“Backdoor Hires Don’t Happen in My Business!”

HIRABL - backdoor hires

Nick Ellis is one of the founders of HIRABL, a big data company that helps recruiters track their candidate submissions and has uncovered $18 million in missed fees for its customers, and one of Bond’s partners integrating with Adapt. HIRABL provides actionable reporting on backdoor hires (when a client hires one of your candidates without your knowledge) so that you can collect missed fees immediately. In this guest blog post, Nick tells you why you are wrong if you think backdoor hires aren’t happening in your recruitment agency. 

Every day we call on agency owners, and often we’ll hear them say “backdoor hires don’t happen to me because….[fill in the blank]”:

  • “I work closely with my clients and they would never backdoor me.” (MISPLACED TRUST)
  • “I stay in touch with all my candidates.” (UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS)
  • “I do executive search, and that doesn’t happen in my market.” (HUBRIS)

Do these reasons sound like something you’d say?

If so, you should think twice – backdoor hires happen in every agency, every vertical, and at every level (yes, even C-Suite placements).

Here’s the facts about backdoor hires and why these assumptions are dead wrong:

  • MISTAKEN TRUST: Over 90% of backdoor hires happen by accident. Even if you work closely with clients, things slip through the cracks. Oftentimes the client hires your candidate and just forgets to tell you. Don’t assume everyone is communicating – audit your submissions regularly.
     
  • UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS: No recruiter can stay in touch with everycandidate they submitted over a full year. There’s just not enough time in the day. The honest truth is that recruiters focus on the candidates they can place today, and forget about the others. Save time and find peace of mind by automating your backdoor hire checks with HIRABL.
     
  • HUBRIS: Some executive search firms think they are immune to backdoor hires because they are high-touch. False. Candidates shortlisted and submitted by executive search firms can get hired months later, and the candidates and clients just forget to tell you. Less than 5% of candidate submissions are tracked over time. Don’t be too proud to audit your business.

The bottom line is that backdoor hires are a hard truth of the recruitment industry, and there is no good reason not to audit your submissions.

Sign up for a free blind audit, and start getting paid for the work you’ve already done.

*Blog originally published on the HIRABL website.

On Your Marks, Get Set…Staff!

There are times when I think back to my days in the bullpen of a staffing agency, and feel as though it was similar to an episode of the 90s TV game show, Supermarket Sweep. Most notably, the “Big Sweep”. If you are too young to know what I’m talking about, or if you just want to relive the gloriousness that was this show, here is a clip…you’re welcome (skip to 2:07).

Read more

On Your Marks, Get Set…Staff!

Clean Data – A Guide for Recruiters

Clean Data - A recruiter's guideHow clean is your data? Probably not a question you often ask yourself, but having clean data is important for recruiters aiming to succeed. Similar to other important systems, your database and the data it holds is only as good as what you put in. Even if that one specific candidate is outstanding, it won’t make a difference if a vital field isn’t completed correctly on their candidate record – suddenly your database candidate search becomes more needle in a haystack than the efficient CRM you had hoped. Aside from the clear benefits for candidate searches, clean data can also help the wider business – enabling you to take a step back and understand your return on investment (ROI).

New Year, Fresh Start?

Recruiters across the country will currently be taking a deep-dive into their data to build a picture of how the business is performing against Key Performance Indications (KPIs) or ROI. But in reality they need real-time access to review business performance on quarterly, monthly or even a weekly basis. Without accurate data, this isn’t possible.

So what can you do to help clean up your data? In order to achieve a truly effective data approach you need to take into consideration both the short and long term activity. In the short term, for example, if you are transferring data from one system to another, you need to decide whether to achieve this with a data migration or via manual data entry.

The speed benefits of technology-led migration are compelling, but it is important to take into consideration the state of your existing data and the need for additional proofing elements. This can be conducted by reviewing and running tests. Take care not to move poor data from one system to another.

Alternatively, there is manual migration. With this approach you may have specific control over the exact elements of data entry however, this can have additional costs associated as you will need to either get the current team to undertake this activity or hire some temporary workers to manage the data entry.

The volume of the migration can make a big difference. Setting boundaries of time frames – such as only candidates from the last two years – can help reduce data volumes whilst going through the cleaning process. Taking a practical, process-driven approach – to add filters – will help keep the data clean.

