Common Objections from Clients

That depends on how you plan to undertake your recruitment. More importantly it depends what you include in the cost!

You may save money by not having to pay any agency fees, but it isn't necessarily as simple as that. Indirect or Hidden costs associated with recruitment are not always considered when making the decision; so what do we mean by that?

•    Advertising;   As it is unlikely that you will have a database of contacts full of project management professionals, you will have to spend a considerable amount of time and effort in placing adverts to attract candidates. Not only will you need to find the appropriate magazines, journals, newspaper or web sites to run your advert you will then need to produce copy and purchase the space. Unless you are doing this on a regular basis it will be time consuming and expensive as you will not have the expertise or buying power that Arras People have.

•    Processing Responses;   Assuming you've chosen the right places to advertise and that this generates the desired response (which it may not!) you'll have to sift through reams of unsuitable applications - and then spend more time in replying to them all to say “thanks, but no thanks” after all you don't want to damage your company's reputation in the marketplace.

•    Pre-Interview Screening;   If you have to provide the hiring manager with a shortlist of candidates who you believe are suitable for the role and interested in progressing the opportunity further you will again need to set aside time to do this. Not only that, you will need to prepare for the screening to ensure that it is undertaken in a fair manner, thus protecting your organisation from any claims of discrimination. Oh, don’t forget to write it up and reject those that didn’t get through the process.

•    Organising Interviews;   Again a difficult task at the best of times, once you have your interview panel's availability you will then need to co-ordinate all the candidates who you wish to see. If it is a multi-stage process you will have to do this multiple times.

•    Candidate feedback;   Again to protect your company's image in the marketplace this is a crucial and time consuming step. Having invited candidates to spend their time progressing the opportunity the least you can do is offer feedback which is meaningful and constructive?

•    Opportunity Cost;   if it takes you 6 weeks to fill the role what has this cost the business in the mean time whilst nobody has been covering the post? If you are late delivering the product, can’t generate that crucial revenue, or can't initiate that crucial business change what is it really costing you?

We believe that you have the opportunity for a false economy if you ignore the hidden costs. Why not add it all up and then make a cost comparison?

We are consistently told by clients that our pricing reflects true value for money.

The honest answer is NO.

To date, we have never had a problem working any role be it in the UK, the EU or the US, as we have from day one used and implemented technology that supports our principle that we can run recruitment campaigns effectively regardless of location.

By utilising today's technology and flexible business infrastructure facilities our approach means that we can attract the best project management recruitment consultants and run campaigns on your behalf regardless of any party's geography.

Our thorough process means that we do not have to spend time and money having face to face meetings in order to work on filling your roles and our track record supports this stance.

Of course we can come and see you if it is a crucial part of the process; otherwise we will drop by and say hello the next time we are in your area!

Over the years we have worked with many organisations in both the Public and Private sector where a Preferred Supplier List (PSL) or Framework Agreement is in place for recruitment Services. The typical scenario is that we get approached by the people in the business who recognise the value of using a niche supplier such as Arras People when looking for Programme and Project professionals. These people are frustrated because their recruitment partners are not delivering quality candidates for their open roles.

In this situation we always suggest that authority to work with Arras People is sought before the recruitment process is initiated. This may require us speaking to your incumbent supplier, your commercial team or your purchasing department so that agreement can be reached on commercial terms. We are happy to work with you to justify why Arras People should be engaged and the value we bring to the table and have prior experience which we can use to build a case.

In the Public sector this can sometimes be made to seem impossible as OJEC rules and PSLs and frameworks always come into play. These are not show stoppers! It is possible to procure our services as the value is generally below the OJEC limits for competitive tendering.

Another typical scenario in both Public and Private sectors is where the recruitment process has been outsourced to a 3rd party who have to deal with all requirements. Again this is a scenario where we have experience and are able to work as a second tier supplier. Arras People already have agreements with a number of organisations such as Reed, Hays, Spring, Manpower and Eden Brown whereby we act as a second-tier supplier to them for niche positions. You can contact us directly or ask you service representative to contact us on your behalf; either way you should see a seamless service through your level 1 supplier.

