Ricky Martin
We need to work together to show off our excellence BY RICKY MARTIN MANAGING DIRECTOR, HYPER RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS When I first stepped into recruitment, I was not completely aware of what to expect and what the industry was all about. As with every ambitious recruiter, I decided to do what all recruiters do best – ask questions and learn from the answers. I got a mixed response. I heard a few positive examples, where people had seen value in such services, but the majority thought the industry was no different from any other sales business. Too many times I heard – and still hear – that recruitment is just about finding a CV and ‘punting’ it to a client, hoping one sticks. Or that it is ‘bums on seats’ work. In my opinion, this could not be any further from the truth. To do recruitment right takes a great deal of time, talent, patience and professionalism, and is what I refer to as “recruitment excellence”. If we are all following ethical and professional codes of conduct, putting customer service before sales, then we can change this mixed opinion of recruitment. We can help better
this impression, and ensure that recruitment is known for its credibility and professionalism. I can imagine a lot of you thinking, “That is obvious, and we do it already.” But do we? How many times have you got to the end of a challenging recruitment project and the role gets pulled, and you moan to your colleagues about the time you spent on it? Compare this approach with that of people who experience the same scenario but who pick up testimonials for their efforts and showcase them to help win future work – or ensure they maximise their chances of securing the business exclusively when the role opens up again. I would say that most do the former rather than the latter. It is the old story of bad news travelling faster than good. If we can focus on sharing less bad news, rising above it, and looking at the silver lining, then we can make a collaborative effort to improve our industry’s image. From my experience, good recruiters deliver recruitment excellence, but those solely interested in money, fills and league tables do not. Let’s demonstrate the value in our services
by focusing on best practice, celebrating success and ensuring every person we speak to is willing to come back to us again one day – as your customers will come back to you if you do things right first time. We work with people, not with products or commodities. I hope we can work together to keep enhancing the public opinion of our beautiful industry. I say this to all my colleagues at HRS every day. For those of you who enjoy social media, why not do more to share our successes online? If you have a Twitter account, use the hashtag #RecruitmentExcellence every time you do something you and your customers are proud of. I’d love to see what successes we can share, and I will also share mine. You can find me on twitter via @RickyMartin247. Good luck, have fun, and let’s show the world what recruitment excellence is all about. RICKY MARTIN is managing director and founder of Hyper Recruitment Solutions. Find out more at www.hyperec.com or @Hyperec_HRS on Twitter
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