In praise of the choosy candidate
So I’m in recruiting. Its going well thank you very much…but it just feels about time I put right some perceptions that I’m coming across day in & day out.
So everyone thinks its DREADFUL out there & nobody’s getting anywhere & no-one’s getting opportunities & there ‘are NO jobs.’ STOP….because that’s not right….. Not at all – however the spin off of all this spin is that I’m finding candidates are coming to interviews having felt harangued & ‘persuaded’ by their last Agency to take an interview with a client that they are genuinely disinterested in. They’re told there’s an endless stream of ready & waiting candidates. They’re expected to have no choice nor opinion of where they work & its intimated that they should be thankful for the opportunity of an interview at all? Well let me say this now – it’s not like that. At all.
Last week I had a candidate turn down a job offer though she only had 2 weeks left on her long term contract to go – no biggie, she just didn’t gel with the client. I interviewed someone yesterday who though being made redundant 8 months ago is waiting for the right role & not jumping at anything & everything that comes along & a month ago & was in the middle of a tough negotiation between a candidate that wanted £1500 more than the offer. She got it.
Despite the perception, the reality is that candidates are not running at any role & any job blindly. They’ve not lost their choosiness & they are still – in the main – weighing up job offers against personal happiness / choices / lifestyle. They’re individuals that have opinions & realize that though the market isn’t as buoyant as it was 3 years ago, this next role is for keeps & they don’t want to have to go through the trauma of losing their job again or (worse) making a mistake. And I celebrate & support that.
Too many Agencies ‘bully’ the candidates into taking the roles for their own ends – not the candidates. I won’t be a part of that. I see my role as too important to be flippant about someone not being able to meet their mortgage because I cajoled them into a role to make a sales target. Admittedly mistakes can be made – but if all 3 parties involved (me, the client & the candidate) set out with honest & genuine intentions – in my experience the process works!
So let’s hear it for the candidates out there. Long may you be choosy & vocal – it makes my job so much more entertaining & valid!
I’m Roseanne Stockton & I successfully run Nu-Recruit Career Consultants – I place permanent candidates of the very best caliber into great local employers & jobs in Liverpool, Chester & Manchester. In a no-fuss, no nonsense way. And I love what I do. Call me if you think my 19 years of experience will help you get the best candidate for your job! And please feel free comment on my Blog…..
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