Whatever the scenario, if you need the best candidates give us a call and we will talk through your situation with you to try and open the door.

As Project Managers we like to see a plan! It doesn't have to be complicated nor does it have to take hours to produce. Essentially it has to be realistic, so that you the client and we the service providers have a common objective and agree how we are going to get there.

We are often under pressure to rush through CVs as a requirement is urgent! As such, the client has no time to plan or talk to us about the role, "just work off the specification". Typically, when this occurs, we find out that no interview dates have been planned, or the hiring manager is not around, or the requirement has disappeared two weeks later when we get feedback on the CVs we presented!

So our motto is if you fail to plan, you can plan to fail. We don't want to over egg it, just get the basics in place.

Our experience tells us that with a plan we can conduct a more efficient search and selection process, we can prepare candidates for immediate interview where the requirement is urgent and set expectations accordingly where it is not. We all look more professional and in control of the process, and candidates appreciate that; the minute we introduce your name into a screening conversation the candidate is judging your organisation and our ability to answer relevant questions may affect the availability of candidates for you - good people will always get job offers and we want to make sure it's your offer they accept.

The plan ties in with part of the promise we make to our candidates: Arras People will never introduce your details to a client without first gaining your agreement to do so.

If you have a Preferred Suppliers List (PSL) we would ask: "Is it fit for purpose?"

Many organisations that we come across in the Public and Private sectors who operate a PSL have issues as the PSL has been created by procurement or commercial departments to make their lives easier, rather than to truly address the business's needs. Cost reduction is often the driver so they go to large organisations who offer "complete recruitment solutions" at a reduced margin. 80% of the time this may work fine, but for those specialist roles such as Programme and Project Management specialists the model doesn’t necessarily work.

We often think of the analogy of the supermarket versus the specialist boutique. Of course the supermarket is a great place for the bulk buy (80%) but when a specialist item is required we would still prefer to visit the boutique where focus and product knowledge is available!

So Arras People are not against PSLs as such for the 80%, we just believe that there is also a place for our specialist knowledge when an organisation is looking to fill those key roles, a 'one-size-fits-all' solution may be disadvantageous to you in the marketplace.

Our Candidate relationship is based on 100% respect.

In our world, working with programme and project management professionals, our philosophy is guided by the principle: "Today's candidate is tomorrow's employer". So the last thing we want to do is give them a bad experience. In the same way, we believe that our clients who engage in any recruitment exercise should also remember that they are exposing their company to the outside world and their every action or non-action will be seen and judged.

Examples of our respect include:

• We screen and grade all candidates who apply for registration.
• Rejected registrants are provided with feedback.
• We guarantee not to forward a candidate's details without first gaining their permission.
• We always discuss roles with candidates and tell them who the client is* (this tests their commitment, removes objections and should identify if they have already been submitted).
• Provide candidates with regular feedback once they are submitted for a role.
• For contractors and temporary workers we promise to pay fair rates which are paid on time.
• We provide careers advice.
• We guarantee the same level of service to candidates and employers alike.

* If there is confidentiality associated with the role we can agree how this will be managed.

With all due respect to the HR department, whilst we understand that the process of managing the recruitment process may be delegated, our experience tells us that the optimum process is achieved when we have the opportunity to speak with the hiring manager.

A short conversation will allow us to uncover the subtleties' associated with any given role along with the key attributes that a hiring manager is seeking. Whilst many job descriptions that we see are very comprehensive in terms of the person profile and the skills profile they are in many ways generic as they do not convey the essence of the role, or the culture of the hiring department.

The upfront investment of time (it may be as little as 10 minutes) pays dividends throughout the remainder of the hiring process as we are able to process and probe candidates based on the information gleaned during the conversation. Our aim is to provide the best candidates for the role and your help in this process is key.

Please be assured, we do not want to short circuit your process or hassle the hiring manager directly. We will work with you in the manner prescribed as this is the only way to achieve the final result.