Okay, admittedly we cheated on the headline. How can you be a slave to recruitment, when you are truly passionate about the industry? Resource On Demand’s founder, Lee Durrant, reflects on how recruitment has changed since he began his career back in 1999.
1. The term ‘database’ used to refer to either a box of cards, or a Rolodex containing candidates’ name and contact number.
2. A mailshot was an entire afternoon spent stuffing envelopes with CVs, to send to clients. This eventually progressed to standing at the fax machine for 3 hours at a time.
3. Even in more recent times, only one administrator had an ‘emailing machine’. So, if you wanted to send a CV via email, you generally had to write up what you wanted to send, and then pop it on the bottom of the pile.
4. ‘Ping-it’ or ‘Pinged’ was the term for when the Senior Consultants fancy lunch was finished in the microwave. Nowadays it refers to instant messages and chat between consultants and clients.
5. Long gone are the days when your only way of influencing a client’s decision about a candidate was by describing them over the phone, because you knew sending a CV would take days.
6. Many moons ago, the only way to advertise your vacancies was by taking out a press advert, with typos and spelling mistakes, often leading to embarrassing or funny consequences. In today’s digital world, we look to online adverts to reach a much wider audience and can update them in a blink of an eye.
7. At some point along the way, recruiters rushed to the job boards in a mad flurry to find the best candidates first. Nowadays, it is all about having a good network and a team that are passionate about collaboration.
8. In the old days HR were your nemesis, but now it’s the internal ‘Talent Acquisiton Specialist’. Whilst these new breeds serve a purpose, never underestimate the benefits of an external recruiter for an unbiased view of the whole market place.
9. In days gone by, candidates often missed out on opportunities, if they were overseas or out of the area working. Today, clients and candidates are leveraging Skype or Gotomeetings, to push ahead with interviews wherever they are in the world.
10. Research has become much easier, thanks to good old uncle Google. In years gone by, your only method of research was by picking up the phone and asking for peoples opinions.
11. Obtaining an ‘org chart’ used to be calling one person and asking who they reported to, now the first port of call is LinkedIn.
12. It has been years, since we have been asked by a client to obtain a character reference for a candidate, as Facebook makes it possible for clients to discreetly check up on their potential employees.
“As I said at the beginning, I cheated on the headline slightly! But, I am extremely proud of the industry I work in, and have welcomed all of the changes over the years, which has seen a vast improvement in the recruitment industry and the way we deliver our service to clients and candidates. I just can’t wait to see what the next 12 years might bring!” – Lee Durrant, Co-Founder