Start the Synchronisation

On an ongoing basis, whether you initially choose manual entry or not, you need to make sure that people follow the same process. To attain clean data in the long term, outline strict guidelines at the start of the process and engage with team members to ensure all criteria are met when inputting and amending. Unfortunately, there is no one-switch approach to transform ‘messy’ data into clean data. What may seem like an obvious point when inputting a piece of data – for example using upper or lower case for company names – may be forgotten or ignored by manic recruiters busy on the road. Look at what data is required to make a candidate profile: name, age, address, mobile number etc. This may all seem obvious but can easily be overlooked.  Completing the same fields, in the same way, will keep the data clean.

Ensure the team members using the database have a sense of diligence and ownership when handling data in the system; cutting corners isn’t an option when it comes to data.

Get Your Data Geek On

Provide the team with some data. Dashboards are a quick, hassle-free and engaging way to get your recruitment team members on board with keeping to the clean data ‘mantra’. With fast access to valuable insight they may have been unable to access before, recruiters quickly realise that investing in clean data management will be investing in themselves.

cube19 works in partnership with us to help recruitment companies improve data quality, increase revenue, scale efficiently and motivate teams.

Elite Associates Partner with Bond International Software to take Luxury Recruitment Services to New Heights

Elite Associates LogoElite Associates, respected leader in the luxury recruitment industry, providing the highest calibre candidates to the most selective and prestigious retailers and brands in the world, have selected Bond International Software, the global provider of staffing and recruitment software, to provide Bond Adapt via an On Premise deployment.

Headquartered in Clarkenwell, London, with an office near Madison Square Park, New York, Elite Associates have nine UK and international divisions: Retail Operations, Senior Appointments & Executive Search, Head Office, International, Marketing & Digital, Temporary Fashion, Temporary Beauty, and their Elite Retail Training Academy. Founded by Grant Morris in 2005, Elite Associates have forged relationships with many of the world’s biggest luxury and fashion brands and become their trusted partners. Consistently building upon their knowledge and expertise in these very niche sectors, Elite Associates provide consummate recruitment services that set the standard for their industry to aspire to.

Active supporters of a number of charities including Wellbeing for Women and Fight for Life, Elite Associates also remain committed to sharing their success and giving back to the community.

In order to upgrade from their existing bespoke recruitment software system, Elite Associates undertook an in-depth market review focusing on selecting the right CRM system to drive new Temp booking efficiencies, increase consultant productivity, maximise revenues and support continued growth.

Elite Associates’ Bond Adapt OnPremise deployment will include the following market-leading functionality:

  • Adapt Studio – enabling all Elite Associates users to select from built-in recruitment dashboards or design their own based upon their preferred working methods
  • Adapt Temp Desk – colour-coded, drag and drop interface brings speed and efficiency to Temp bookings and will vastly reduce levels of admin for Elite Associates
  • Adapt InTouch mobile app – allowing Elite Associates consultants to access Adapt via their smartphones and effectively recruit on the move
  • Adapt Organogram – providing Elite Associates with slick visual representations of client company hierarchies, head offices and branches

Implementation is due to be completed by the end of March 2016, when all managers and consultants across their London and New York offices are expected to be using the solution.

Grant Morris, CEO, Elite Associates, comments, “Working within niche sectors where trust is carefully earned and services of the highest level are not simply de rigueur, they are absolutely essential; the decision to upgrade our supporting software was not taken lightly. Having meticulously built our business over a long period of time, we fully appreciate the position Bond International Software hold in their marketplace and it certainly made sense to include them in our review. Viewing Bond’s technology we soon discovered that they too have constantly innovated and built trust with their clients to remain ahead. Partnering with Bond and using Adapt, we’re confident we will take our business to the next level and we’re excited to deliver our clients even more than they expect.”

Toby Conibear, European Business Development Director, Bond International Software, comments, “Elite Associates have widened their expert services and grown their business over time to become the highly respected providers within the luxury brand and fashion industries they are today. We are delighted they have partnered with Bond and put their trust in us to help drive new efficiencies throughout their specialist recruitment processes. From enhanced Temp booking workflows to meaningful management reporting, we are keen to implement the Adapt CRM technology to empower Elite Associates’ users at every level. We look forward to seeing the agency reach even greater heights.”

www.eliteassociates.co.uk

Bond International Software Provides Vickerstock with Bond Adapt OnDemand to Enable Rapid Growth

Vickerstock LogoVickerstock, specialist Technical and Engineering recruitment agency has selected Bond International Software, the global provider of staffing and recruitment software, to provide Bond Adapt via high-speed cloud service. Bond Adapt replaces Vickerstock’s previous system which was unable to offer the intuitive workflows and scalability the agency required to fully achieve their ambitious growth plans.

