Exclusivity - friend or foe?

Working in an exclusive capacity in any area can make life much easier, getting it wrong can mean a total waste of your time and leave you without the agreed end-result. How do you know when an exclusive relationship is the right path to take?

For clients, having an exclusive relationship with a recruiter will make life a million times easier if they give that responsibility to the right person. I feel very strongly that an exclusive relationship must be earned over time, once a recruiter has proven they will deliver as promised. For me, a client’s exclusivity is the biggest reward and compliment and I take that very seriously. Once the client has identified their chosen agency, it means a fraction of the time and work they usually need to give to hiring. An exclusive relationship will only work, a lot like any partnership, if both parties are committed to its success. In order for a recruiter to excel given this opportunity, a full brief from the client is needed and feedback is critical. In the technically advanced world we live in, it’s very easy to use emails and/or portals and not have an honest conversation about the candidates pre or post interview. A two minute conversation giving feedback will save buckets of time down the line and will ensure the recruiter can hone their search and find the right candidate. We have all met one candidate (or hundreds!) in our time that ‘on paper’ looks like someone you would never request for an interview but in reality they may have been one of the most impressive candidates you ever hired. Without a strong relationship with your recruiter and having trust in their advice, instinct and opinion you will not meet special candidates that are a bit different to the norm.