacancies is vitally important. Today’s recruiter should not be about sifting through a pile of CV’s and applications to find a handful that may suit. It has to be about far more than that. There are smarter ways of working which can deliver better results.
In a world where there is so much information literally at your fingertips, lengthy job ads are simply not being read. It’s more about being concise with your message and then making sure you get the relevant exposure across the spectrum of marketing and media channels available. Targeting and relevancy will allow the smart recruiter to flourish.
So having “too many candidates” may not be the ideal scenario that it’s cracked up to be, it’s more about having the right candidates.
Syun Consulting provide Recruitment Marketing, Operations and Technology solutions to Recruitment Agencies and In-House Recruitment teams.
For a no-obligation chat on how we can help you, please call us on 020 7971 7986