Anu Deb, Principal Recruitment Consultant at GKR London represents our Office Support team, working with a wide array of clients across the property sector and recruiting for anything from front office/receptionist positions, back office support roles, Marketing, Finance, IT, HR, all the way to Head of Department jobs (i.e. Regional Support, Head of Operations, PA, EA etc.)
Anu joined GKR London in November 2014 after spending 7 months working in property herself. The move proved to be a natural and obvious step-up for Anu within a market she had already spent time understanding and loving. Recruitment is a fast-paced and challenging environment which property had already prepared her for. She was also able to get onto the property ladder herself around this time, buying her first residential property, achieving a life-long dream, and then went onto becoming a Landlord. This personal achievement gave rise to many questions:
- What kind of landlord does she want to be?
- What service does she want to provide?
- How can she counteract any potential horror stories from happening to her?
These are the same questions Anu now asks herself daily working in recruitment. With almost five years’ recruitment experience, Anu is regularly seeing the rewards of her hard work and has established an excellent aftercare management process with both her candidates and clients that helps her remain at the top of her game and in control of her work in progress. Let’s find out how she does it!
Anu, how would you describe your style of recruitment?
Being that (sometimes) annoying, but at the same time encouraging best friend, a career coach and business consultant all in one. From an early age, I have always been a compassionate, friendly and consultative person with an analytical mind, and I think this best describes my style of Recruitment.
It's not surprising that I studied Psychology at university because I have always been intrigued in learning how people interact with one another, understanding their genetic makeup and cognitive processes, how peoples’ desire’s and drives impact them personally, socially and professionally. I became good at adapting to different personalities and situations all by simply understanding why people are different and behave the way they do – generally being emotionally intelligent.
What do you believe is your recipe for success?
Aftercare and checking in beyond the check in. As all recruiters know, the amazing moment when confirming a candidate’s placement is not where the recruitment journey ends. Unfortunately (and usually very frustratingly) there are many things that can go wrong after this point. Aftercare is the most important aspect of what we do. It's certainly helped set me apart in a what can feel like a hugely saturated market at times. Some people dread it – I thoroughly enjoy it!
Why is aftercare so important to you?
In order to conduct effective aftercare, you must have a genuine interest about your candidates and clients beyond just the monetary reward. This part of the process is literally reaping the fruits of your labour i.e. finding out if you got it right. In my opinion, it is exactly what being a consultant is all about; after working so hard to help change someone's life, isn't it natural to want to know how they’re getting on? And after working so closely with your client during the recruitment process, wouldn't you want to know how you helped add value to their business?
We all know that starting a new job can be incredibly daunting but having a recruiter by your side can make the transition a lot less nerve racking. Having someone encourage you, reassure you, prepare you and update you on what to expect or simply by wishing you good luck can minimise any dramas from occurring and get you ready for your big day. I get that it's not always sunshine, cocktails and sushi (the things that make happy) which is why many people dread checking in but even in the most challenging of situations, if you’re in regular contact, you can often overcome possible obstacles that arise. You have a professional obligation to not leave someone hanging (like those awkward high fives between you and your over keen colleague in the office). Embracing this early on in my career in recruitment enabled me to build successful long-standing relationships with my clients and candidates and achieve credibility in my market. Always check in!
How regularly do you like to stay in touch with candidates/clients after they begin working together?
At least every fortnight but often weekly. With successful candidates, I love celebrating over a few drinks or lunch to help set them on their way, but we can also celebrate passing probation or a getting a promotion! Many of my placements, I still speak with regularly - 5 years on. My advice – always have a plan in place and set yourself reminders to touch base. Especially the busier you get; the more people you deal with the harder it can be to remember to check in with everyone.
What do you enjoy most about your market?
The loyalty from clients and candidates. If you do a good job and people enjoy working with you, you’ll receive a great deal of loyalty in return. I love hearing from contacts and people I have paced or even just advised in the industry 2, 3 or even 4 years down the line. Knowing that I'm their first call when approaching their job search or hiring strategy is a great feeling!
If you work in the industry yourself, whether you work in lettings, sales, property management or even surveying – how often do you see a process through to the very end? Imagine letting a property and then once the tenancy commences, not following up? Because, of course, you can’t just assume that the move in went smoothly and the rent will be paid on time, that the tenant won’t have any issues upon arrival and that the landlord will be satisfied for the duration of the tenancy, can you? No. Us recruiters are no different, and this applies to our aftercare and what I like to think sets GKR apart from so many others.
