The organisers said the gesture, while “definitely not trying to compare ourselves to the amazing NHS”, intended to celebrate recruiters and HR development professionals, and to recognise their efforts during the pandemic to find employment for people in the toughest of conditions.

Online seminars offered more than 400 in-house recruiters a varied choice of topics ranging from finding capability gaps in the business’ talent acquisition function, new skills and mindset needed for in-house recruitment teams, how to make the right impact quickly to graduate recruitment, and making your job adverts stand out.

Rebecca Fielding, graduate and early careers expert and managing director at gradconsult, advised employers to limit the numbers of universities they sent their recruiters to, saying less is more. She suggested instead “creating university partnership agreements” with fewer establishments.

She also said firms should “do more meaningful work with graduates from an early stage with fewer universities”. This would entail providing a consistent, value-added experience with the organisation throughout a student’s journey, starting with part-time jobs, summer internships through to mentoring and placement opportunities.

If your firm were to just turn up at the autumn Milkround, she said, other companies could have been building up long-term relationships with the talent your firm needs – and subsequently your firm would be “well behind the curve”.

Stuart Jones, founder and director of InSource Talent, offered insight into how recruiters could make the briefing meeting with the hiring manager more meaningful. The obvious suggestion was to do the research and be prepared. Proper briefs were more than a job description/person spec, an email/short phone call/sit down with the hiring manager or even a “lengthy meeting with the hiring manager where they tell you what you want”.

Jones said the main objectives should be: understanding the role – sourcing candidates, selling to candidates and screening candidates; hiring manager relationship – building trust, gaining commitment and managing expectations; and finally this should culminate in a recruitment plan.

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