White Paper: Overcoming Duplicity to Secure Successful Joinings in Recruitment

'Candidate Duplicity' is an old and pervasive rival of recruitment agencies, especially in the post-COVID hiring surge becoming an omnipresent challenge for every agency. This deceptive phenomenon, where seemingly qualified candidates turn out to be duplicates, keeps agencies on high alert. As we delve into this white paper, we aim to dissect the concept of candidate duplicity, understand its root causes, and the challenges it poses to recruitment agencies and offer actionable strategies to win.

Understanding Candidate

Duplicity Candidate duplicity refers to the situation where more than one staffing agency is simultaneously engaged in presenting the same candidates to a client for a particular job opening. This redundancy not only complicates the selection process for clients but also introduces fierce competition among recruiters to secure candidate joinings. To succeed, recruitment agencies need to adopt smart strategies that efficiently deliver in this complex market.

Causes of Candidate Duplicity

Several factors contribute to the prevalence of candidate duplicity in the recruitment ecosystem:

1. Limited Candidate Pool: The industry's reliance on a handful of commonly used sources for candidates creates a finite pool, intensifying the competition among recruitment agencies.

2. Lack of Diversification: Many agencies follow conventional sourcing methods, relying heavily on popular platforms like Naukri or LinkedIn, resulting in overlapping candidate submissions.

3. Information Accessibility: With the advent of digital platforms, candidates are accessible to multiple recruiters simultaneously. While multiple recruiters are reaching out to candidates, candidates lose track of the positions they have applied for and invariably say yes to all recruiters, leading to parallel engagements for the same role.

4. Uncertainty of Joinings: Afraid of the uncertainty of joinings, companies rely on processing by volumes and share the same requirements with multiple recruitment agencies, eventually creating duplicate candidate data.

Challenges for Recruitment Agencies

The ramifications of candidate duplicity present multifaceted challenges for recruitment agencies:

1. Wasted effort and time for all: The duplicity factor is a major drain for all stakeholders evolved in the process, putting all the efforts and time to waste.

2. Increased Competition: Duplicity elevates the competitive landscape, making it challenging for agencies to stand out and secure candidate joining. 69% of recruiters struggle to find qualified candidates due to competition.

3. Time Constraints: When several recruitment agencies chase the same candidates for the same jobs, it creates a frenzy. Clients have less time to carefully review each candidate file, and recruiters feel the pressure to rush through applications.

4. Limited Chances of Success: High duplicity rates imply that numerous recruiters are already working on the same requirement. Success hinges on submitting high-quality profiles efficiently and effectively.

Strategies to Overcome the Candidate Duplicity Challenges:

1. Innovative Sourcing Methods (Addressing Duplicity Through Innovation)

a. Market Analysis for Target Companies

  • Conduct a thorough analysis of the job description (JD) to identify the key skills and domain requirements.

  • Explore companies operating in the same domain or requiring similar skills, broadening the candidate pool beyond conventional sources.

  • For example, if the position is for a C++ role in a PLM product company, target companies in PLM development or those engaged in R&D and product development with a need for C++ skills.

b. Diversify Sourcing Channels

  • Go beyond the obvious choices like Naukri or LinkedIn and explore alternative sources. Don't limit yourself to traditional platforms.

  • Leverage references from previously processed candidates, explore Domain or technology-specific forums, and professional networking groups and tap into alumni networks specific to the required skillset.

2. Organizing and Analyzing Your Internal Database (Maximizing Internal Resources)

a.  Analyze Your Data

  • Use your data to gain insights into your team's sourcing efforts, wasted efforts due to duplicity, and the revenue generated from each account.

  • Plan for improved sourcing efficiency and ROIs.

  • Leverage your metrics to identify which sourcing methods effectively attracted non-duplicate candidates.

b.  Leveraging Past Candidates

  • Reach out to candidates processed for similar skills or domains in the past six months or a year and explore their current interest in new opportunities.

  • You can leverage your data to generate a list of duplicate candidates. Verify if these candidates have been processed within the last 3 months.

  • If not, contact the client to inquire if these isolated profiles can be released and assigned to your agency for processing.

  • Addressing these duplicates is crucial as profiles uploaded and processed long ago are causing widespread duplicate issues.

c.  Database Organization

  • Categorizing your internal candidate data by skills, domain expertise, and past employers enables recruiters to Identify relevant target companies and Boost sourcing precision.

  • Analyze previous employment data to pinpoint firms aligning with client needs, reducing irrelevant outreach and minimizing duplicate candidate encounters.

  • Focus search efforts on specific skill sets and industries, lowering the chances of encountering the same candidate from multiple sources.

3. Focus on Quality and Engagement (Quality Over Quantity)

a.  Deep JD Analysis

  • Perform a detailed analysis of the JD to understand the specific requirements.

  • 70% of hiring managers say they'd rather have fewer, high-quality candidates than many poorly qualified ones.

  • Process candidates with the highest fitment, ensuring a tailored approach to each submission.

b.  Candidate Clarity

  • Maintain a transparent Communication about all aspects of the job opening to the candidate.

  • 63% of candidates ghost on job offers due to a lack of transparency or poor communication.

  • For instance, Alex was stuck between 2 job offers, she chose the one that talked straight about the projects & office culture (unlike the other with vague and conservative answers!)

  • Process profiles only if the candidate exhibits genuine interest and alignment with the role.

4. One at a Time Approach (Efficient Workflow)

a.  Immediate Profile Submission

  • Upon finding the right candidate, prioritize immediate submission to the client's Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or share it directly with the client.

  • Maintain a record of the candidate ID generated upon profile submission to the Client ATS within your ATS system.

  • This ensures that in case of future credit inquiries upon the candidate's joining, you possess comprehensive data to support your team's decisions.

  • Avoid delays in processing all profiles simultaneously.

b.  Proactive Follow-Up

  • Regularly follow up with the client to obtain feedback on duplicity concerns.

  • Inquire about the last processing date for profiles, as some clients may reconsider candidates processed several months ago.

  • Also, ensure client confirmations on the email for better records and communication.

c.  Facilitate Swift Interviews

  • Advocate for timely interview arrangements to maintain momentum and increase the likelihood of successful placement.

  • 62% of candidates expect an offer within 2 weeks of their final interview.

Conclusion

By adopting a strategic approach that incorporates innovative sourcing, leveraging internal databases, focusing on quality, and streamlining workflows, recruiters can navigate the challenges posed by duplicity. Proactive engagement, timely submissions, and effective communication with clients will not only enhance your chances of success but also contribute to building lasting relationships in the competitive world of recruitment. We highly advise implementing a specialized ATS for Recruitment Agencies. A tailored solution that effectively tackles industry-specific challenges, streamlines processes, and boosts overall efficiency.