Recruiters experience their share of ups and downs in the industry. They experience great satisfaction from consistently hiring and placing employees in the right positions. Unfortunately, even the best recruiters can experience these all-too-common disasters.
Employees who confuse contract work with permanent employment. It’s no surprise that many people hope their contract work will lead to permanent employment, especially for high-profile companies. Unfortunately, regardless of the number of times that you’ve repeated the phrase contract assignment, there are some who will just not get it. Numerous stories exist of contract employees approaching on-site supervisors about salaries and benefits. These types of scenarios might lead to uncomfortable conversations and awkward situations, but can often be remedied through coaching. However, when the contract employee relocates for a position anticipating permanent employment, the stakes get a little higher. Relocation can be kind of a big deal, so it’s really important to make sure that your globe-trotting candidate truly understands the risk involved.
Placing someone who doesn’t fit the company culture. Sure, that candidate looked amazing on paper. After all, he had every skill that was required and years of experience to back it up. He said all the right things in the interview, but you had an inkling that something was off. You couldn’t put your finger on it, so you proceeded anyway. As it turns out, the “something” that was off was the candidate’s personality. It didn’t mesh with the client’s expectations. Maybe, it was the baby boomer who didn’t fit with the laid-back tech start-up or fresh college grad who didn’t meet the expectations of the half-dozen mother-hen types in the office. Just because a candidate has the right skills and experience doesn’t mean that the position is the right fit. The company culture is an important factor to consider. That doesn’t mean you cast judgment and pigeon hole every candidate. Offer the opportunity, but if you have concerns make sure you talk to the candidate and client about their expectations before finalizing the placement.
Placing someone with a customer who fails to train them appropriately. A new client is always exciting. Finding a candidate to fit their needs is beautiful. Later, fielding calls from the client that your employee isn’t coming up to speed as they’d hoped or calls from the employee stating that she is having trouble adjusting…not so great. Lack of adequate training is a burden in every industry and to salaried and contract employees alike. Setting the expectation with a new client from the start can alleviate a lot of stress down the road. It’s probably a good idea to find out what kind of training or onboarding process they already have in place, too. Of course, it’s equally important to check in with your employee frequently in the first few weeks to make sure they have what they need. It’s better to find out early that your employee is not getting the training she needs so you can advocate for her. Otherwise, you end up with a dissatisfied customer, a frustrated employee, and potentially having to refill the position.
Embarrassing interviews. Not every interview can be great, but many recruiters have had downright embarrassing interviews. Maybe you work in a small town, or maybe a not-so-small town, but you have a big network. Now, let’s say you are interviewing a candidate and he continually indicates his extreme dissatisfaction with his co-workers. He paints a pretty grim picture, so it’s easy to empathize until you find out that one of his co-workers is a distant relative. Awkward! How about a candidate with a foul mouth? Everyone has a different opinion on what language is appropriate or inappropriate in certain circumstances. It should go without saying that foul language does not belong in an interview. So, what do you do when a candidate continually uses potty talk during your interview? Depending on the situation, maybe you feel it could be a coaching opportunity or maybe it seals the deal.
Candidate chooses the wrong reference. Most resumes and employment applications require references. Applicants don’t always make the best choice in references, though. This is unfortunate because if you’re checking references, then the candidate has probably already made it through a screening process and possibly an interview. When you pick up the phone to have a quick chat with his references, you find out that your candidate’s references are not expecting your call, they’re not happy about it. This unexpected call reminds them of all the ways that your candidate has failed to meet expectations in the past, and it all goes downhill from there. It’s always a good idea to remind candidates that you’ll be calling to check their references. Maybe that will prompt them to notify their references.
Candidate accepts the assignment, then disappears from the face of the planet.There’s always an immense sense of relief when you fill a position. After all, you’ve made it through sourcing, screening, interviewing, hiring, checking references, coordinating client interviews, making a job offer. Then, the candidate’s start date arrives and she doesn’t show up. You receive a call from the frustrated client and attempt to smooth over the situation. After all, she accepted the job and she’s a professional. Something has gone wrong, but it can be fixed, right? You bet something’s wrong. Your candidate doesn’t return your phone calls or emails and then you notice her new job title on LinkedIn.
She took another job even though she accepted yours. Nothing is more frustrating to a recruiter. After all, you’ve been an advocate for your candidate, helping her secure a position with your client. Now, she’s acted completely unprofessional and made you lose credibility with your client. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done here except apologize to your client, start the process over again and note the unprofessional conduct of the previous candidate in her file.
All recruiters face their share of good and bad times.
The best you can do is learn from your mistakes and improve your processes where you’re able. Everyone in the job market is not a professional, but maybe you can help them become one. Offering coaching and training experiences are good ways to let your candidates know you care about them and want them to succeed. In the meantime, you’re engaging your candidates in meaningful opportunities, so that you can build a relationship out of mutual respect and professionalism.
