No, not me. You can mop your tea/coffee up from the premature spitting out in shock. What I wanted to explore in this edition of The Whiteboard is one of the more frequently asked questions that I get from clients and also a question that has helped my understanding of this nuts industry we call rec to rec. Why do consultants move? The truth is, there is no ‘one size fits all’ answer. It is very specific to the consultant and their situation. However, there are some recurring themes that emerge when you talk to as many consultants as I do. From a clients perspective, take note! The real reason may be hiding behind that “just need a new challenge” justification for a consultant handing in their resignation.
Access to clients/accounts – I hear this quite a lot. Be it to move to an agency that has PSA’s sewn up with a desirable account or access to a client who has a relatable working style. Maybe a senior consultant is hoarding all the good clients for themselves leaving you with just the crumbs from the feast. This is a tough one as there isn’t really a middle ground. The senior consultant has those accounts for a reason and has more than likely shown a lot of love to this proverbial golden goose, same can be said for the PSA clients; the preferential rate is a sign of the trust both parties have in each other.
Overlooked for a promotion – It’s a bitter pill to swallow, you feel that your work ethic, fee’s and attitude have been where they need to be. Unfortunately, your manager doesn’t see things that way. The best biller in the office is moving into a leadership position? This has always been a real head scratcher for me. In an industry here we identify traits and characteristics in both clients and candidates we somehow have overlooked the logic behind; if someone is a big biller chances are that ruthless single-minded approach to focus on the personal bottom line may not lend itself to the nurturing and supportive aspects to a very pivotal role, but I suppose that’s a blog for another time.
Industry – A close friend of mine left what was a very lucrative legal desk in a well-recognized and respected generalist agency to pursue an IT desk. This was back in 2014 when the market wasn’t bursting at the seams with specialist digital and IT agencies. In hindsight, it was a masterstroke! As now he is the Principal consultant in a premier ITD consultancy and just about to buy his second home in South Auckland. I thought he was mad at the time but I suppose he could see the coding on the wall even back then. The reason I struggle to find quality blue-collar recruiters is that they eventually move into a new industry. The main reason is probably financially motivated or a switch for a candidate base that is more dynamic/reliable.
Money – I always say to my candidate that ‘money’ is not a dirty word, like it or not it is the reason we all get up, shower, get dressed and come into work. I like recruitment but don’t get me wrong, if someone wasn’t paying me I’d be at home playing FIFA and eating Ferrero Rochers, saying that if no one was paying me I’d be under a bridge huddled around a burning bin with the other casts off in this post-capitalism scenario. Recruiters are in more demand than ever and we live in a ridiculously expensive city! I always hate hearing that a new to recruitment consultant is receiving a salary of $45K I mean you’d need to work for 5 years without spending a cent to afford a deposit on the average house in Auckland. The same can be said for commission structures with the deficit model all but gone from our industry commission structures are a big driving force especially to those recruiters who forgo a big base for the potential to earn the big bucks.
Personality Clash – The two words I hate to hear. There are instances where it is justifiable sure, but 90% of the time I hear this it isn’t the first time a consultants personality has ‘clashed’ with what is usually a senior member of staff. I take everything with a pinch of salt aware that there are two sides to every story and I don’t know if it is my past work in customer service that has given me this opinion or the undercurrent of subservience that runs through the client-consultant relationship but if someone is your superior, you do what they say. Funny enough, I remember instances when I had a ‘personality clash’ and it would be in school with teachers and I seem to recall being a bit of a little shit back then.
Visa – A consultant said to me that they were reading my advert and said that it sounded like a Brit had written it! I didn’t know what to make of that, I didn’t take offense as she was British too. The local market is overrun with tea loving, footy obsessed, “could be too hot” Brits and as a result, we’re never that far from a call to immigration. I was able to stay in this beautiful country due to the fact that recruitment is considered an “essential skill’ sharing room on the same list as Mechanical Engineers and Cardiologist, see mum! It is a real job! We have 13 agencies here in Auckland that are Accredited Employers with NZ immigration. For overseas consultants that have come to Aotearoa in search of a new life, this could be a huge deciding factor in moving on from their current agency.
There are more but these are probably the more reasons but as I said they are specific to the consultant. If you have another reason that is particular to you I would LOVE to hear about it, accompany it with a CV and I’ll shout the coffees.
