Understanding the Recruitment Process: A Guide for Candidates within Town Planning

Introduction

From speaking to a lot of the contractors within Town Planning, when looking to secure a role, one of the most daunting aspects can be navigating the recruitment process. The feedback we most often get is being told about fake roles, unclear or vague proposals and having multiple agencies chasing you for the same job as well as the actual process itself. As someone who has worked within Local Authority recruitment for a while now, I am here to provide a step-by-step breakdown to help candidates walk through each stage, increase their chances and ultimately, give some insight into the other side of the process from a recruiters perspective.

The Recruitment Process Decoded

The recruitment process can often seem like a maze, but with the right guidance, you can navigate it effectively. Here is a rundown of the process:

1. A role comes up: This can happen a number of ways, more often than not clients we work closely with will reach out to us, looking for someone in particular. This is always the simplest way, because the client has an idea of what they’re looking for and what they can afford. However sometimes whilst we’re making calls (as we often do) to see how our clients are getting on, they will tell us they have a need but they’re not quite sure on the budget and requirements. This leaves us happy that we have got a job on but with a bit less detail on what exactly they may want.
2. Shortlisting: Once we have a live role with a client, we have a look at who we’ve actively been working with or who may fit the specifications for the role and make some calls to the people we think will be the best fit. At Stonehouse we tend to only put one candidate forward at a time, gain feedback, and then supply other options if they are unsuccessful. This only changes when either we work exclusively with a client or if they have specifically asked for an array of candidates as they’re not 100% on who it is they are looking for.
3. Gaining feedback: At this stage, we liaise with our clients to determine whether our candidate/s are of interest and we always do our best to obtain constructive feedback, so even if the application is unsuccessful, you have something to take away from it. This isn’t always achievable, as we all know Planning Departments are incredibly busy and understaffed and quite often obtaining feedback can take some time but we do always chase it (which I’m sure our clients love us for!)
4. Interview Process: If your application stands out, you’ll be invited for an interview. This is your opportunity to sell your skills, experience, and convince the hiring manager that you’re the right candidate for the job. In a post covid world, these are usually held on Microsoft Teams, but we always say that if you can attend the interview in person, it helps massively to make a good impression.
5. Offer and Acceptance: Should you succeed in impressing the interviewers, the last step is the job offer. Once you receive an offer, review it carefully before accepting it and then like magic you have a new role!

Red Flags:

We know that there are a lot of people out there who have had bad experiences with agency work and we thought it would be useful to include a couple of red flags that you should be wary of

1. Vague Emails: A lot of the time, some agencies will send out emails with roles only quoting a generic region of Britain, always find out where the role is before confirming your interest as sometimes, even a general reply can be considered as interest and cause to send your CV out to the entire region.
2. Interview re-scheduling: Things happen, emergencies arise and not everything goes to plan. However, if an agency is telling you that a hiring manager consistently pushes interview dates back then take the role with a pinch of salt. Either the agency is trying to string you along, or the hiring manager is unsure of their position to be able to hire.
3. Roles that sound a little too perfect: Every now and again the perfect role comes up and believe me, this is our dream as much as it is yours! But if you’re getting calls from agencies if you’d be interested in a role within your local area for the exact rate and contract length you would like, then get as many specifics as you can about the role before engaging with the agency. Speculative calls can lead to your CV being sent out to your local area without your knowledge.
4. Pushy Recruiters: We like to think that whether someone goes for a role or not is completely up to them, but don’t let agencies bully you into taking a role just because they want to fill it. Make sure it is somewhere you are going to be happy and ensure it is the right choice for you.

Final Thoughts

It can be an incredibly daunting experience looking for a new role, especially with strained budgets and multiple agencies fighting over you but as long as you are working with someone you trust, you can’t go too far wrong.

If you’re currently looking to make a change but you’re not sure where to start or who to trust, get in touch with us. If you need any reference to our services just take a look at the testimonials we have received for our outstanding service.

We look forward to hearing from you!