Recruitment help

Assistance with Recruitment

Is it appropriate to follow up with a thank-you email after a first interview? I’d like to express my gratitude to the panel and provide further detail on some of my responses. What do you think?

Keeping a healthy hiring pipeline

Maintaining a Robust Hiring Pipeline

As a small, remote-first digital marketing agency, we frequently recruit for various Paid Growth and Performance Marketing positions, and our requirements are constantly evolving. We don’t typically work with recruiting agencies; instead, we mainly rely on job postings and sourcing talent via LinkedIn. I’d love to hear from the community—what are your best practices for keeping a strong candidate pipeline ready for when we need to hire? Thank you!

Chrome extensions I use in recruitment

Chrome Extensions I Use for Recruitment

Here’s a list of the Chrome extensions I rely on for recruitment (note: I actually use Brave instead of Chrome). I’ve indicated whether each extension is free (F), paid (P), or both (B).

• Extensity: This extension allows you to quickly toggle all your Chrome extensions on and off. (F)

• AdGuard AdBlocker: A straightforward ad-blocking tool. (F)

• I Don’t Care About Cookies: This extension effectively manages cookie consents, keeping annoying pop-ups at bay. (F)

• AI Grammar Checker & Paraphraser – LanguageTool: I prefer this over Grammarly for its spelling and grammar checks. (B)

• Complexity and Perplexity: Enhances my experience with the Perplexity app; this is a paid add-on. (P)

• Instant Data Scraper: A convenient tool for quickly scraping directories and lists from websites. (F)

• Loxo: My go-to ATS extension for effortlessly importing LinkedIn profiles into my ATS. (P)

• One Tab: Perfect for those of us with ADHD tendencies—closes all tabs while keeping them organized and sharable as a single webpage. (F)

• New Tab by Start.Me: Automatically opens my Start.Me page whenever I open a new tab. (F)

• Reddit Enhancement Suite: Enhances the overall Reddit experience, making it much more enjoyable. (F)

• SalesQL: A powerful tool for scraping LinkedIn profiles and extracting contact information. (P)

• ChatterWorks: This extension helps find contact details on LinkedIn profiles. (P)

• Clodura: Another great tool for locating email addresses on LinkedIn. (P)

• Jobin.cloud: Offers superior scraping capabilities for LinkedIn. I use Jobin for its automation features, including sequences and campaigns. (P)

• Select to ChatGPT: Quickly sends selected text directly to the ChatGPT prompt box. (B)

• TypingMind in SidePanel: I prefer using TypingMind instead of other AI tools for its convenience in searching right from the side panel. (P)

• Merlin AI: This extension integrates various large language models to assist with tasks like researching, rewriting, and summarizing content, including YouTube videos. (B)

Feel free to explore these extensions to enhance your recruitment efforts!

How to deal with “walk-ins”?

Managing Walk-Ins: Seeking Solutions

I’m looking for advice on how to handle walk-in inquiries at our office.

In the past, before the rise of online platforms, it was common for candidates to visit us in person to register for opportunities. Fast forward to today, and many still view agencies primarily as career guidance services rather than as providers for our clients.

Nowadays, we see around a dozen individuals visiting our office daily for consultations. It’s becoming increasingly overwhelming, and I’ve even considered removing our branding from the building. We have a sign that clearly states we do not accommodate walk-ins, directing prospective candidates to our website for available positions or encouraging them to email or upload their CVs to our database.

While we definitely want to be courteous and kind, we also need to find a more efficient way to manage these unannounced visits. A lot of the time, we encounter individuals searching for “any job,” but unfortunately, we cannot assist them directly.

I’m open to any suggestions or strategies on how to better manage this situation. Thanks in advance!

ATS/CRM

ATS/CRM Recommendations Needed!

I recently started my own firm and am on the lookout for an ATS/CRM system. Having previously worked at a large firm, I’m now transitioning to a solo role focused on Business Development and Recruitment. I’m not particularly impressed with Loxo and am considering options like RecruiterFlow or Crelate.

I would love to hear your suggestions! I’ve noticed that the pricing for these systems is quite similar.

Aptitude & Personality Tests? UK Recruitment

Aptitude and Personality Assessments in UK Recruitment

What are the prevalent aptitude and personality tests used in the UK? Do these assessments genuinely assist in the recruitment process?

What’s a Tool You Can’t Work Without?

What’s Your Essential Tool for Work?
We all rely on that one indispensable tool that boosts our productivity, sparks creativity, or helps us maintain our sanity during hectic days. Personally, I can’t live without [insert your favorite tool/platform]. It has saved me a ton of time and simplified my life.

What about you? What tool can you not do without, and why? Extra credit for sharing a hidden gem! Let’s compile a list of must-have resources.

Why would anyone accept a role that seems like a step down?

Why would someone consider a position that seems like a step back?

