It’s not a new saying, but whenever it’s used now everyone instantly agrees, it should be a resourcing mantra, particularly in tougher times.

As recruiters we spend most of our time looking for people with a skillset, with a historical CV that ticks the boxes that clients want.

It’s changing.

Job description tick lists are no good, because you will rarely find the people who tick every box, and if you do there is no guarantee that they will succeed.

Past…

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It had to happen one day.



It’s probably happened before and I’m sure this sorry story will be repeated many times in different forms until recruiters finally understand the power of social media, and it’s use for informing and engaging not just name gathering.



This week it happened to a recruiter I know…



The Scene:



Candidate has an interview for an interim role with Company XXX. The interview goes well, and candidate is asked if they have any… Continue

I was interested to see reports of a survey last week showing that poor treatment of failed job applicants can damage a consumer brand and seriously affect the bottom line. It’s something that I hear candidates talk about and am always amazed at the number of…

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With all the pressures facing the recruitment industry at the moment, from the reduced levels of hiring over the last couple of years to skill shortages and the increased threat of direct sourcing posed by social recruiting, you would have thought that any recruiter worth their salt would be doing everything they could to maximise every opportunity.



Which is what makes this story so baffling...



Couple of weeks ago a client invited me in for a briefing. I wasn’t the only… Continue

Recruiters vs HR...it’s as old as, well...the recruitment industry! Like cats and dogs, Tom & Jerry, there seems to be, in the UK certainly, this automatic default position of mistrust.



It’s reared its head again, with blogs appearing, including Bill Boorman’s guest post on Punk Rock HR, and no doubt discussions will be had at HRevolution.



Well I’ll let you in to a secret...it’s always been like this!… Continue

Years ago I worked in sales recruitment. Every Friday we finished at 5pm and then sat in a circle and took it in turns to review our week. We gave ourselves a score out of 10 and then we each voted for our ‘Consultant of the Week’. Inevitably the most votes always went to the consultant who had made the most fees. Very occasionally the group would recognise the closing of a particularly difficult assignment, or the winning of a retainer against the odds, but those occasions were rare.…

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Every day I go over Putney Bridge on my way to work. This may seem like minutiae of my daily commute in South West London but this weekend Putney Bridge becomes the focus for millions of people all over the world. The reason?...it’s the starting point for the University Boat Race, and has been for 154 years.



Now you may think that two teams of amateur rowers from the UKs top 2 universities battling it out for 20 minutes over 4 ¼ miles is hardly a reason for so many people to be… Continue

I love working as part of the Stopgap Group, not least because it’s a values driven business that places the welfare of its people and the quality of service given to clients and candidates at the very top of its priorities. Consultants have always been rewarded on feedback – since the day the business was launched 17 years ago – and we always look for consultants with who have compassion, a real interest in people and a…

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We have just completed some research to find out what candidates find most frustrating in the current jobs market.



300 candidates gave their views on a number of scenarios in the current job market, and indicated whether they were satisfied or frustrated. We also asked them to grade their frustration…



The headline results are that the following had the highest percentages of ‘very frustrated’ or ‘quite frustrated’…



The overall lack of relevant job… Continue

Candidates are the currency of any good recruiter. We get paid by a client when we deliver a great candidate, and let’s not forget that today’s candidates become tomorrow’s clients.



We need clients, yes, but then clients can also brief any number of recruiters…it’s the recruiters with the best candidates, the strongest community, who will ultimately deliver.



Yet most candidates you speak to have a common complaint…no feedback, I blogged about it before and it is something… Continue

There’s been a lot of debate recently about the future recruitment landscape, and how current events and technological advances will transform the way companies recruit. I took part in at least 2 separate discussions about this at London Unconference.



Certainly we 3rd party recruiters have many challenges ahead, and one the biggest, I believe, will come from the generational shift in decision makers from Baby Boomers to Generation X.



Over the last 20 years or so agencies… Continue

I had a great time at the Recruiting Unconference (trulondon) last Thursday…lots of interesting and thought-provoking debate and information. Over the next few blog posts I am going to write about some things that have had me thinking.



A key track for me was the one on Social Media…I have certainly tried to embrace LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogging over the last year or so and talk passionately to candidates about the need for them to get connected and get in the conversation. I was keen… Continue