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Recruiter
magazine surveyed a number of HR professionals to find their pet hates.
These were: 1. Junk Mail - particularly newsletters, ahem, unsolicited CVs, which may have Data Protection implications, go straight in the bin anyway and just irritate. |
2. Cold Calling - a "time consuming nonsense" made even worse by tricks like leaving cryptic voice mails urging a return call.
3. Sneaking behind HR's back by going direct to line managers. Big mistake as HR will inevitably get involved at some stage.
4. Lack of Homework and Quality - "So what do you do?" isn't an impressive opening line ("What?" - Kim heads rapidly back to his drawing board), while material riddled with spelling mistakes and factual errors (e.g. client's name spelled wrong) also go straight in the rapidly filling bin.
5. Bimbos - sending along glamorous people aimed at the middle-aged male market doesn't impress. Brains and talking to the nuts and bolts of the business are more important.
6. Over promising - people don't buy daft claims so don't make them. Be honest, say what your real strengths are - and keep in touch.
7. Lack of Stability - employee turnover and sending in Grand Fromage, X, to pitch when small slice of mozzarella, Y, will do all the work.
8. Price - don't make it your only sell, as professionalism and service quality is just as important.
A list like this calls for some intelligent commentary. Well, how unlucky can you be - it's us commentating, remember - but we do have two things to say.
Firstly, exactly! In a nakedly self-serving way, we agree with three to eight entirely and hope we never do any of these. Secondly, re one and two, as this is what Kim does on the rare occasions he's earning his crust, he's terribly upset. However, as long as there's no tricks and not too much junk involved, he doesn't see a lot wrong with it - after all, he bets the majority of people who are anti have people in their own companies who do exactly the same. It's why we are decent to cold callers at Giraffe. Virtually all companies have to sell, so live and let live, we say. It's nothing at all to do with the fact that, as a brand new company, we're not on many target lists yet - nothing at all.