I’m currently a staff engineer at a mid-sized company (600+ employees) with over 8 years of experience. Recently, I was approached for a principal engineer role at an AI startup that piqued my interest. After the initial screening call, they came back with an offer to proceed, but for a senior position instead.

Given the current market landscape, I understand that times are tough, but I already have a stable job, and my salary as a staff engineer is likely higher than what they would offer for a senior role. Frankly, I find it a bit disrespectful to receive such an offer, especially since they reached out to me rather than me applying. If they believe I’m not a suitable fit, I’d prefer a straightforward response.

So, I’d like to hear from recruiters: why make such an offer? And to fellow engineers: what would motivate you to accept a perceived downgrade in your career? Thankfully, I wasn’t laid off, so I’m not in a rush to make a move.

Seeking Advice on Focus Areas for Recruitment in TradeOps, Quantitative, and Software Roles

Seeking Guidance on Recruitment Focus Areas for TradeOps, Quantitative, and Software Positions

Hello everyone,

I’m an external recruiter with a technical background in trading support, and I’m reaching out for some guidance. Here’s a brief overview of my experience and current situation:

Background:
– Two years of experience in external recruitment.
– Developed a network of trading support engineers, primarily placing them in buy-side trading firms, which is the exclusive focus of my company.
– My specialization is in TradeOps roles, but I’ve been advised to steer clear of infrastructure (DevOps, networking, cloud), Windows, and desktop positions.

The Challenge:
I find myself uncertain about which area to target next in recruitment.

I’m contemplating:
– Quantitative roles: Research, development, trading?
– Software Engineering roles: Data, AI, algorithm development, FPGAs?

Are there significant overlaps between quantitative and software positions that I should consider?

Other Areas of Interest:
– Trading-related positions such as trading analysts, traders (in volatility, macro, equity, FX, credit), business analysts, exchange connectivity, as well as middle and back office roles.
– With the growing interest in crypto, should I direct my focus towards roles in that sector?

Should I prioritize software or quantitative roles moving forward, or is there a more advantageous path?

My Objectives:
I’m currently billing approximately £200K annually but aim to double that next year. Commission ranges from 17.5% to 22.5% based on quarterly performance, with a target of £50K each quarter.

Concerns:
Is the market for quantitative and software roles becoming overcrowded?

I appreciate any insights or advice you can provide. Thank you!

[Rant/question] Temporary recruitment is ruining my mental health

[Rant/Question] Temporary Recruitment is Taking a Toll on My Mental Health

Location: UK, England

I’ve been working at a temporary recruitment agency for the past 1.5 years, and I genuinely feel like this job is wreaking havoc on my mental health and personal life.

A bit of background: I’m a recent graduate, having completed my degree in 2023, and this is my first role in recruitment. Prior to this, I held various jobs in hospitality, healthcare, and admin, and none of them came close to being as overwhelmingly stressful as this one.

The agency primarily handles temporary staffing for seasonal or short-term positions, mainly in warehouses.

Here are some of the key issues that frustrate me:

• Candidates are expected to perform as if they have permanent contracts, despite the fact that many will never receive one. Meanwhile, the agency treats them on a day-to-day basis, often sending them home with little notice if there’s no work available.

• The warehouse management team is incredibly selective about the staff we send them. They often don’t allow sufficient time for new hires to acclimate, quickly terminating them for perceived poor performance. They frequently request specific individuals, disregarding those who are actually available.

• There’s a troubling undercurrent of racism and sexism within the warehouse management. I’ve overheard comments like “they need a man” for certain roles, which is frankly discriminatory and disheartening as a woman. Additionally, shift leaders have disproportionately canceled Black and Indian candidates after just one shift for alleged poor performance.

• Regarding holidays, during peak periods and specifically in June, we’re limited to taking time off for only one day at a time (if that). This means I have to cram all my holiday time into eight months rather than a full year. With only six of us in the office, it’s a challenge to get approval for even short vacations.

• The workload is relentless. My hours are 8:00-17:00 with a one-hour paid lunch, yet most of my colleagues don’t take their breaks due to the high volume of work. There’s no designated break time, and the manager doesn’t ensure we take breaks—it’s up to us to step away, even when things are hectic.

• Additionally, we have an on-call rota, which means I’m responsible for answering emergency calls day or night. Warehouse management and job seekers frequently misuse this line, and I’m required to respond to them at any hour. This on-call responsibility is stated in my contract, not as a bonus feature.

• Management isn’t supportive either; they seem deeply entrenched in a toxic workaholic culture. Any issues that arise are usually brushed off. I had to fight for a new laptop that had been malfunctioning for six months, and only after someone else left did I finally receive one. Often, I wish my colleagues would hold their opinions back instead of sharing their relentless work-first mentality.

Honestly, this is all becoming too much for me.

I’m contemplating whether I should seek out another recruitment position, as this one has been a thoroughly negative experience.

So, I’m curious—does your experience in recruitment resonate with this? Or am I just exceptionally unlucky?