No Commission for Recruiters!! - are you serious?

This was the reaction I got recently when I attended the National Recruitment Federation's (NRF) conference.  A very good recruiter in Dublin, who is now a good business contact, Charlie, introduced me to one of his colleagues in an agency he used to work in.  She was typical recruiter profile (no comment),  and when Charlie explained to her that we are completely changing the way that people think about the recruitment sector she naturally asked how?

When my response was that we don't pay any commission out or incentivise the recruitment team to place candidates she nearly hit the floor!  She looked me up and down, rolled her eyes and said "Well I hope you're paying them a very high wage!".  It happened that one of my fantastic team was with me at the time so I said "no actually I don't, but why don't you ask one of them".  To which Julia replied with an answer which was gushing about how she loved our company, the team and working for me and Expect Talent, despite the fact that we don't pay any commission.  

It was a very strange situation to be in having to defend our decision to operate under this non-commission structure, but the fact is that our clients and candidates love this about our business.  It is the one USP that hardly any other recruitment companies can say that they have and it means that we are placing people for the right reason.  It is all about the customer at the end of the day, and to be passionate about WOWing customers you cannot be focused on the money and the commission.  

In my opinion, it is one of the reason's why the recruitment industry has such a bad reputation, it is full of aggressive, commission-hungry sales people, who actually when it comes down to it, don't care about who or how they place.  All most seem to worry about is where their next pay-cheque is coming from and it means internal competition for candidates, a selfish approach and a non-client or candidate friendly process.  This of course, does not apply to every recruiter out there, but in many cases this is reason for people having  a bad experience of recruitment companies.  Something I intend to change in our industry.

Every time I meet other recruiters I come up against this disbelief that we could have an entire recruitment team, delivering results, working together for no commission.  It is not about getting, it is about giving, and that is my take on the industry.  Flipping the whole recruitment model on its head for the benefit of our candidates and clients.  I would love to hear your views on the industry and leave a comment if you feel that the recruitment industry would benefit from being much more commission free than in currently is.  Commission free recruitment, is this the future of our industry...

9,500 Recruitment Firms in UK...make that 9,501!

Last week I attended the NRF (National Recruitment Federation) conference in Dublin, where guest speaker Ann Swain, CEO of APSCo reported on the global trends in the recruitment industry and the overall state of the recruitment market.  A highly impressive speaker, engaging and very knowledgeable.  

Ann talked about key markets, and new "hot to trot" locations where recruitment is a growth sector.  Her advice was not to set up in the UK.  So what are we doing this week... setting up in the UK.  According to Ann, there are 9,500 recruitment companies in the UK, now with the addition of Expect Talent UK Ltd. make that 9,501...

Before you think we have completely lost the plot, Ann also added, "don't set up in the UK unless you are following a client".  So we are setting up our business in Edinburgh as a result of a 4 year client relationship in Ireland.  This is a very exciting growth phase for Expect Talent and we are delighted that we can start up in the UK with such a high profile recruitment project, which will help us launch our business in the UK in 2011.  

The last 3 weeks have been spent planning with a very short lead time before we go live,  as a key partner for a high-volume recruitment project for a customer service centre which will create 900 jobs in city centre Edinburgh.  Our highly talented team have gone into action to make it all happen, and our networks in Scotland (thanks to BNI) have meant that finding local contacts has been easy. 

My advice for any business looking to start in the UK.  Plan, plan and plan again, whilst  leveraging every key contact you have to help you.  Where possible, help others and give opportunities to local businesses who in turn will help you back.  Hire the best talent to represent you and always have a Plan B, C and D.  I write this blog on a ferry on the way to Scotland.  Ash Clouds won't get in the way of making this happen, so we had a Plan B, go by boat! 

There is no better time to look outside of your local market, wherever you are reading this from.  Small businesses in 2011 should be focused on delivering exceptional customer service, as well as doing things in a unique and engaging way which adds value to the client.  Its all about activity levels, regardless of your industry.  If you triple your activity levels, you will triple your results, and then some!  Far too many people focus on all the negativity, but when you focus on success and positivity you attract more of the same.

I look forward to bringing a new and innovative approach to the UK recruitment market, as we continue to change the way the world does recruitment. I would like to thank everyone who has helped us along the way so far in the UK, and to my team, you are all amazing and I could not drive this business on without you.  UK here we come... Expect Talent UK Ltd. is born!

Leveraging Your International Networks in Recruitment

I have just returned from an international BNI conference, where 300 business owners from around the globe came together over 3 days to share ideas, be motivated by great speakers connecting with colleagues across the world, which inspired todays topic.  

