Could you answer this client question?

One of my clients told me a fascinating story last week.

It’s elementary, obvious even, but so revealing about one of the evolving dynamics in the agency recruitment market.

One of his recruiters had a candidate right down to the wire with his client. In fact, after three interviews, the client made an offer to the candidate, and both recruiter and client were convinced that the candidate would accept.

However, as happens so often in this market, there were other things afoot with this candidate, and she took another job. The recruiter was disappointed but professional, and called his client and conveyed the bad news.

“I’m sorry, Mr client, our candidate has not accepted your job, and indeed she’s taken a role by another means”.

The recruiter thought he had done his job, but that is when things turned.

The client asked the recruiter, “Do you have any feedback for me?”

The recruiter was somewhat taken aback. “Feedback? Specifically regarding what?” asked the recruiter, which wasn’t a great response, but that’s the point of this story.

The client was very articulate in explaining what he meant;

“Why did she turn our job down?”

“What specific aspects of the other role gazumped us?”

“What was the deal-breaker regarding her not accepting our job?”

“What salary did she accept in contrast to our salary offered?”

“Did she have any comments or feedback about our recruitment process”

“Did she have any comments about our culture or any other aspect of our business”

This goes to the heart of a severe emerging issue in the current marketplace. Yes, we know it is candidate-driven.

But remember that your clients will have very long memories.

They are looking for value from the recruitment consultant, seeking an ally, and looking for a credible, trusted advisor.

So even if this placement didn’t go through, it was an opportunity for the recruiter to strengthen the trust and the equity with this client, by providing helpful market feedback.

The client felt that he had lost a good candidate and didn’t know why. To him, the recruiter was vague and maybe even dishonest. (Which wasn’t true, by the way)

I can’t express how important it is in this candidate-driven market not to lose sight of the fact that we need to build relationships, prove credibility, and strengthen trust with clients.

This situation is just an example of many opportunities where we can go the extra mile to show that we are more than just ‘resume hacks’. That we are a partner with our clients.

That list of questions the clients asked should be your template when a candidate rejects your client’s offer. Go back with the bad news. That’s your job. But also bring insights and value.

The wheel will turn in the recruitment market, and if you don’t have that strong bond with clients, built on a track record and credibility, you will sink like a stone when the downturn comes.

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Recruiter productivity has never been more important. Especially with remote working, the focus on key activities and the quality of those activities is what drives recruiters’ success

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