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Recruitment vs Screening

If you've been responsible for recruiting new staff to your company for any length of time, you will have inevitably received sales canvassing calls from recruitment agencies.

The agencies claim to solve your  recruitment problems by providing you with candidates who are suitable for your vacancies.

This has been the way of recruitment since the early 1960's when the first recruitment agencies appeared on UK high streets.

I was only a child then, but I am reliably informed that this was how the industry operated at that time.

Nothing much changed in the 1970's and 1980's either. I started my recruitment career sometime during 1982.

The job of a rookie was to cold-call companies and see what vacancies they had.

It then became a race against the competition (who were also getting their rookies to cold-call) to get a number of suitable looking CVs or application forms to the client in the quickest time.

The approach worked well for the agencies, because they simply took four or five candidates and sent the details to any company that might be interested in the skills offered.

Sending three or four applications seemed like a good idea - it wasn't too many and you had a one in four chance in placing the candidate and getting a fee.

Except it wasn't one in four, because 10 other agencies were doing the exact same thing!

That's on top of the client's own press advertising (which was usually what prompted the sales call)!

So the poor client was inundated with applications and suddenly had a week or two's work cut out just reading CV's - probably the most boring and soul-destroying task that anyone could undertake.

But the recruitment agencies don't stop there. The rookie has to get back on the phone and chase the four applications.

And so did all the others!

Now the poor hiring manager or HR person had to cope with distractions - lots of them, as each agent rang to check progress of their particular batch of applications. Sometimes, they'd even send more.

Nowadays it's a lot simpler - at least for the agencies, because now we have email - the biggest distraction ever.

Now the agencies can send their candidates by email and there's no limit to the number they send.

What about when an employer advertises directly in the press or on a job site?

Well, that's where the fun really starts!

Because now, certain job boards will make automated applications themselves, as candidates will have registered with them and completed a number of key words and skills.

As soon as the job site recognises a key word or two, it can automatically send applications to the client.

Sounds like a good idea, but not when you're on the receiving end I suspect.

Also, many candidates simply apply for every job they see advertised, whether they are suitable or not.

Have you ever seen these on application letters in response to your advertisements?

"Please consider me for other positions that might arise"

"I am a quick learner"

"I have just left university and am looking for my first job"

"After being made redundant three years ago..."

"Although I live in India, I can relocate..."

You're job as a hiring manager or HR professional has been made harder as technology has taken over.

Recruiters in general, no longer do a good job. They don't believe in quality. They believe in quantity.

Let me offer you something entirely different.

Sub-contract your application screening to me.

The result is that no matter how many responses you get to your job applications, you will only get to see the most interested and relevant candidates for your vacancies.

I'll take the hard work away and will inform (or help you inform) the unsuccessful candidates too.

All arrangements for interview will be made by me and you won't see a single candidate that I haven't pre-interviewed on your behalf.

Imagine that. A recruitment service that works and that doesn't have a 20% fee attached at the end.

This service is based on a price per application - you really do only pay for what you get and the price starts at just £19.99 per application.

To find out more and save a small fortune as well as tons of time along the way, please call me, David Carter on 01564 824554.

Please note that this service is available to direct employers only.