Here are the common problems employers have with recruiters and how we as recruiters in the creative and digital industry fix these issues.

Let’s face it, if you don’t work with recruiters regularly it can be a dirty word. “RECRUITER”, It instantly triggers an unconscious response, “we don’t use recruiters”. It may seem rich writing an article about why recruiters are amazing - why they save you time and money, why there is a beautiful side to recruitment and why we only ever try to achieve a win/win/win situation - but hear us out. 

Reading on we are going identify your pain points and un-tarnish recruiters and hold them in the light they deserve, whilst addressing very real reasons why you "don’t like recruiters".

1. I’M DEALING WITH INEXPERIENCE! 

THE PROBLEM: You work in the creative and digital industry, ideally you want to partner with a recruiter who does as well. Just like any industry there are new starters, there are recruiters up-skilling and teams continue to grow with fresh talent. What this can mean is that you are dealing with someone with inexperience. The curveballs you throw, or those hard to fill jobs are just a little too challenging for the new starter. This can get increasingly frustrating, when you are not getting what you want, especially when you need it. 

OUR FIX: Every new starter or up-skiller is surrounded by a team of veterans. In Artisans’ case we have been in industry for over 23 years and our consultants have a combined experience of over 150 years. This means that you are accessing a wealth of experience, there isn’t really a scenario or hard-to-fill role we haven’t encountered, so give us a test! 

2. I’M GETTING THE WRONG CANDIDATES! 

THE PROBLEM: When you decide to partner with a recruiter in order to fill a position, you naturally expect to receive top talent that you would not have easily found on your own, or you are expecting a recruiter with an extensive network to be able to get you the best talent out there, quickly. This is where the pain point arises, there are times when you just receive the wrong candidate, way off the mark. This wastes your time and you don’t really feel you are getting what you are paying for. 

OUR FIX: We are a niche recruitment agency, specialists in the creative, design and digital market. What does this mean? This means that we understand the industry in and out, we understand it from the terminology right the way through to working relationships that have gone on for decades. We don’t bombard you with candidates to sift through just to show we have the volume. We spend the time to search our networks and find the exact fit, then check their references, interview them ourselves and make sure their folio and resume reflect exactly what it is you are looking for. Only then will we propose a candidate to you. Making the process as quick and streamline as possible whilst maintaining the highest level of care.

3. WHY DOES IT TAKE SO MUCH TIME? 

THE PROBLEM: When you partner with a recruiter the intention is to save both time and money, whilst getting the best match. Sometimes processes are drawn out, you then have to wait for a consultant to find you the right candidate and then you have to go through the process of qualifying these, then there is breakdown in communication and time keeps moving forward, which then costs you money.

OUR FIX: We have a seamless process, which combines the needed human touch with the efficiency of a custom built online portal. From the moment you enquire about filling a role, we already have a shortlist of potential candidates that have already been interviewed, referenced and folio checked. This means that we can source from our network and a list of experienced candidates that we have built over 23 years - we can get candidates in front of you in our portal instantly, so that you can see their folio and resume. 

We are also faster than industry standard when it comes to filling a temporary or contract role, if everything is in order we aim to be able to fill a freelance role within an hour. We have refined the process of getting the right person in-front of you in the right amount of time. 

4. WHY DO I KEEP GETTING GHOSTED? 

THE PROBLEM: In an ironic twist, today, employers are now on the receiving end of being ghosted. For the first time in decades, job seekers hold more power than employers. Candidates are able to be more selective when choosing jobs. This means, job seekers are unafraid to walk away from companies that don’t align with their values and meet their needs.

This tends to be due to lack of effective communication, lengthy recruitment processes, counter offers or brands not being right for the candidate on reflection.

OUR FIX: Let’s take this step by step. Communication - we ensure that we are in contact with you and the prospective candidates at every step of the way, as the candidates are not just a name to us, they are very real people with very real talent. We understand them and make sure we are aware of their situation right that way through the match-making process, so you do not have to worry about poor communication. The lengthy process - we have covered this in the heading above, but to reiterate, we work faster than the industry standard, we understand that you need people and that candidates need jobs, this means we get the job done as quickly as we can, without compromising on quality. Counter Offers - these are going to happen. We have a whole school of thinking when it comes to counter offers which you can read here.

5. WHY IS THERE SUCH A LACK OF FLEXIBILITY? 

THE PROBLEM: This problem consists of both recruitment agencies not being flexible and candidates themselves, such as working from home with their own equipment, hours or ability to work. The past year has made the industry rethink its working practices, with some businesses now adopting a complete #WFH strategy, some wanting to be back in the office full time and some with a well balanced mix. This now means that candidates need to be flexible with these arrangements and so do recruiters. When partnering with a recruitment consultant you need to know that they understand your working practices as well as be able to communicate with you when you are available. If a recruiter is not flexible it can draw out the process and cost you money and time. 

OUR FIX: We are ahead of our time, we had #WFH arrangements before they were forced upon us. This meant we had systems in place, communication channels and online methods of sharing candidates with you set up and ready to go. Over the past year we have been refining these and making them better for you and for candidates. As for our candidates, as well as having an extensive network across Australia, we can find you the right in-house candidates at any time, but we also have our #WFHArmy which is one of Australia’s largest creative and digital workforces!

6. WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO AS A RECRUITER? 

This is not so much a problem, more of an understanding. As an agency we are working non-stop to match the best talent with the right employers. Working B2B and B2C. On the candidate side we are referencing, interviewing and going through their folios to ensure their best work is reflected and forming relationships to ensure we know their availability, understand what projects they are working on next and give feedback when they are not suitable for a role (something we never fail to do). On the client side we are taking briefs, writing job ads, sourcing potential new talent, understanding our clients needs and brand, keeping in touch and sharing industry research. We also never fail to "check in" at every step of the way to ensure everyone is getting the best out of a freelance or contract gig, or hashing out the best scenario for a permanent placement. We are very real people, working very hard to ensure that Australia’s creative and digital industry prospers and is giving talent the opportunity to grow. 

Our days are busy and we have amazing procedures and online processes, but we always make sure there is a human touch and someone to talk to at any stage. We love what we do, are passionate about the industry and pride ourselves on being the best at what we do.

We hope this has cleared up some sticky points and reassured you that we understand the pain points and work extremely hard to eradicate them.

We always want a WIN/WIN/WIN situation for yourselves working on Australia’s most exciting projects, the very real talent that is the candidate and ourselves that are facilitating the match-making process.

Next time you hear from us, just have a chat, we can give you industry insight and will find any way to help you if the need arises. If you have a hard to fill role, challenge us, or if you just want to tap into our network of amazing candidates let us know what you need.

If you want to know anymore about us, have any feedback or have a role to fill give us a call on (03) 9514 1000 or email our community guy at harrison@getartisan.com.au.