Why do recruiters send me CVs of people they haven’t met?

What do typical recruitment agencies do?

Simply put, the role of a recruitment agency is to work with companies to help fill their job vacancies and to match candidates to available roles. A recruitment consultant’s role is to streamline the job seeking process, finding new opportunities, editing and improving CVs and advising candidates in order to prepare them for interviews.

How do typical recruitment agencies work?

There are a variety of different ways in which recruitment agencies work. This, however, is a typical process:

1. Employer will get in touch to say that they have a job vacancy that needs to be filled
2. Recruiter will look at their database to find candidates that match the skills and experience required
3. Recruiter will post the job online in order to source candidates with the right skills and experience
4. Once some suitable candidates have been sourced, they will send their CV to the employer for review.
5. Once reviewed, the employer will select the candidates that they would like to invite for an interview
6. Recruiter will liaise with the employer and the candidate to arrange interviews

Why do recruiters send me CVs of people they haven’t met?

76.9% of hiring managers say that they receive poor quality CVs and will spend two hours, on average, reviewing CVs*. Why is this?

Some recruiters will send you CVs of people they haven’t met. This tends to happen when multiple recruitment agencies are vying for the placement of that particular role. They place their focus on getting the CV under the employer’s nose first, before their competitors, rather than focusing on properly vetting the candidate prior to putting them forward.

Following a ‘proper’ process whereby the recruitment consultant meets with each candidate that fits the criteria of the role may take a week. When multiple recruitment agencies are competing for the same interview slots, they don’t want to risk waiting a week. Instead they whiz over a candidate’s CV without meeting them first and cross their fingers that they’re the first to put them forward for the role (this usually means that they would get the commission if the candidate is successful).

The reality is that if the CV of a candidate arrives in your inbox a little too quickly, it might be too good to be true.

How do I avoid this and ensure I get the talent I want?

When working with multiple recruitment agencies, most hiring managers feel that recruiters are focused on speed over quality, with 73% saying that they have to duplicate effort when dealing with multiple agencies*. It is therefore recommended that you avoid using this multi-agency contingency method.

What does a good recruitment agency look like?

Prior to putting a candidate forward, a good recruitment agency will take the time to:

• Research the market
• Speak to candidates about their career aspirations
• Seek their views on your business and the job role
• Pre-screen the candidate

Did you know that the average cost of a mis-hire is £65,000*? Pre-screening will ensure that the candidate is a good match for your organisation in terms of their skills, career goals and personality. A recruitment agency that has taken the time to get to know you, your company and your team, will be better placed to shortlist those that will fit into your team.

A good recruiter does a lot more than simply send you CVs. They will:

• Act as a partner to your organisation
• Have a good understanding of your business
• Understand your objectives and the type of person you are seeking to help you achieve your goals

How to become a partner rather than a supplier

Recruitment companies have historically been guilty of (unknowingly) not working in their client’s best interests with multiple supplier arrangements on a contingency model. This has created a race to the bottom culture where:

• Speed is prioritised over quality
• Bad business practice is encouraged
• Costly miss-hires are made for clients

At Corecom we’ve decided to revolutionise how we work, engaging with our clients as partners, not suppliers and removing the pressure on the recruitment industry to compromise on quality. We’ve named this ‘Corecom Partnerships’.

Corecom Partnerships was built from the ground up to solve the recurring problems and frustrations encountered by employers when using recruitment agencies. By adopting a true partnership model we can make sure that quality, not speed, is the main driver when it comes to creating a CV shortlist. We’ll work with you to:

• Create a consistent employer brand you can be proud of, with a focus on the candidate journey
• Make sure you’re hitting the right people
• Add value to your business

Click here to see how Tunstall has transformed its recruitment process with Corecom Partnerships

We’re changing the way companies look at their talent acquisition by exposing the root cause of many of their frustrations in order to ensure they are getting the best people in the most effective way.

UK Technology Recruitment Survey, Corecom Consulting 2020