In the recruitment industry, our networks are becoming more and more important, both online and offline.  Over 60% of my time as Managing Director is now spent on networking, client meetings and building relationships with referral partners who recommend us to companies and candidates.  The great part about the international aspect of my role is that now, many of these conversations are happening on an international level, as we explore new markets, new opportunities and international relationships.  Global webinars, Skype, International Power Teams and regular Speaking and Training opportunities outside of Ireland is opening up a whole new world of connections and networks for our own recruitment business. It is easier than ever to do business on a global scale.  

Clients often wonder how we can source candidates from across Europe when they have been trying to do it themselves for weeks and yet we still manage to tap into untapped talent pools, reaching further into European candidates markets due to the way in which we leverage our international networks. For example, this morning we cemented a relationship with a French recruitment company with the same ethics and approach to the recruitment industry as ourselves.  This relationship was established at the BNI Directors conference and will be an ongoing and long term arrangement which will help us to tap into new French speaking talent across all industries.  We have this type of partnership in place across many European countries and can delight our clients by filling roles that no-one else can.  That is really leveraging international networks.

This week I will be delivering an in-house training to our team of recruiters here in Expect Talent on how to leverage our online international networks, focused on LinkedIn and Facebook as well as Twitter and Ecademy.  As I am sure those of you reading will agree are all great resources for sourcing candidates.  If you combine the networks of all of your colleagues and employees as well as friends and family, how many thousands of people do you know as a company?  I am a huge fan of LinkedIn as many of you reading this will know, and right now I have access to over 10 million people through my connections, just by building up my international networks.  Add to that the connections of my staff and referral partners and the opportunities are endless.

The top tips below will help you to leverage your international networks in recruitment,or any other industry for that matter! This week my tips are solely focused on Linked In (more to come on all other social media in future blogs).

TOP TIPS FOR LINKED IN 

• Join your max. allocation of 50 Groups in LinkedIn, for your industry
• Connect with people through Groups, no email address needed 
• Use advanced search features: Search for your target market/candidates
• Learn about "Boolean Strings" for keyword searching (ask me!)
• Become active in discussions - carve a niche as an expert in your field
• Sign up to free webinars to educate yourself about LinkedIn
• Go to as many international conferences as you can and connect
• Update your status daily - become visible to your connections
• Credibility and Reputation online are critical 
• Make sure your profile is 100% complete including photo
• Ask for recommendations and try to have at least 10 on your profile 
• Ensure that you are not selling but providing compelling content

For ideas: You can view my LinkedIn profile here  

How to spend less time and achieve more on Social Media?

I highly recommend that you use the LinkedIn App which is available on all smartphones.  You can connect, invite, read news, post updates and see what is happening in your network whilst on the move.  I check in when I have a spare few minutes on the move. All of the other social media tools have Apps too.  Much quicker to use and free to download.

I also recommend tools such as Hootsuite to bring all social media updates into one place, this can include Facebook Personal, Facebook Fan Page, RSS Feeds, LinkedIn, Blogs, Twitter and you only have to post one update and you can send it out to all or some of your social networks without having to constantly log in and out of all the different websites.  

Leveraging your international networks in recruitment is absolutely paramount, online and social media is the future of recruitment and regardless of whether you are an in-house recruiter, hiring manager, CEO, HR manager or Recruitment Consultant in an agency, now is the time to invest in your future success and learn how to make your international networks work for you.

What is Volume Recruitment & How Does It Work?

Volume or high-volume recruitment can also be known as the following:  Seasonal Recruitment; Ramp-up Recruitment; In-house Recruitment; Onsite Recruitment or Bulk Recruitment.  A high volume recruitment project would typically happen when a company needs to hire large numbers of candidates in a stipulated time. Therefore to lessen the workload on HR and other departments of the company clients outsource the project to specialist recruitment providers.

Essentially any hiring project which involves between 5 and 500+ staff, at one time, would be considered a High-Volume recruitment project.  This is an area which very few recruitment companies are capable of delivering.  It is not simply about numbers, it is also about quality, as the learning curve of new hires is fast and they need to hit the ground running in their new position.  The selection process needs to be rigorous to ensure that the right people are being taken on regardless of whether it is 20+ people or 200+.   

In most cases, the client’s Recruitment/HR team, need help and support to make a project like this happen. Handling volumes of CV’s, interviews,   Assessment Centres, Reference Checks and all of the administration that needs to happen on a requirement of 350+ staff is both challenging and significant. Recruitment companies with this expertise have dedicated Project Managers who specialise in this. Back office support teams are used to handling volume, they have the ability to make a high volume project happen fast. 

