Ditch the 'first past the post' culture

17-February-2010

A few years ago a recruiter from a major agency told me that his targets included sending out 70 CVs a day. This was only possible by indiscriminately emailing CVs regardless of clients’ or candidates’ wishes. He added the unforgettable line: “If somebody is looking to change job, what does it matter if their CV lands on their boss’s desk”!

’First past the post’ culture encourages this appalling practice. Not only is it in flagrant disregard of various requirements of employment agency legislation, it also does nothing to enhance the reputation of the recruitment industry or foster good inter-agency working relationships. ’First past the post’ results in embarrassment by all parties, frustration, disappointment and anger, and lost fees by the agency that actually deserves them.

So what is the answer? Simply that the ’first past the post’ culture must be replaced with recognition of the agency that did the work.

In a recent article in Recruiter, Bob Wicks effectively besmirched relationship building with the astonishing statement: “My time is very valuable and, being so valuable, I would not want to waste it for any reason or candidate”. Over the past 15 years we at James Rushmore have been very guilty of ’wasting’ immense amounts of our ’valuable’ time with candidates and clients. Whether or not there is immediate business to transact, we have always taken a long-term view and spent time developing relationships on both sides of the fence. Thankfully I know we are not the only agency to work this way. This methodology is work-intensive and time-consuming, some might say time-wasting, however it ultimately means we send out a much smaller number of CVs and ’waste’ our own time rather than our clients’.

It is a practice that works, though that said this is often at the cost of a significant amount of genuinely wasted time and frustration. I’m sure every ethical agency is familiar with the scenario. An email arrives from a client in response to a CV you’ve just sent. You open it expectantly, only to find it reads: “Sorry, we’ve already had this candidate from another agency”. You check with the candidate, and inevitably find that you are the only one who’s discussed the vacancy with them. Some desperate and unethical agency has fired in your candidate’s CV without their agreement, flying in the face of current legislation, ethical standards, business morality, and probably also the Data Protection Act.

I have to ask the question, why do we do our job? For pressure, stress, and to see who can rush a CV first to a client to make a quick buck? Or to do a good, quality job? Are we there for ourselves or for those we purport to be helping build their staff or develop their careers? Sadly the recruitment industry is generally far too concerned with the former, whatever legislation is in place. But then do you know a recruiter who has got rich by doing a caring, quality job?

So here’s a novel solution - build good relationships with your clients. Spend time with them, even if no business is immediately available. Get to know them at a personal level, don’t always talk business.

So here’s a novel solution – build good relationships with your clients. Spend time with them, even if no business is immediately available. Get to know them at a personal level, don’t always talk business. Make sure they know how you work.Check with every candidate whether they already know about your client and their vacancy; have they been given the client’s name in accordance with legislation? And in your covering email with the CV always note that you have the express agreement of the candidate to forward their CV and that no other agency has been so approved.

Does this work? Not every time, but it is one little step in dismantling ’first past the post’, replacing it with ethical trading standards, enhancing the reputation of our valuable industry, and bringing a little more satisfaction to your day.

And the ’rule breakers’? The CV spammers? Boil them in tar and condemn them to selling double glazing for the rest of their days.