Entry Level Job Placement From a Recruiter’s Point of View
ningcontentTwo recruiters from Todays Office Professionals, Sean Rice, district manager in Dallas, TX; and Kenneth Davis, account manager in Alpharetta, GA gave insight to all the things recruiters have to consider when working with entry level job seekers.
1. What is the recruiter’s responsibility to the candidate?
Sean Rice: A recruiter is responsible for assisting candidates in making successful, well-suited job placements. In order to successfully place a candidate on a job order, a recruiter must know how to listen and they need to ask the right questions of their candidates. I believe that recruiters need to establish a trusting relationship with their candidate in order to receive honest information in return. The candidate needs to feel confident in their recruiter, as they are relying on that individual to assist them is finding a job.
Kenneth Davis: I feel that the recruiter’s responsibility to the candidate is to always be honest. I always put myself in the candidate’s shoes and think of the information that I would like to know if meeting with a staffing company, especially if this is the candidate’s first time signing up with a staffing company. It is important to always deliver 100% customer/quality service.
- Always be up front about the positions that are available (whether they are temporary, temp to hire or direct hire)
- Discuss the hiring process in detail
- I explain the benefits of working for a staffing company such as Todays Office Professionals (what makes us stand out from other companies)
- I really feel that it is important to make sure that the candidate not only has a pleasant experience when coming in for their appointment, but that they leave with all the necessary information they need. By doing this will make the candidate not venture off to another staffing company
2. What should a candidate do if a recruiter isn’t serving his/her best interests?
SR: A candidate should communicate effectively with his or her recruiter if they feel that they are not being assisted properly or that their best interest is not being served. It is essential that the candidate be completely honest with the recruiter as to what their expectations of the recruiter are and make certain that all lines of communication are always open. In order for a successful placement to be made, both a candidate and the recruiter need to be on the same page.
KD: I think that the candidate should bring this issue to the recruiter’s attention in a professional manner because the recruiter may not even be aware that the candidate is not happy with the service.
3. What is the recruiter’s responsibility to employers?
SR: It is the recruiter’s responsibility to do their best to find the appropriate candidates to fill their clients’ orders. Recruiters are responsible for listening to and observing all of the important details of their clients’ needs in order to ensure that they can make a successful match between client and candidate. A recruiter should always make certain that they have a clear understanding of a job description before they present a candidate. They need to be sure to apply thorough follow up and quality assurance checks to the employer.
KD: Outside of delivering 100% customer/quality service, I think that as recruiters we need to go above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that the client is serviced (“The Todays Way”, which entails weekly quality checks, customer visits etc.)
Always make sure when filling a new order that the client is always aware of the pricing, company policies, benefits (vacation pay, holiday pay etc..). If I am working with a new client, I always set up an appointment to view the facility. This helps me to place the most qualified candidate in the client company’s culture and allows me to better describe the work environment to potential candidates.
4. To the recruiting agency?
SR: A recruiter needs to make certain that the employees they hire are individuals that will represent both the agency and their clients. They need to make certain that they are hiring quality candidates that have the skill sets they can place and sell to customers. The recruiter needs to make certain that they are checking all proper employee identification and that reference checks are being completed to agency standards.
KD: The responsibility a recruiter has to the staffing company they are working for is commitment. It is important for the recruiter to be totally committed to their company’s mission and follow the policies and procedures 100%, while giving both the candidate and client the absolute best quality/customer service.
Entry level job seekers have a lot to think about when deciding to enlist the aid of recruiters in their job searches. But it’s clear that recruiters, too, have a lot to consider before taking on new candidates or clients.
