Vizx Global ISS

How to Become a Top Recruiter Interview with Rose

Be a top recruiter

1. Who is Rose at VIZX International?

Rose is a senior recruiter at VIZX and also a pod leader for one of our pods (teams) called Aces.

2. What has your experience been working as a recruiter for all these years?

Working as a recruiter at VIZX has been nothing short of intriguing, every day comes with its own challenges to embrace and lessons to be learned. Through the highs and the lows, I have experienced remarkable growth and I have come to appreciate different people, personalities, and just dynamics of handling people.

3. How long did it take for you to build a proper and consistent pipeline?

I wouldn’t call it a proper and consistent pipeline yet because we deal with temporary assignments and the recruitment business is very competitive, so I would say I haven’t gotten there yet if I am to compare with other seasoned recruiters, just because needs for most of the specialties that I curved my niche in can be volatile. However, I would give it approximately 6 months- 1 year to have at least a solid pipeline, of people that you can use from one assignment to the next. It’s also important to note that human beings change and are always seeking new experiences, or have new needs/ demands. However, if you get loyal ones, they can stay and this can only be achieved through proper customer service and also diversify into various specialties.

4. What are the tips for dealing with candidates, approaching them, and handling them? Then how do you handle a problematic candidate?

Treat a customer how you would like to be treated when seeking service. Put yourself in their shoes and assume you are the one seeking that service. Always handle all your communication professionally, and never take anything especially negative feedback personally. Be courteous when approaching candidates and remain empathetic and humane in all situations, because sometimes when humans interact they tend to open up to others, therefore, be receptive and always show the candidates you care for their well-being more than just getting them that job. Once converted, follow up and constantly check in with them, that’s what sets you apart from the competition and buys you loyalty and referrals. Most people will remember how you made them feel while under your ‘care’. Show them you are there for them and make yourself very approachable, don’t assume anything, and answer all their questions.

Be tactful when approaching them, but have confidence. It’s okay to ask someone if it’s a good time to talk but it’s also fine to acknowledge that they are busy, but you just need a quick minute with them so that they can listen to you and not just dismiss you.

Conflict is inevitable in any business dealing with human beings. Individuals have different personalities and we can’t consider those who have a different opinion as problematic, but treat it like that, a different opinion, however, since some of them might pose a risk to the business i.e client relations, you can try avoidance mechanism, avoid engaging them further, apologize always and share facts with them to clarify any misunderstandings. Also, when sharing jobs make sure you explain all the details from the word go, do not hold any information from them only to reveal it later as this is what ends up leading to conflict later. Give them a listening ear and offer as many solutions as you can. You can also seek help from more experienced recruiters where you are not clear.

5. How do you handle uncertainty especially when the facility delays in reply? How do you streamline communication with the candidate as far as their application is concerned when there is a delay in reply from the facility?

In most cases, that’s beyond our control, however, most facilities have avenues for following up, you can either follow up through a contact person or leave comments on the portal for follow-up. We normally allow them at least 36-48 hours before follow-up because they also handle so many files from various agencies that may cause delays.

With the candidates, we have to manage expectations from the get-go, when putting their file together for submission, let them know to allow at least 36-48 hours before they can start following up for feedback. In the meantime, it’s okay to keep texting/ emailing them that we haven’t heard back from the client yet but their file is still under consideration, this will help keep them warm. Once you get feedback, always communicate back, whether it’s an offer or rejection.

However, if the feedback takes too long, you can offer more options from other clients to avoid losing the employee because in some instances delayed feedback might mean that the assignment was filled.

6. What advice would you give a junior recruiter who struggles with scheduling tasks on his/her desk?

Prioritize and always have a to-do list of the 10 most important things that need your attention and focus for that day and cross them out before you sleep. Make sure those activities are directly related to achieving your goals. In other words, work hard and smart, not just hard work. Always make sure you take care of tasks that are likely to affect continuity in another department to avoid inconveniences and prioritize client feedback and candidate/ HCA feedback so as not to keep people waiting.

