5 tips for a successful equine recruitment employer:agency relationship
by Caroline Carter
In my experience, most employers want to find an equestrian recruitment agency with whom they can form an enduring relationship to weather the storm we all find ourselves in currently. But this isn’t always that straightforward. Following are five tips to building a strong relationship from the moment you have decided to entrust your job vacancy with Caroline Carter Recruitment Ltd and our services, including The Grooms List.
1. Communication – it pays off to talk!
Invest some time in your relationship with us. We both need to work together to achieve what you want and need, and that only happens if each party invests in that goal. Give us as much information as possible as to your equestrian recruitment requirements – your “must haves”, your “nice to haves”, any wriggle room etc.
If advertising your equine job vacancy through our D.I.Y. website service The Grooms List add as much detail as possible to your job vacancy advert. We carefully read through every job vacancy advert that is submitted to website, and we are quite happy to structure your information into a good advert for you – providing we have that information! Speak with us, understand the process of what we have to do to deliver for you, and help us to understand what you expect to deliver a great result. We will keep in touch with web clients and bespoke clients regularly throughout your subscription via email and on the phone, do take advantage of that unique service we are told it’s well worth the time and effort.
2. Honesty is the best policy
“Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it’ll always get you the right ones.” 🙂 We’ll forget about whether John Lennon said those words or not, but there’s no doubt that we will get on better and build trust quicker if we are open and honest with each other from the outset. Don’t let perceived issues fester. If you feel we are under-performing then say so, but do accept there may be some constructive, non-defensive honesty in return from us. We need you to at least try to be the best client you can and give us the best opportunity to succeed in delivering for you.
3. Little details have a big impact
Often, it’s the small stuff that makes the difference to the results you get. Lack of attention to detail and poor communication are both very basic but common frustrations. You can help us by being clear from the start about your requirements, or talking them through with us till they become clear as is not infrequently the case!
4. It may not be all plain sailing!
Doing good things is not always that easy. You could be constructively challenged to move things on to achieve the outcome you require. As the client, you’ll know more about your job vacancy but as an equestrian recruitment agency, we should know more about how best to advertise and engage with potential job seekers and some of the reasons why equestrian recruitment can succeed and fail. Be open to a challenge – a good agency has a view worth listening to. We also realise that you have very valid opinions and sometimes, some immovable requirements.
5. Don’t fear change
Not much stands still these days in our business of equestrian recruitment – change is the only one constant.
In amongst all that flux, it can be hard to stay abreast of what the really good grooms are demanding in their job searches. But as an agency, with unrivalled experience, we do know and despite the fact it’s tough, we embrace the situation and know what to do to operate well on your behalf.
Those of you who already know us well, will be in no doubt, we are not buying into the whole “we are all doomed” approach. We know with the right approach, 99.9% of jobs can be filled with the right job seeker and where others struggle, we are still delivering many, many decent equestrian staff members to many decent employers. We are investing in the equestrian industry for the future – if you are a good employer with a nice job to fill, invest in us today to help you fill that vacancy and we will all move forward positively, pulling together towards a brighter future. This may sound glib but honestly, our approach is working.