Situations which might lead to a high-volume project:

-         Seasonal headcount increase – for example, a company may be forecasting a peak in their busiest quarter of the year, so an increase in headcount could mean a high volume recruitment solution.  This would be key for online retailers, gaming companies, travel companies etc.  This is usually for contract or temporary positions.

-       Winning a major client – a company which is bidding for new business, without the staffing levels in place needs to be quickly ramp-up staff when the business closes and go-ahead is given.  This would be relevant to outsourced call centres, where staffing levels can fluctuate significantly.

-         A Company arriving into a brand new country – for example, a company may be

    relocating to a new country such as Ireland or UK, and they have plans to establish a new Facility or European Shared Service Centre, in many cases this will involve a high-volume project, usually for permanent positions involving multiple languages and disciplines.   

The recruitment partner on a project like this will often perform tasks right from sourcing candidates through to final assessments, so choosing the right company with a track record and a solid approach to this type of recruitment is essential.   Mobilising teams quickly to be able to handle high volumes of CV’s and a volume driven recruitment campaign is critical. In most cases, there will be an element of onsite or in-house recruitment, where members of the recruitment agency project team would be working out of the clients office, to speed up the process and build a strong partnership with hiring managers.  

Selection of one or maximum two recruitment companies is vital, there will be a limited number of candidates in the market and each agency would be able to tap into a wide talent pool.  You will usually get a better price if you offer exclusivity to a recruitment company, although you would need to have a high level of trust in your recruitment partner to do so.  

High-Volume Recruitment provides peace of mind for the client in mass numbers in a stipulated time period. It helps save time and money for both the client and the agency. With this kind of services the agencies ensure good growth and development for the company and help to represent their client as an Employer of Choice, selling the opportunity to prospective candidates.  

If the project is for contract or temporary staff, they will usually be on the payroll of the agency, and an hourly rate will be agreed.  If the project is for a ramp-up project for a new company coming into the local market, then rather that a % per head fee, you should look to agree a total project cost for the completion of the whole project.  Build in milestone bonuses with your recruitment partner, so that they are fully accountable for reaching all of the recruitment goals and deadlines.  Your project cost can work out much more cost-effective and everyone knows where they stand on budget from the outset. 

Many recruitment companies will claim that they can deliver high-volume recruitment, but you will find that only a few of them are actually able to make it happen.  Always look for experience and expertise where high volumes have been involved, and speak to clients that they have previously worked on ramp-up campaigns for recommendations.  Always ensure you go through their recruitment procedures, ways of working and case studies of other similar high-volume projects before selecting your partner.  High-Volume recruitment is not for the feint-hearted, but it is great fun and always a rollercoaster ride!  

Tips for Selecting the Right Recruitment Partner

How can you be sure you are working with the right company when it comes to selecting a recruitment partner?  The answer to this question lies in the way in which you qualify and screen the agency to find out how they operate, and how they will add value to your business.  

Expect Talent is a proud member of the NRF, which is a voluntary organisation set up to establish/maintain standards & codes of practice for the Recruitment Industry.  Representing recruitment agencies throughout Ireland, NRF Members communicate their commitment to providing quality service by agreeing to abide by a strict Code of Conduct.   Some key important elements of the NRF Code of Conduct include:

• The agency must have an up to date recruitment agency licence (issued annually) 
• Candidates must be handled with respect, integrity and privacy at all times
• Candidates submitted to clients, must first be interviewed (phone or face-to-face)
• Candidates must be told which clients they have been submitted to
• Full candidate permission sought before submission
• References must not be sought without an applicant's consent
• Absolutely no poaching of placed staff
• Only real jobs should be advertised 

A Membership Ethics Committee ensures that this Code of Conduct is adhered to, so always check that the agency you are considering working with is a member of a professional recruitment body such as the NRF (depending on which location you are reading this).  There are currently 159 agencies who are members of the NRF in Ireland, however there are hundreds more listed in business directories, so make sure you are working with an agency who adheres to the NRF Code of Conduct, where you can be sure the ethics of that agency are in line with what you would expect.  The list above sounds standard to the outsider, but there are many companies out there who don't even do the basics well.

Here is a list of questions you should ask recruitment agencies when meeting with them to decide whether or not to work with them?