7. How did you deal with days/weeks when you felt things were not moving?

I have come to accept that that’s the nature of the business, we are seasonal, sometimes it’s very busy but sometimes it gets slow, so when it’s slow I start preparing for the busy times to come, for example following up with older applicants or people who had previously expressed interest just to see where they are and if they would be available for future assignments. I also post so many jobs during the slow days, when maybe there are not so many profiles to work on, so to increase traffic, I post as many jobs as possible. I also try to strategize and work on other jobs if I’m not getting quick feedback on the ones I’m actively working on. But whatever it takes, make sure there’s an activity in your pipeline, if travel is slow you can focus on per diem, have something going on because you don’t want to fall at zero, there has to be a continuous flow, that’s what keeps our business going.

8. What advice would you give a recruiter who’s been struggling to get submissions and starts? Do you have any secrets that set you aside?

Submissions, offers, and starts come from applicants from posted jobs or those mined. I encourage my team to post as many jobs as they can as this is what increases traction on their desks, of course, more qualified applicants mean more submissions, more offers, and more starts. Once I get an interested applicant, I’ll put in extra hours to make sure their file has gone out in good time for the client’s consideration. We are in a very competitive business and the moment you delay, another agency will get them the assignment, so promptness is key, do not sleep on a file.

Make sure you screen your candidates and ask them questions to confirm their commitment to avoid fallouts.

9. How long and what did it take to be as efficient as you are right now?

Efficiency has no timing, it’s about planning your work, asking the right questions to learn the processes and applying what was taught. However, one has to learn to take calculated risks, and learn from their mistakes but be careful not to put the company at risk, so always ask where you are not sure about and build your knowledge from there. Analyze your mistakes to avoid repeating them. Spread your wings, and work with as many clients and specialties to understand what they entail.

10. Do you have any regrets or things you wish you would have started doing sooner when you started out your career in Recruitment? 

No regrets as it’s been a learning experience, but I would have scrutinized candidates deeper to avoid fallouts and disappointments. I would also have posted more jobs from the beginning and worked on all specialties without fear. Nothing like “these ones are hard to work with” just having a can-do attitude

11. What is the most rewarding and challenging part of the job?

The most rewarding part is knowing that you have played a part in helping someone make a living and support themselves and loved ones, also knowing that I have played a role in helping a patient somewhere get a good caregiver. Another one is when a candidate/ HCA comes back to you to thank you for getting them a job at a good facility and ask for possibilities of extending there. The challenging part is that human beings are very fluid and sometimes no matter how hard you try to prevent fallouts or contract cancellations, they will still happen, sometimes due to unavoidable circumstances.

12.  What do you do to mitigate the challenges?

Before submission, I check their commitment to the assignment, by asking them questions, for instance, if it’s someone who already has a full-time job and is taking up another one, how do they plan to balance the two and make sure their arrangements would match our clients’ needs to avoid contract cancellations. I also make sure to give them all the relevant information on the job, the facility name, location, pay, shifts, job description, and any special requirements from the clients.

13. What motivates you to keep going when the seasons are dry; no submissions, candidates backing out last minute, complications with clients/facilities?

Appreciating that that’s the nature of the business and understand that seasons don’t last but at the same time double my efforts in terms of job postings, mining resumes, and candidate outreaches. However, due to the nature of the business and healthcare industry, it can never be too dry, slow yes, but temporarily.

I try to manage what I can control and leave out what I can’t.

14. Where do you project yourself in the company in the next 5 years?

The company has experienced tremendous growth in the last two years and there are plans to venture into and specialize in new markets. I’m excited about this and I see myself growing into a management role and actually heading a new market, more like a department head, for example, head of IT sector, since we plan to venture into more than just healthcare.

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How to Become a Top Recruiter Interview with Rose