I’m celebrating my 10th anniversary at The Recruitment Company, and it’s been some journey so far. From Sydney to Dublin and from rookie to director, it’s been a hell of a ride. What better way to celebrate 10 years in the industry than to create a series of the 10 top things I’ve learned over those years.

2. Face to face beats video

I've been in recruitment for a little over 10 years now, and during that time some things have changed.  One of the most interesting is how more people rely on video calls to conduct interviews and create connections with.  Video technology has advanced beyond anything we'd imagined when I started recruiting all those years ago and Covid pushed it front and centre of any recruiters toolkit during Covid lockdowns.

But a video call can never replicate the energy and experience of meeting someone face-to-face.  Video has its place, but if you are hiring someone to work with you or if you are looking to build a long term relationship with a client then face-to-face is the most effective medium. 

A video call is a great way to get a sense of what someone is like but it doesn't compare to the real thing. 

Here's why:

1. You can tell so much more about someone when you meet them

Body language, nervous habits, whether they're looking around the room—all of these little cues can help you figure someone out. And if you are going to have a long term working relationship with this person (or your client is) then there is no better way of seeing all these unspoken signals. 

Chris Pelow has been with The Recruitment Company for 10 years. First as a rookie in our Sydney office, then into a leadership role.  He now leads our thriving Dublin office. 

2. Face to face is beneficial to both parties

Face to face isnt all about you. What about them?  Your customers get to know you better, they can have more confidence in trusting you and, if they are a a candidate, then there is no better way of presenting soft skills and personality.  And if you are interviewing for a role with the end client?  Well there is no better way of telling if you are going to enjoy working there.

3. Face to face meetups is also a great way to develop trust. 

Building a professional relationship with someone starts by creating a good rapport. Face to face interactions gives you an upper hand in this, allowing you to express yourself more naturally. When we express ourselves more natuarally this comes across and the the person we are meeting with trusts us more and we can trust them. Trust is something that is much harder to build over a video chat.

4. In-person meetings lead to more creativity and collaboration.

When you're physically present with someone else, you can read their facial expressions and body language. This helps you understand how they feel, leading to better conversations that allow you to work together more effectively. Its easier to bounce ideas, read reactions, understand criticisms and quickly sketch and write lists. All of these things help with creativity.

Conclusion

No matter how advanced video technology gets (and TRC are big advocates of video tech - we have have our own video product suite) one thing I have learnt in my 10 years in the recruitment industry is that nothing beats face to face interactions. Video is a great tool and it makes things simpler, but lasting and strong connection is easier face to face. 

See the rest of this series here

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Specialist Dublin Employment Agency within IT infrastructure, Cloud, Devops, Cyber Security, Networking and Systems.