1.  Are you a member of the NRF? (or equivalent for your location)

2.  Describe in detail your selection process. (look for a lengthy, structured process)

3.  What checks will be done before submission?  (look for references and full interviews)

4.  What else will you send other than a CV? (look for detailed information)

5.  How many CV's will I receive? (look for quality and not quantity) 

6.  Can you provide written or verbal references from clients you have worked with?

7.  What experience do you have in recruiting for this sector/industry? (look for expertise)

8.  How are recruitment team incentivised? (look for NO commission or low commission)

9.  Where do you source candidates from?  What sourcing methods do you use?

10.When can I expect to see CV's from you? (those who give you short lead times, beware)

Ask to see material to back their answers up, look for a copy of their interview questions, internal processes and forms used throughout the process.  Do your homework, and speak to peers in other companies.  Usually those who are recommended or referred top the list.

I had an interesting call from a new client last week.  An ex-colleague who I worked with 10 years ago, gave me a senior role to work on for his company in the Middle East, and prior to speaking to me, he had spoken to another agency.  The other agency had promised him 20 CV's in an hour!!  What??  Yet another example of the industry being totally commission driven with no consideration for the client. I was amazed at how someone could do this, but it unfortunately happens all the time.  No wonder this industry has a bad reputation.   

We would much rather take 5 working days to interview, select and write up a detailed profile a maximum of 3 of the best candidates in the market, where all 3 are considered strong enough for interview, rather than waste a clients time filling their inbox with irrelevant CV's.  As a result, that client gave us exclusivity on their position and 1 week later is about to receive a small handful of the best talent in the market for their role.

When you have a vacancy for a recruitment agency to work on, make sure that you really drill them on their internal processes, their approach, their experience and philosophy to recruitment.  Contrary to popular belief giving the job to 20 agencies is NOT going to get you the perfect candidate.  You would be much better to select 1 or 2 key recruitment partners based on the above criteria and build a really strong relationship with them so that they get it right every time.  With some of our clients, they just know that when a detailed interview profile and CV hits their inbox from Expect Talent that it will always be good enough for the hiring manager to move to interview.  Establishing that level of trust with your agency is vital.  If you would like help in this area, please contact me and to the NRF, thank you for everything that you do for our industry standards.

It Was Much More than I "Expect"ed...

This weeks blog is written by 16-Year Old Aaron McCarthy, who has just completed his 2 week work placement with Expect Talent.  

   

"I remember the day when Samantha Rathling, a local Entrepreneur, came into my business class at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh (local School here in Cork) and taught us about the ins and outs of business.  She told us the history of her recruitment company Expect Talent and shared secrets to her success.

Four months later, and I have just finished two weeks of work experience with Expect Talent. My honest opinion? It was absolutely class.  Stepping into the office for the first time was like entering a new world. I have always wanted to be in charge of my own company when I’m older but, the thing is, I had absolutely no idea of what an office even looked like. 

I expected to see grey walls, kind of a warehouse type building and very little sunlight. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Stepping into the Expect Talent office really was like stepping into a new world. While the employees were hard at work, they seemed to work in a sort of relaxed manner. This surprised me, but in a good way. Throughout the two weeks, I realised just how friendly everybody seemed to be. There is a really great team spirit at Expect and I was delighted to be part of it.

            

         But, it wasn’t just the laissez-faire setup that made me love Expect. I mean, on the first day alone, I partook in an online BNI conference with people from all over the world; from America to Japan to Dubai. It was exceedingly cool. And, speaking of Dubai, I had thought Dubai was in a third-world country. And I was shocked to find out how beautiful Dubai is after I researched it.  I wasn’t even here a day and already I was learning so much.

            The following day, I went to a local BNI meeting; this time in Silversprings Hotel. Again, I found that this was a real eye-opener. I wasn’t even here two days and I had already decided that I liked working better than I liked school. So much for the seven dwarves complaining about having to go to work all the time!

            During the two weeks, my principal role was to search for candidates for companies and I worked on a brand new online project. It was really quite amazing. I also did internet research. I also listened in when Margaret, a Talent Manager was interviewing a candidate, after which I wrote up a candidate profile. Most people don’t get to see the other side of the interviewing panel. I was learning all the trade secrets!

            During the second week I went to a large multinational client, a huge call centre!! Incredible to see the size of the companies that Expect Talent works with.  On the second Thursday, Expect had their annual strategy day, which started with us watching "The Secret", a philosophy which Samantha the Managing Director lives and breathes by.  We then had to apply what we had learnt and set our personal goals and dreams for 2011 on paper.  Then Samantha outlined the plan for 2011 and the team contributed with ideas and analysis on moving the company forward.

            Today, we had “Friday club” and went out for something to eat locally as a team. It was delicious! I also did an video email with Samantha. It was my first video email, my first time with a webcam to be exact, and I found it really cool.

