It has been 15 years since I was first introduced to the recruitment industry and in that time so much has changed. I remember as a child watching the old 70’s UK comedy “Some Mothers do have ‘em” with Michael Crawford playing “Frank Spencer”. My favourite episode was when Frank was sent to a recruitment agency. No computers in sight, just a man at a desk with a whole lot of paper. After a five minute chat with the recruiter, Frank is swiftly sent off to a job where in a comedy of errors he manages to wreak havoc. That scenario would not play out today!

How things have changed

Recruitment isn’t as straight forward as that now (and arguable never should have been!). No competent recruiter I know would have a pile of paper resumes on their desk and they certainly wouldn’t send someone off on their first day of work without going through a thorough process. Recruitment is part art and part science; we do in-depth due diligence around a candidates experience and suitability for every role. As a minimum this includes an in-depth initial conversation and if that goes well, another hour-long face to face (or zoom) interview. Thorough, in-depth references are always part of any good process. At Kin we have built solid relationships with our clients where we’ve established trust, and an understanding of their culture and expectations. These deep relationships exist only because first, there exists a solid foundation of good practice.

Sustainability

Another area where I’ve seen change is a greater focus on Sustainability. Many organisations are making deliberate decisions about how they roll; all with a view to help reduce our carbon footprint. In our team and across most of our clients, it is less common to print out documents. In the field of recruitment, CV’s and other files are shared digitally. Less than 20 years ago, resumes were being faxed! I don’t think many people under 30 would even know what a fax machine is! I remember as a child being so jealous that our family didn’t have a fax machine. A lot of my friends did, and they would send messages to each other.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion is more important now than ever. I love that in today’s modern world, we can embrace, and talk confidently with our clients about the benefits of having a diverse and inclusive team, culture, and workplace. I remember first starting out in recruitment and being told at a job brief that the client didn’t want to see any resumes from a certain ethnic background, nor did they want to consider any Mothers or young women who may be wanting to start a family. I was so horrified! And hey – can I add – I am a Mum of three young kiddies. I still manage to work just as hard as anyone else because Motherhood has taught me to be organised, and of course I want to provide for my children and teach them lessons about working hard. Thank goodness those days are over. It is refreshing to see that many of our clients are hiring to cover parental leave, and have modern options in place such as a flexible working, with the ability to work from home if need be. I love the growing awareness we’re seeing from organisations consciously creating teams and environments that are welcoming and inclusive for employees from all walks of life.

Careers are now for everyone. Gone are the days of only having female nurses, administrators and teachers, and male construction workers, executives and IT workers. I wonder how different of a recruiter I would have been if I was teleported back to the early 80’s to recruit.

I love working in recruitment and can’t see myself changing industries any time soon, so naturally my mind travels to the question – “What will recruitment look like in 20 years’ time”? What do you think?