Firms need confidence in recruitment consultants

I read the article ‘Working with recruitment consultants: top tips for HR’ with interest (Personnel Today, 10 November).

Most recruiters, and those employers that work frequently with us, understand each other’s needs and form long-lasting relationships, built on strong results.

For employers to really get the best out of recruitment consultants, they need to be confident in their expertise: working with recruiters is only beneficial when a consultant understands not just your industry, but also the nuances of your business and the role, and therefore the type of person you require. When HR is faced with such inquisitive questions, they should be as open as possible if they are to get the best from a recruiter.

I would also stress that giving full consideration to the interview process is crucial: it may be basic, but it is often overlooked, and line managers need to be offered full support throughout the process.

Sometimes the simplest things can make all the difference: a tour of the office can be useful in giving an insight into the workings of the business; the location and time of the interview might need to be flexible; and ensuring that the candidate is fully aware of the timings for the next steps of the interview process will also be key.

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Finding the person you want is half of the battle – part and parcel of securing the best candidate is selling yourself as a business so that the right professionals want to come and work for you.

Julie Waddicor, managing director, Hays Human Resources