In February this year, I tentatively dipped my toe back into education and embarked on a 5 month fast-track Foundation course in Psychotherapy and Counselling. I chose The Minster Centre due to their Integrative stye of training that they offer. Integrative means spanning across multiple therapeutic approaches, combining different modalities. I thought this would give me the most broad understanding of all the different techniques out there – and trust me, there are an overwhelming amount!
Before starting the course, I had already drawn parallels between my role as a Recruitment Consultant and the role that a Therapist ‘plays’. Like therapy, we offer a confidential space for a candidate to speak about their past career experiences and to confide with the consultant about what it is they really want and don’t want in their career moving forwards. While everything we discuss is obviously with a business hat on, (and just to caveat that I would never probe into a candidate’s past a la Sigmund Freud), but with our working lives increasingly being entwined with our personal lives, we often end up hearing a lot about our candidate’s home life, relationships etc. I find this often strengthens the bond and rapport between consultant and candidate.
I soon learnt that having an awareness of certain new skills could really enhance this relationship in a professional and productive way and here are some of my main takeaways:
Transference and Counter- transference: These are processes which happen every day within the therapy setting and also happen every day in the recruitment context, when meeting with candidates.
Transference within a therapeutic setting is when a client unconsciously projects feelings or attitudes onto the therapist.
Transference within a recruitment context could be if for example, a candidate has had negative past experiences with recruiters and therefore harbours distrust towards their consultant.
A way to overcome this might be for the consultant to address this and to manage those perceptions. The consultant could clearly communicate the ways in which they work, and to discuss ways to reassure the candidate this will be a more honest and trusting relationship.
Countertransference within a therapeutic setting is the therapist’s own emotions and feelings being project onto the client.
Countertransference within recruitment could be a recruiter putting their own biases onto a candidate, for example they might feel more obliged to help someone who reminds them of a loved one. This is where self-awareness comes into play an it is so important for the consultant to reflect on what they might be doing and maintain professional boundaries, ensuring that interactions remain focused on the recruitment process.
The power of a pause within a dialogue and to not be afraid of a brief silence. This gives the client space to possibly go deeper into something. This overlaps with the idea of letting the client be in the ‘driver’s seat’ during the session. As recruiters, we all know that this varies from candidate to candidate, some like to lead the meeting while others need to be led. However, it’s important to go into all meetings with the intention to give enough space to the candidate to speak freely.
I think the area which spoke to me loudest of all was exploring the work of Carl Rogers (the founder of Person-Centred Counselling) and his ‘Three Core Conditions’ he believed all therapists must exercise in order to create the right environment for a client. The conditions are:
- Empathy: Rogers saw this as having an understanding of the client’s feelings and experiences from their perspective, conveying a sense that they are really listening to the client.
- Recruiter’s application of this: We try to understand our candidate’s career experiences and aspirations and we try to really listen so that they feel understood and valued.
- Congruence (Genuineness): Rogers saw this as being wholly genuine and transparent with the client. The therapist must mirror their internal feelings with what they say to the client in order to be totally congruent.
- Recruiter’s application of this: we will always be as honest as possible with our candidates about a role, about a principal’s personality or company culture. This manages expectations and is a way to show our candidates we are on their side. For example, I have had many candid conversations with candidates about working for particularly tricky principals! We will be as congruent as we can.
- Unconditional Positive Regard: This is the act of accepting the client for exactly who and what they are, without any judgement.
Recruiter’s application of this: this is perhaps the most important out of the three core conditions and ties in strongly with our EDIB trainings and initiatives that we as a business strive to keep at the forefront of all the work that we do. To meet a candidate with an unconditional positive regard would be to appreciate and accept them regardless of race, age, gender identity, sexuality, religion, or disability.
These are just a few of the many new eye opening skills I gleaned during the last 5 intense months. By keeping just a few of them in mind at work, not only can we enrich our relationships with candidates but also can strengthen bonds internally with colleagues, cultivating a respectful and productive environment.