CB Recruitment Blog

How to Find the Best Recruitment Consultant (2023)

Cover image for How to Find the Best Recruitment Consultant (2023)

When looking for a reliable recruitment consultant, you may be concerned about whether they genuinely care about placing you with the right company. That’s understandable. The recruitment industry has a bad rap for many reasons, though, these days, we tend to vote with our feet and spread the news if a recruitment consultant ghosts us or fails to do a good job.

This post guides you to find a recruitment consultant who will prioritise your needs as a job seeker or find the best candidate for your company.

Contents

How Do I Find A Good Recruitment Consultant?

Most job seekers have a horror story or two about recruitment consulting. The main problem appears to be they lose interest in you if they cannot place you with a company immediately. Other issues are when they don’t update you when you have applied for a job advertised on the consultancy platform.

There are many generic recruitment agencies and job sites online. The challenge is that most of them are generalists. Especially if you want a Web3 career, your better choice is to work with a specialist.

Suppose, for a moment, a generalist recruitment agency advertises a Web3 job, say a blockchain engineer position. The job description is right up your alley, the salary is excellent, and it’s remote working, everything you are looking for from a job.

You submit your resume and receive a call from a recruitment consultant the next day. You have questions about the company and the role, but the recruitment consultant seems stumped. Their answers are vague. You cannot get a fix on exactly what your job would involve, and you feel an ever-increasing frustration at their poor responses.

It’s not their fault. They are not specialists and do not have blockchain industry knowledge or expertise. So, suppose they then tell you they want to submit your application to the company. That sounds fantastic, but hold on, ask yourself, “how well do I think the recruitment consultant will represent me?”

The best a generic recruitment consultant can do is focus on your resume, but that’s not enough when a client is seeking top-tier talent and wants the best blockchain engineer for their project.

What Makes A Good Recruitment Consultant?

For you, the best advice is to seek a recruitment consultant specialist who knows and understands the industry and your skills inside out. That person can best represent you to potential employers.

In addition, should you avoid the commission-only recruitment consultant? It’s tricky to know if a consultant is salaried or on commission only, and it’s unlikely you will get a direct answer if you ask. However, you have the right to ask before committing to a relationship with the agency.

Recruiting is a tough job with a lot of pressure, even if salaried. But suppose it’s the last week of the month, and you contact a commission-only consultant who hasn’t earned a bean that month. They may try to steer you into a job that isn’t right for you. They’re worried about losing their job and may rush through the process aggressively, focused on their interests and not yours.

Your objective is to ascertain if this relationship is purely transactional or relational.

Consider the following questions and observations: –

  • Is the recruitment consultant genuinely committed to finding the perfect fit for you?
  • Do they have a reputation for building nurturing relationships with clients?
  • Find out if the recruitment consultant follows up with candidates after placements
  • Will you be working with one recruitment consultant throughout or with other team members and a wider network?
  • Observe if the recruitment consultant offers value, such as resources, tips, contacts, resume suggestions etc
  • Does the recruitment agency insist on exclusivity?

Consider it a downside if a recruitment consultant focuses only on getting candidates placed. For example, most problems occur during the first few weeks of onboarding a new employee. A consultant who follows up with the candidate and company can help identify potential issues that could lead to reduced engagement and retention rates.

Suppose a new blockchain developer joins a team and finds the team leader challenging as their communication style is micromanaging. There could be months of pent-up frustration, miscommunication and declining job performance.

Addressing a situation in the early stages is a significant skill for a recruitment consultant, and if you find one that does this, sign up with that person. They have the interests of their clients at heart and won’t “do you over” for a commission.

This approach is something CB Recruitment looks for when hiring a new recruitment consultant. Customer care is paramount to the company’s values and mission statement.

Is it Normal for Recruiters to Ghost You?

Sadly, we hear this a lot from candidates. Ghosting anyone is unacceptable. Whatever the outcome of an application, recruitment consultants should have the decency to keep their clients informed, even if their application is unsuccessful.

What does it mean if a recruiter ghosts you? It means you should look for a better recruiter! If you don’t know what to do if you get ghosted by a recruiter, firstly, give them the benefit of the doubt. They could be off sick or even have left the agency. If possible, make a direct call to the recruiter. If they continue avoiding you, vote with your feet and contact another agency.

How do you tell if a recruiter is ghosting you? They don’t answer your calls or correspondence and are always “too busy” to talk with you.

What Is The Best Quality Of A Recruiter?

The top recruitment consultants have many excellent qualities that help them stand out above others.

The following list highlights the least you should expect from your recruiter: –

#1: They Return Your Calls or Emails the Same Day

Whether a candidate or a company, expecting a prompt response to your contact is not unreasonable. If the consultant is sick or on holiday, they should either have an auto-responder indicating their return date or have someone stand in to explain their absence.

