Wednesday - 19 November 2008
RecruiterAwards
At least two winners picked up their awards because of their focus on building relationships. Christopher Goodfellow reports
The winners of Best Candidate Care and Best Client Care categories at the Recruiter 2008 Awards for Excellence have one important thing in common: both companies put relationships at the core of their business model, believing them essential to gaining a competitive edge.
Generalist recruiter Westaff (UK) won the award for Best Client Care. The judges were impressed with the innovative and creative ways the company met clients' candidate needs.
The Science Recruitment Group (SRG) won the award for Best Candidate Care because of its commitment to developing the careers of candidates and supporting them during their placement. And to prove it's a winning formula, the company also picked up the trophy for Best Health Care/Medical Recruitment Firm.
Julia Robertson, managing director of SRG, told Recruiter caring for candidates was an essential part of its ability to service clients. "Clients really want the right candidate for the job. The only way we can deliver that is by making sure we've got the candidate loyalty," she says. "We have to add extra layers of service to make them come to us."
Judges were also impressed with the level of scientific knowledge of the consultants who worked at SRG — 90% have science-based degrees, giving them a greater understanding of the technical language used in the industry.
Westaff, too, places a strong emphasis on consultant training, to ensure it can deliver key values. The firm has developed a staff training programme in association with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), offering a diploma and a certificate in recruitment practice. The diploma is equivalent to 120 degree credits and allows students to continue studying after the course has been completed. Judith Armatage, director of professional development at REC, told Recruiter: "The beauty for Westaff is it offers training which is relevant to their business."
Westaff encourages continual learning to understand the variety of its clients' businesses. "We take time to make sure they understand how the client operates. We really do become part of the client's team — that way we are sure we can recommend the right recruitment strategy," says Exeter branch manager Rebecca Robb.
It is a company policy to ask if consultants can take part in work-shadowing assignments, to increase consultants' familiarity with their clients' businesses.
Robb told Recruiter: "On many occasions consultants do some work with that client — they job-shadow them to find out the culture of the company. They get involved and try and find out the kind of people who work for the company."
Robertson says shortages of trained scientists mean attracting and retaining candidates is crucial to SRG's ability to compete: "Whatever else you offer customers, they want the right person for the job.
"We see it as our differentiator: that we have the best and the most loyal candidates."
Aiming to address a skills gap in SAS programming, a software system used to analyse data from clinical trials, SRG launched the SAS Academy. Candidates complete a period of training before their placement begins, at SRG's expense.
SRG places no barrier on candidates taking skills learnt on the course elsewhere, demonstrating their confidence in candidate-retention policies.
Robertson believes there is potential to apply SRG's model of candidate care to industries that are not experiencing skill shortages. "They have to be adjusted to suit the business model and the types of candidate shortages, otherwise you could find yourself investing money in the wrong places," she says.
"It's not difficult to find customers who want people — what is difficult is finding the right people for those customers."
When asked what would be the most important thing an agency could do to follow SRG's lead, Robertson jokes: "Don't do what I do."
She continues: "Get your client side sorted — in this day and age, recruitment companies are spending an absolute fortune on attracting new people because there is a shortage of candidates coming in.
"You have to spend more time on the other part of the process, actually treating people properly, retaining them."
Putting the focus on candidate care has given SRG a marketing bonus as it improves referrals and cuts costs. "If we treat our candidates properly they refer other candidates. The science community is a community which is very well networked.
"We reduce the number of candidates going back into the general market. If you can keep them working, it reduces marketing cost."
Even when candidates are rejected they are contacted within 24 hours, and consultants are targeted on turn-around time through their key performance indicators. "Our philosophy is that people would rather know if we can help or not, and if we can't help we try to suggest some other options," says Robertson.
She says the policy improves the company's image. "When someone says to you, 'What's this SRG like?' you're going to say 'Absolutely rubbish' if you don't reply to candidates who aren't successful."
In the long term, candidates who have been placed in companies have become clients, after having a positive experiences of being placed by SRG. Robertson says SRG aims to further improve candidate care. "We want to spend less money on attracting candidates and more on retaining them. We're looking at enhancing our benefits package… [offering] better communication, and giving them an online portal so they can access their information online."
Retaining candidates who have specialised skills is crucial to their capability to compete. "In the science market, having a tight handle on rare skills is going to be our competitive edge, whether the jobs market is buoyant or the jobs market is tighter. We are investing more in our candidate management process."
Robertson sees the award as vindication of a long-standing belief in candidate care being a hard economic advantage to recruiters, which she has been "banging on about" for years.
