Comments on: A Word To Recruiters From HR

By: Meghan M. Biro

Meghan M. Biro — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:44:44 +0000

Thank you Alicia. Appreciate your kind words. The feeling is mutual.

I view the recruitment + talent acquisition + social media + on boarding process as a strategic + ideally exclusive partnership. IMHO, it’s the future of the industry; let’s transition beyond the recruiter/recruitment function as an impersonal sales/vendor relationship. It’s truly a multi-dimensional + consultative process based on past experience + corporate culture + future vision.

Look forward to hearing more from you, valuable thoughts here!

By: Michael VanDervort

Michael VanDervort — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:20:16 +0000

Really well written and thoughtful piece. Great job, Alicia!

By: Mervyn Dinnen

Mervyn Dinnen — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:52:54 +0000

Alicia, this is a great post, and should be required reading for every owner, director & manager in a recruiting agency. I’m sure that most consultants would love to give this level of service to their potential clients…it’s the most satisfying type of sales! He got the brief because he devoted time to showing you how he could add value to your recruiting process.

Unfortunately most recruiting businesses run to a traditional sales model, and their recruiters are measured by metrics and KPIs. Once you told them that there was no IT vacancy they would move swiftly on to the next call in search of a vacancy.

The guy that rang you clearly knew that the relationship, not the vacancy, is king and found a very simple and effective way of gaining your trust and showing you how he could add value.

I have posted on my own blog about the need to find a different way of incentivising recruiters, and as an example suggested rewarding on feedback, not fees. Whatever way is used, your post cleverly & effectively highlights the need for recruiters to focus their energies on building the relationship, and not simply closing the deal.

By: tlcolson

tlcolson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:53:03 +0000

This advice is spot on for recruiters who want to build relationships with clients. I started my career in recruiting (family business) and then went back to it just before the IT bubble burst – and one of the things I’ve done with my HR staff over the years is give them that recruiting knowledge. Many companies think HR has all the recruiting answers – but you are right, very few HR programs provide any of that training. One company I worked for provided us with a formatted interview packet of questions designed by some OD group, and just said “go for it” – and they wondered why turnover was high… when the HR pros abandoned those SIGs and started asking real questions, the turnover rate declined, and we got some great hires.

Great advice, as usual, Alicia.