Candidate Care

Recruiters, Rivals & the Death Rattle of Desperation

And once again, my hands are tied. This was promised to be a blog with some juicy industry gossip, and it very nearly was. However, after a few conversations yesterday, my editor (I do my own editing) has opted to veto the scoop. The reason: once the dust has settled,…

Sean WaltersAugust 22, 2025

Human Resources Recruitment Work

I don’t believe in post-placement candidate care. (And I don’t believe in free replacements either).

I have a big bit of news which, out of respect for those involved, I can't share with you this week. Apologies. Instead, I'd like to share one of my less popular views. Given that most of my views fly in the face of sound reasoning, that's quite a statement.…

Sean WaltersAugust 8, 2025

Employment Job Boards Politics Sourcing Technology

Drowning in a sea of candidates

Although I could use the data generated by our sophisticated CRM, I, like most recruiters, like to rely on a little thing known as gut-feel. Let's be real, who needs solid, defensible, researched and reasoned information, when we can provide anecdotes, hear-say, speculation, and rumour. If you're an agency leader…

Sean WaltersJuly 25, 2025

Employment Recruitment Sourcing

How far is too far?

I had a call yesterday from an old candidate down in Wellington. I missed it as I was out peddling my wares to a prospective new client. Before I could call him back, I received the following text from them: "Let me know if you want a topic for your…

Sean WaltersMay 30, 2025

Employment Recruitment Work

RCSA Awards Finalists Announced. Here’s my wildly inaccurate predictions

Yes, I know this is old news, but bear with me. A run of workless Friyays and then some BIG recruitment news last week had buried this one. As last week's blog was one of the most read ever, this week was always going to be a struggle. Thankfully, many…

Sean WaltersMay 9, 2025

Recruitment

The lost art of the “boozy lunch”

Booze and recruitment have historically gone together like gin & tonic. When I started in this industry, you could not meet a recruiter who was teetotal. Actually, there weren't even occasional or "social" drinkers. Recruiters, like sailors, soldiers, dockers, and the homeless, tended to be habitual binge drinkers, 'cept everyday…

Sean WaltersJanuary 31, 2025

Recruitment

A New Year’s Resolution: Meet more candidates

Merry New Year - as they say in countries who speak English as a second language. If you're reading this, you're one of the seemingly few who decided to start your working year on the 6th of January, and not the 13th. Hopefully everyone is well rested, although if your…

Sean WaltersJanuary 10, 2025

Job Boards Uncategorized

2024 SARA finalists announced. Here’s my picks.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Just when you think the well of blogging topics has run dry, SEEK go and announce the finalists for this year's SARAs. What has fast become a tradition, and even by request of SEEKs very own Dave Swift, here's my chance to upset everyone…

Sean WaltersOctober 18, 2024

Employment Job Boards Recruitment

Some people won’t take “no” for an answer

This week's blog is about rejection. Rejection is of course a common theme in recruitment. We are being rejected, and rejecting every day. In fact, much more rejecting happens than recruiting, but it is only our innate positivity that focuses on the outcome, not the journey, which allows us to…

Sean WaltersOctober 4, 2024

Employment Human Resources Work

Tough times creating bad candidate experiences

Have you ever noticed how high demand affects the quality of customer service we experience? If you've ever found yourself shopping on Oxford Street in London at Christmas time, you'll see this. Chubby, sallow-skinned English women wrestling Zara tops from each other to then be treated like cattle by equally…

Sean WaltersJuly 19, 2024