1988, Seoul Olympics after the 200 m, Carl Lewis famously told reporters, “I did not win Silver, I lost Gold”. A powerful statement indeed, coming from someone who has won 10 Olympic medals including 9 Gold in his career.

Now, if Carl Lewis was a recruiter, I bet he might have said the same thing because there’s no silver medal, your candidate either lands the job or not. Or maybe there is room for a silver medal………….

2009/10 had perm recruiters bruised and battle scarred, many of whom left the industry promising never to return. For those who survived, it’s time to get back to basics and grab that gold AND silver medal by following these simple ‘back to basic’ tips at interview stage for perm roles.

· Do you prep your candidate completely for the interview irrespective of how senior or junior the person may be?

· Do you get your candidate to Google the interviewer’s name for pertinent information?

· Do you check networking & social websites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter etc for useful information on the client and interviewer?

· If your candidate blogs or tweets, are those links featured on their resume?

· Do you pass on interview debrief notes from one candidate to the next?

· Have you tried an interview line up with your best candidate going last?

· Are you equipping your candidate with your client’s interview style and questions?

· Breaking bread is a centuries-old tradition that tears down walls and builds relationships and trust. Why not get your client to interview over lunch?

· Have you added ‘muscle’ to your candidate by conducting a psychometric assessment?

· A pre referenced candidate goes a long way towards success – have you been proactive in this aspect?


Fast forward and a placement’s made - your candidate’s won Gold, what then are going to do with candidate # 2. Would you shelf this pre-screened, interviewed & reference checked candidate or :

· Have you explored the possibility of your client recruiting both?

· Can they fit into a different department perhaps?

· Reverse market to a competitor or competing industry?

· Consider the option of temp or contract work for those not currently employed?

· Network with another agency and split fees?

There is one school of thought that suggests recruiting is an Art whilst another strongly advocates it as a Science – why not just combine the two and shout aloud ”I’ve won Gold and Silver !!”