Recruitment is not less than RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT. A few days ago I read something which mentions that “if you treat your candidates as resumes, well then the candidates will remember you as phone calls.” As per my understanding the thought highlighted the fact that it’s not just about how quick you are in sourcing profiles or closing a requirement, it is also about how you manage the entire process of recruitment and how you go about it post placement as well. This update also took my memory back to something that happened a month ago.
It was a usual day at work. Then rang my phone, an unknown number flashing on it. I answered the call with our usual “Sweta from Quay Appointments…”
The reply from the lady on the other end was enough to make my usual day a special one. She mentioned her name and it took me not more than a second to realize who she was. How could I not recall her for she was my first ever closer? She was my CANDIDATE who I recruited in the year 2007 in one of the leading IT sector in India.
That one introduction of herself and she made me go back to the time when I started my career in RECRUITMENT.
As a fresher and all new to the world of recruitment, I started working on my first IT requirement. I never knew that the first person I had lined up for an interview with my client will also be my first closer.
Wow! That felt great and what felt even more special was the same CANDIDATE reaching out to me after almost 7 years of me recruiting her not because she was looking out for a job again but to let me know that she enjoyed working for 7 years in her last company where I placed her and wanted to thank me for that. She also told me that she has moved to Sydney, Australia and is on a maternity break. She may look for a job after a year or so but would love to be in touch with me.
It’s not unusual of us recruiters to be in touch with our CANDIDATES long after we have placed them but it’s a lot more special when candidates themselves come back to you stating how glad they are that they got in touch with you, their words of appreciation, their confidence in your abilities as a recruiter are the brownie points that you earn. This one phone call and here I am thinking that aren’t we talent acquisition or recruitment professionals more than just a link between the aspiring CANDIDATE and the hiring managers..?? I feel our job responsibilities stretch way beyond the recruitment cycle of sourcing profiles, scheduling interview, following up with candidates and clients, closing the position, etc… But it’s lot more. Can we not add a term “RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT” to our area of expertise..???
– Written by Sweta Khandelwal (Consultant at Quay Appointments)
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