I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to recruiting but I've learnt a lot in 6 months. In particular, I've focused on business development within our young Virtual Recruitment Business and I have found the following are the five fundamental areas to focus on in your burgeoning business.
1. Master your online presence.
Online presence is not optional... It's necessity. Building a brand online is key in today's busy marketplace. Boosting brand exposure by using techniques such as social media, gamification, blogging and having an attractive and functional website and an easy-to-navigate application process, is vital to stay ahead of the competition and extract the most value for your business.
2. Recruiters are marketers.
Amazingly, 85% of the population that's interested in finding out about new jobs would prefer not to speak to a human being on the phone or face to face. These people will happily devote hours of their time to researching jobs, employers and recruiters online but will not pick up the phone or speak to a recruiter in person, as the first port of call. Therefore, it makes sense that the recruitment industry has had to develop a special hybrid recruiter. The people who can speak to the passive, introvert, phone shy candidates, are marketers. Are recruiters steering away from the traditional and stereotypical sales driven industry? I don't believe so, but the industry has forged a new path. Recruitment and marketing are no longer two separate functions. Smart recruiters are sensibly devoting more time to their marketing strategy in order to appeal to the passive candidate market and project their personal brand to their clients. The implementation of these good marketing practices will allow you to focus on what is really important – building relationships with candidates.
3. Reveal your personality.
If as a recruiter, you're lucky enough to actually speak to a phone shy candidate, you need to step out from behind your desk and be friendly, helpful and instructive. Meet your clients and candidates in a relaxed, informal setting and allow your personality and industry knowledge to speak out. In doing so, you are sowing the seeds for a more rewarding and longer lasting business relationship.
4. Technology is changing the recruitment world.
Technology, alongside marketing, is one of the key drivers of change in the current world of recruitment. There are hundreds of companies offering various CRM software solutions, business intelligence and analytics tools for all sizes of businesses, and they are constantly changing and improving their offerings. But technology and new software such as this, is predicted to disrupt the traditional relationships between end hirers and agencies, giving smaller independent agencies more power. Which is great news for us! Technology such as this will enable us to do more for less in an increasingly competitive market. We will gain business value from technology investment that will enable us to grow, remain competitive, streamline processes and drive efficiencies.
5. The customer has the last say.
It's not a revelation that people voice their opinions online. However, their voices are louder and more influential than ever, and they're not just reserved for the hospitality industry. People are more motivated to post negative feedback about a bad service or interaction than they are to post positive. There are multiple outlets for scorned customers, clients, candidates and employees to air their dirty laundry! So, make sure your customer service is second to none, in order to keep your business trending online for the right reasons!
I hope you find the above useful. If you have any questions about the blog or would like to arrange a chat, please contact us at [email protected]
