PRIME Recruitment Blog
What FIVE.5 Qualities a Recruiter Should Have!
Over the years in the profession you look out in the world and think to yourself how do I wish these men and women should be for me, if I should arrive there? In more junior times I looked for literally hundreds of jobs - and yes, grew tired of it - but I also saw what I didn't like. I remember going to one of Stockholm's best companies as I wrote them spontaneously asking to work for them. I was of course a complete novice - and although we met one evening in a very dark hall-way, with a man probably in his mid 60's correct but very grey and most ordinary I had my doubts ... and no, nor did I get a job. Never forget them - frankly I was too young and had very little, much too little, to offer - THEM. Years later they had recruited a major person who had been caught out in the previous job for sexual harassment...and this was a death knoll for such an agency. Perhaps younger blood in good time could have made them see other values? You see in Stockholm, mistakes are not forgiven and here it was first-page-news in the second largest daily.... and there are large values lost (a GM position would easily have cost 100,000 EUR to fill, if not more.... Makes you wonder...what should you be looking for...?
Another time I represented as one of three, a delegation on behalf of 40 high-level unemployed, in an effort to put Uppsala on the map as a source for finding good candidates. We got on the train early for the 50-minute-ride south to Stockholm and went to meet another high-ranking firm and as it turned out one of the board member-owners. I have forgotten most of the visit except that the man obviously was a perfectionist, very direct and frankly rash. I left thinking that with someone like him none of us faced a chance and he had no understanding for that the world was changing and the day of full employment was over - frankly he lacked under-standing.
I yet again met with a large milk producer's that was something of a dream com-pany to me due to a great trainee program spanning two years - when I came in through the entrance I was directed to a room, they issued me a test and I was out again within 30 minutes. Later I found out I did not fit the profile and I was OUT. Nice. No feedback, no nothing. Sad. Bastards, in fact!
Here in the Baltics, I learnt of a large company with Nordic owners who sent the finalists to Stockholm for testing. I heard later it became a disaster and wasn't surprised. Filling out intelligence tests in high-level English is probably the smartest you can do, without knowing if people understand or how they interpret coming from an environment so unlike what we as Nordics can even start to imagine, as can we understand the motivators as people have a totally different set of an agenda in the Baltics coming from much tougher situations physically and mentally than we ever have.(They have been deprived of everything and had their freedom taken away!). Thus THAT, with a few other blunders made on part of the company, the choice of Recruitment company by local staff who do not know what they are buying, and a recruitment agency that does not put down their foot, is all too typical as they prefer to chant along! It's a consultant's job to TELL (it may not be pleasant, you may lose business but it's your job) and the result, after their almost a year on the assignment was zero! (The 'usual assignment takes 3-8 weeks).
-Imagine the cost for 'production loss', over-work and other jobs not being done? Compromising in decision-making, but also the throwing out the 'baby with the water' (which was finally done) is part of modern management! It took the leader to do so, and for me it worked, I was brought in instead and had a solution based on the mistakes of the others involved after digging deep, and learnt this lesson.... but I see others didn't. It took me two days to get it right another month to run and present.
Recruitment is about judgement, nuances, bias sadly not always fairness, subjectivism good and bad -and in the former a 'feeling' for who fits and how they may develop. Often in the new emerging economies we see it is about money, prestige and placing one's chronies and who will buy from you, and fitting in not who is best, no. As a result of what I have seen, heard and been part of, here are my five-o-five:
1/ Imaginative - able to see along other thought patterns and able to suggest the Client necessary changes and adaptations, and being a bit more out-of-the-box than is mainstream. So there should be like a marriage between Client & Recruiter where both add to the table.
2/ Think ahead into the future and by experience anticipate future needs and being able to suggest clients suitable candidates early - if only personnel departments here were empowered to think and decide and hire - thus the Recruiter need be in direct contact with the GM and not get stuck in the staircase...
3/ Non Corrupt. Non accepting of this and the guts to be different, as in non-complacent in a market where this sort of thinking is a novelty. We need people who are different, not always part of the pack and who as company managers dare hire and fire without checking with London e.g., first. Employing the RIGHT people, appropriated the financial means needed, not employing those who 'suddenly show up recommended by some ''agency'' or other' and who speak good English and just have a foreign degree. For this to happen we need pay Recruiters better so they can afford to have integrity and as candidates understand that using professionals to place you is a job where ROI also is counted and it not being a social service free-of-charge! Some recruiters actually have families...some:)
4/ A Coach who cares, who can put you forward, still retaining professional neu-trality and working for each one of us equally but also able to sell into new non-seen jobs with his / her clients and even be on such good footing that discussions take place long before they actually are thought of. In Sweden this works very well and makes transition smooth and swift.
5/ A friend to be respected for his her special abilities and who is used by his customers also in between assignments (managing directors don't change very often), who can be there come heaven or hell but not taken for granted. Instead supplied more opportunities and why not be part of your active board and remain as an active advisor from the market to secure long term quality and better internal dialogue. This would ensure the Recruiter is up-to-date and allow for an even better job done as would his/her market sense improve and benefit many more - at very affordable costs to the Client/-s. Recruitment is not a smart career move for the CV, consistency is and clients want knowledge and that you know them.
5.5:) / Able to suggest, solve at speed but be rewarded correctly not cheaply - which offsets positive thinking. A lot of love goes into organising solutions and 'thinking on our feet' because we KNOW what we are doing and sense how you are is due to accumulated experience and interest in solving challenging issues as that is what we are asked to do for every emergency.....is not appreciated in kind.Thus Dear Buyer - appreciate your BEST friend! We aim to create you a Com-petitive Edge!
PRIME Recruitment is operating in it's 19th year in the Latvian and Baltic market. Covering all sectors most probably and still a learning organisation we get it RIGHT with you and our THOMAS (DISC) to match right person to right mission! Neither of us can afford mistakes, let's avoid them better TOGETHER!
