Myer’s recruitment mistake – is a timely reminder to utilise specialist recruitment agencies

The last 48 hours I have read with disbelief the saga unfolding over at retailer Myer; sacking their (I use that term loosely) “star recruit” Andrew Flanagan on his first day, as a result for claims that he worked at Zara, when he never did.

I am even more shocked by the terms used in numerous articles I’ve read “Exhaustive and thorough background checks were completed” Hmm I mean really come on! Zara have come out saying he has never worked for them, and according to 3 other news articles the reporters have spoken to a number of other retailers on his CV who could not confirm employment details.

I’m even appalled at one reporter’s use of the phrase “reputable executive hire firm”, when a simple search on google & linkedin; brings up 2 current staff and a number of jobs including but not limited to a nanny, café supervisor and a kitchen hand! I don’t see any roles above $80k salary. Nothing about this firm screams to me reputable executive hire firm! In fact a report today on SMH has the MD of this recruitment company suggesting the business operates from a Geelong office and from her home… Hmmm sounds like a Tin Shed operation to me.

Don’t get me wrong, this firm has been established for a number of years (it seems), they must be doing something right in the field they work with; but I don’t see anything that confirms to me they are a specialist in Executive Management roles in Fashion or Retail. Unless you consider; your local fish and chip store on the same level as one of our publically listed national retailers.

I am baffled at why this firm would have been appointed to the recruitment of such a role. Someone at Myer obviously didn’t to their due diligence! Or the other possibility is this firm tried punching above their weight and put on the table the cheapest option in-regards to recruitment fees! If I was Myer I would look at the agencies they use, how this firm got appointed, and really be looking into the references conducted by this recruitment firm, in my opinion creative writing could be what they are good at!

While this plays out in the public domain, it’s a timely reminder to clients to do their research on the recruitment firms they work with! Especially in Life Science and Medical arena, where so many people think it’s an area they can make a quick buck in! But they don’t have the knowledge or the database to make it!

There are countless firms trying to break into Life Science and Medical recruitment and there are a number of one man bands operating in this space. If you look for Healthcare jobs on Seek, Indeed, Mycareer or even linkedin you will be guaranteed to find a number of generalist recruiters or one man bands trying to break into recruiting, medical management, medical imaging, pharmaceutical or medical device roles.

As a HR or Hiring Manager wouldn’t you, want to make sure the firm representing your business is equipped and capable to fulfil your recruitment needs? Companies need to do due diligence on who they partner with for recruitment! You want the best candidates, so partnering exclusively with reputable suppliers who have a track record in your sector is the best way to attract talent and ensure your candidates are properly screened, interviewed and reference checked.

If you are recruiting a medical imaging job, you want to know that the agency knows your business, knows the difference between; a General Radiographer, a CT Radiographer, a MRI Radiographer a Mammographer and a Sonographer. But most importantly you have the knowledge that the recruiter and the agency has the industry network to do exhaustive and thorough background checks.

Yes, I also appreciate that in today’s world we want value for money, and sometimes the cheapest option wins out. But if you want quality you have to pay a premium for it. The ramifications of fixing a mistake will cost you more than if you opted to do it right the first time.

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