Care and Compassion
I’m not in the habit of slating the competition but when I hear time and time again about recruitment agencies who didn’t or don’t care, it makes me more determined to maintain my own business values which include honesty, but also integrity and yes, ‘care’.
These last few years, more than ever, we need to be mindful of really giving a damn and showing we care.
Redundancy and job losses have been rife in 2020 & 2021 and will sadly continue into 2022. Candidates are tentative when they reach out to a Recruiter; they are often dipping their toes into the proverbial job-hunting ocean for the first time in years. And currently, these are stormy seas rather than a calm ocean.
The initial call needs to be managed sensitively and requires a lot of proper listening. I’ve spent a great deal of time these last few months listening, coaxing and counselling, and often that’s before we even get to discuss the Candidate’s CV. Whilst in conversation, I’m mindful of a candidate feeling vulnerable or defensive; losing a job is a massive blow not only financially but often personally and it’s important to me to demonstrate compassion and yes, care.
I’m often told about templated rejection emails or unanswered emails; phone messages not returned, CV’s or LinkedIn profiles being criticised.
This is not my way; on the contrary: My way is to engage fully in conversation, to offer solutions, to be supportive and most of all, to show I care. Because I genuinely do.
I have many more conversations with Candidates than I have jobs available for them and therefore, the least I can do is to be helpful and guide them in how their job hunting could play out. Sometimes I refer them to connections in my network; sometimes (horror of horrors) I refer them to other Recruiters that I’m confident work with a similar ethos and will show a similar level of care.
What’s important to me is that each person I work with will walk away having had a positive experience and will see how much I care about what I do, as well as how much I care about them and their future.
“Amanda is incredibly professional and thorough, but also very caring and compassionate. Having been made redundant, after 15 years, from my previous firm during the height of COVID, Amanda really helped me…. She genuinely cares.”
Endorsed by a senior level candidate I successfully placed last month:
