Working alongside a block management recruiter when seeking new staff needs to be a seamless task. Both clients and recruiters will be discussing at length what is required to suit the company and the team that a new block management candidate could be joining. This is a crucial part of our recruitment process and is much more effective if not rushed. Both sides seek happiness in the perfect match. There are many clients, within block management, that really don’t want to hear from a recruiter unless it is necessary. This reactive approach works well for both parties; from a recruiter point of view we just want to make people happy and from a client point of view they need to know they will receive our support, whenever it is needed. As soon as a new block vacancy hits our office, we want the client to believe that we will do our utmost to locate the perfect candidate. If there is a record of previously successful placements, then the client will easily place their trust in any future appointments. We have many clients who seek new members of staff as soon as someone hands in their notice or a new project gets approved. This is a completely normal reactive approach but brings with it an element of stress knowing the role needs filling swiftly. It can lead to rushed interviews and going with the candidate that best suits the role out of the ones you have seen. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are the most perfect person for the role but that the client is ‘settling’. Can this process be improved upon? Some block management clients will ask us to send any CVs that they know will be of interest, at any time of the year. This proactive approach relies heavily on the client relaying exactly who they would be interested in. It also relies on the recruitment company retaining this information until the right candidate comes in. The CV must tick all boxes; no client wants to be regularly bombarded with just any CV. The recruitment company is there to reduce the stress, not add to it. This relationship of trust between the client and recruitment company must function extremely well for this method to be used most effectively. It also means that the client can have a select few ideal candidate CVs to choose from when a vacancy does arise. There is a downside to this proactive approach within block management though. There are those candidates who may be content with their current employer and simply just keep a lookout for a better role, that might offer a new challenge. This scenario definitely suits this proactive client approach. They would be contacted, via the recruiter, at a time that suits the client’s needs and ‘hey presto’ stress-free recruitment. How does this help those who are working a notice period, been made redundant or are returning after leave? Unless the timing is perfect, then it just doesn’t! Here at TemplePM we just love solving the puzzle and making the best match between client and candidate. We also want to prove our abilities to find the perfect block management candidate every time. We wouldn’t have been in the industry for over 10 years if we weren’t just as effective at reacting as well as proacting! So, which one are you?
Ailsa Yapici, TemplePM.
