As consultants in the Education sector, we find ourselves entrusted, either partially or entirely, with finding the perfect job for a countless number of educators. At anzuk we don’t see our educators as just another faceless number to place into a school; we genuinely care about finding the best staff members for our schools and the best teachers for their students. So, the question is, why would someone who may have been a stranger ten minutes ago, trust us with this responsibility?
The first part of this answer, is that we care about building relationships. It is our belief that to understand exactly what someone is looking for and what makes them tick, we must establish an open and honest relationship with them; we must gain their trust.
Meet face to face
As good as we might think we are as phone conversationalists, this will never replace meeting in-person, nothing comes close as a way of building trust between us and our teachers. Until this meeting happens there’s an intangible feeling of not completely knowing someone. Up to this point, we are just another voice on the other end of the line.
If you say you’ll do something – do it!
This is obvious, but needs to be said. If you let your educators down with simple things like forgetting to call when you say you will, or neglecting to email important information that you said you would – why would they trust you to find them a workplace environment that they’ll be happy in?
Of course, days at work are unpredictable and don’t run to a perfect schedule, but how hard is it to text or email your educators quickly to let them know you’re stuck and need to rearrange a time to call? Quite simply, if you show you are unreliable, you will be a hard person to trust.
Treat your educators the same as you would your friends or family
This point sounds a little over the top, but it is important when building a rapport with someone. Note down birthdays and call on the day. Take note of hobbies or children’s names and ask about them during calls. The more you take an interest in your educators, the more open your relationship will become and rather than just being a call between a ‘recruiter’ and ‘candidate’ the more it will feel like a call between two friends. Once you have an authentic relationship with someone, you are better placed to identify their strengths and the type of schools they will ultimately thrive in.
Be constructively critical when necessary
We aren’t helping anybody if we shy away from passing on negative feedback, every form of relationship requires honest discussion. If a teacher is not told how they can improve their CV, or where they struggled during an interview, for fear of conflict or feeling being hurt, then we’re doing them a disservice. Educators will appreciate and trust you more if you are upfront, supportive and sincere.
I specialise in permanent education recruitment around Victoria, specifically in Primary, Special Educational Needs, Music, Religious Education and Art. If you are looking for a new role yourself or in your school I would love to hear from you on ben.c@anzuk.education or 03 9249 2444 ext 273.
