Hetty, our Managing Consultant on the temp desk here at Bain and Gray, gives us an insight into what a usual day looks like for her as a Temps Consultant.
- First and foremost, coffee!
5.30pm
Each day, for me, starts the day before (I appreciate this may sound strange!). I like to finish my day with a clear inbox and a up to date To-Do-List for the following day. This way, I find, that I can get working a lot quicker in the morning (especially on a Monday).
8.30am
I tend to get into the office early to run through my To-Do-List, action my inbox and go through my advert response. The temp market shifts so quickly it can be hard to prioritise (but I always try to!), so I can have a firm plan for the day ahead.
9.00am
Temp Team catch up! Our heads are so full of candidates, roles, and various temp related information that, at times, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Taking the time to sit down with the team and run through our to-do-list and what we have on is invaluable! We all meet and hear from so many people and not everyone can be right for a role we are recruiting at that time, but they might be perfect for something that someone else in the team is working on.
9.30am
I now get on the phone for both my advert response and calling candidates for the roles that I am working on. I like to establish the level of interest candidates have for the role that they have applied for. It is amazing how many candidates apply for temporary roles but are not looking to temp! It is still great to speak to them though, to see if we have other opportunities that may suit.
If I have spoken to a candidate that matches a client brief or if I believe that I will have a role that may suit I will set up a registration meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to go into further detail about the candidates’ skills, work history, personality, motivations, and establish what type of company and role they will be best suited to. I tend to have candidate registrations throughout the day.
Being a Recruitment Consultant, you must be able to tune into people. So, during the registration, I am looking at not only what a candidate says but how they say it, their body language, and assessing whether their character traits suit the roles I am working on. Many of my clients tend to look for a ‘personality fit’ along with qualifications and experience. So being able to speak to my candidates face to face allows me to get to know them better.
So, when I put people forward for a role, it’s not just a skills match, I genuinely believe that they would be a great fit for my clients’ business.
Midday
Clear my inbox! I find it easy to get lost in my emails, so I have three check-ins throughout the day (keeping an eye on it throughout to action urgent queries).
When I have a candidate that I feel would be great for a particular job I contact them to talk through the role and the business it is in. I then look to set up the client interviews. This means more calls and emails! Clear, transparent and proactive communication is vital.
1.30pm – 4.00pm
The Temp Desk tends to be busy at the start and end of day. I use the afternoon to catch up on my admin, this can be anything and everything from internal meetings, writing job adverts, payroll, social media, to ensuring the database is up to date.
Crucial for every day is client and candidate check ins! Temp roles frequently come through last minute and for the next day, as such I like to keep in regular contact with my candidates to have their up-to-date availability. Similar to my candidate registrations, I meet with all my clients to fully appreciate their needs and how I can help – both client and candidate meetings are spread across the day (diary dependant).
5.00pm – 6.00pm
Recruitment doesn’t have a clock in and clock out time, at the end of the day I like to clear my inbox and get ready for the next day.