In response to Neil Wilson’s ‘The industry must change!’ Trends piece (Recruiter, 2 September), I agree 110% with the opening comments. Our industry does need to change in order to stop this downward spiral towards just being seen as sales people trying to make commission.

What I don’t agree with are the ideas for change. Some organisations already offer an excellent service that is of true benefit to the client. The problem is stopping the rogue recruiters, the bedroom workers, the quick buck/easy option consultants, the 5% fee bunch and the simple job board CV shifters. All these types of consultants often significantly under cut “real recruitment service providers” making it difficult for us to maintain trading standards and quality along with harming the reputation for us all.

Until one of the so called “trading bodies” commits to improving the industry through implementing significant “barriers to entry” and then investing in promoting this then unfortunately in my option our industry will continue to nose dive.
If we could implement some barriers to reduce the rogues, such as:

• Required proven track record for directors
• Minimum financial trading balance
• No past involvement in failed recruitment organisations
• Initial reduced industry sector/Need to apply to recruit for a different sector/industry
• Audited operating procedures
• Operating procedures to include: right to work checks, reference checks, qualifications etc
• Minimum fee percentage of placements

I could go on. However, if you could join a trading body that offered that and then dramatically promoted itself to your clients as only representing the best of the best, wouldn’t you want to be a member - even if the cost was slightly higher?

We need to be able to defend our services against the 5% charging sharks and educate the clients that we are not all the same.

Gary Bentley, managing director, Solutions Engineering Recruitment