RSI LONDON Group | Russian Specialist Recruitment Consultancy
“Sorry, we put this position on hold”… – this is what many of our clients say since the London lockdown. Like other business and industries, recruitment is facing a lot of challenges right now. However, today I would like to talk about something positive and maybe share a little bit of hope for those who are actively looking for a job during the pandemic.
At about three months ago our client – a huge legal firm, was looking for a part-time legal secretary which is a quite common role that we receive on a regular basis, thus we managed to find an excellent candidate quickly and left a positive impression, well…I hope so since they came back with a new position just before the lockdown announcement.
We started the search and that’s it – we found a perfect candidate who is very interested and holds all the required skills. First stage interview via Zoom went great and also helped us to learn more about the role. When it came to the second interview, I received a call from our client 10 minutes before the initial start saying that unfortunately it is cancelled because of uncertainty related to the COVID-19 outbreak. Luckily, our candidate showed patience, sympathy and enormous understanding! After various changes and different interview negotiations, there was a final video meeting which successfully led to a job offer!
Since this vacancy required an immediate start, the next challenge for all parties was to sort out all the documentation and paperwork taking into account that there is a strict rule of self-isolation.
So, what happened next? Because it is a legal firm with specific compliance, a passport copy via email was not an option. Therefore, our candidate sent all the originals to the main office of the company, while they were preparing a contract. Here, I would like to emphasise that each conversation with either the client or candidate started with phrases such as ‘let me know if you need any additional support’ or ‘we will do our best to make sure everyone is safe’. Everyone was incredibly supportive and understanding!
Eventually, the candidate received all the necessary equipment such as a laptop and important documents via post without any face to face contact. The whole recruitment process took around two weeks but most importantly a great candidate got an excellent job he dreamed about.
As a recruiter, I did not feel right to give our usual advice during the pandemic or rush either of the bodies. What I rediscovered through this experience was that a simple human, kind and sensible approach would sort anything despite the circumstances!
And yes, it is possible to find a job even now, keep your mind positive and let us know if we can be of any help.
Kind regards,
Kate
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Recruitment agency RSI London Group contact details:
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A while ago a good client of mine who has her own amazing boutique law firm in London called me and asked to find her a good PA. She mentioned that she had been looking at various candidates herself, but none of them seemed to fit her requirements.
I knew her well, and I had a very strong image in my head of what type of a candidate could be suitable. Classy, polite, well-spoken, culturally aware, capable, hardworking and experienced to become the ‘right hand person’ in her busy demanding professional and personal life.
“I know a perfect candidate for you!” – I exclaimed.
After our conversation I was putting a short-list together. I had a lot of amazing PAs who could do the job well, but it was only that one candidate who I knew would be the perfect fit. It is tricky to send one candidate in a short-list, and some clients might feel that you haven’t done a lot of work to come up with just one idea. But it was not that at all. I truly felt that this candidate would be that ideal match she had been looking for. So, I sent just one.
Sometimes, being in recruitment for many years you just know. When you feel very strongly that dynamics just match perfectly, being bold and to trust the instinct is the right way. And I knew how busy my client was, the last thing she wanted to look at a pile of CVs and conduct too many interviews, so I decided to save her lots of time too.
She hired the candidate I sent on the spot, never even asking to see anyone else, not even to compare. Over nine years later, my candidate is still my client’s brilliant assistant.
When you can see the working dynamic between a client and a candidate, this is when the ‘magic’ placements happen. I say, it is not how many candidates you send in your short-list that makes you a good recruiter, it is how little you can choose for your final cut which makes you the great one!
Nia
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