Challenges faced by recruitment consultants

1.Attracting the right candidates

if one has ever tried to discover the right candidate in a pool full of unqualified talent, one will know that the options are limited. One will choose the best person one can find at that time—not the best fit for the job. But it’s not always about the number of candidates who apply; the best way to hire the right people is often from a smaller pipeline of more qualified talent.

2.Engaging qualified candidates

Good candidates are often contacted regularly by recruiters, making it harder for smaller recruiters to stand out. In addition, candidates with hard-to-find skills are often considering several job offers at the same time. So extra effort has to be put into persuading passive candidates to choose one's own agency over the competitors.

3. Commitment from the candidates

It is one of the biggest challenges that new recruitment consultants face. Most candidates feel that these new kids on the block will not be able to provide them with the perfect opening that they are looking for in terms of salary as well as job openings.

Therefore, what follows is a cat and mouse game between the recruiters and the candidates. The candidates don’t pick up the phone of the recruiter and even if they do, it is only to come up with the excuse that they are stuck somewhere due to which they are not able to attend the interview.

This not only tarnishes the image of the recruiter but also hampers the image of the candidate big time because it shows his lack of commitment and irresponsibility. It is frustrating for the recruiters as they are not able to fulfil their commitment as well due to these kinds of candidates.

4. New recruiters

When it is a new recruiting consultant then there are chances that the recruiters will also be new, therefore it becomes a challenge to train them as well.

When it comes to training then several aspects need to be taken into account and they are qualifying clients, identifying candidates and then indulging in interviewing them, writing job specifications, and every other aspect that is concerned with the recruitment process.

The new recruiters find it difficult to manage the client and the candidates simultaneously, thus becoming a huge challenge for the recruitment consultant to perform extensively as well.

5.Speeding up the recruitment process:

Yes, there is a need to speed up the process of recruitment. Gone are the times when one could take all the time in the world to find out the best candidate, but now the competition is stiff therefore if one is not tapping on the best talent first then within no time one will be left with unfit candidates.

Now Imagine this Scenario

An Employer is looking to hire a developer for the business. In the employer's mind, this developer bears several characteristics — they’re affable, visionary, able to communicate well, and (definitely) should be competent at their job.

The Employer hires a consultant. After screening through dozens of resumes the consultant provides one suitable candidate. Reeta has a lot of relevant work experience, did brilliantly in academics, and seems to be involved in several social pursuits like volunteering and the outdoor activities club.

The recruitment consultant brings her in for an interview; she seems to be the perfect fit for the position! She’s sharp, eloquent, and seems like she would be a perfect fit. The employer onboards her.

Two months in, the employer realizes that Reeta is good at her tasks, however, she seems to be reluctant to integrate with the rest of the team.

She openly refuses to join in team lunches, preferring to sit alone in the pantry while everyone else is eating together. This nonsocial behaviour carries into meetings, where she stays silent 99% of the time. When asked to help out with minor, ad hoc tasks, she rudely declines, emphasizing that this “isn’t included in her job scope”.

One starts to notice a change in the air. Other members of the team who have observed Reeta’s behaviours are initially annoyed, but slowly follow suit in a bid to protect their interests.

The Team, who were originally visionary, cohesive, and open in their communication, are now behaving differently. Team members are beginning to assume the worst intentions from their colleagues, and are unwilling to offer help to their teammates. The lack of communication between team members has manifested in poorer cohesiveness when completing tasks.

Put simply,the decision to hire Reeta based primarily on her credentials has effectively altered the team culture for the worst.  

The Employer is unhappy. He reverts to the recruitment consultant and demands an explanation, even a replacement for Reeta. Now the recruitment consultant will have to do free of cost spending time and energy again to look out for the ideal candidate for the same position.

Now the credibility of the recruitment Company is under scrutiny. There would a basic hesitation for getting further hiring through this recruitment firm.

Where does this lead to??

The business of the recruitment firm gets impacted, wherein a long-term association would be challenged.

Where do psychometric Assessments help the  Recruitment Consulting Companies 

Psychometric tests are an essential tool that can help recruitment Consultants make data-driven decisions. Rather than relying on gut feelings and unstructured interviews, they can design a multi-step data-driven hiring process that uses psychometric tests, job-related skills tests, and structured interviews to make informed decisions. Psychometric Tests can give recruitment consultants a solid understanding of what each candidate is like, beyond their experience and motivation. By comparing candidates and analyzing results, recruitment consultants can predict the candidate’s fit for a role and get information that is otherwise nearly impossible to get from a resume or even an interview. They can create a pool of talent with them and use it appropriately and effectively with their various clients, giving them a superior edge as compared it to their competitors.

To see what cannot be seen 

Traditional hiring processes are great for assessing ‘hard skills’ to an extent; through prior work experience and achievements.

However, more often what determines success at another organisation isn’t task competency, but the ability to work effectively and efficiently with the rest of the team.

Psychometric assessments are frequently employed to fill this void — to assess the more unobservable aspects of an individual; to help recruiters better understand the individual, and thus able to make a more informed decision, particularly regarding matters such as culture or role fit.

The unseen cost of poor hires

When a recruitment consultant seeks to help the employer with the candidates it becomes imperative to minimise the potential disruption to the existing workflow. Disruptions to the workflow mean poorer efficiency, and subsequently lower effectiveness, revenue, services, and other business outcomes.

Understanding the pre-existing culture within the organization and team, and finding someone that fits that culture is therefore the key.

The thing is, people often put their best foot forward when entering a new environment and role. The idiosyncrasies of new hires only tend to surface months after they settle in.

If this new hire was ultimately a poor fit to the team, some damage would have already been done, and — the probationary period has ended (making their dismissal difficult), the team might have already changed in unconstructive ways, and precious time has been wasted.

So how do we reveal these “true colors” quicker? Well, psychometric assessments can provide deeper insights into these behavioural tendencies before employment, shortening this period to truly discover these idiosyncrasies drastically. Through extensive research and validation, these assessments are able to accurately predict individuals’ characteristics, and to a significant extent job fit, cultural fit, and potential job performance and success.

Thereby Recruitment consultants have to think big and have a talent pool wherein they can identify which candidate can be suitable or perfectly fit into which organization. As the consultants have to grow and create a name for themselves, so as to retain their existing clients for future job requirements

Understanding the type of personality traits and attributes the candidate has makes sure their first few weeks in the clients company are all plain sailing. While it can be tricky to know exactly how an individual is going to react to a challenging situation, psychometric testing can be a great way of keeping an eye on the employees from the offset, helping to understand what extra support or training they might need to be most productive in their working environment.

Key Takeaways for Recruitment Consultants 

There is a win-win situation when a recruitment consultant for the client, when integrates psychometric assessments in their process.

They get Repeat business from existing clients
They have a talent pool, which makes it easier for them to provide the right candidates to the requisite Client
The Recruitment Consultants create a brand name for themselves while leveraging the added advantage of psychometric assessments through various clients.
The time and resources are comparatively cut short while using a psychometric assessment.
Candidates will also seek those consultants who will be providing them with organization according to their personality.
Readily available Talent pool is what they can leverage for acquiring new clients
This effectively streamlines the recruitment process, ensuring that only the best candidates make it through to your final interviewing stage.