Recruitment: Time Is of the Essence!

The rate at which temporary positions become available and are then filled is particularly fast. Even with a permanent vacancy, time can be critical. If you are a candidate in the temporary market, the level of communication with your consultant is very important, and getting the role often comes down to how quickly you can be contacted. It’s all about picking up that call and responding quickly to voicemails, emails or texts.

When we receive calls for a receptionist or a legal secretary, there is a good reason that the replacement is needed. My advice for those of you immediately available in the market is to ensure you are easily contactable. Of course, speed isn’t the only deciding factor with these roles but if you are one of two or three strong candidates on the shortlist, not being able to speak with you quickly could mean that you miss out.

Similarly, as a permanent consultant working in the legal support area, I have witnessed situations with longer-term roles where time is a major factor. When a vacancy becomes available with one of our people2people clients, we contact those on our database that we have already met, registered and consulted with about their job search. To be successful at filling a role, when a position has also been released to multiple agencies, time is absolutely critical. We want to call the candidates that we know have the right skill set and will match the job brief and present them to our client.

Deciding whether you would like to be considered for a role is important. Not long ago I saw a candidate who took quite some time to decide whether or not they wanted to be considered for a role because they had two roles they were already interviewing for and didn’t want to be overwhelmed. Over the period of a few days, things progressed quickly, and the role was filled rather fast (which as we know can be a rare occurrence with permanent roles) however these chances shouldn’t be taken.

Understandably, applying for and interviewing for roles can be a full-time job in itself, but I believe in not delaying things. If you are considering working with a particular organisation, I recommend commencing the interview process. If you don’t go along, you will be none-the-wiser! You may, in fact, find out it is exactly the role you were looking for. If you are currently in a permanent position, I recommend securing your new role ahead of resigning without anything to go to. I have seen how stressful this can be with candidates who have done this and then in hindsight regretted it.