We all have a network of experts we rely on for their specialist insights, whether that’s turning to an accountant at the end of the financial year or an electrician when your fuses won’t stop blowing. Many of us have used the same hairdresser for years, use the services of the same lawyer and wouldn’t even consider moving banks – yet when it comes to our careers, few of us apply the same logic.
A career-focused professional in any industry should work with a specialist recruitment consultant in order to maximise the value in their career. While recruitment is a highly strategic activity, jobseekers often don’t think of recruitment professionals as strategic partners who can work with them as they navigate their careers. At IDEX, we believe that recruitment and career advisors are as critical a part of someone’s network as lawyers, plumbers and dentists.
With one-third of adult life spent in the workplace, it’s an understatement to say that a person’s career is an important element in their overall wellbeing and standard of living. So why wouldn’t you enlist the help of a skilled, experienced professional who specialises in the specific task of matching qualified candidates with jobs that suit their requirements?
A good recruiter will take a highly strategic, consultative approach to your career planning. For example, we know that if a candidate will amass a career worth £1 million over a 10-year period. As career advisors, it’s our job to boost that value to £1.3 million – or help our candidates explore new opportunities that may be more creatively, professionally and personally rewarding. Our prerogative is to listen to the needs of those we serve and adjust our strategies accordingly. We advise clients on how they can implement a risk-averse recruitment system and we advise candidates on the best route to take to get to where they want to get to be professionally. It’s much less about “here’s the job, do you want it?” and much more about a considered, consultative approach to career planning.
One example of how recruitment professionals can add value and advisory support is by looking beyond the pure dollar value and considering whether a candidate and a company are the right cultural fit. Rather than simply trying to match jobseekers to jobs, recruiters should focus their advice on whether the two parties (candidate and client) are the right fit for each other, factoring in a range of different variables. That’s why we carry out initial insight meetings, establishing the granular detail of what candidates and clients are looking for so that we can provide a more consultative service to each. We don’t sell, we consult – and with 94% of IDEX candidates still in place after two years, it’s clear we’re providing the right advice.
Another benefit of treating recruiters as extensions of your own professional network is the industry insight they provide. Within IDEX’s financial services team we have a 60% REC diploma-level qualification rate, with many financial planners and advisors required to be diploma-qualified before they can advise. This level of expertise and industry-standard qualification ensures we provide the best possible service to our market, and we have a goal of ensuring our entire team holds this qualification in the future.
In addition, our consultants work on specialist niche roles. Rather than having generalist consultants who source a wide range of job roles, our teams works on specific titles. We have a specialist IFA recruiter, a paraplanner recruiter, employee benefits recruiter and so on, making us experts within a narrow market. In addition to specialising in our fields, we also maintain an in-depth, top-to-bottom knowledge of the companies we work with. Having face to face contact with C-level individuals ensures we understand the strategic objectives of the firms we recruit for. We tell people how they’ll fit into the overall journey of a business and what they can expect from a career there. As many of our roles are senior appointments, it can take some time before a perfectly matched role comes along for some candidates, which is why our consultative, advisory approach is much better for our market than hard sales. With a select number of clients, we devote as much time as possible to understanding their requirements, with a strong focus on service for both candidates and clients.
Let us help you
We all use specialists to help us navigate certain elements of our lives, from buying a house to providing financial advice. Why not do the same for planning your career? Whether you’re a financial advisor, sales manager or compliance director, we’ve got the expert advice to help you maximise the value of your career. View our latest financial services jobs here.
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