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RECRUITMENT
40
It’s fair to say that mere mention of
the word ‘recruitment’ causes many
business owners or sales managers to
shudder.
Most view the entire recruitment
process as a necessary, and continuous, evil
that businesses must undertake in order
to achieve short-, medium- and long-term
business objectives. This is particularly true
in sales, as sales people tend to be more
transient and more driven by money than
other types of employee.
Given that a business owner is
unlikely to find employees with the same
commitment to the business that they have,
is it enough to rely on the ability of hiring
managers to ‘read a book by its cover’ or
could they achieve better results by making
use of tools and services developed by the
recruitment industry itself?
Here is my list of six recruitment tools
that any IT reseller or copier dealer can
use, in isolation or as part of a process, to
improve their chances of finding the right
person for the job.
1. Networking/LinkedIn
has
revolutionised the way in which decision-
makers are able to identify and approach
potential candidates. Once the domain of
head hunters, LinkedIn has become more
accessible to the discerning social media
user, facilitating discreet approaches and
networking opportunities that were not
previously possible. That said, good old
fashioned conversations with people
you know within the industry are just as
effective. LinkedIn is an excellent tool
for businesses of all sizes, but it is only a
platform for making introductions; 80% of
the recruitment process remains to be done.
2. Job Centre/Media Advertising
was
for many years the ‘go to’ solution for
hiring. However, quality and quantity of
applications are not guaranteed. Once
you have sifted through applications to
eliminate candidates who don’t have the
technical skills needed to operate/prosper
in the IT Reseller marketplace, you could be
left with slim pickings. The process can be
time consuming, it incurs costs, there is no
guarantee of quality or success and, as with
LinkedIn, it addresses just 20% of the entire
recruitment process.
3. Job Boards
are no longer just the
preserve of professional recruiters.
Affordable compared to media advertising,
they let businesses send out ‘I’m Hiring’
alerts to individuals who are actively looking
for a job. Today, so many well-known Job
Boards are open to businesses that it can
be difficult to know where to advertise.
Utilising the services of multiple job boards
will be expensive and managing advert
responses and sifting through inappropriate
responses can be time-consuming. There is
still no guarantee that the ad will deliver a
quality candidate and, once again, 80% of
the process is still to go!
4. Fixed Fee Services
grew up in the
recession when recruitment companies
needed innovative ways to stay competitive
and viable. Typically, providers will
advertise your vacancy across a number
of job boards and then forward responses
to you. In the recruitment industry, this
is known as CV Mining. Add-on services
might include CV Searching on Job Boards,
but you will seldom receive qualified
candidates and, while you will ordinarily
be ‘guaranteed’ a repeat advert if you are
unsuccessful first time, there is no 100%
guarantee of success. Fixed Fee Services
cost more than advertising on a single Job
Board but your vacancy will be significantly
more visible. Once again, they still leave
80% of the recruitment process up to you.
Spencer Taylor outlines
some of the tools business
owners can use to improve
recruitment success.
“If you think it's expensive to hire a professional, wait until you hire an amateur.”
Recruitment and the IT Reseller:
the renaissance of recruitment
5. Interview Outsourcing
. Interviewing
is an art form in itself. Everyone believes
they are a great interviewer, but the truth is
that once you have found candidates and
arranged interviews, the hard part begins.
It’s inevitable that if you have found a high
quality candidate they will also be engaging
with other companies and recruiters. It is
important that the interview process reflects
this. We’ve all seen Lord Sugar’s team on
The Apprentice
pull candidates apart; what
we don’t see are the soft skills, sensitive
approach and sales techniques that are
imperative to attract and retain good
candidates. Interviewing is a mine field and
at a time of skills shortages, no one can
afford to commit interview faux pas through
lack of experience or employer arrogance –
a common problem in corporate businesses.
Sending hiring managers on interview skills
training courses or attending one yourself
is highly recommended. Alternatively,
bring in an experienced interviewer: some
Recruitment Companies offer this as a
service.
6. Recruitment Consultancy
is probably
the last resort for SMEs and the go-to
resource for corporates. Recruiters have
access to all of the resources listed above
and will offer a contingency-based ‘no
hire, no fee’ solution. Costs can vary, but
15-20% of first year salary is reasonable.
There should also be a rebate period after
hiring in case the chosen candidate turns
out not to be right for your business. It’s
important to read the terms of business
and be comfortable with the recruitment
firm you work with. Don’t be afraid to ask
searching questions, and be prepared to
answer searching questions in return! If
your recruiter hasn’t asked you enough
questions to establish the skills and cultural
requirements of the job, long-term objectives
and the compensation package on offer,
they are just guessing when it comes to
submitting CVs. For every great recruiter, you
will come across four poor recruiters. Play
the field! Remember, it costs nothing to use
a recruiter unless you want to hire.
Don’t be
afraid to ask
searching
questions, and
be prepared
to answer
searching
questions in
return!
Spencer Taylor is Director of Blackrock Search.
He can be contacted on 07875 108999 or 01892 527054.
uk.linkedin.com/in/spencertaylor1
