Hugh Lloyd’s Post

Sometimes, being a recruitment consultant is low-key brutal. 💀     It’s the third week of the month, and numbers are down. The office feels tense; it’s been a slow quarter, and everyone knows it.     That’s when the “probability” question starts making its rounds.     The top dog is pressing for updates. Managers are glued to their spreadsheets. Consultants are feeling the pressure: “Will you get an answer on Chris today after his third interview?”     The probability pressure is real.     But here’s the thing – in a business built on uncertainty, can we really talk about probability with any confidence?     As a former consultant, I remember this well. The endless waiting for candidates to show up. The unknowns about internal candidates. The mystery of what competing agencies were doing. It’s enough to make anyone reach for a stress reliever.     So here’s my advice:     Don’t get bogged down by the probability. Focus on the search, embrace the uncertainty, and simply consult. 

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬: 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐄𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 I want to share the experience of a friend who recently went through a disheartening recruitment process. He attended an interview and successfully cleared all the rounds, including the HR discussion. The HR congratulated him, explained the company policies, and assured him that the offer letter would be released in two days. With this promise, he went home excited, shared the news with his loved ones, and celebrated what he believed was a big milestone. But then, reality hit. After two days of waiting, there was no offer letter. Slowly, he realized that the promise was fake. Imagine the heartbreak. The joy he shared with his loved ones turned into the painful task of explaining why the promised job didn’t materialize. It’s not just about missing a job opportunity; it’s about losing trust in the process. The emotional toll it takes on a person can last for days or even weeks. To all recruiters and hiring managers: Please don’t make promises you can’t keep. Be honest and transparent with candidates during the hiring process. Understand that your words carry weight and that candidates place their trust in you. Fake promises don’t just waste time—they hurt people deeply. Let’s bring empathy back into recruitment and treat every candidate with the respect they deserve.

When I interview candidates I'm extremely candid about the pros and cons of the role they are taking. I try to give them a clear picture of the job and company, because no job comes without its pitfalls. Being as transparent as possible helps you judge if a candidate is truly passionate about the role and the vision of the company. If they are passionate, they don't flinch at hearing the negatives. They will remain excited and geared to take the challenge. During my early years as a hiring manager I was not like this. I thought my job was to sell the company and the job we were hiring for. So, when I saw a great candidate, I always emphasized the best parts, and downplayed the challenges they had to anticipate. By doing this, I would typically get the candidate to join. But as you might have guessed, they ended up being dissatisfied with their jobs, their passion dwindled and you'd be lucky if they gave even 50% of the energy you saw when they joined. It felt horrible. It was not that the company or the job was bad - it was just that they had such a nice picture in their mind that once the initial excitement settled, they really couldn't deal with the pressure. Today - I know my job is to hire great candidates. But with my extreme transparency, I risk losing seemingly good candidates. Candidates have even looked at me as if I'm crazy - because they've never had someone talk about the negatives of a role during the hiring process. But the way I think about it is by doing this I save a human being from losing months if not years of their career to a job they hate. Transparency is pivotal when hiring the right person. What are your thoughts?

Dear HR Peeps and Hiring Managers, I'm amazed by how bad the candidate/employer communication goes during the hiring process so as a communications person please allow me to give my advice: 1. If a candidate applies for a position and does not hear anything from you in 2 weeks, we as candidates assume we didn't get an interview. We move on. 2. If a candidate interviews for you even once, we expect and DESERVE a rejection email. Take 2 seconds out of your day because being a courteous person matters. 3. If a candidate applied for a position and never received a single interview then we do NOT need a rejection email months after the fact. Your company and the application we put in has been forgotten. We moved on. It's now rude to be rejected for a job we cannot even remember applying for. 4. If you or your hiring manager has set an interview with a candidate Keep It! Only reschedule for VERY good reason and Do Not, I repeat Do Not cancel that interview the day of. The candidate has likely taken the day off work or rearranged their schedule and if you would disqualify a candidate for that behavior don't expect candidates to put up with your rude behavior. Barring a trip to the emergency room, a natural disaster, or explosive diarrhea KEEP YOUR commitments. 5. Your candidates do not need to worship your company to be stellar employees. Before you even hire someone you expect adoration that hasn't been earned yet. And then the candidate must prove their worth to you. It feels like being in a narcissistic relationship. If a candidate walks into your office and you ask them to tell you why they want to work there A. be prepared to also tell them why they should want to and B. know their resume and background. If we have to sit there while you figure out which piece of paper represents us in the pile on your desk then we've already lost interest in you. Respect goes both ways. Hope this helps. On behalf of all candidates everywhere.

