The Induction Dilemma

The appropriate and correct induction of recruiters into your business is such an important one.  Taking on a new member of staff is often a gamble, so it is important for you to be able to capitalise on your investment, by giving them the best possible start within your organisation.

 For many recruitment businesses, staff induction runs like clockwork but what does seem quite apparent is the inconsistencies of these practices throughout the industry as a whole.

Good quality induction programmes are not always reflected in the size of the organisation or how long they have been established. Some offer exceptional induction programmes and training and development throughout their consultants entire careers, where there are a few who still feel that if a consultant has done the job somewhere else before joining them, then that’s good enough for them.

Regardless of company size or sector, a comprehensive induction and training programme for new recruits is a must.  It gives your business the opportunity to not only ensure that all of your recruiters start their career with you on a level playing field but also have the opportunity to feel a part of something special and develop a good understanding of your values and work ethics.  It’s not just about what you do but also how you go about doing it.

One of the main difficulties for smaller recruitment businesses is where to find the time and/or resources to induct new staff effectively. 

Quite often it is the Branch Manager or the Team Leader who is responsible for the task of inducting their teams.  They know their business well and what they expect of their new recruits but whilst they are busy getting their “rookies” up to speed, who is taking care of business? It’s a tough call and often one which can impact heavily on their bottom line.

When situations like this arise, probably the best suggestion would be to recruit in some assistance, from an industry specific coaching consultancy, who can offer a bespoke and tailored solution to your induction dilemma.

Recruitment Business Solutions Ltd offers just this. One to one coaching for a complete induction both into your recruitment business and its practices and the basic training required within business development, visits coaching, interviewing techniques and whatever additional support that you feel you wish to offer them during their induction programme.

Recruitment Business Solutions Ltd is an independent business consultancy, who offer bespoke mentoring and coaching services to the recruitment marketplace.  They work specifically with recruiters to improve business performance and raise standards across the industry.  

As a part of their robust levels of support, they can work with you to produce and deliver a tailored induction programme for your team, working with individual consultants on-site, so they can hit the ground running without you having to take your eye off the ball.

The two most commonly asked questions regarding our induction programmes are;

1)      How long should they run for?

2)      What should they include?

Inductions should usually last for the first three months of a consultants’ career within your organisation (with on-going coaching and training thereafter). Ideally they should be a staggered programme that runs simultaneously alongside the day-to-day operations within your business and should be documented and signed off at each completed stage.

They generally take the form of a series of one to one coaching sessions on the various topics that you wish to cover as well as some targeted training on specific skill sets required to do the job, such as business development, recruitment law and interviewing skills.

Within our induction programmes, we have over thirty different key areas which we feel that staff should be inducted on when they first join a company.  To name a few these include;

Company values and ethics	Importance of processes and procedures
USP’s and differentiators	Marketing and advertising
Expectations and targets agreed	Legislation coaching
Becoming managing director of their own desk	Working smart
Methods of marketing and winning new accounts	Ways to identify new business opportunities
Business development coaching	Effective interviewing skills
Visits Coaching	Conducting  professional presentations

If you have new staff that you are looking to train or coach or would simply like to speak with someone about the potential training needs within your existing team,  please contact Alison Kennedy FIRP DipRP – Managing Director of Recruitment Business Solutions on 01252 834899 or 07712 477342 or visit us at www.recruitmentbusinesssolutions.co.uk  We’re here to help.