The business world can be an uneasy realm these days with the constant outpouring of internet information on shady practices, unethical individuals, and personal information at your fingertips. In a split placement recruitment network you are utilizing the network to place excess candidates, have help filling positions from clients, as well as connecting with trading partners for future business needs. While it can be easy to put up walls or try to withhold information from fear, I urge you to instead find a network that you feel comfortable in, and trust. Many split placement networks will have a code of ethics, or bylaws and operations that must be followed to remain a part of their network. By finding one that aligns with your own morals and ethics, you can be certain that the members you encounter all share those same values, and you can do business more confidently. Here are a couple of things to remember when splitting:
T– Talking to your trading partner on the phone instead of relying solely on email. I will always be someone that promotes the phone regardless of how into the latest technology I am. Hiding behind a computer alias or blindly sending candidates through the internet does not establish the same trust and rapport that a ten minute phone conversation does. The most successful trading partner relationships I hear about are those that constantly connect with one another on the phone throughout the entire recruitment process.
R-Relationship Building is the name of the game. I understand that conferences can be expensive. Time away from the office, travel accommodations, registration fees all add up and make it difficult to commit. I urge you to change your way of thinking on that. If one conference that you attend results in one trading partner and you make one deal together in the next two years, your money is more than paid back. When you start to eliminate the cost mindset and instead take on a relationship building one, you can find way to get a return on investment by instructing yourself to meet five trading partners, or follow up with three connections you make.
U-Understanding we all work different but figuring out ways to work together. That trading partner with the awesome SAP position in California you cannot wait to submit candidates too? He probably is just awful at responding to emails. That is frustrating, because you do not like taking the time to have a 45 minute phone call to be briefed on the client when you can just scan an emailed description. Even though his process may be different than yours, it does not mean the placement or fee earned at the end of it will be any lower, and it pays to be accommodating to different personalities. In any organization, you will find people very similar as well as very different than yourself, and incorporating their strengths into yours can only be beneficial in the long run. Perhaps in this situation you can ask for an email to scan over prior to the call, so you have the background to now only have a 15 or 30 minute discussion. Compromising can lead to a better relationship.
S- Standing up for what’s right even if no one is looking. You may still encounter someone unethical regardless of how strict a network’s rules are. If a trading partner starts to bend the rules in a way you feel uncomfortable, stick to your own ethics instead of conforming to them. If they are bending the rules in one aspect, they are probably skirting around other rules or procedures that may end up having a negative effect on your own firm reputation if it begins to translate to candidates or clients. Let them know their actions are inappropriate, and report them to a network director if a resolution is not found.
T- Trusting your trading partner like they are sitting in your office with you, this is a two way street. Making a split-placement with another recruiting firm should feel open and honest at all stages of the interview and placement. As you would expect a client to communicate with you regularly, that trading partner also deserves that same communication. The more you share with them, the more understanding they have of your firm, client relationships, and practices, and will feel comfortable providing you top candidates in the future.
Great article Sarah. I agree especially with the first point about phoning instead of just using email. I just had a case where I had sent two emails and wondered why I didn’t hear back. So I rang and it turns out for some reason the emails were never received. Now we have a good rapport to move forward and hopefully do a split if my candidate is the right one for their position.
Some great points here, I think we have lost the art of picking up the telephone. My experience in the recruitment sector is the companies which do well are the companies which make the effort to speak with their clients and candidates rather than hiding behind emails.