The belief that an ever-evolving approach to business relationships is essential to keeping a competitive edge is shared by Westaff, which was recognised for its dynamic approach to meeting clients' needs. "Every client we work with, we give a unique service — it is really the passion and commitment for our clients; that's what sets us apart," says Robb.
On one occasion, in less than a week consultants managed to source 40 shortlisted candidates with business experience in their native language for positions in a call centre.
Consultants went onto the streets during lunchtime in Exeter wearing branded T-shirts, waving flags from the different countries whose language skills were required, whilst teachers from the local language school made multilingual announcements on a loudspeakers. They attracted a myriad of candidates who wouldn't have been reached by normal means.
"We needed to think right outside of the boundaries. And, the word 'teamwork' needed to be at the forefront of all activity," says Robb.
"It meant working around the clock, keeping the client in touch with progress and instilling confidence that the company could deliver."
Westaff also offers clients bespoke candidate assessment days. Trudie Way, human resources manager at Sitel, told Recruiter the assessments aided the recruitment process. "They all know each other when they come to work. It has boosted morale and improved retention," she said.
One exercise, called Lost, involved choosing four fictitious people to live on a desert island. The islanders could be male or female, of varying ages, and with different jobs, such as teachers or farmers. Candidates' answers were analysed to assess their logic, thought processes, and the value placed on the qualities and skills of the people they selected.
Taking a dynamic approach to servicing business relationships is an essential element of both Westaff's and SRG's business models, helping them to ensure they retain their competitive edge.
Both winners have placed an emphasis on equipping consultants with the right knowledge to implement these strategies. SRG hires a high percentage of consultants with degrees in the science sector, while Westaff, as a general recruiter, runs intensive training schemes to improve consultants' knowledge.
SRG relies on its ability to supply candidates with the right skills in a marketplace that is experiencing shortages, concentrating on retention through improving relationships and incentives. Westaff needs to take a dynamic approach, because the industries it services have high volume, specialised demands.
Recruitment is a people-orientated business, business relationships are crucial, and the winners of the Best Candidate Care and Best Client Care Awards have used these relationships intelligently to achieve a competitive advantage.
Winning formula: Julia Robertson from SRG picks up one of the company’s two awards
People skills:Westaff’s Rebecca Robb, along with Priscilla Robb, picks up the company’s award for Best Client Care
Glitzy affair recognises recruiter care
Published: 14 May 2008
Generalist recruiter Westaff (UK) won the award for Best Client Care. The judges were impressed with the innovative and creative ways the company met clients' candidate needs.
The Science Recruitment Group (SRG) won the award for Best Candidate Care because of its commitment to developing the careers of candidates and supporting them during their placement. And to prove it's a winning formula, the company also picked up the trophy for Best Health Care/Medical Recruitment Firm.
Julia Robertson, managing director of SRG, told Recruiter caring for candidates was an essential part of its ability to service clients. "Clients really want the right candidate for the job. The only way we can deliver that is by making sure we've got the candidate loyalty," she says. "We have to add extra layers of service to make them come to us."
Judges were also impressed with the level of scientific knowledge of the consultants who worked at SRG — 90% have science-based degrees, giving them a greater understanding of the technical language used in the industry.
Westaff, too, places a strong emphasis on consultant training, to ensure it can deliver key values. The firm has developed a staff training programme in association with the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC), offering a diploma and a certificate in recruitment practice. The diploma is equivalent to 120 degree credits and allows students to continue studying after the course has been completed. Judith Armatage, director of professional development at REC, told Recruiter: "The beauty for Westaff is it offers training which is relevant to their business."
Westaff encourages continual learning to understand the variety of its clients' businesses. "We take time to make sure they understand how the client operates. We really do become part of the client's team — that way we are sure we can recommend the right recruitment strategy," says Exeter branch manager Rebecca Robb.
It is a company policy to ask if consultants can take part in work-shadowing assignments, to increase consultants' familiarity with their clients' businesses.
Robb told Recruiter: "On many occasions consultants do some work with that client — they job-shadow them to find out the culture of the company. They get involved and try and find out the kind of people who work for the company."
Robertson says shortages of trained scientists mean attracting and retaining candidates is crucial to SRG's ability to compete: "Whatever else you offer customers, they want the right person for the job.
"We see it as our differentiator: that we have the best and the most loyal candidates."
Aiming to address a skills gap in SAS programming, a software system used to analyse data from clinical trials, SRG launched the SAS Academy. Candidates complete a period of training before their placement begins, at SRG's expense.