An article by SEO Singapore Master | Digital Marketing Singapore Guru - https://dougleschan.com/Dougles Chan
Employees who confuse contract work with permanent employment. It’s no surprise that many people hope their contract work will lead to permanent employment, especially for high-profile companies. Unfortunately, regardless of the number of times that you’ve repeated the phrase contract assignment, there are some who will just not get it. Numerous stories exist of contract employees approaching on-site supervisors about salaries and benefits. These types of scenarios might lead to uncomfortable conversations and awkward situations, but can often be remedied through coaching. However, when the contract employee relocates for a position anticipating permanent employment, the stakes get a little higher. Relocation can be kind of a big deal, so it’s really important to make sure that your globe-trotting candidate truly understands the risk involved.
Placing someone who doesn’t fit the company culture. Sure, that candidate looked amazing on paper. After all, he had every skill that was required and years of experience to back it up. He said all the right things in the interview, but you had an inkling that something was off. You couldn’t put your finger on it, so you proceeded anyway. As it turns out, the “something” that was off was the candidate’s personality. It didn’t mesh with the client’s expectations. Maybe, it was the baby boomer who didn’t fit with the laid-back tech start-up or fresh college grad who didn’t meet the expectations of the half-dozen mother-hen types in the office. Just because a candidate has the right skills and experience doesn’t mean that the position is the right fit. The company culture is an important factor to consider. That doesn’t mean you cast judgment and pigeon hole every candidate. Offer the opportunity, but if you have concerns make sure you talk to the candidate and client about their expectations before finalizing the placement.
Placing someone with a customer who fails to train them appropriately. A new client is always exciting. Finding a candidate to fit their needs is beautiful. Later, fielding calls from the client that your employee isn’t coming up to speed as they’d hoped or calls from the employee stating that she is having trouble adjusting…not so great. Lack of adequate training is a burden in every industry and to salaried and contract employees alike. Setting the expectation with a new client from the start can alleviate a lot of stress down the road. It’s probably a good idea to find out what kind of training or onboarding process they already have in place, too. Of course, it’s equally important to check in with your employee frequently in the first few weeks to make sure they have what they need. It’s better to find out early that your employee is not getting the training she needs so you can advocate for her. Otherwise, you end up with a dissatisfied customer, a frustrated employee, and potentially having to refill the position.
Embarrassing interviews. Not every interview can be great, but many recruiters have had downright embarrassing interviews. Maybe you work in a small town, or maybe a not-so-small town, but you have a big network. Now, let’s say you are interviewing a candidate and he continually indicates his extreme dissatisfaction with his co-workers. He paints a pretty grim picture, so it’s easy to empathize until you find out that one of his co-workers is a distant relative. Awkward! How about a candidate with a foul mouth? Everyone has a different opinion on what language is appropriate or inappropriate in certain circumstances. It should go without saying that foul language does not belong in an interview. So, what do you do when a candidate continually uses potty talk during your interview? Depending on the situation, maybe you feel it could be a coaching opportunity or maybe it seals the deal.
Candidate chooses the wrong reference. Most resumes and employment applications require references. Applicants don’t always make the best choice in references, though. This is unfortunate because if you’re checking references, then the candidate has probably already made it through a screening process and possibly an interview. When you pick up the phone to have a quick chat with his references, you find out that your candidate’s references are not expecting your call, they’re not happy about it. This unexpected call reminds them of all the ways that your candidate has failed to meet expectations in the past, and it all goes downhill from there. It’s always a good idea to remind candidates that you’ll be calling to check their references. Maybe that will prompt them to notify their references.
Candidate accepts the assignment, then disappears from the face of the planet.There’s always an immense sense of relief when you fill a position. After all, you’ve made it through sourcing, screening, interviewing, hiring, checking references, coordinating client interviews, making a job offer. Then, the candidate’s start date arrives and she doesn’t show up. You receive a call from the frustrated client and attempt to smooth over the situation. After all, she accepted the job and she’s a professional. Something has gone wrong, but it can be fixed, right? You bet something’s wrong. Your candidate doesn’t return your phone calls or emails and then you notice her new job title on LinkedIn.
She took another job even though she accepted yours. Nothing is more frustrating to a recruiter. After all, you’ve been an advocate for your candidate, helping her secure a position with your client. Now, she’s acted completely unprofessional and made you lose credibility with your client. Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done here except apologize to your client, start the process over again and note the unprofessional conduct of the previous candidate in her file.
All recruiters face their share of good and bad times.
The best you can do is learn from your mistakes and improve your processes where you’re able. Everyone in the job market is not a professional, but maybe you can help them become one. Offering coaching and training experiences are good ways to let your candidates know you care about them and want them to succeed. In the meantime, you’re engaging your candidates in meaningful opportunities, so that you can build a relationship out of mutual respect and professionalism.
An article by SEO Singapore Master | Digital Marketing Singapore Guru - https://dougleschan.com/Dougles Chan
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