Whether you are a jobseeker or a business seeking new talent, it is highly recommended that you meet your recruitment partner. Ultimately, they are there to help the best candidates fill the right jobs. Yet, why is meeting your recruitment partner important? There are many reasons why both job seekers and businesses should have that face-to-face contact with their recruiter. It’ll give you confidence that you’re working with the right person and assist in the creation of a deeper understanding of what is required from both sides.
What is a recruitment partner?
For candidates, a recruitment partner is there to help you find the right role based on your experience and skill set. They are there to represent you to potential employers and sell your skills and experience. But how does it work? Many agencies will list adverts for open positions that you can then apply for and, if you fit the criteria you will be contacted for a further discussion. If your experience and expertise meets the requirements of the role, they will most likely schedule a meeting to discuss further. This is for two reasons. First, to determine your suitability for the vacancy applied for. However, they’ll also look to develop a comprehensive understanding of your skills, experience and what you want in your next role. As a result, this might actually open up further opportunities for you as they may have other suitable roles available. In some cases, recruiters may reach out to you - even if you aren’t looking for a job - to see whether or not you’d be interested in a role they believe you’d be suitable for. So to keep it simple, they are there to support your career aspirations, providing you with access to the right employers and job vacancies.
Whereas for businesses, a recruiter will find candidates able to meet their hiring needs, achieve their long-term goals and add value to the organisation. They’re able to play an integral role as the eyes and ears of the company out on the marketplace, identifying the best talent available at any time. Recruiters can really become a valued partner for any company, providing an invaluable insight into what is going on across the industry. Their main goal is to source the right talent to ensure your business is hiring a person who fits the job criteria perfectly. They will work with you to understand what exactly you are looking for and identify current and future requirements.
As a business, what are the benefits of meeting your recruitment partner?
Meeting with your recruitment partner is highly beneficial for both you and the growth of your business. When working with someone outside your company, it is important that they are right for you and will help you achieve success. You need to feel comfortable that they have the ability to represent your company in the best possible light across the market. Meeting with them face-to-face gives you the opportunity to examine this. Meeting your recruiter doesn’t just have to be at the start of the process; the best results are seen when there is constant contact throughout its duration. This could include after each interview (exchanging interview feedback), at offer stage and post-placement to ensure everything continues to run smoothly. This gives you increased value from the fee you’ll pay for their services upon placement.
Another reason you should be meeting with your recruitment partner is that it allows them to get a more in-depth understanding of the vacant position. This then ensures they can work towards matching the correct skill set, experience, salary and personality to your role. It gives you the freedom to be as specific as you need and give a clear view of what and who you are looking for - this will also help with staff retention and the overall culture fit at your company. It’ll also avoid wasted time reviewing submitted CV’s or interviewing candidates not suitable for the role. Having close contact with your recruitment partner also means that you can give them feedback for the candidate that has been interviewed.
It is important that your recruiter is able to portray your business in a positive light; answering any questions potential candidates have about your company. Potential applicants can be put off applying for roles if they feel the recruiter doesn’t know enough about the company or is unable to satisfy any reservations they might have. Therefore, welcoming your recruitment partner into the office to meet the team will also allow them to get a feel for the business and the type of people that will fit in there. If your recruiter has seen the work environment they can also pass this information onto potential candidates, giving them an insight into your company and what it is like to be part of the team. This can play an integral role attracting candidates who want to know more than solely the responsibilities of the job.
As a candidate, why should you meet your recruitment partner?
It is vital that as a candidate you are meeting with your recruitment partner - again it helps build that professional relationship. It is easy for a recruiter to see who you really are -rather than just reading your CV - as they can get an understanding of your personality and establish the types of roles you will perform best in. They are also able to work as your eyes and ears for determining culture fit, the potential opportunities for you in the business and what the role will entail. It allows your recruiter to get to know you as a person and understand who is behind the pages of the CV or the LinkedIn profile.
More often than not, your recruitment partner and the employer will have a process in place to communicate regularly. Therefore, meeting the recruiter helps to work in your favour. It gives you the opportunity to express how you felt the interviews or meetings went and receive feedback from your interviewer, explaining how they felt you did. This will then help you to progress further and apply the feedback in your next interview. In fact, it was said that 53% of people found it was a positive experience to receive feedback from the company, even if they didn’t get the job.
In many cases, hiring companies request that the candidates who have already been submitted for application are met beforehand to help ensure the right talent is being put forward for the role. This is done to prevent time from being wasted (for all parties) and increase the chances of successfully filling the vacancy from the very start of the process.
So, why is meeting your recruitment partner important? Face to face meetings - for both candidates and businesses - help a recruiter to understand exactly what is required for the role and scout the best talent to fill the position. Their goal is to bring value to your company and make the hiring process that little bit less stressful - without them it would be hard to fill job roles with the right personnel. Furthermore, as a candidate it’ll also help them to sell your skills and experience more effectively.
Here at GMP Recruitment we offer high value and bespoke recruitment solutions. Our expert team is always on hand to provide you with information regarding opportunities that could be available for you. Contact us today on 01905 958333 or drop us an email at info@gmprecruitment.co.uk to discuss how we can help you!