SRG places no barrier on candidates taking skills learnt on the course elsewhere, demonstrating their confidence in candidate-retention policies.
Robertson believes there is potential to apply SRG's model of candidate care to industries that are not experiencing skill shortages. "They have to be adjusted to suit the business model and the types of candidate shortages, otherwise you could find yourself investing money in the wrong places," she says.
"It's not difficult to find customers who want people — what is difficult is finding the right people for those customers."
When asked what would be the most important thing an agency could do to follow SRG's lead, Robertson jokes: "Don't do what I do."
She continues: "Get your client side sorted — in this day and age, recruitment companies are spending an absolute fortune on attracting new people because there is a shortage of candidates coming in.
"You have to spend more time on the other part of the process, actually treating people properly, retaining them."
Putting the focus on candidate care has given SRG a marketing bonus as it improves referrals and cuts costs. "If we treat our candidates properly they refer other candidates. The science community is a community which is very well networked.
"We reduce the number of candidates going back into the general market. If you can keep them working, it reduces marketing cost."
Even when candidates are rejected they are contacted within 24 hours, and consultants are targeted on turn-around time through their key performance indicators. "Our philosophy is that people would rather know if we can help or not, and if we can't help we try to suggest some other options," says Robertson.
She says the policy improves the company's image. "When someone says to you, 'What's this SRG like?' you're going to say 'Absolutely rubbish' if you don't reply to candidates who aren't successful."
In the long term, candidates who have been placed in companies have become clients, after having a positive experiences of being placed by SRG. Robertson says SRG aims to further improve candidate care. "We want to spend less money on attracting candidates and more on retaining them. We're looking at enhancing our benefits package… [offering] better communication, and giving them an online portal so they can access their information online."
Retaining candidates who have specialised skills is crucial to their capability to compete. "In the science market, having a tight handle on rare skills is going to be our competitive edge, whether the jobs market is buoyant or the jobs market is tighter. We are investing more in our candidate management process."
Robertson sees the award as vindication of a long-standing belief in candidate care being a hard economic advantage to recruiters, which she has been "banging on about" for years.
The belief that an ever-evolving approach to business relationships is essential to keeping a competitive edge is shared by Westaff, which was recognised for its dynamic approach to meeting clients' needs. "Every client we work with, we give a unique service — it is really the passion and commitment for our clients; that's what sets us apart," says Robb.
On one occasion, in less than a week consultants managed to source 40 shortlisted candidates with business experience in their native language for positions in a call centre.
Consultants went onto the streets during lunchtime in Exeter wearing branded T-shirts, waving flags from the different countries whose language skills were required, whilst teachers from the local language school made multilingual announcements on a loudspeakers. They attracted a myriad of candidates who wouldn't have been reached by normal means.
"We needed to think right outside of the boundaries. And, the word 'teamwork' needed to be at the forefront of all activity," says Robb.
"It meant working around the clock, keeping the client in touch with progress and instilling confidence that the company could deliver."
Westaff also offers clients bespoke candidate assessment days. Trudie Way, human resources manager at Sitel, told Recruiter the assessments aided the recruitment process. "They all know each other when they come to work. It has boosted morale and improved retention," she said.
One exercise, called Lost, involved choosing four fictitious people to live on a desert island. The islanders could be male or female, of varying ages, and with different jobs, such as teachers or farmers. Candidates' answers were analysed to assess their logic, thought processes, and the value placed on the qualities and skills of the people they selected.
Taking a dynamic approach to servicing business relationships is an essential element of both Westaff's and SRG's business models, helping them to ensure they retain their competitive edge.
Both winners have placed an emphasis on equipping consultants with the right knowledge to implement these strategies. SRG hires a high percentage of consultants with degrees in the science sector, while Westaff, as a general recruiter, runs intensive training schemes to improve consultants' knowledge.
SRG relies on its ability to supply candidates with the right skills in a marketplace that is experiencing shortages, concentrating on retention through improving relationships and incentives. Westaff needs to take a dynamic approach, because the industries it services have high volume, specialised demands.
Recruitment is a people-orientated business, business relationships are crucial, and the winners of the Best Candidate Care and Best Client Care Awards have used these relationships intelligently to achieve a competitive advantage.
Winning formula: Julia Robertson from SRG picks up one of the company’s two awards
People skills:Westaff’s Rebecca Robb, along with Priscilla Robb, picks up the company’s award for Best Client Care
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