“You’re too emotionally invested in your candidates” That’s what my manager told me back when I first became an agency recruiter. It was meant as a critique - a suggestion to ‘toughen up’ or ‘distance myself.’ But I remember looking around at my colleagues and thinking… Is that what success looks like? A game of numbers and quotas? No real connection? A few years in, I saw the consequences of recruiters distancing themselves too much: → Candidates left hanging, interviews without closure, feedback ignored. I realised that treating candidates like faceless entries on a spreadsheet was not only damaging to my career, but to them too. I chose to ignore that advice. Fast forward to today, I’m proud to say that I AM emotionally invested. I’ve seen firsthand how giving genuine feedback and showing some empathy can change someone’s entire career path. I remember one candidate in particular - a Marketing Director who’d been rejected from 10+ roles. He was about to give up on the industry altogether. Instead of ghosting him (like most companies had), I spent an hour giving him detailed feedback, highlighting where his resume needed adjustments, and what I felt his interview strategy was missing. A few months later, he messaged me: He’d finally landed a great job at a big company! He said it was the first time anyone had taken the time to explain what he was doing wrong. So, what’s the takeaway here? → Being emotionally invested is a strength, not a weakness. → It helps you stand out in an industry that’s infamous for its lack of transparency. → It builds trust, it builds rapport, and most importantly - it changes lives. If you’re a recruiter reading this, I’d challenge you to stay emotionally involved. Don’t ‘toughen up’ - show more empathy, not less. Your candidates will remember you for it. And if you’re a job seeker, know that there are recruiters out there who genuinely care. Don’t settle for less.

The Value of Self-Reflection in Hiring and Recruiting I believe that truth always comes out, which is why I stick to it, irrespective of potential consequences or ramifications. You may have noticed my recent posts addressing inappropriate, inadequate, and even shameful disrespectful behavior by recruiters, hiring managers, and employers. Let me share a real-life event, with all identifying details hidden. A financial expert was chased, hunted, and lured into moving to a large global organisation here in Australia. The recruiter, hiring managers, and selection panel were all blindsided by the impressive career trajectory, prestigious employers, and knowledge and expertise presented during the recruitment and onboarding process. However, after signing a six-figure contract and commencing work, the truth surfaced. The "perfect organisational fit" candidate, whom everyone went out of their way to recruit, was revealed to be rude, unprofessional, and disrespectful to everyone around him, including his superior managers and the agency recruiters who advocated for him. He was terminated less than three days after starting his job. This incident highlights that a shiny personality and a CV full of buzzwords, titles, and outstanding career trajectories do not guarantee organisational fit or predict job performance. Answers can be memorised, interviews can be prepared for, and disguising the real self behind a mask of political correctness and politeness to impress is apparently easier than it seems. To this end, I know for a fact that with me, what you see is what you get. My CV reflects my skills, knowledge, and expertise. My directness and assertiveness are sincere; I don't bother hiding, and I don't lie. If people are uncomfortable with an honest person, well, that's on them. Every time you ignore my applications or ghost me after an interview or screening call, remember this: I am as honest as one can be. I never lie, hide, or deceive; my integrity is intact. If I seem direct and assertive, it's because I take accountability and never throw anyone under the bus. When I say something, it reflects reality. I don't dance around the truth or sugarcoat it; I just say it as it is.

I’ve noticed a growing number of posts recently from both recruitment consultants and candidates venting frustration about how they are treated by each other. Recruitment can be tough on both sides, but I really feel for candidates, especially young people who are just starting out in the job market. For many, it’s their first experience, and when they’re treated only as a potential profit rather than a person, it can have a real impact on their mental health. They put in the time and effort, without any guarantee of a job at the end of it or even a simple acknowledgment, and that can leave them feeling disheartened and frustrated. And then generally, when some recruiters, despite claiming to be experts, fail to show even basic professionalism; like not acknowledging an application, or failing to prepare a candidate, give updates or meaningful feedback, or simply ghosting them, it can be really damaging. This message isn't directed to all recruiters by any means; but for some it's time they remembered there’s a real person on the other end of the process and that empathy and respect should come first.

It's Monday Morning and you have a no-show, how do you feel? Recruitment Consultants often feel a mix of frustration, disappointment, and concern. Frustration: You've likely invested a lot of time and effort in finding and placing the candidate. When the candidate doesn't show up, it can feel like all that work has gone to waste. Disappointment: You've build a relationship with your candidates and genuinely want them to succeed. When a candidate fails to turn up, it can be personally disappointing, when you've believed in the candidate's potential. Concern: You probably worry about the reasons behind the no-show. They may wonder if something serious happened to the candidate or if they were dissatisfied with the job but didn’t communicate it. Pressure: You may feel pressure from the Hirer, who is also likely to be disappointed and frustrated. This can strain the consultant's relationship with the client and potentially harm their reputation. Responsibility: You can feel a sense of responsibility, questioning whether they could have done something differently to prevent this outcome, such as better vetting or more thorough communication with the candidate. Urgency: There’s often an immediate need to address the situation, whether that means finding a replacement quickly or smoothing things over with the client. This adds to the stress and urgency of the situation. It's a challenging and stressful part of the job for a recruitment consultant, as it impacts not only your relationship with the candidate and client but also your professional success, but we have put together some tips on how to minimise the risk (link in the first comment 🌱) #recruiting #hiring #recruitment #recruitmentagencies #recruitmentconsultants

We recruiters talk to a lot of people. That's kind of our trade. Whenever you ask someone how they are, mean it. If during an interview the candidate opens up and the conversation deviates from the central point, just keep listening. Don't try to steer the conversation to the point again if you can tell the other person needs to talk about this. You never really know what the other person is going through. And we are in a very privileged position to lend an ear, which is sometimes the most important thing that one can do. Job seeking generates anxiety and frustration and it is our job not only to fill the role but accompany our fellow human beings that are sometimes struggling, through this process. You can give your 70% and close those roles, yeah. But you can also do 100% and squeeze all the positive things about the art of recruiting. It's up to you which version you want to be. #Recruiting #MentalHealth #Humans