Based on VCC Live and IseeQ’s collaboration

Being in the recruitment industry for almost 10 years we had the privilege to work with the most diverse collection of tech and non-tech companies. Speaking from experience, it’s sometimes difficult to collaborate and manage client and candidate relationships, so naturally, we do have favorites- clients whose goals align perfectly with our vision, measure success by the same indicators as we do and are easy to communicate with.

Our partnership with VCC Live is one that we are extremely proud of, ever since the beginning. There are multiple factors that contribute to keeping both parties satisfied and content, and we’d love to take you through our story to provide you with some valuable information you can benefit from in your future endeavors.

About the companies

VCC Live was founded by Szabolcs Tóth and Tamás Jalsovszky, and has consolidated its presence in Europe as a reliable business solution for companies dealing with comprehensive customer communications through a variety of channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media. Currently, the company has clients in more than 50 countries and serves over 15,000 agents. It also works with 20 international telecommunication  partners.
For our case study, we interviewed Dr. Gábor Fehér, Chief Operating Officer of VCC Live, who previously managed the whole developer, DevOps and tester teams with agile methods from 2011 till 2020 and now he is the COO. Our questions about the firm’s HR processes were answered by Rita Poór, Head of Human Resources, who has a diverse background in employee satisfaction, community building and consultancy roles. Nikoletta Takács, Senior PR Manager at VCC Live helped us out with her expertise in organizational communication, while also organizing our online discussion.

ISEEQ is a Budapest-based recruitment agency with almost a decade of experience in the business. Our portfolio includes national and international clients alike, specializing in filling positions in the IT and business fields. We are famous for our deep market knowledge in the different domains and the specific methods we use: No advertising, just pure networking and headhunting. From IseeQ’s side, Tamás Püski, our co-CEO and managing director of the IT division, and Dóra Világosi, Business Unit Manager of the non-tech division were interviewed.

Let’s start from the beginning!

1.  The magic of our network, aka the beginning of our journey

Our partnership started with one of our professional contacts recommending us to VCC Live. It is common that previous candidates or stakeholders recommend us to new partners, as it is among our top priorities to nourish quality relationships with our network (that is why all agencies and firms should seek to maintain great connections, it holds a huge business potential) . The first meeting assured us that all the representatives were extremely professional and well-prepared. They were already familiar with most of our practices by checking our website and collecting reviews from our previous partners, so we didn’t have to waste too much time introducing ourselves and explaining our ways. Instead, we could easily put more important matters to focus like discussing and setting our goals and establishing a route to achieve it. We became aware that their company was facing considerable growth in the near future, so they were looking for multiple placements at the time, and also a stable connection with an agency to support them in the future as well. As we acknowledged that our standards and methods align, we signed contracts and began to work together.

2.  Why work with an agency

Working with a recruitment agency is still considered a waste of resources and energy way too often. Companies, especially ones with more employees tend to have a person or a whole team responsible for HR processes, so hiring a separate agent can seem unnecessary. However, general and in-house recruitment require different expertise. Agency recruiters, particularly ones that specialize in a certain field may…

…have a deeper understanding of the market

…be able to connect with candidates more effectively and consciously

….have a wider comprehension of the market as a whole

…have a more diverse network

…have an understanding of competitors’ practices.

Besides being able to take this pressure off of in-house specialists’ shoulders, their network is often broader and more concentrated on people whose abilities include specific skills for jobs that are uncommon. With multiple agents working on a single project, all of their extended and exclusive reach add up, enabling them to deliver the highest quality candidates upon request. Saving you significant time is also one of the many benefits. An agency is responsible for doing most of the time-consuming activities related to hiring new team members, like background checks and legislation reviews.

In the case of VCC Live, the biggest struggle would have been handling multiple open positions at the same time, as they wished to expand their teams quite rapidly. By hiring an agency, they could keep their focus on the business and not overwhelm their colleagues at HR. Instead, their experts could focus on creating a well-functioning onboarding system, which makes new employees’ entry smooth and convenient. Candidate experience was of utmost importance for the both of us, and we managed to keep satisfaction high by dividing the related tasks efficiently.

3.  How to choose a recruitment agency

Agencies are supposed to more or less tailor their services to each individual client’s needs. However, it is important to do your research on the available services. The first thing you should consider is whether the agency’s client portfolio includes companies and positions that are similar to the ones you wish to delegate over. Some occupations (like IT experts in our case) require specific skills that your recruiters should be able to test. This means that part of these requirements are expected from them as well, as they can be a distinguishing factor between a good and a great candidate. Trusting an agency with this step saves a lot of time for the company if they are willing to rely on the pre screening done by the partner.

