We all know how important feedback is when working with your split placement partners. The member engagement manager at NPAworldwide recruitment network has been hearing for years now from exporters (partners who supply candidates) that importers (partners who supply jobs) are bad at feedback to the partner in terms of how the candidate submitted stacks up to the other candidates, what they may be missing in terms of qualifications, and really, any comments back at all that could help deliver stronger candidates. Well in 2017, those same exporters are getting extremely busy and are also slacking on the feedback front, leaving the recruitment firm with the job frustrated as to knowing the status of the search, and hoping that candidates are being sourced so they can focus on business development. Here are a couple of fast tips from the firms supplying positions on the split placement end.
1. If you agree to help someone give them the courtesy of updating them at least weekly on your progress even if it is: still looking but have not found anyone. At least this way they know you are still out there and trying. Try and create a signature template and reminder on any search you may be working to provide that partner information on how long you have spent on their search, any short list candidates you are working to gather more information on, and any questions you may build up along the way of the search, such as negotiable items. See an example below:
Hello Jim,
Here is this week’s progress on your “Director of Supply Chain” position. Thank you again for the opportunity to source this.
I spent about “8” hours on this search this week as I have “5” other positions that are a bit hotter to be working on.
I have attached two potential candidates that seem like they are about a 75% match. They are lacking about 2-3 years of experience and one candidate does not have an MBA from a top school listed. Are those hard requirements? As this is week two of the search are there any initial requirements I could focus less on?
I am available for a call “tomorrow at 10am” if you would rather discuss over the phone. Otherwise I will keep working.
2. If you are using online job boards to advertise and source, screen the candidates. It is one of the few reasons some recruiters initially join a split placement network, but it does exist. A firm that seems to excel at online sourcing through their job boards wants to take a crack at extra income by also posting their recruitment partners positions and therefore, generating revenue by forwarding those candidates on hoping that one sticks. The firms are not impressed by this with a lack of work and feedback on the exporter’s side. If you are going to access candidates this way, you must screen through their resumes, and still provide a feedback sheet to your partner. All it takes is one opened resume of a poor quality candidate for a firm to decide they are not going to waste their time on your emails.
3. Agree on candidate contact through the hiring process prior to the placement happening. This one may require more explanation, but this is an excellent feedback step for those sourcing candidates to share with their trading partner before candidates begin interviewing. Make it clear to your partner how much involvlement you would like to have with the candidate you are submitting to avoid feedback pitfalls. For example, many importing firms would prefer to become the main point of contact with the candidate to eliminate confusion. They are thrown off when they reach out to the candidate with news that has already been shared from the exporting recruiter in regards to the offer or other hiring details. Out of frustration and even embarrassment, they may choose not to work with the recruiter again, when this could have been settled prior to the search to even out lines of communication.
Hopefully those three quick tips build your reputation for sourcing candidates to other recruitment partners, and some of them may have even helped you place yourself in your partner’s shoes. Lines of communication and feedback will never be completely clear, but taking appropriate feedback steps can greatly increase the relationship in the end.