This edition we speak to David Press, Director at DMJ Recruitment.

Why do we use PR?

We use PR for a variety of [...]]]> For some recruitment businesses, the decision to undertake PR can be a hard one. Recruitment is hugely results driven and ROI is easily measurable. PR is different, and it can take some time to see results. With this in mind, we thought we’d feature a Q&A in each newsletter with a recruiter who uses PR, and why they do so.

This edition we speak to David Press, Director at DMJ Recruitment.

Why do we use PR?

We use PR for a variety of reasons but a key motive is that it places us as experts in the market place and gives us a ‘voice’ within a crowded and competitive industry. As a prominent presence in the market place, gaining coverage in broadsheets and targeted press allows us to enhance our brand but also stay at the forefront of our existing and potential clients’ minds, especially during difficult economic times. PR is also a very useful marketing tool when trying to win new business, allowing us to demonstrate our successes and experience. One of the most important parts of our PR activity is our social media strategy. We use Twitter, Linkedin, our blog and our website to demonstrate our wider interest and knowledge in our respective markets and to engage with our candidates and clients.

How do you measure ROI?

It is often difficult to measure ROI as it takes time for the cumulative effect of the PR to filter through. However we monitor traffic through our website via Google analytics and notice an increased flow in traffic after a blog or article has been published. We also measure ROI by how our clients and candidates react to the press coverage or events they have seen and make a note of any direct response on our database.

What advice would you give…

Do not underestimate the impact of PR on your business. It is easy to dismiss it on the basis of an increased cost, but with consistently good coverage it will have an enormous impact on your brand and reputation. In a crowded marketplace you need to stand out as experts and this is actually an extremely cost effective way to do this. The access that PR has to online and print publications means that your business will start gaining recognition outside your sphere of loyal clients and candidates which is critical if you are looking to expand your business. It is also key to ensure that you use the PR to its best effect at client visits and pitches. It is an invaluable tool that will separate you from your competitors.

So what is the industry doing wrong – well according to the survey, end [...]]]> I attended an APSCo members meeting last week and one of the items under discussion was a survey of 173 end user clients of APSCo members undertaken by Innergy.  The survey, ‘Raising the Bar’ asked a number of questions around the reasons for using recruiters, what they wanted to see from recruiters and how they viewed them.  The results of the survey showed that most organisations viewed recruiters somewhere between toleration and disgust. Hmm.

So what is the industry doing wrong – well according to the survey, end user clients want recruiters to:

• Provide innovative  pricing models
• Be more customer led
• Employ better people
• Provide technical solutions
• Be better communicators

That got me thinking – surely good recruiters would be doing all that anyway?  But this was 173 organisations –  a not insubstantial number.

The meeting then moved onto a client panel – and here’s where I got a real shock. The subject under discussion was:  ’How can recruiters help you attract and retain people with the right values and cultural fit for your business’.  The panel included Greg Allen Head of Recruitment for Nokia who said that when his organisation organised a briefing  session and round table discussion for all PSL agencies  on Nokia’s culture – what good looks like – what sort of  people they are looking for – in fact all the things that would make the recruiters job easier – half the agencies didn’t bother to show.  I was genuinely shocked.

What are you doing to enhance the client experience?

Whilst browsing Facebook earlier this week, I noticed that a Facebook friend of mine had joined a recruitment orientated group. Seeing as though I read and write about the subject all day, I clicked the link to have a closer look at the group, entitled “How did I end up in recruitment?” You might have guessed from the name that it’s not exactly a forum for praise about how great recruitment is. Here are a few examples.

Description:  If you aren’t [...]]]>

Whilst browsing Facebook earlier this week, I noticed that a Facebook friend of mine had joined a recruitment orientated group. Seeing as though I read and write about the subject all day, I clicked the link to have a closer look at the group, entitled “How did I end up in recruitment?” You might have guessed from the name that it’s not exactly a forum for praise about how great recruitment is. Here are a few examples.

Description:  If you aren’t sure how your dreams of having a “career” ended in this way, here is the group for you. Now pick up the phone, it’s core hours!

Recent group news: Numbers continue to decline – the only explanation for this is Recruiters topping themselves, or changing jobs, but most likely topping themselves. I know it’s tough out there for most of us, but I think we need to spread some optimisim, so here goes: You don’t have to work in recruitment forever! Apparently MI5 thinks recruiters have valuable transferable skills, so there is hope for us all!

Pictures: I think this picture sums it up!

I don’t think I need to continue… Now obviously this group isn’t meant to be taken seriously, but is recruitment really this bad? Seems like more consultancies need to look at their motivation strategies!

P.S. For all you readers who class yourself as “old school” recruiters, here’s a comment from the group that you might like: “I’ve just taped my own phone to my head and thrown my chair out of the window, I’m feeling old school.”

