Here’s a question for you;
You have placed a candidate, Bob, with a client, SinksRUs. You’ve been paid your fee, you are out of the rebate period and client and candidate are happy…. Then Bob phones you. He says he is thinking of moving on and wants your advice, as a recruiter, on negotiating terms with his potential new employer. Obviously you tell him you can’t help him with that as your loyalty lies with the client. Bob says he understands but asks that you protect his position by not saying a word to his current employers. However, two days later the MD of SinksRUs calls you to say he’s a bit worried about Bob. He has a feeling he’s looking at moving on and is worried, with the position Bob holds at the company, how that might leave SinksRUs open to financial loss. The client just wants your advice on how to handle the situation.
So, what do you do? Where does your loyalty lie?
My loyalty in this would without question be with the client. Candidates come and go, clients tend not to come back after they have gone!
However, thats not saying its right to spill out word for word what the candidate has told you. Simply encourage the client to discuss his concerns with his employee (the candidate is after all his employee at this stage, not your candidate and definately not your position to act as mediator).
Damian
Thanks for your comment. I think suggesting the client addresses the issue directly is good advice.
My opinion Louise is that we need to show equal loyalty to both candidates and clients. A big issue with our perception amongst the public is that we treat candidates as numbers – and that’s exactly how they feel right now.
With no offence, Damian’s comment, “Candidates come and go”, is exactly the type of mentality that most recruiters have when concerned with candidates. This definitely needs to change if our industry is to evolve to become more respected amongst the general public.
When I refer to a client, they are a person, not just a company. They might be looking for a job, or they might be looking to hire. Either way, I focus on their needs as a person first and foremost. If I was faced with the situation above, I’d tell the “client” quite simply that I have equal loyalties to the candidate as well as the company. If Bob has any concerns about his role, he would naturally approach me to discuss those. I would tell the “client” that I simply cannot discuss any conversations I’ve had with Bob about his current role due to “client” confidentiality. I’d remind the client that if they had been speaking to me about a potential career move (and most do), then equally I wouldn’t be discussing our conversations with their own boss.
Their best option is to be open with the candidate and invite him out for a coffee to discuss the situation in a non-work environment. There clearly are issues with engagement and retention between the client and candidate. That could be down to a lack of communication, or simply a lack of respect on either side. Either way, the relationship hasn’t been managed in the best way. The client needs to get to the route of the cause of this unhappiness in the candidate if they are going to be able to understand what’s wrong, and come up with a mutual solution. At The IRG, we are going to be training our members on how to assist clients with candidate engagement and retention – the crucial aspects after the “Attraction” has been taken care of. This will ensure that both the candidate and client achieve ultimate satisfaction from their new relationship, going far beyond the standard 3 month rebate period.
So – treat your clients well, but remember – they can equally drop you just as quick as any candidate will. We need to be adding more value to both sides of the equation – in order to be seen to be true professionals. If you neglect your candidate relationships, or abuse the trust that those candidates place in you, then you are are simply helping to add to the poor image candidates in general have of recruiters right now.
Let’s do things right!
Sean O’Donoghue
Founder
The Independent Recruiting Group
http://www.irg-uk.com
I’d go for lunch with Bob to understand the problem he has with being there (as any future placement may have similar issues)
Once you understand Bob’s issues you may be able to coach him to have a frank conversation with the client. If Bob is leaving because the boss is abusive or dishonest then you may want to reassess whether the client is someone you want to keep introducing top talent to.
Bob may have personal reasons for leaving and understanding this will help you to help him and you may be in a good position to help him communicate his problem to his employer without jeopardising his current position.
In short – the consultant should be a consultant and that involves listening and understanding what both parties want and adding value to help both parties get there.
Doing this well could mean having both a new placement and a happy client who will use you again.
Colm Hannon
Managing Director
eSocialMedia.co.uk
I believe the problem can be solved without disrupting the trust of the candidate or the client.
On no account can a recruiter ever reveal confidential personal information from a candidate without their permission.