A Specialist Industry? - David Head

Here's what David Head has to say about the developing recruitment industry!

IRP Awards Lifetime Achievement Award Winner - David Head

David Head won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2014 IRP Awards. He is also the Leader of Vision, Values & Ethics at Recruitment International

Embracing Vision, Values & Ethics:

There's still plenty of work to do because we need to get more people into our industry from universities and schools, and we need to show that you can have a really good career in recruitment.

A specialist industry…

If you go back to the 1980s, the skillset was slightly different and most of the big companies were generalists and high street players. Nowadays, the focus is inch wide, mile deep. You really need to be a specialist in your area.

… and a more open one too

We have owners now that are way younger than I am, and they spend a lot more time talking to one another. Recruiters in the 80s returned to their ivory towers and never shared anything with anyone. Recruiters have become far more professional and more consultative.

Communication is vital

Consultants rely too much nowadays on email, LinkedIn, and maybe a bit too much on the technology side. The contact of choice used to be by telephone, and I think a lot of people have lost the art of communication.

One of the things you need to be very adaptable and be willing to listen and learn. People need to come in with a very open mind and be very determined.

Election year will be tough

One of the big things people will fighting over is the NHS workforce, and if you look at what the government’s record is over the past ten years it is scandalous. But who gets all the blame? Agencies.  It's easy to blame agencies. I don't think any of the current party leaders have any real idea of what we do as an industry, but I think the REC does a good job of educating them.