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Behind the scenes in recruitment

EUMA UK Impetus E-Zine - Autumn/Winter 2008

Jo Tomazou, joint managing director of recruitment consultant Gordon Yates, gives a very personal view of what it’s like to work in recruitment. 

Over the years I’ve often wished that I had time to write a sitcom about life in a recruitment agency; it would be great to show people what really goes on behind the scenes.

‘Never a dull moment’ pretty much sums up the life of a recruitment consultant. The unexpected happens all the time. For example, a client may have travelled especially to London for an interview. Then the first candidate cancels, then the next … and it turns into a farcical game of skittles. We act as the middleman, making the calls and explaining the reasons. We don’t look good, but it’s up to us to fix the situation.

Our job is to look after both clients and candidates.  The purpose of our business is to match candidates to companies’ recruitment needs, whether permanent, temporary or contract. At Gordon Yates we meet every client and interview every candidate. This alone keep us busy. We also seek out new clients to create more jobs for candidates; write adverts and handle the responses; source candidates from job sites; visit colleges to give students job-hunting tips and advise clients on the job market.  The days fly by and frequent interruptions and changing priorities make sharp time management skills essential.

At Gordon Yates we’re fortunate to receive a high volume of referred business from both clients and candidates.  Our philosophy is to treat people as we ourselves expect to be treated.  To keep us on our toes an external consultant monitors our service by interviewing randomly selected clients and candidates every quarter and sending us the report to evaluate.

We recruit across a wide range of business sectors. Meeting clients at their companies is one of my favourite parts of the job.  It’s fascinating finding out about their business and gaining an in depth perspective that helps us match candidates effectively.  Meetings are held across the capital, often in places we didn’t even know existed. On a cold, miserable day we dread heading out of the door.  But when we’re with our client, and they offer us a hot drink and biscuits, the world looks a much better place. 

We work on roles that vary from junior entry level positions through to senior middle management ones.  The candidates we meet reflect this diversity and this too makes our jobs extremely interesting.  We always remember how nervous candidates can be when they meet us.  Some are cautious and even defensive if they have had a bad experience with another agency. A trained consultant can identify this and, with patience and understanding, still get the best out of the candidate. 

After twenty-five years in the business I never cease to be amazed by how some people can let you down spectacularly. Sometimes there isn’t even an explanation – people simply disappear without thinking that we might be worried about them.  But when a real emergency happens, many candidates make the effort to call and let us know. All we ever ask is that candidates should tell us the truth about what’s going on.

Overall, we really love what we do. The job and environment are incredibly rewarding and, despite the frustrations, we come into work with a smile on our faces and enthusiasm in our hearts.  It’s totally satisfying finding work for people, especially when you become part of their career development over the years.  We never look at the clock and wonder how to fill the day …. we’d be bored with that and wouldn’t have it any other way. 

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