Tom Coulter Management consultant, Discover Retail

Monday
Early start this morning. In the office for 7am to kick start the week, pick up some bacon butties on my way in — an added incentive to get the team in early. Spend the first 30 minutes going through competitors’ adverts, checking for any juicy new business leads, get them distributed to my team, followed by the usual Monday meetings. Spend the rest of the day working with the headhunter on a particular tricky role in central London.

Tuesday
Got some good candidates from yesterday. As it is more commonly the case, the advert responses are less relevant to the role. It seems in the current climate the best ones seem not to be actively distributing their CVs, increasing the prominence of headhunting. Quality audited a few of my clients this afternoon. Discovered some new business issues they are facing and found out their future plans. The new services I offered them went down a storm.

Wednesday
Had a positive client meeting this morning. They were getting emailed up to 50 CVs for one role by an agency! They have more pressing issues and don’t want to be looking through that volume of candidates. Started the pitch off with “Why interview 50 candidates when you can interview two right ones?” Spent the whole day with the MD and HR manager to really develop a proper partnership rather than just hitting them with volume.

Thursday
Spent the day speaking to candidates and offering them more of a consultation service, thus allowing me to manage their expectations more effectively. Our clients are looking for the real dynamic individuals with longevity, allowing them to gain the competitive advantage. Our service has to become more advisory so that we shine above other agency introductions. Acting as more of an advisor is increasing the way candidates and clients buy in to us.

Friday
This morning I sorted out psychometric tests for a client in Liverpool to find the optimum combination for the right candidate by interviewing a few of their good managers. Congratulated my team on their hard work this week. It is obviously getting tougher in the marketplace, which seems to working to our advantage. A few competitors are dropping quality, giving us an edge as we maintain ours. Time for a beer with the team.