#2: The Recruiter Does Not Rush Your Brief

Anticipate at least an hour for the first brief. A recruiting consultant should ask many questions and seek clarification at every juncture. They must take time to find out precisely what you desire from a job and encourage you to discuss what you consider essential for a Web3 career. For instance, is remote or flexible working necessary for you?

For example, the recruiter may ask you to attend an online meeting for 30-60 minutes. If you hop on a first call for ten minutes, the recruiter is failing to vet you as a candidate and likely cannot do as well as a recruitment consultant who takes the time to explore your skills, experience and requirements in detail.

Subsequent calls will be shorter, but that first meeting is crucial to set the stage for future interactions and application success.

Anticipate that your recruiter will be attentive, but it’s a red flag if they are too pushy. If an organisation starts receiving unsuitable CVs, the recruiter is not doing the agency any favours and will annoy the client. Likewise, as a candidate, you should be in regular contact with the consultant and receive weekly updates at the least.

Whilst you don’t expect a great hire in 3 days, a recruitment consultant should aim for a streamlined process, presenting the best candidates according to the company brief.

#3: Honesty & Integrity

Honesty and integrity should be prerequisites for a recruitment role. Suppose you applied for a job, but the recruitment consultant doesn’t feel the position is right for you. A great consultant will tell you (tactfully) and explain why. Their job is to place the best person with the best company, and if they are talented, they will make sure they get it right for you.

Sadly, there is still a lack of integrity in the recruitment industry. It’s the small things that get overlooked, such as: –

  • Sending your resume to a company without your permission (against GDPR ruling)
  • Misrepresenting a candidate or a company
  • Under or overselling a job opening
  • Pressuring a candidate
  • Lying

At the first sign of a lack of integrity or honesty, challenge the recruitment consultant. Do not accept poor behaviour. If the industry is ever to change, we must be proactive against poor practices.

#4: They know the industry

A recruitment consultant with exceptional knowledge of the industry and market is a rare find. Someone with specialist skills is best to position your application because they understand what you do and where you might be the best fit. CB Recruitment’s team of consultants are Web3 specialists, so if you are looking for a Web3 job, they are the guys (and gals) to help you find your dream job.

Likewise, if you are a corporate client looking for top-tier talent, the CB Recruitment team has access to the best people in Web3 and the experience to understand your needs as a company.

#5: Always Professional

Professionalism must rule in a client/ recruiter relationship. Be that appearance, written or spoken skills and how they represent you. They must be respectful of your time, turn up to meetings promptly and keep you informed at every stage of your application. They are representatives of the agency brand and, as such, influence the agency’s reputation.

#6: Organised

As well as excellent sales skills, recruitment consultants need organisational and administration capability. There is a lot to navigate with multiple clients and candidates relying on the consultant to get people to interviews at the right time. Data input is ongoing and must be updated daily to increase efficiency.

In addition, recruiters must observe attention to detail in all communications with candidates and organisations. For example, getting job offer details incorrect is unforgivable.

If you notice multiple errors in correspondence, it might not be the best recruitment consultant or agency for you.

#7: Exceptional Communication Skills

Being a top salesperson requires many skills. It’s not about having the ability to sell ice to Eskimos or talk the back legs off a donkey. Recruitment consultants need skills such as: –

  • The ability to convey ideas
  • Negotiation
  • Empathy
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Active listening
  • Happy to communicate at all levels
  • Adaptable sales approach
  • Team player
  • Sales skills

The most effective recruitment consultants are all-round, multi-faceted experts with specialist knowledge suitable for the agency and its clients. Many Web3 jobs are complex, requiring in-depth knowledge and skills. A consultant could talk with many bright, technically-minded people daily. It could be a meeting with a social community manager, a Solidity Developer, a blockchain architect and a CEO on the same day.

Top recruitment consultants can quickly assess and influence candidates and help a company formulate a job description to attract top-tier talent. They are credible people who can converse on all relevant subjects with some authority or understanding.

Conclusion: How to Find the Best Recruitment Consultant (2023)

To sum up, if you are looking for a new job in 2023 and want to choose the best recruitment consultant, you now know how to find the best person or agency. Above all, select a consultant who understands your skills and experience, and contact a specialist agency like CB Recruitment, with a team of Web3 experts.


About Author

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Jan Barley

Jan is a SEO copywriter, brand advisor, content strategist & case study specialist writing for crypto, recruitment, and SaaS companies. Jan lives in the Cotswold's UK with two rescue dogs. Since 2020, Jan has written hundreds of SEO articles for various crypto companies including CB Recruitment & Coin Bureau.

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