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UK recruitment consultants have struggled for a long time to shake off the poor image often associated with the industry, but according to new research there is still a long way to go.
A recent survey found that clients are dissatisfied with the service they receive from their UK recruitment consultant in areas ranging from quality of candidates through to issues of client liaison.Only 51 per cent of clients are very satisfied with the ethics of their recruitment agency and only slightly more (53 per cent) are "very confident" agencies will not poach their own staff.And worryingly, as many as 29 per cent of clients have interviewed clients put forward by their UK recruitment agency who are "totally inappropriate for the job", with lack of relevant experience and necessary skills cited as the most common reason. As many as 30 per cent believe candidates sent were "not very" or "not at all" well briefed.The research was carried out among 75 companies which had used a UK recruitment agency in the past 12 months. Only 32 per cent of clients said that the recruitment consultant advising them "had worked in their particular sector". Most negotiations were conducted over the phone (64 per cent) with just 32 per cent of recruitment consultants making a personal visit to their client.Clients were confident (72 per cent) in the recruitment consultant's desire to find the right candidate for the job, but they were cynical about their motivation, believing this to be largely driven by the pursuit of a commission.The survey also canvassed the views of 25 candidates with recent experience of recruitment consultants. The majority likened recruitment consultants to that other much maligned group, estate agents.These findings are simply not good enough, and show the general ethical reputation of the industry leaves something to be desired. Allery Scotts has pledged to adhere to a given set of standards which it hopes will raise the industry standard as a whole. Among other things it guarantees not to poach from clients, promises that all recruitment consultants will be experienced in the client's sector, visits all clients and provides a service guarantee.In an industry with no self-regulation, where anyone, regardless of experience or qualifications, can set themselves up as a recruitment consultant, any initiative to adhere to standards should be welcomed. The will to get some kind of industry standard in place is also evident in the move by many consultancies to sign up for ISO9000, as Allery Scotts has done.There are some paths for redress for job-seekers who feel they have been badly served by a recruitment agency. The government agency - Employment Agencies Standards Service (0645 555105) - investigates complaints about breaches of the Employment Agencies Act 1973. The Act applies to any types of executive search agency or recruitment agency and to both permanent and temporary employment.
The onus is however on the client - and the individual candidates to some extent -to ensure they select the right recruitment consultant and receive the level of service they expect. The client must ask the UK recruitment agency critical questions - questions about how it plans to behave, what criteria it intends to use for selection, and what interview techniques will be used. Clients should insist on meeting the recruitment consultant, prepare a clear written brief or job spec and maintain regular contact with the recruitment consultant. |
