Forget the fancy talk - just do what you’ve said you’re going to do!

Let’s be honest, one of the biggest challenges we have as recruiters is dealing with the negative reputation our industry has.

During my 20-year career within the sector, the amount of times I’ve met new clients and before our meeting gets going, I can already feel the vibes of distaste echoing across the room.

No doubt the comment about agencies being a ‘necessary evil’ will be coming soon.

So, I’ve got to try and prove to this person that I’m not like the previous ones and I’m having to defend myself before we’ve even started.

Just think about this for a minute. Can you imagine the same thing happening if I were a solicitor or an accountant? More than likely not. 

The client just can’t help but unleash their frustration on you about how rubbish everyone is in recruitment and, by proxy, I’m immediately tarred with the same brush. Granted, you actually want to win the business and if you’re anything like me, this was, in some ways, music to my ears.

Also, no surprise, but the aforementioned hasn’t been restricted to my work life. Over the years when I’ve met new people and they ask me what I do, I’ve seen that all too familiar look which comes over their face.

Genuinely, someone once said to me. “Oh, you’re one of those irritating people who keeps nicking my staff!”

But the bigger question is why?

Is it job snobbery or am I right in my thinking that there is something that is potentially broken within the recruitment industry?

Before I go any further, let me give this argument some balance, as there are some amazing recruitment businesses out there, with some truly talented people who do a brilliant job day after day. Plus, I’ve met some great people over the years, both professionally and personally, who have made me feel very welcome and are far from judgemental. I’m obviously not suggesting everyone is like this.

But all that said, there’s definitely a problem here.

So, what’s the answer? We can either ignore it and pretend this isn’t happening – a bit like Prince Andrew did with his Pizza Express Woking story. Or we start to ask the difficult questions and understand why has our professional industry has such a bad name?

One of the key things that I think we‘re all guilty of is making promises that we just can’t keep, as we want to keep everyone happy. 

In recruitment you’re constantly managing people’s emotions and expectations.

But when you think about it, this is where it all goes wrong and is arguably one of the biggest factors of why people get so frustrated with recruiters and similar related businesses, as people just want the truth. Therefore, you might want to consider putting your people pleasing to one side and just say it as it is.

It reminds me of the Peter Kay stand up where he talks about ordering a taxi and the operator picks up the phone and tells him, “it’s on its way!” and he says, “can I order it before you starting lying to me?”

The point is, whether you’re a person looking for a new job or a client waiting for an update, people hate being messed around, it’s incredibly frustrating. 

As we know, one of the hardest parts of recruitment is having to deliver bad news – whether it’s letting a candidate know that they haven’t got the job or explaining to a client that someone has decided to accept another role.

The truth is, we love the money and all the positives that a job in recruitment brings, but it’s human nature to try and avoid the painful parts of letting someone down and giving them bad news. I genuinely think people avoid the challenging bits because they don’t want the obvious confrontation and the negative feelings this brings. Hands up, I’ve done it in the past and I’ve seen it happen with my own eyes.

However, we’ve a duty of care and a reputation to uphold. So don’t over promise, do communicate the good AND the bad and stop wasting anymore of their time, as it drives people insane. 

So, what’s my advice?

Stop with all the bells and whistles promises and nicey, nicey, over friendly approach and just make sure that what you say is in line with what you can actually do. As only by following this simple approach can we truly give the recruitment industry the value it deserves.

In a world where communication seems so advanced, it’s arguably one our biggest challenges because there’s so much choice.

Go old fashioned, pick up the phone and talk to your candidates and clients as much as possible and just be honest and transparent because that’s all they really want.

Just do it!