Contract forms are also a factor you should pay attention to. Some companies expect to fill one position at the time, and re-do the settlement upon availability, others prefer long-time partnerships and exclusivity- make sure you are on the same page at the very beginning.

If it comes to the first meeting, it’s worth reviewing how your company standards align, and if an agency is able to understand and righteously represent your company culture, vision and values. Only this way will they be able to attract the perfect people from a talent pool, whether it’s big or small.

In case of this business- size also matters. A lower number of employees does not necessarily mean lower quality of service. On the contrary: it can mean more focused attention on your needs and more personalised delivery methods. However, larger firms have unquestionably wider access to multiple talent pools, it is up to your understanding and perception of their work ethic to decide responsibly.

4.  Why IseeQ

VCC Live chose us because our priorities align perfectly with their ambitions. We both put emphasis on candidate experience, and thrive on quality measures rather than quantity. On the Hungarian market, IseeQ is best known for the exceptional client experience, but also for the way we handle our connections. As our co-CEO, Tamás Püski describes, our recruiters aim to position themselves just like hairdressers or dentists in our network’s lives. People turn to us whenever they face decisions in their professional lives, are looking for a job or either just lost one. This way, we are able to be present whenever they need us, and even though it’s one of the biggest challenges to maintain all these relationships, it’s well worth it. Through this special practice, we can suggest people of varied backgrounds to a wide range of positions, while knowing them and their professional abilities and likings personally. Our aim excludes fighting to provide candidates at all cost, because both the individual’s and the company’s happiness is really important to us.

In this case VCC Live preferred to obtain just a couple of candidates for each position, and we were eager to find them the best fits, most of which received an offer eventually.

Our team is also made out of industry professionals. We understand the descriptions of the roles we recruit for, so each of us is able to prescreen the chosen individuals, based on the previously discussed skillset. After the first round of interviews with us, we always send a detailed assessment form of each candidate, so decision makers can select the best-fitting interviewees for themselves.

The time limit we are able to work within was also appealing. Knowing our applicants personally assures our clients of the quality of our work and speeds up the selection process tremendously. We were able to submit candidates just a few weeks after receiving the instructions, so VCC Live could continue to function with an extended team as soon as possible.

5.  Why VCC Live

We chose to work together with VCC Live because of the professional but still friendly approach they demonstrated from the first minute. They actively took part in the planning process as well, providing an excel file with all the details we needed of the future employee (skills, personal goals, attitude…). This is a practice you might consider borrowing for your own firm, as it summarizes all the necessary information for the agency, so they can fulfill the stated requirements quicker, without any delay caused by second-guessing. Their response rate is among the best we experienced, after being sent an email they got back to us in a more than reasonable timeframe. It was salient to do so, as it was in their interest too that we are able to continue the work shortly after the original discussion. The communication from their part was exquisite, their needs and preferences were always clear to us, so it was easier to collect well-performing candidates. We also got to skip our usual acclimatization days at their office as their descriptions of the culture and the atmosphere were so detailed and relevant. Their straightforward methods were also favorable, we spent no extra time discussing unimportant details, and were able to keep our focus on the positions. We also established a priority list together, so our agents always knew which roles to focus on the most. What helped us the most was that we got to keep in contact with people who were not only able to represent their company and illustrate the future employee’s tasks and responsibilities, but also they could make the decision to hire someone or not. Eliminating the excess steps from this process and direct communication with the leaders is more than beneficial.

6.  What to do in the beginning

After our contracts were signed, we got into work effective immediately. Deadlines were set, and main focuses and priorities were established. We received position descriptions early on time, connected to IT-related roles at first. Overall description of the company and the group to which the future employee would join was also provided, which is generally useful if there are more agents working on the positions. Based on these files and previous meetings, we were fully aware of who to look for and were able to deliver candidates shortly. Following their success, we also started to work on business-related roles together, such as business development and sales-related roles. After this expansion, both our IT and business teams were in contact with the responsible leaders, and they were also provided with insider contact information of all the relevant people they could turn to, should specific questions arise. From then on, it was interview after interview.

