Don’t let the clock tick down when you need to fill a sales role
Let’s talk about time. If recruiting for a role yourself, you will spend countless hours sifting through applications and initial screenings.
At its most simple, using a recruiter will save you time and to use an example, time is critical when filling vacant sales roles. If the territory is vacant it means that another employee or even the hiring manager is covering the area and this could result in a loss in revenue as customers are not getting the right amount of contact. Another implication, people are human and if someone is covering two roles rather than just their own, it will cause issues. Trust me, I’ve been there!
People will talk sometimes to a recruiter rather than apply direct as it offers them in some cases some anonymity, also the roles I work on are not out there plastered across the job boards for all to see. Using a recruiter cuts out the headache of marketing the role, finding candidates and organising meetings. My ‘specialism’ (a horrible term) is in the body refinish market, but the same rules apply across the aftermarket and elsewhere.
But what if the boot is on the other foot and you are a candidate?. Why would you consider going to a recruiter instead of approaching the firms that interest you directly? Ideally, any good recruitment agency should act as the ‘compère’, between you as a candidate and a potential employer. Putting the right people in front of the right employer is a skill, encountering a large number of variables along the way. Yes, the skills must be right to do the role however much more is involved. There aremany more elements which come together to make the perfect candidate including personalities need to match with company culture and ethics. A good recruiter will understand the needs to match all aspects, the candidate must be right for the business in the same breath as the client being right for the candidate ensuring longevity for both client and candidate alike. Believe me this is no easy task.
Recruiters (well the good ones), have a network of hiring managers, business influencers and decision makers in multiple businesses. Something that as a candidate you in all likelihood don’t have, or not to the extent of an agent. All of these things go back to the issue of making the most of the limited time available – don’t waste yours.
TOP CANDIDATES MOVE QUICKLY
Research shows that from the start of the hiring process the top 10 percent of candidates have disappeared from the market in the first two working weeks. So, considering the average time to hire in the UK is approximately 28 days, the candidates remaining in your process from working day 11 onward are unlikely to be the right fit or the most qualified for your role. However, some companies will attempt to make a ‘good fit’ from the limited candidates now available and in effect taking on someone who doesn’t entirely fit the role because they need it filled and the slow process has cost them the best candidates.
In addition to this, a long hiring process is often the top reason candidates speak negatively about a brand or company. Candidates are now researching online reviews from former candidates or employees in the same way that they would from (say) Trip Advisor, when looking at holiday destinations. The result of this is that it can add 10 percent to the cost of every hire.
Remember the hiring process clock starts ticking as soon as that candidate submits the application not when you review it or when they sit in front of you at interview. By then the damage could have been done and your ideal candidate could have slipped through your fingers! So how long is your hiring process? Do you need to make changes?
Gavin Collier
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