Introducing... co-operative recruitment

According to a recent report by e-Skills on behalf of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, demand for ICT professionals has reached its highest level in seven years. So you would think employers would be keen to get recruitment and retention right. Wrong. Even in today’s competitive skills market, employers persist in the kind of competitive recruitment process that fails to bring long-term rewards...

Boardroom behaviours

Corporate culture starts in the boardroom. If revenue is king; sales teams will be princes. When corporate social responsibility is taken seriously at the top; social and environmental endeavours will be visible throughout the organisation. And so it follows that senior executives who operate in a highly-competitive market will give rise to a highly-competitive workplace. Competitive boardroom behaviours frequently infuse the internal recruitment process with the competitive flavour of the external marketplace: yet it’s a model that doesn’t work.

The competitive compromise

The competitive recruitment model is flawed essentially because it doesn’t engender loyalty or foster long-term value. Setting off simultaneous hares may be the fastest route – but it compels recruitment agencies to act first and think later. Pitting multiple agencies against one another duplicates effort – but it doesn’t double the quality of results. Ultimately, it’s an approach that is likely to ‘tick a box’ – but it won’t necessarily be the right one.

The cooperative win:win

Cooperative recruitment, on the other hand, works in favour of both the employer and the recruitment organisation. Importantly, it also creates a more positive experience for potential employees. Taking a longer term view allows the recruiter to focus on experience and cultural ‘fit’ rather than just skills. It makes the process smarter, wiser and more objective. The ultimate benefits to the employer are a mature service with a mature cost model – and employees who stay the distance.

Checklist for cooperation

Master vendor arrangements are an excellent example of cooperative recruitment in action. But what does ‘cooperation’ really mean?

• It means every party is involved: employer, recruiter(s) and candidate(s).
• It means clear, open and timely communication between all three parties at all times.
• It means having a clear code of conduct and a transparent set of behaviours.

The benefits of cooperation

As an example of cooperative recruitment in action, a client recently told us that this approach “...challenges our thinking on the nature of roles, how they fit into the team and what the business motivation is. This is very helpful.”

Ultimately, the cooperative recruitment model reduces uncertainty, cuts out duplication and creates a good experience – not to mention a positive outcome – for everyone involved. It moves away from the ‘silo’ mentality of competitive recruitment and generates long-term value instead. In short, it means you won’t have to go through the process again too soon.

This article was written on behalf of Trevor Meadows. For more information on Meadows' recruitment services - including master vendor contracts - please contact Trevor Meadows on 01647 221360.