Provide expertise - not resumes, recruitment expert says

Recruiters need to be more proactive and consultative, rather than transactional, to ensure their own and the industryís future success, recruiters were told at Fridayís Recruitment and Consulting Services Association (RCSA) Vic/Tas regionís Consultants Conference in Melbourne.

One of the industryís most respected figures, CEO of Aquent International, Mr Greg Savage MRCSA (Life), reinforced the Conference theme, Achievement- How to Be the Best You Can Be, with an enlightening speech on how consultants can maximise their potential.

ìTrust, and the belief clients have in your ability and judgement, are the key differences between winners and losers in recruitment,î Mr Savage said.

ìIt starts with attitude. Donít be embarrassed by being a recruitment consultant; you are the expert, so behave as though you are one.

ìThe next step is to share the ownership of the clientís recruitment problem and solution. Decide whether you simply provide resumes, or genuine expertise,î he told Consultants.

Delegates were told the secret formula to recruitment is to have high quality briefings with both clients and candidates.

ìFilling a job does not start with finding a candidate, it starts from the moment you take the job. Managing the expectations of your client by continuously qualifying their needs is vital and gives us the skills to compete,î Mr Savage said.

ìSuccess in recruitment is about connecting- sometimes that means not using technology and instead building relationships through actively speaking to clients or candidates. What we need is more ëneck-topí and less ëdesk-topí,î he said.

Mr Ross Clennett, Performance Coach at Ingenious Coaching, agreed with Mr Savageís perspective.

ìWe are not pharmacists, we are doctors. When a client asks for what they think they need, rather than just getting it for them, we should ask enough questions to help them see whether it is really the solution. We need to provide a different perspective,î he said.

The RCSA Vic/Tas Consultants Conference was the first of a series that will take place in all regions around Australia. It was also the first time an RCSA Conference has addressed recruitment consultants separately to their managers.

ìHaving a conference tailored to consultants proved a success as the sessions were more relevant to their needs, making it a more interesting learning experience for everyone,î CEO of the RCSA, Ms Julie Mills said.