In recruitment, reputation is everythingPosted over 4 years ago by Nick Boulton

The cliché says that a reputation takes years to build and seconds to ruin - that holds true in recruitment.

Reputation drives this industry. We’re battered constantly by the storms of underhanded dealings, staff poaching, and accusations of dodgy salesman with inflated fees. Sadly, there are many who still play those games.

In my 15 years, I’ve seen every trick in the book. I wish I could say it will die out, but I’m not naïve enough to think it will. But in a climate and economic environment which is tough (and only getting tougher thanks to elections, Brexit (STILL?!) IR35 and more, reputation will be critical for growing business.

Building a reputation is hard . It takes years of proving yourself and performing to the highest standard. You also must make decisions that are both sound from a business and ethical standpoint.

The only way to build your reputation is to practise what you preach. There is no point banging the proverbial drum and then not holding yourself – or your business – to account.

In recruitment, it’s about more than filling roles. You need to prove you’re a consultancy, not an agency. Beating your competition and standing out from the crowd is a constant battle, but one I will continue to champion with no compromise. Client Server’s enviable track record of repeat business, recommendations, client testimonials and referrals underlines the importance of this.

I think it’s vital if you are to have longevity in this business.

When you get to the crux of things, reputation means you can be the business which adapts and moves with any market conditions, provides the best service, and remains objective when giving advice to clients or candidates. How many recruitment business can say that?

Integrity is one of Client Server’s core values. We don’t compromise on service just to win business, we demand extremely high standards of professionalism from all our consultants, we have an open fee structure for all clients to see, and service is at the forefront of everything we do.

Building reputation is hard, tarnishing it is all too easy and if you don’t have a good reputation in our industry, you don’t have much. The really hard part is fostering that in your employees as you scale and grow. Here’s to trying.

Illustration: Freepik.com