            To put how great I found this placement down into words would be very, very difficult. I learnt more from these two weeks than I arguably did during my whole time at secondary school. I had a brilliant time. I was given many chances of a lifetime; from online conferences to trips to huge companies. I got involved with the start up of an online business, the list goes on...  

           I did a lot of work but had a great time doing it. The team were great, Samantha was great and everybody was fantastic to work with. I had an amazing time and learnt many things that will help me with my future plans. All in all, I loved my time at Expect Talent. But, as I said, it is very difficult to put into words how fantastic I found this work placement. I suppose, the only short and concise sentence that will work is:  It was class! Thank you Samantha and the team."

Aaron McCarthy, Aged 16

Ramp-up Rathling - High Volume Talent Strategies

Ramp-up recruitment is a niche sector and not for the feint-hearted! I am not talking ten or twenty roles at a time, I am talking hundreds!  This weeks blog has been written to help those companies out there who have seasonal requirements and regularly have to ramp-up their headcount to cope with demand, such as increased call volumes, or winning new contracts meaning a spike in the level of staffing required to deliver for customers.

Expect Talent has become a leading expert in the field of 'Ramp-Up Recruitment' having recently completed a project for a global online retailer in the lead up to Christmas. Over 380 staff were recruited in 12 weeks across 3 languages, and this is a client who has retained us for the last 3 years in a row.  Another project we recently worked on for Bentley Systems in Dublin, saw us ramp-up a brand new Shared Services Centre from 0-130 permanent staff across 14 languages and 8 disciplines.

My top tips for companies looking to increase headcount and ramp-up staffing levels: 

Tip 1 - Know where to locate a high volume of candidates, know your market and the type of candidates you are looking to recruit.  If you have a clear idea of what your target pool of candidates looks like and where to find them, you can generate a strong pipeline of potential recruits.  This applies whether it is for permanent or contract roles.  High-volume recruitment is about just that!  Having a high-volume of people to select from in the first place.  Once you have the volume you can start to select who would be best to hire.  You can use jobsites, social media, forums, your networks, recruitment partners and staff referrals to name a few.

Tip 2 - Have a solid back-office system and internal processes to manage the very high volume of applications that you will receive.  Ramp-up recruitment can be draining on resources, so if you plan to manage a high-volume project internally you need to make sure that you have a full team in place.  They will manage administration, handle applications, responses to candidates, interview/assessment process.  Expect a significant amount of workload and plan for it.  Applications per vacancy are much higher in the current climate and your company reputation is critical in managing future hires.  You don't want to become "the company that never gets back to people".  This can impact on your ability to become an employer of choice and this kind of word of mouth can affect future application levels.

Tip 3 - Have a solid screening process from the outset.  One of the ways to minimise workload is to ask candidates to jump through some hoops before you will consider them, that way you know who is REALLY interested in the job! We use a 2 page application form which over 50% of people never go on to complete.  That saves our team lots of time by only working with those people who are serious about the opportunity.  If the candidate cannot be bothered to complete a 2 page application form then it is a great indication of their work ethic. 

Tip 4 - Assessment Centres can be a fantastic way to determine the best candidates for the position.  When we hired our 380+ candidates in 2010, every single one of them went through a 2 hour+ Assessment Centre and interview process, in fact not only did these people go through the Assessment but the other 600 or so that did not make it through also went through the same process.  Managing this volume of Assessments is time-consuming but essential.  The quality of the candidates hired regardless of how many you are employing is of course paramount.  Having a robust Assessment Centre where candidates can come along, learn about the role and company and then take verbal and written tests to demonstrate their skills is vital.  We usually work with the client's existing format or can design and tailor-make assessment centres for our clients needs.

Tip 5 - Communication with all candidates throughout the project.  Regardless of the stage of their application is vital to maintaining a great reputation in the market.  Even if unsuccessful, it is important to ensure that all candidates are contacted with their feedback as to whether or not they are successful in the position.  Those that you hire will of course be delighted and the onboarding process through to the end of their training period must be handled in the correct way, however those who need to be rejected should also be treated with care.  This goes back to having a great system and great processes internally but can often get lost in the busy hiring period.

As I said at the start, ramp-up recruitment is not for the feint-hearted! It takes patience, expertise, a great project team and access to high numbers of candidates in the first place.  There are very few agencies who specialise in this niche part of the recruitment sector so I hope this blog has given you some insight as to what is involved in hiring quality people in high volumes.  I am starting to get myself the name "Ramp-Up Rathling" which is sticking with those who know me! I am more than happy to help advise and answer questions on this topic, even if you are not in a position to call in the experts.  Please post your comments below.