Being a fairly new player in a new market I also do some cold calling. Well, being as it may, in this world of direct approach; there is still a lot to gain from this way of work.
I recently called a major company operating worldwide as I honestly believe we have the right suitable international talent for their kind of business. I immediately heard that the ringtone was different as I dialled, and yes, the person I tried to reach was in New York at that time. It wasn’t the most professional conversation I have had in my life but we agreed that I would call him back at the beginning of next week.
As agreed, I phoned back the next Tuesday and he was more or less surprised that I did call him back as promised. In most countries where I’ve worked and lived this is more or less a rule, whereas in Sweden it is not so common I have noticed.
I explained who we were and the way we work and that we have been doing so for more than 20 years in the Netherlands with great success. I explained furthermore that our focus is on diversity and cultural background, and he got very enthusiastic about that information. By now I had good hopes that we at least could have a cup of coffee to talk a little bit more. However, that is not how it ended.
He explained to me that the company had recently decided that they were stopping using the services of recruiting companies. Bear in mind they had about 80 vendors for recruitment and already went back to 50 at this moment. The goal is to end up with 2 or maybe stop with them in general. He explained the reason for it and although I am not happy with his reason I am very thankful that he did share it with me. He explained that the business they are active in has a hugely diverse customer base. And by huge, I mean the world from different ages and cultural backgrounds. The recruitment agencies they were working with were not capable to offer them the right candidates. That is why they decided to do the recruiting themselves. This is very unfortunate for recruiting companies in general and a missed opportunity for the whole industry. Nevertheless, there is something to be learned from it.
"Colleagues get out of your comfort zone and embrace the world!"
Colleagues get out of your comfort zone and embrace the world. I am convinced the recruitment industry is capable of supplying major, diverse companies. Don’t go for the obvious and “dive” into your customer’s needs. We can do this!
Written by Beyondo's Guido Tendijck