I look at loads of recruitment websites – and loads of recruitment brochures. And most of them are deadly dull. Now I know, as someone who has a lot of involvement in producing content for such things, that’s a pretty controversial statement. But it’s true.  And it’s mainly because a lot of recruiters all say the same thing. Leaders in our field, passionate about client service, yadda yadda yadda.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong but [...]]]>

I look at loads of recruitment websites – and loads of recruitment brochures. And most of them are deadly dull. Now I know, as someone who has a lot of involvement in producing content for such things, that’s a pretty controversial statement. But it’s true.  And it’s mainly because a lot of recruiters all say the same thing. Leaders in our field, passionate about client service, yadda yadda yadda.

Now, correct me if I’m wrong but recruitment is and always has been a people business. And we all know that people buy from people, and, to coin yet another over used phrase,  that people are your greatest asset. But because of the paranoia surrounding staff poaching, recruitment websites rarely talk about the people who work there.  And then I saw Aquent’s website. What a breath of fresh air – at last a recruiter who bases their own image around their own people.

It may not be to everyone’s taste – but it’s different and fresh and innovative – and no – I haven’t had anything to do with it (more’s the pity).

And what of brochures? I’ve written copy for many over the years but have they had their day? I’d love some feedback here. Do you use them? Do your clients read them? And what’s the most important thing about them? Is an on line pdf enough or do clients want something they can touch and feel. Comments please!!

Now here’s a debate.  Should recruiters be rewarded solely on their billings? Should big billers be promoted into senior roles bcause they are big billers? Are big billers always the best managers? 

Of course recruitment is a performance driven culture – that’s a given – but disengaged employees, managed by poor leaders, are far more likely to underperform.

If the recruitment industry wants to be taken seriously in terms of offering career paths and career development then shouldn’t the sector be looking [...]]]>

Now here’s a debate.  Should recruiters be rewarded solely on their billings? Should big billers be promoted into senior roles bcause they are big billers? Are big billers always the best managers? 

Of course recruitment is a performance driven culture – that’s a given – but disengaged employees, managed by poor leaders, are far more likely to underperform.

If the recruitment industry wants to be taken seriously in terms of offering career paths and career development then shouldn’t the sector be looking at being a bit more innovative in terms of their reward strategies and bigging up their employer brand? And won’t that ensure that your staff become rounded business professionals, proud of who they work for, and not merely motivated by the size of their pay packet?

Now before you all start shouting I know that some of you already do this.  In fact, technical and engineering recruiter CBSbutler is a shining example of just what can be achieved if you are brave enough to really raise the bar.

Managing Director David Leyshon introduced a new performance management system that links 40% of a quarterly bonus to behaviours such as self development, drive for results, teamwork, problem solving, customer focus, and organizing & planning. The result? A 25% increase in sales since the scheme was introduced together with significantly better delivery across all key business indicators. 

David believes that the building of talented workforces and lasting customer relationships is absolutely key in driving competitive advantage.  And that sustainable business success can only be achieved through competent managers who haven’t been promoted just because they are the biggest billers.  Consequently, he feels that if you ‘performance manage’ and reward everyone solely by ‘hard’ figures, then that can foster harmful practices and mindsets.  It will undoubtedly also compromise values – creating management headaches together with the promotion of acute personal greed at the expense of teamwork and professionalism.  If you link financial rewards to behaviours, you end up with a much more engaged and co-operative workforce who will deliver performance across all areas and not just next month’s targets.

The lack of sophistication in managing performance within the recruitment sector has been to the detriment of building sustainable and quality operations because of the overwhelming emphasis on short term results. Behaviour linked reward schemes ensure a holistic approach is taken to developing and harnessing talent- isn’t that the key to future success?

To any innocent eavesdropper it would have sounded like an episode of grumpy old men/woman. You see Alan and I are from the old school of recruiters – before technology, before faxes – hell even before electronic typewriters. But during the last twenty odd years one thing has remained constant – the complaint from candidates about the candidate experience.

So why haven’t we learned? And there really is no excuse, [...]]]> I was chatting to Alan Whitford recently of RCEuro .

To any innocent eavesdropper it would have sounded like an episode of grumpy old men/woman. You see Alan and I are from the old school of recruiters – before technology, before faxes – hell even before electronic typewriters. But during the last twenty odd years one thing has remained constant – the complaint from candidates about the candidate experience.

So why haven’t we learned? And there really is no excuse, as technology has made it easier than ever before to engage. But still we have the problem of candidates applying for jobs online and, at best, getting some impersonal auto reply. I know that we have a huge pool of candidates at the moment – and okay – many of then may not be suitable. But how difficult is it, on that auto reply, to point them to something that may help – a careers guidance area on your website for example with downloads on networking advice, coping with redundancy, the benefits of temping, upskilling etc etc .  Because when the war for talent comes back – and having worked through three recessions I can tell you it surely will, which recruiters will those candidates remember? A recruiters reputation can succeed or fail on something as simple as this so isn’t it time at last to try and get it right?  Here are my three  favourite anecdotes from my conversation with Alan:

• The candidate who received an e-mail to say your details  look exactly right so we will be putting you forward for the job and will contact you shortly.  The candidate then never heard anything.
• The recruitment firm that sent an auto reply after two weeks.
• The candidate who, having uploaded her CV as requested was then sent a form asking for two referees

There were lots more but it is too depressing! Technology is a great tool but you can’t e-mail a handshake! What are you doing to engage?