Make the most of your recruiter

Placements in our business often involve finding candidates who do not meet all the formal job spec criteria and client brief. Yes, getting the job spec and the brief right is really important, but matching the right candidate to the right client should always involve identifying and fulfilling the more intangible aspects of the role, such as company culture and ethos. Not knowing the company you are recruiting for can create frustrations all round and lead to relationships breaking down.

I feel recruitment in healthcare requires a consultative approach; an open dialogue between us as recruiters and you as clients/candidates, where we can discuss potential candidates/companies in the market ultimately leading to the best outcome all round. This is where our experience and market knowledge – plus the ability to assess an individual’s soft skills and character – become hugely valuable in the recruitment process.

Let me provide an example. A few years ago, I came across an individual looking for an opportunity to enter the diagnostics field, a highly competitive market and very difficult to get in to. They had a master’s degree in biomedical sciences and was clearly a very passionate individual and stood out from other trainees with their attitude and true desire to get into this field.  They had done their research, shadowed sales reps in the industry and were hugely driven. At the time I was working with a market leading diagnostics company looking to fill a sales position in their team – preferably for someone with three plus years’ experience in the industry. Although this individual had no prior sales experience, my client agreed to give the candidate a chance based on our recommendation. Not only did this individual get the job, the company now use this person as an example of the type of sales person they want representing their business.

They had no relevant sales experience, nor were they someone the client would have interviewed without us having a trust-based, consultative relationship – but it is a prime example of why it’s important to consider those intangible factors in the recruitment process and how looking at these individuals can pay huge dividends.

By no means am I saying the answer to recruitment in this industry is taking a trainee but building a relationship with your healthcare recruiter makes all the difference. I understand the frustrations clients face when it comes to recruitment but I have built some strong relationships in the industry and I have always found I have had the most success with the clients that give me the most dialogue, along with insight and an understanding into their business.