So, it’s fair to say that I have spent many years telling my team (and anyone else who will listen) how important it is to create a network of people that trust you to act professionally, honestly and deliver quality results. This is true for both candidates and clients.
I think that if I was still in my 20’s and someone kept telling me this that it might just wear a bit thin. But here’s the thing: In the last 10 days, I have had three telephone calls from prospective new clients who have been referred to me by people in my network, and we now have meetings lined up with all of those to go and discuss how we can assist them with their recruitment needs. One of these referrals is from someone who I first met in late 1999. It is no use having a big network if you don’t keep in touch with them. Eventually people will forget about you if you don’t reach out to them from time to time.
These phone calls prove that despite all of the tools available to us in the digital age, word of mouth and a good reputation are still as important as ever.
I have always said that it takes a long time to build a good reputation, but 30 seconds and a stupid indiscretion to destroy that reputation. Something that some people never recover from. So next time you speak to a candidate or a client, or just someone you get introduced to at a networking event, don’t just think about the short term benefit of that introduction, think about the long term opportunity. It’s like driving on the motorway – look further ahead and you have a better chance of seeing what’s coming.
Jeremy Lennard
Managing Director
JS3 Recruitment Ltd