By GSR2R Admin | 22nd December 2020

What Your Recruiting Clients Expect from You in Challenging Times

Though the economy is moving positively, and we now have potentially effective anti-COVID-19 vaccines in play, it would be easy to think everything is back to ‘normal.’

It is not, especially for recruiters.

Our clients are still battered and bruised from everything they have had to handle this year; loss of revenue, the challenges of handling furlough and remote working and a shift in what their clients now want too.

In a recent post on Forbes, over 38 per cent of HR professionals said they are feeling the impact of the COVID health crisis, and it is severely impacting their hiring plans.

Considering this, it’s time to review specifically what your clients now expect from you as their recruiting consultant and partner.

Time to stand out as their Superhero recruiter, so here are a few ideas for you to consider.

Be A True Talent Specialist

The days of ‘taking’ job orders over the phone aren’t coming back anytime soon, so exactly how can you meet your client’s expectations now?

Be a consultant.

As the great recruiter that you are, I am assuming, you know more about your sector and the state of the talent market than they do.

At times like these, your clients expect you to have a handle on the market. Here is the thing – when you demonstrate that you do, you will stand out head and shoulders above your competition.

Have Access to The Best Candidates

I know this goes without saying – with the market flooded by people looking for a role, some of whom might be an ideal fit, your client will expect you to have done the filtering for them.

There has been a lot of talk in recruiting circles that clients are considering ‘doing’ their own recruiting as they are flooded by CVs being sent their way.

Well, the true answer is yes and no.

One huge benefit recruiters bring to their clients is time. No clients want to sift through two hundred CVs which don’t match the job description or aren’t a culture fit.

This is where the points we shared in point one becomes so relevant. Demonstrate your skill and expertise and explain to your client how much time you can save them, and quite literally, you could have a client for life.

Help Them Identify Skills Gaps You Can Help With

Something I have noticed as I talk to fellow business owners in various sectors is that skill, and people gaps, are appearing.

Though your client might not be hiring this week, I bet they will have skill gaps appearing that they need to fill next year. It is our job as recruitment consultants, who understand how hiring dynamics work, to make them aware of what is likely to happen and then help them plan accordingly.

Assessing their skills gaps for them allows your client to be more focused during the recruitment process and identifying specific areas will ensure that they are making the correct hire, at all levels, that you can help them with.

Be Professional with Attention to Detail

Whatever your relationship with your client is: don’t be complacent. With the market dynamics shifting so much, many clients are reviewing their recruiting process.

Only last week I was talking to one recruiter who had more challenges on their fees than ever before, and from established clients they had worked with for years.

I wonder if this has happened to you too.

Never assume your clients know what you deliver for your fee.

In times of economic uncertainty like the crash of 2008 and the current pandemic, you must communicate the value of using your recruitment service.

Finally: Take the Challenge to Uplevel What You Do

One thing I know about you is that you are the kind of recruiter who wants to improve while you deliver exceptional service to your clients.

If you weren’t, you would not be reading this post.

What if COVID allows you the opportunity to get even better at what you do? As Tony Robbins, the recognised self-development expert suggests, ‘Your past doesn’t equal your future’.

Keep safe,

Cheryl