The Importance of Site Visits & Meetings

Was on a client site last Friday and it got me thinking about something we probably don't do enough of in recruitment - Site Visits & Meetings.

Between calls, emails, meetings and general day to day duties, they're often the first thing to drop and to be fair time and workload don't always allow it. But when they do, they matter. 

As recruiters, we are our own brand. How we show up, how we listen, the questions we ask, how engaged we are etc. - that's what people and clients remember. 

Attending site and client meetings puts a real face behind the recruiter and that brand. It shows the client you care enough to make the time. It moves you from being just another voice on the phone to someone who cares and wants to understand what's going on. 

You pick up things you'd never get from a job spec or phone call - the culture of the company, the people that are employed there, what their office or plant looks like, how the people or company actually works. 

That makes a massive difference when you're talking to candidates. You're not guessing or overselling, you're selling the role and the company properly based on your experience. 

Phone calls are part of our everyday working lives and always will be. But a good site visit can do more for a relationship that fifty phone calls. It builds trust quicker. Conversations are more open. And it shows you're invested beyond just filling that role. 

Site Visits & Meetings won't always be possible but when they are, they're rarely a wasted time.