I have been in the recruitment business for more than 6 years covering the banking and finance sector. In the banking recruitment industry, especially where things change as fast as the job market changes, we are linked to the world of business, responding to the evolving nature of the banks’ processes, strategy, business segments and technology.
As headhunters we can get stuck in a rut and continue to do the same things to make this happen, but it is a good idea to stop and reevaluate our best practices and strive to improve and grow. We are fortunate here at Mark Williams to have the resources and best practices in recruitment to give us the cutting edge. Our ethos is based on “understanding” – whether is understanding our candidates, clients, market segments, salaries, or skill sets. My knowledge enables me to create the right match between job seekers and employer.
Here are some of the best practices that we strive towards in order to improve our chances of success when placing a candidate.
- Understanding your client’s business, company culture, recruitment challenges, and goals are perhaps some of the best way to build up your relationship and should be focused on right from the start of your relationship with them and throughout the recruitment process.
- Utilize your resources – as soon as you pick up the vacancies from your client start advertising the jobs and send as many messages as you can. Aside from using your internal databases and social media platforms, getting referrals from good candidates within your network is another best practice. More often than not, quality candidates refer quality candidates.
- Map out methods for sourcing candidates and understanding the department structure of your candidate. This is an effective way to better understand the candidate’s job scope , reporting line, and the function of their department/unit. This is also useful in getting leads and market information for your business development. Remember that candidates are the source of all information!
- I meet all my candidates in person and an in-depth one-hour meeting allows me to assess skill sets, experience, and department structure and match their personality to my client’s work environment. A 10-minute phone call with a candidate would not give you the full understanding to help your candidate make the right move, and there is a high probability of you sending the wrong profiles to your client. This will affect your credibility as a recruiter and your relationship with both client and candidate.
- Candidate experience – create a good candidate experience by setting expectations about interview process, preparing them for interviews, providing real-time feedback, updating your candidate about their application status, and most importantly providing honest feedback, especially for unsuccessful candidates.
- Organise candidate pools – Candidates are all different and unique, so separate candidates according to experience, skill, and industry.
- Planning is key! A good recruitment process allows you to find qualified candidates quickly and efficiently. The process requires intentional planning and constant evaluation. Make a daily to-do list and mark off items as you finish them. You can focus on completing tasks faster and more efficiently. If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!
- Measure your progress – to be successful in recruiting, you need to be able to measure your progress. KPIs and metrics are important to track how well you source candidates. You can then make a data-driven decision based on the information you have.
As a recruiter, at the end of the day my goal is to make quality placements and creating a good candidate and client experience. Recruitment best practices include creating habits, methods, and character that convince clients to sign terms of business and get the candidates accepting your job offers. With these tips hopefully you will be able to improve your best practices and become a better recruitment agent.
