My first year in recruitment: using my further education experience to find passionate leaders

What have I learned in my first year?

Lesson 1: Trust the process

My advice to both aspiring recruiters and to the colleges I partner with is simple: trust the process.

Some searches are easier than others just by the nature of the criteria and skills required.

However, even on those really niche governor searches – and I’ve had a few – you can identify people who have the skill sets and the interest in volunteering their time, as long as you have patience and trust in the research.

For example, I recruited a governor for a land-based college. Unlike many governor roles, the college didn’t need a curriculum expert or a qualified finance professional. No, they needed someone with expertise in the equine industry. It’s fair to say, other than riding a horse a few times as a child, I know nothing about this industry. However, through following the brief and trusting the process, I identified a range of suitably experienced candidates and made a successful appointment.

Lesson 2: Transparency and honesty are the vital ingredients.

Transparency and honesty are key to how we work.

As recruiters, we can face many challenges. Perhaps the search is proving a struggle or potential candidates just aren’t as excited about a role as we would hope. Perhaps our advertising or attraction strategy isn’t as effective as we’d hoped. It’s up to us to help our partners identify and overcome these challenges.

We expect the same openness from our partners. We spend time understanding strengths and aspirations, but also challenges and risks. In fact, good recruiters understand how the challenges that organisations face can become opportunities for the right candidate. Being honest about these challenges can help us show how a good candidate can have an impact.

But we can only do this if we are open with candidates and our partners.

This brings me to my third lesson…

Lesson 3: We’re working with people.

Relationships are at the heart of recruitment. There are the highs and lows of sharing good news and bad. Whilst it’s important to celebrate the success of appointed candidates, it’s just as important to support candidates who aren’t successful in a process by offering quality feedback and guidance so they can do better next time. Applying for a new role, be that remunerated, or voluntary, is a commitment. People invest time, energy and emotion into doing it. We recognise and support those who are willing to commit.

Specifically with voluntary roles such as governors, we recognise that candidates are writing these applications alongside very busy professional and personal lives and I like to offer as much flexibility and support to them through the application phase as I can.

Perhaps the biggest thing I’ve learned is that it’s never too late to make a change. If you’re curious about becoming a recruiter, get in touch with me for an informal chat or click here to learn more.