Working in the recruiting industry, there are a variety of factors and inputs that we rely on to provide value to our candidates and clients. While many of the services we provide are fairly basic, last week I became acutely aware of the inputs needed to provide quality service when I no longer had access to the resources I needed.

The primary service that we provide is the placement of candidates into positions that our clients cannot fill. For candidates, good service means active communication with them throughout the placement process, faster responses from the company (our client) about their employment status than if they applied with them individually, providing helpful information on how to make their resume more attractive to employers, and providing assistance in enhancing their interviewing skills. We also offer a knowledge source that many candidates do not otherwise have by offering a more comprehensive understanding of the market and what may be a realistic expectation for a candidate’s career goals. For clients, good service means finding quality candidates to fill their positions that will meet the needs of their business. It also means actively communicating with them throughout the placement process about the status of finding this candidate and being willing to change a search to meet the client’s needs as well as advising clients on how to better attract candidates through job advertisements or perhaps changing salary and benefits offered.

Part of that process that I most frequently handle is the sourcing and pre-screening process. This process simply involves sourcing for candidates on various social media like Facebook job groups or LinkedIn for a given position. Consultants also use a database called Salesforce to source for candidates. After I find good profiles I will hold an over the phone interview to get a sense of their previous job experience and what expectations they have for professional experiences in the future. I will then look at the jobs we have available and invite him/her in for an interview if I feel he/she would be a good potential candidate. For the most part, to provide these services, consultants need to be excellent communicators, be adaptable, and have strong interpersonal skills, but beyond these skills, there are also resources we rely on to complete our services. Last week I became more aware of the necessity of these resources when I did not have access to them.

Since I started at CPL jobs, I have been using the account of one of the employees who recently left (I cannot get an account myself because making one comes with certain performance targets that I, as an intern doing different tasks than the consultants, can’t meet). This account gave me access to the computer, the telephone, and the database where we store and record information about candidates and the status of a given placement. Last week, however, it was processed that the employees whose account I had been using was no longer with the company and I could no longer use her account. Without this account, although I used another profile to access the computer, I was unable to make phone calls to candidates, I could not source for candidates or track their status using the database, or send emails to my colleagues because I did not have the proper authority using my student email. Though I made do by going to other colleague’s desks when they left the building, it certainly was a struggle and unfortunately lost me some candidates when I had to constantly push back phone interviews, thinking that IT would resolve the issue by the next day. Though it was an inconvenience, it made me source for candidates using creative ways. I had to learn how to source for candidates using Boolean searching on Google because I had exceeded my commercial recruiting limit on LinkedIn a few weeks ago. This is normally not the case, however, and the resources we normally use work very effectively in providing our services.

Beyond these resources, CPL provides value to their clients and candidates, through a personal touch in our communication. Though as a still growing company with a team of only 16 we cannot provide some of the services that other larger recruiting companies provide, our consultants still offer an expertise that many others cannot provide. As we grow we are also adding more services like a revamped website that is more easily accessible and includes easy to navigate search tools for candidates looking for jobs, separate employee and candidate sections with relevant job information, a place for candidates to apply on the website, and a blog about tips for candidates and information about the job market, recruiting, and other interesting career-related subjects. Moving into the second half of my internship and just ending our financial calendar year seeing over 48% growth, I look forward to helping CPL grow further with these contributions to the English blog and through continued communication with candidates.