As someone who has worked in recruitment across multiple markets for more than 20 years, I’ve heard plenty said about our industry and how it operates.
I wanted to take the opportunity in this blog to bust some of the recruitment myths I come across consistently in the hope that it will improve outcomes for our clients and candidates.
Sometimes the advice can be hard to hear and go against a Hiring Manager’s gut feelings or previous experience. But I’m confident that by taking this advice and re-setting perceptions around what a Recruiter does behind the scenes, everyone will be better off.
So, here are my top three myths about the recruitment industry.
Myth 1: Recruitment Consultants Read CVs in Six Seconds
The “Six Second Rule” is quoted to me regularly, and is based on a research study completed by The Ladders in 2012 (later updated to 7.4 seconds in 2018).
From my experience, this simply isn’t true, and like with all research, we’re missing a nuance here. If you’re asking if I can eliminate a candidate within six or seven seconds the answer is probably yes.
That’s because my methodology (which actually matches the eye-tracking results on the 2018 report) is to scan the CV and identify red flags that will quickly exclude the candidate.
Red flags might include:
- The two most recent roles/companies are not relevant to the vacancy
- The CV is badly written and the candidate’s skills and experience are poorly explained
- There are typos and spelling mistakes
- Information and data is inconsistent throughout
If I see these errors on the first page, I’m unlikely to read on to the second. Conversely, I have a list of green ticks that I look for on the first page, including:
- The CV has relevant skills for this job or another one we have
- The candidate has worked for companies we know and/or recognise
- Degree qualifications are relevant and clearly displayed on the front page
If I see these points, I will continue reading on to the second page and decide on whether to organise a call to discuss the role in more detail. This second part of the process takes longer than quoted six or seven seconds.
The advice for candidates here is to make sure all of your relevant data and information is on the first page of your CV don’t leave all the good stuff to the final page. And pay attention to detail!
Myth 2: Recruitment Agencies Should Offer Longer Guarantee Periods
Most recruitment agencies, including our team at Patch Personnel, offer a three-month guarantee period on all hires. That means that if the candidate resigns from their position within that initial period, we will replace them at no extra cost to the employer.
More and more, we’re now being asked to extend this period to six months so that it aligns with the candidate’s probation period. We understand this and don’t mind agreeing to it but it has to be at a different fee structure. The reason all comes down to risk mitigation. We are essentially taking on additional risk between that three-to-six-month period so generally expect to add an extra few percent to the fee.
Within the first three months of a standard guarantee period, we maintain a close relationship with the candidate seeing them through their initial onboarding process and supporting them with any early issues.
This might include things like changes to the job description or access to software or people that were promised during the recruitment process. Since they are new to the role, it can often be easier for us to mediate these concerns on behalf of our candidates because they have a less-established relationship with their employer.
However, after that initial three-month period our contact and influence wanes. The candidate should now have a solid working relationship with their Manager and they are more likely to address concerns directly.
By stepping back and reducing our influence, we have less ability to address concerns before the candidate makes the decision to resign. And that’s why we can’t take on that risk.
Myth 3: Multi-Listing Achieves Better Outcomes
Something we see a lot is a Hiring Manager sending out a new job to three or four recruitment agencies at the same time. The thinking behind this is that they will get a better result and increased diversity of candidates if Recruiters have to compete for a single commission.
But in reality, the opposite is often true. From a recruitment agency’s perspective, it’s a numbers game and statistically we only have a 25% chance of getting the placement. That means we need to take on three other similar roles for the chance of getting the same fee as a regular placement.
But, working across four jobs rather than one job means a reduced level of attention and care. It often becomes a foot race in doing the worst job quickest. In order to represent a candidate, we are incentivised to present their CVs as fast as possible which can result in poor screening and interviewing.
It can also damage an employer’s brand. Think about it from the perspective of the candidate you’re approached by multiple agencies within a 24-hour period about the same role. Does the job feel exclusive? Do you feel special?
Rather than compromising on the level of service, calibre of applicants and candidate experience, we suggest Exclusive Listings. This involves appointing one recruitment partner to manage the placement exclusively for a period of 10-15 days.
It provides the chosen recruiter with time to manage the process properly and dedicate their full attention to finding the best candidate. Plus, there’s no upfront fee so employers don’t have to step into a retained model before they’re ready.
We believe this results in a good experience for the client, the candidate and the recruiter!
Your Engineering, Mining, Construction and Gas Recruitment Specialists
If you’d like to discuss any of these recruitment myths in detail, please give me or my team a call. We’ve all worked for many years as recruitment consultants, so have a solid understanding of both the recruitment industry as well as our clients’ specialist sectors.
Here at Patch Personnel, we connect the best mining, engineering and construction professionals across Australia with employers like you. Get in touch today to find out how we can find your next hire.