As any SME will know, time is of the essence, whether it's completing a new contract win or finding an additional member of staff to support the extra work. Busy executives simply don't have the time to waste trawling through inadequate CVs when looking for a new member of staff. However, by bearing in mind a few top tips, it is possible to not only speed up the recruitment process but improve it and gain an advantage.
Make it personal
One of the biggest challenges when handling recruitment is the struggle to find the right candidate with the right skills for the role. I have found this is particularly prevalent across the IT sector due to the often specific or technical skills personnel require.
Keyword searches are widely used by recruiters to help identify relevant candidates. However, the identification of a keyword on a CV doesn't necessarily mean that candidate will be the right fit for the job. While it's vital that a candidate has the right skill set, most clients also want someone with proven experience in applying these skills and who will fit comfortably into their team and company culture. No matching up of keywords can yet tell us this - it takes human contact, insight and experience.
Working with the right recruitment company can make a dramatic difference to the speed in which the right candidate is found. A recruitment agency that takes the time to get to know its candidates and the full needs of its clients, from their company culture to the level of skill that is required for job roles, really can help any business to streamline recruitment. Any good agency will interview candidates first and vet them before passing them on to the client. As a result, the customer only has to choose from the cream of the crop.
However, simply choosing to work with a recruitment agency doesn't necessarily mean that all your specific staffing needs will be fulfilled instantly, it takes time and commitment from the agency to get to know a business's needs and not all firms take the time to do this. For example, when running my own IT consultancy, it quickly became apparent that many recruitment companies simply didn't understand our business requirements. Recruiters would bombard us with inadequate and at times, completely inappropriate CVs. It became so difficult to find the right talent that I set up my own IT recruitment company. To make the most out of recruitment, SMEs need to ensure that there is a solid relationship between themselves and recruiters who, in turn, need to build up a personal relationship with each candidate.
Knowledge equals power
Despite being under pressure to resource a project quickly, it is critical to realise that the time invested at the beginning of the recruitment process to establish these relationships will be more than repaid further down the line. The better the recruiter understands the company culture and job role the quicker a suitable candidate will be found.
The best way to do this is to dedicate time at the start of the search to creating a detailed job role and company profile. The trick is to book in a face-to-face meeting with the recruiter to discuss what you are looking for. It may seem simple but clearly stating the job role such as required technical experience, the salary figure and any personal qualities that candidates need to quickly fit into your working environment such as a ‘can do attitude', can help agents to fully understand your needs.
In addition, taking the time to give an overview of your company culture such as your organisation values, visions, working language, systems and habits can save time in the long as using this data it is more likely a better fit, long term candidate match will be found. And don't forget the time spent detailing the company culture can be used again and again when looking for different candidates.
A good test to ensure that the recruiter fully understands this is to lay out three CVs (one of which would be your ideal candidate) and ask them to pick the most suitable one. If the recruiter has all the relevant knowledge, candidates passed on to the client should meet the required criteria.
Do your homework
Even if time is in short supply, there is one key thing to do - research the recruiter. It is important to question the recruiters' ability: How long have they been in business? What expertise do they have?
The best IT recruiters, in my experience, are often those that have worked in the field or built up several years of experience in the recruitment market. With better due diligence, SMEs can ensure they are getting the best service for their hard earned cash and find out if they are working with the right recruiter for their needs.
Business-wide benefits
Handling the recruitment process doesn't have to be time consuming or difficult. By building a strong relationship with a recruiter, it's more likely they can efficiently do all the hard work for which you are paying them. A little time invested in the initial recruitment phase will save time in the long run and create competitive advantage as the best talent will be employed.
It is vital to find a good recruiter, one that not only understands your industry sector and requirements but one that takes the time to learn what you want. After all, the biggest business decision you make and one of your largest annual expenditures will be the people you employ.