Headquartered in Belfast, Northern Ireland with a second office in Dublin, Ireland, Vickerstock’s clear vision is to become the leading Technical and Engineering agency in their marketplace. Vickerstock work to strategies designed to attract, select and source the right talent for the most highly sought-after engineering roles. Constant creativity and innovation enable Vickerstock to flex with changing marketplace needs and consistently provide reference-level Career Consultancy services.

Vickerstock selected Bond Adapt OnDemand following an in-depth market review focusing on finding a highly intuitive, infinitely scalable cloud system with advanced cross-sector searching and online sourcing capabilities; all underpinned by robust data security and access by hierarchy.

The unique Adapt Studio dashboard system will provide Vickerstock’s consultants with pre-designed recruitment ‘whiteboards’ and allow them to create their own based upon their preferred working methods, enabling new efficiencies throughout the entire recruitment cycle. Advanced cross-sector search tools, online candidate sourcing via AdaptCentral, and the Adapt LinkedIn integration completes the package built for placement success and business growth.

Darren McVicker MIRP, Director, Vickerstock, comments, “At Vickerstock, we hold ourselves fully accountable for delivering upon all the individual and bespoke requirements our clients and candidates have. In order to do this we constantly invest in our team and the tools they need to achieve and surpass their full potential. When looking into upgrading our recruitment software, Bond Adapt became an early frontrunner due to the impressive Adapt Studio dashboards and the smart cross-industry searching capabilities the system offered. As our review progressed, the exacting hierarchy set-up options and fast, secure cloud service offering solidified our decision to partner with Bond.”

Toby Conibear, European Business Development Director, Bond International Software, comments, “In these times of skills shortages and evolving data protection practices, agencies need to be extra dynamic to stay ahead and remain compliant. Vickerstock’s up-to-the-minute industry knowledge and admirable culture of consistent improvement, development and investment has proved to be a successful formula for the agency. We look forward to providing the software to empower Vickerstock to set new standards, exceed their growth plans and fully realise their vision for the future.”

Live Webinar: Increase Net Fee Income by 24% – by improving your Data Quality

The start of a new year is a great time to think about the future. The future of your recruitment company. When you want to accurately forecast revenue, then plan the activities that lead to that revenue, and set targets to ensure you get there — you’ll need great data.

Great data is the first step on the road to Predictive Analytics – so this free webinar with cube19 will help teach you how to improve your data quality, and increase your employees’ usage of Bond Adapt.

This webinar will cover:

  • Quick tips to assess your level of data quality
  • How to quickly improve your data quality
  • What does the road to data-driven decision making look like?
  • A vision of what you could do with predictive analytics – once you’ve got the data to forecast

This is a completed webinar. Please click here to view the recording.

Subject: Increase Net Fee Income by 24% and get ready for Predictive Analytics – by improving your Data Quality
Date: Thursday 4th February
Time: 3 pm (UTC – London)

About the speakers:

Joe McGuire - cube19Joe McGuire

Joe has spent more than 11 years in the recruitment industry seeking out innovative technologies that improve recruiter productivity and company profitability. Starting out as a recruiter, Joe went on to play a key part in the sales success of Broadbean and now works with cube19’s customers to help them to accelerate growth across the globe.

David Booth - cube19David Booth

With 15+ years of experience in B2B sales, marketing, and startups, David is the former CEO of ZeroTurnaround and a mentor at European startup accelerators. He has raised VC and angel investment, built inbound marketing and inside sales teams, and now focuses on rapid growth, scalability, and the factors affecting funnel metrics, conversion rates, and churn.

About cube19:

cube19 logocube19 is an Adapt partner and the #1 business intelligence and performance management solution for recruitment companies.

cube19 provides recruitment-specific analytics, business intelligence, reporting, and gamification to help recruitment companies increase revenue, scale efficiently, and motivate teams.