7.  Things that make recruitment easier (remote involvement…)

Besides the quick response rate and direct contact with the decision-makers, there were quite a few elements that make this partnership successful to this day. First of all, VCC Live agreed to include foreign talents from the talent pool. Their team works fully remote, and are constantly provided with the necessary equipment of the perfect home office space and stability all employees need to do so. English is spoken on a daily basis within the company, so there was no need to reduce the selection to the Hungarian market only. Moreover, filling IT roles by hiring foreign professionals can be well worth it for both parties, taking a more diverse team and skillset as examples, just to name a few benefits.

VCC Live is also innovative in a sense that they plan to incorporate personality tests as part of the selection process. Being the trending topic it is, acceptance towards its relevance is constantly on the rise. Experts have already determined various traits a well-functioning team should share, and it can be quite beneficial for employers to make sure that beside every necessary skill every necessary personality trait is owned by at least one of the colleagues. As they have already put so much emphasis on new employees’ integration into the atmosphere, their efforts have paid off, and the results include multiple cooperative teams supporting each other. Happy hirees mean productive and determined workers, which can be an example for all sectors of the market.

8.  How to receive candidates

In terms of candidate experience, there is a lot to learn from VCC Live. As applicants are sent to the company, they usually go through another round (or even multiple more rounds) of interviews. In times of Covid19, it is important to provide comfort by offering a chance for an online interview, or assuring everyone that the safety regulations are strictly enforced. As we have mentioned, all candidates arrive prepared for the interview with their backgrounds and skills checked as well, so the focus can be put on more specific matters, like team fit and personal motivations compared to the firm’s. The company culture and mood can be elaborated on in greater detail, and a direct supervisor is able to illustrate what the daily tasks and responsibilities of the specific position look like. This is also the time for further questions, as we both believe in counter-interviewing. Though most of VCC Live’s recruitment processes are automated, from this personal meeting experience, a contact within reach is also provided for the applicants. After an offer is decided to be made, leaders and applicants are both pushed to come to an understanding as soon as possible, so there’s less chance they lose a valuable person due to hesitation.

9.  How to keep in touch with the agency

We have already mentioned how fast response times can make or break a partnership, and we’d like to highlight it once again now. One of the many things we appreciated while working together was how quick we were updated about everything that was important. We got called once an interview was over, had discussions about the market and determinant economic factors, and all of the changes within the company as well. If there was a shift between priorities, we were informed on short notice so that we could act accordingly. There were only meaningful meetings and calls, so we both were able to keep the pace as planned. Most importantly, the feedback we received was always thorough and relevant.

10.  The importance of feedback

Aside from obviously speeding up the process, the quality of feedback can have an effect on the quality of the candidates an agency sends. If someone’s personality or performance on a possible test does not live up to a certain standard, the sooner it is made known to recruiters the better. Discussions of the arising differences can make the whole partnership more successful, so they are really important to have. Detailed reviews of candidates both based on their skills, experience and personality can also be sent in a written format, so agents are aware of the more definitive standards, and it can also highlight the misunderstandings that happened during previous communication.

Conclusion

Our collaboration with VCC live and the thorough analysis of the practices we share made us come to the realization that there are a lot of governing factors that can influence the experience of working together with a recruitment agency. It made us more certain in our belief, that choosing the right clients is the most important on each end, and that candidates are, and should be, the top priority. We are deeply thankful for the insights they have provided us with and hope to continue our work together with the same virtue and satisfaction.

We collected the main takeaways of the case study in this quickly downloadable guide if you are in a rush (after reading this extremely long post it’s understandable ;) ) but you prefer the written format just skip the image and continue reading

The most important milestones any company can do when working with a recruitment agency

How to choose the right recruitment agency ?

• – Ask if anyone from your network has a personal experience with the stated agency. Ask them to summarize their experience.
• – Check the website of the agency. Look for previous clients or recommendations.
• – Check their social media platforms.
• – Do your research on the internet. Look for recommendations or ratings from other players on the market.

What to do in the beginning?

• – Put together a list of all the requirements (skills and personality traits too) for each position.
• – Provide contact information for all relevant representatives and leaders.

How you can help speed up the recruitment process?

• – Automatize part of the process.
• – Speed up your reply rates.
• – Provide valuable and thorough feedback, as soon as possible.

How to recognize a great agency?

• – Focuses on quality candidates rather than flooding your company with applicants accepted after no research.
• – Has advanced knowledge of the market.
• – Responds within a reasonable time.
• – Tailors their services to your needs.
• – Takes the importance of company culture and atmosphere seriously.