Robert Samuels – JS3 Recruitment
A few months ago I decided to further my career in recruitment and work for a company that could give me the opportunity to work across multiple sectors as opposed to being strictly an automotive recruiter. This blog highlights some of the changes and challenges I have had to face so far:
It’s fair to say that moving sector has not been as simple as I thought it would be.
As soon as I received my first vacancy to work on I learned that despite being reasonably experienced in Automotive Recruitment I didn’t know where to start in this new role! This hit me really hard and made it difficult to settle in to my new role. It was like I had to start training in recruitment all over again. I had no clue what questions to ask a candidate or what to look for on a CV. Frankly I had no idea what the positions were or what they meant.
It got to a point where I spent most of my time researching on Google rather than on the phone speaking to candidates. What I realised pretty quickly was that the best way to learn about these industries and utilise my time was to pick up the phone and call as many people as I could, who I thought were relevant and ask those people all sorts of questions about their role and industries they work in. I found that the majority of candidates were willing to help me if I was honest with them and in doing so it increased my chances of helping them to find their next role.
From doing this I’ve learned so much about different roles within industries that I barely knew existed. Not only was it faster but also much more enjoyable. The advantages of this are that you establish relationships with people who might not be candidates or clients when you first call but eventually they could be. I keep being told to think about the long term opportunity and I am able to see this now. The reason being is that because you showed them that you’re not just a recruiter who’s trying to sell them a job. You’re actually showing them that you care and are taking an interest in their work, willing to listen and learn about what they are trying to achieve. It’s a journey that we can be on together. My Managing Director is still talking to candidates who he placed 15+ years ago and they are now his clients. That’s what I’m trying to do too.
Doing this goes a long way to building credibility with people. I think that candidates and clients respect honesty rather than pretending that you know everything. Having these conversations can really help you save time and effort in the future because if you’re someone they enjoy speaking to they’ll find the time to have a conversation with you and potentially give you a few roles to work or recommend someone that’s looking. Perhaps that person could be the answer to a long and painful few days of searching to fill that tricky role and it will come from you picking up the phone and taking an interest, like a ripple effect.
As easy as this can be to read the process really does take time and things definitely won’t happen straight away but it’s about being patient, putting in the hard work and taking the time to learn from every call.