Any recruiter worth their salt when asked what they think the most important part of the recruitment process is will undoubtedly give a different answer depending on the type of person they are. Some will say it’s finding that elusive candidate with the perfect profile, others will talk about the relationship you can build over time getting referrals or return business, others may say it’s securing the offer, placing the candidate and tying the rest up in a neat bow…job done, or is it?
Personally, I think I’ve learned the hard way that for me, aftercare is the most important part in the recruitment process; the reason being that starting a new role can be daunting, even the most confident candidate in the room can feel like they have no idea what they’re doing which can be terrifying. This is when having a good recruiter that understands your pain and knows your challenges can offer seriously valuable insight and advice around whatever might be giving you grief in the new role. It is also when a good recruiter can share your excitement over your development and can honestly say that they are proud of you for achieving a recent win.
But what happens if you don’t have that support system, has your luck run dry? You’ve started a new job and your recruiter is nowhere to be found, you’ve texted, called, left emails, sent carrier pigeons and gotten nothing but out of office emails, dial tones and a return note saying, “new pigeon who this?” Jokes aside the entire process becomes that much more distorted when you’re treated like a transaction by your recruiter, just another number to tally up on a board or a figure to note down on a spreadsheet. These recruiters are letting everybody down.
Recently though, I have been on the other side of that; yes, the candidates can do the ghosting to… and for us good recruiters trying to make an effort to contact you, genuinely wondering how you’re getting on, how the job is going, if it’s more or less stressful than your last job and if it was a good fit for your career etc., it can all be quite confusing to say the very least. It’s nice to assume that no new is good news but at GKR London, we invest in long term relationships and this sort of behaviour makes it very difficult for us to understand whether you do too.
On the other hand, building a strong relationship with your recruiter, one that cares about your search, your career, your wants, your needs and most of all…your reputation, will benefit you in every which way. And wouldn’t it be nice knowing that they could be there for you if you require help again at a later date in your career? Someone who already understands your strengths and what you have most recently achieved? At the end of the day it comes down to the individuals that decide to mutually work together and to treat people the way we each want to be treated.
So, to all average recruiters out there, I’m asking you to please try harder or realise that you do not deserve any sort of candidate loyalty whilst you treat them like a transaction. And to all those candidates missing out on the full potential of us great recruiters trying to help you and your career long-term, by not treating us the way you expect and should be treated, I hope this all made sense. Feel free to get in touch…
