Courtenay HR

Experts View

Personnel Today recently asked Gareth Jones of Courtenay HR for his view on what to look for when choosing a consultancy to represent you as a candidate.

1. Do you have a current relationship with an external consultancy?
   Yes. I have worked with one or two people who I have a very strong relationship. One in particular, who I have known for over 10 years, now acts more as a mentor than a consultant. As a psychologist, with a good business head he gives me valuable and extremely honest feedback.



2. What are the benefits of having a close working relationship with a consultancy?
   A close relationship does not guarantee the next move for you, but it will ensure they fully understand what you are about, the relevance of your experience and the best opportunity for you. The closer the relationship the better - the more a consultancy knows about you the better placed you will be against others in the candidate pool.



3. What should be avoided when establishing the relationship?
   Avoid spreading yourself too thinly. Be discerning in your choice and keep the number of organisations representing you to a minimum. It might not be an accurate perception, but seeing someone’s details come across your desk from many different consultancies can leave a negative impression with a client.



4. Has the way in which candidates and consultancies interact changed in recent years?
   Not really but its going to. Things have not changed in recruitment for many years but the the internet and other technologies, combined with a need to move and act faster to fulfil a need will change the traditional interaction. As a candidate you should expect to develop longer term relationships with employers on the same basis as you currently do with consultancies. That means getting to know a group of employers who you may never actually join.



5. What’s the best way to identify and choose a suitable consultancy to work with?
   In this crowded market, its best to go with a combination of recommendation and brand recognition in the specific market or sector. When choosing from a number of consultancies, make sure you get time with them to dig deeper, understand exactly what they have done, what they can do for you and see if you can work with them on a personal level. When meeting with a consultant, make sure you get time outside of the career discussion to cover these things. Don’t let them rush you.



6. What should you do if you are dissatisfied with your relationship or how things are progressing?
   Talk. Most of the problems in recruitment arise through lack of communication. Things change so it’s important to make sure that any issues or events that can affect the hiring process are shared. Encourage your consultant to be honest in their feedback as a lot of the frustration with recruiter’s stems from lack of feedback, or the rather thin excuses for why you are not being put on the shortlist or didn’t get the job.

• Don’t chop and change – invest time in building long term relationships.
• Remember that the consultant is your best, and only representative until you get in front of the client yourself.
• Be proactive – keep in touch with your consultant, call them even if they do not call you.