Recruiters must stay positive to succeed

Focus on cash; remember your candidates and stay positive. Thatís the message from recruiters responding to a snapshot survey undertaken by Lander Associates, training and performance experts to the international specialist recruitment sector.

ìPositivity was a recurring theme among our respondentsî, said Fiona Lander, Managing Director. ìOne of our clients suggested selling a positive story every day to clients and candidates while another has instigated ëraise your game meetingsí in order to ensure positive responses to any issue.î

Respondents also warned against relying on a larger candidate pool. As one recruiter commented: ìDonít forget that your candidates are your customers too and while it may be hard to find them a role, if you donít treat them well, when the roles return, they wonít!î

Cash and credit management were obvious strong themes. ìOne of our clients has appointed a ëcredit crunch controlleríî said Lander. ìSimilarly, another of our clients advised on abandoning turnover for the sake of it: ëcash in the bank is the harsh reality so concentrate on getting the money iní.î

Other tips included remaining visible and leading from the front; keeping a sense of humour and to use common sense when cutting overheads. And in the words of Charles Darwin: ìItís not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones who are most responsive to change!î