Jul 27, 2016
A Real Life Recruiter
Before I bare my soul to the analytics world a quick introduction of who and what I am. My name is Joel Stein; a pleasure to meet you. I am one of the few specialist analytics recruiters based in Sydney, Australia. I have worked at my current company Precision Sourcing for nearly six years now and have loved every minute of it. We are a unique recruitment firm, and I can honestly say I work with my closest friends in a lively working environment. This filters through into our work, and we hope we not only offer a professional service but also make it easy for clients and candidates alike to relate to us. We are in fact ordinary people who may come as a surprise to some who think of recruiters differently.
This, however, is not a blog to promote Precision Sourcing or me but is a brain dump from my experiences so far in recruitment. You will get to know me more as I go along, my likes, dislikes, passions and incredibly upbeat and positive demeanour.
So here is my first foray into the world of blogging. I felt it was about time that I joined the millions of other blogs that fly around the internet every day. This, though, posed my first issue when I sat down and decided to do this; how do I differentiate this blog and entice readers to take time out of their busy day all the while keeping them interested? Right now I am not too sure; we will see if what I have to say is, in fact, something that the rest of the world and more importantly the analytics community are interested in. I will try and not embarrass myself writing about technical analytics topics but will rather be trying to offer an insider view into how recruitment/recruiters works, specifically for the analytics market and also providing insight that will help both candidates and clients.
Role of a Recruiter
Today’s topic is going to hopefully give you an idea of how we work and what our role as recruiters consists of. Along the way, I will be busting some myths of the inner workings of a recruitment company. Now as I work for a small boutique agency these will perhaps not hold true for all recruiters but certainly do for us:
• When our clients give a recruiter a brief, they express the skill set and also type of person they are looking for to fit their culture. We are therefore not just matching skills but also personalities. As specialists, it is our job to match this up as much as possible and if we do send someone from the left field, we need to have a damn good reason why. A good recruiter, therefore, cannot just forward any old CV as it does not look good! If they inform you that they do not think you are a fit, then this is the truth, although we all make mistakes clients return to a recruiter because they hit the nail on the head regarding briefs. It is to our benefit to sending your CV if it fits.
• When it comes to a recruitment fee it is not deducted from a candidate’s salary; in fact the more a candidate makes, the more a recruiter makes. Therefore it truly in your best interests when we say we will get the best possible deal for you.
• We are a small agency; my remit is to pick up between 2/3 new positions each week. If a recruiter mentions, they will call as soon as they have something suitable they will as it is for their benefit. If they are not drawing with lots of jobs, it is usually because a good recruiter will only manage a certain number of positions at one time to offer a premium service.
• A recruiter is often in the same boat as you. Chasing feedback on CV’s and interviews is part and parcel of our daily routine; we need the feedback just as much as you.
• It is tough for a good recruiter to send through CV’s without a detailed job brief (unless you know the company well). A statement of “just sent us some CV’s” is something we come across a lot, it is critical for a recruiter to understand the position and role to not waste anyone’s time.
• A final point and perhaps the most important. A recruiter is a part salesman; unfortunately our product is a living, breathing data specialist that can change their mind at the drop of the hat, are at times not forthcoming with the truth, may not pick up your calls and much more. Anytime this happens it reflects poorly on us to our clients. If you feel a recruiter is hounding you, not trusting you or being a bit of a pest, this is the reason why. We have to stay as close to and know as much as possible about our product to sell it correctly!
Of course the above may not ring true about all recruiters but I am speaking from the experience I have had, and I guess that is all anyone can ask for. This topic/points will come up again as I write more blogs and individual points may merit a blog all to themselves (especially the final bullet).
Now I could blabber on for days and give you at least another 100 bullet points however as I mentioned earlier I am trying not to bore anyone. The topics I have covered above are critical to understanding a recruiter’s life. What can I suggest you do to have the best opportunity to land your dream job? Well, I will go into that in my next blog! (I do in fact have to try and drag you back to read this again).
