New Year, Happy Candidates

Many of us use the New Year as a time to change aspects of our lives for the better. This is why it is such a popular time to start looking for a new job. Recruiters play a vital role in making jobhunting easy and pain free for candidates but it can sometimes be difficult to know what services are most important. Leading online recruiter Jobsite (www.jobsite.co.uk) was very busy in 2006 in its quest to find out what candidates are looking for from a recruitment agency. The findings, and initiatives that Jobsite launched in response, are summarised below.

Best Recruiter Practice ñ There is now a simple way for recruitment agencies to assess their service levels. Called RecruitRank, itís a feedback tool launched by Jobsite with the aim of recognising recruiter best practice. It enables candidates to anonymously comment on their experiences of working with recruitment agencies. This feedback is then sent on a monthly basis to the recruiters, which enables them to find out in what areas they excel and where there may be room for improvement. Jobsite displays the Top 10 recruitment agencies on their homepage, in a table which is updated daily. This allows existing and potential candidates to see the agencies that other jobhunters have had good experiences with. The winners and finalists of the inaugural RecruitRank Awards, launched in November 2006, are also highlighted on the site, further promoting those agencies who offer first class customer service.

Two-way Communication ñ If a candidate has made the effort to apply for a vacancy that an agency has advertised, itís common courtesy for that agency to let them know that their application has been received. Itís also advisable at this stage to outline how the process will work. If the client is taking a while to make a decision, the agency shouldnít stop communicating with the candidates. A short email will let them know that things are still being progressed. Another good idea is to communicate with the entire candidate base via a regular newsletter which includes information on new opportunities and changes within the industry. By constantly communicating with them, they will understand that their agency is doing all it can to place them in the right job.

Industry Knowledge ñ 12% of Jobsite candidates would rate a recruitment agency highly, and would be more likely to use them again, if they had good industry knowledge. Recruiters should keep up to date by reading key industry media and attending industry conferences and exhibitions. That way a recruitment agencyís clients can feel confident that the candidates being put forward for interviews have the necessary skills set not just to carry out the work in todayís environment, but also to adapt to the anticipated changes in the industry. By knowing the ins and outs of that sector, recruiters will be able to let candidates know exactly what they need, answer all their questions and manage their expectations.

Cultural Fit ñ Ask your candidates to update their CVs to include a section with their ideals, beliefs or personality, as this will enable you to gauge if they will fit into the workplace culture at the potential employer you have in mind for them. This is an issue more important than you think. A large number of employees feel their personalities donít match that of the companies they work for ñ Jobsite research revealed that over 66% would move to an organisation that fitted their personality better. It works both ways ñ the research also showed that 67% of organisations have released employees after their probation period, citing incompatible personality and attitude. Therefore, recruiters should focus on matching companies and candidates ñ a good match is a win-win situation. To find out what type of culture would suit your candidates best, ask them to go online and take the Jobsite Personal Profiles test at http://www.jobsite.co.uk/cgi-bin/myjobsite_questionnaire.cgi

Candidate Power ñ Jobsiteís survey of UK jobseekers revealed that three out of four workers believe it is up to them to balance the demands of their work and life, but that only 15% take advantage of their companyís work-life offering. Ask candidates about what their needs are and it will be easier to find suitable employers. Do communicate the work-life initiatives clients offer each time you speak to your candidate about a vacancy for which you would like to put their CV forward.

If you want more tips on candidate relations and would like to make the process of finding them a great, new job easier, visit: