In a marketplace where competition for talent is fierce, people and organizations often wonder how to choose a recruitment firm. The obvious selection criteria such as price, location, and job market or industry knowledge are not enough. Too many organizations and their recruitment firms tend to focus strictly on the bottom line when entering the recruitment process; often forgetting the human element. In launching Essence Recruitment over 6 years ago, Tracy Arno’s focus was on people. “I wanted to bring a balance to the hiring process by considering the bottom line and helping to do what is best for people and their teams,” states Tracy.
As Tracy often says, recruitment changes individuals’ lives and organizations’ make-up. “Recruitment is not just about people getting a new job to maintain or increase their income, or even climbing a new step on their career’s ladder, it’s their opportunity to learn, evolve, make new connections and friends, and sometimes they even get to adapt to life in a new location. On the organization’s side, the impact of a new hire goes beyond the finances, it influences its internal and external relationships and its culture as new people may bring new views and values, as well as breathe new life in their teams.”
Recruiting the right people should lead to the financial gains organizations seek. “It all starts with people. As recruiters, we are successful when we keep our focus on people by ensuring that through the recruitment process we select individuals that will fit within the organization, and actually thrive, as well as help it continuously improve,” adds Tracy.
For Tracy, there is definitely more to recruitment than matching experience and diplomas to a job description. She relies on doing the necessary thorough preparation work with the organization to find the candidates with the personal and interpersonal attributes and values that will complement the organization and help it grow. It is also her view that to ensure that they are happy in their new position and that they can continue to thrive professionally and personally, candidates should also make sure that the organization is one that will not go against their core values and beliefs. “I consider it also part of the recruiter’s role to assess these aspects.”
“At Essence, our mission is to guide organizations and individuals through the recruitment process by often challenging them with tough questions. Ultimately, finding the right people – helping them change their job and their life for the better – ensures organizations and their bottom line benefit from a happy, balanced, productive and committed workforce. Our focus remains on people,” concludes Tracy.
