THE BLAME GAME: How to get the BEST out of your Marketing Recruitment Partner – Part 2.

I published an article a couple of weeks ago, highlighting:

How to get the BEST out of your Marketing Recruitment Partner!

… In which I covered some key trends I’ve been seeing in the market.

The article touched primarily on what Businesses can do to ensure they’re getting good value for their money and to encourage Hiring Managers to demand a consultative service from their Recruitment Partner.

I am conscious though that the responsibility to drive a successful recruitment partnership does not fall solely on the business/hiring manager, but on the recruiter as well. 

In this follow up article I would like to invite you into the mind of a recruiter to hopefully shine some light on where we sometimes get things wrong… and then highlight what businesses should expect from their Recruitment Partner and start a conversation about what services can add value to your recruitment process.

Firstly, I think it’s important to remember that Recruiters are, first and foremost, SALESPEOPLE! As ugly as that label can seem, there’s nothing wrong with being a salesperson as long as you don’t try to disguise yourself as something else!

"Selling is really about having conversations with people and helping improve thier company or their life. If you look at it like that, selling is a very admirable thing to do." - Lori Richardson

The problem is that in some cases (as with any type of sales role), it can be easy for a recruiter to get greedy and substitute a good service for a quick service.

Recruiters can be a massive annoyance. They pester you for jobs and they call you whether you want them to or not… and that, coupled with then running an unsuccessful recruitment process is enough to make any hiring manager want to give up on them altogether.

But there are three key differences that any hiring manager should take into account when selecting to work with an agency.

There are RECRUITERS, there are RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS and then there are RECRUITMENT BUSINESS PARTNERS.

The three are usually very different breeds, and below I'm going to explain the difference and how this can affect your processes and your return on investment (ROI).

NUMBER ONE: RECRUITERS

Pros:

• Recruiters will find you 'people'. There is no doubt that if you engage with recruiters, you will receive CVs.
• You will usually have to part with less cash.

Cons:

• Recruiters are often more worried about how many bums they're putting on seats than your business image.
• Applicants may not be properly managed and may have a negative experience, eg: not receive responses and feedback, etc. which can be damaging to your brand. Recruiters do not always have a business' or applicants' best interests in mind.
• Applicants may not be properly vetted, which may result in conducting unnecessary interviews or 'trying to fit a square peg into a round hole'. This can also lead to applicant dropouts or counter offers which can be a massive waste of everyone's time.
• Recruiters may not speak to you in detail or even bother picking up the phone to gather enough intel to provide candidates with a proper briefing of the role, the package offered, and your expectations. This may result in dissatisfaction on the applicant's part during the interview stages; when receiving the contract, or after starting with your business.
• They provide no safeguards: retention options, rebates, free replacements, etc. If something goes wrong, that's your problem, not theirs. To refill the role, you'll have to pay them all over again!

NUMBER TWO: RECRUITMENT CONSULTANTS

Pros:

• Consultants should have a more in-depth overview of market conditions and be able to advise on what talent is available and whether you're 'barking up the wrong tree'.
• They should manage your expectations more successfully.
• They will likely take a more detailed briefing and should therefore have a better understanding of your requirements.
• Consultants usually like to manage the market better so will work harder to get to know available applicants and build relationships with the top talent in the area. This should result in a smoother process with less chance of candidate dropouts or counteroffers, and a more targeted search and CV presentation.
• A lot of Consultants will offer a rebate or free replacement so you're covered if something goes wrong.
• An overall more successful process with higher quality and less risk to your brand.

Cons:

• It may cost slightly more in fees to use their service.
• Whilst they might discuss what they're seeing in the market, they may not provide any wider services to help enhance your processes or safeguard your time.

NUMBER THREE: RECRUITMENT BUSINESS PARTNER

Pros:

• Ultimate value and very little risk.
• Recruitment Business Partners should not only get to know your role... but should have a deep understanding of the wider function, wider business, team, strategies, skills, and experience required in the department. They should be aware of any upcoming projects and the part the new role will play in those projects.
• They will partner with your business to improve your recruitment, streamline your processes, and may even offer time-saving services such as recorded video interviews or personality profiling, etc.
• Their deeper understanding of your department and requirements will offer them the chance to provide you with wild card applicants that may add even more value to upcoming projects.
• They can anticipate your needs and will keep their ear to the ground for you, even when not recruiting a role on your behalf, to make you aware of any top talent that they know you may soon need, as and when they become available so that you have the option to interview if required.
• Recruitment Partners will not waste your time with applicants that aren't going to be the right fit. They will target their searches and conduct applicant relations/conversations with your business and brands' best interests in mind.
• They will request feedback for candidates to help them improve if unsuccessful.
• They may provide free event programs, forums, webinars, etc. for your business to offer you and your hiring managers the chance to upskill or understand your recruitment market/staff better.
• ... The list goes on.

Cons:

• It may cost a little bit more to use their services.

(Market insights, business knowledge, and industry knowledge are particularly important in marketing recruitment, as I outlined in my previous article - so selecting the right recruitment service can be essential to running a successful process). 

The truth is, as, with any industry, there are good agencies and bad agencies. Helpful services and frustrating services.

But you really do get what you pay for.

If you want to pay less, you may still fill your role... but expect to find the process frustrating and/or unhelpful.

You still aren't likely to improve your experience of working with a Recruiter.

If however, you want to improve your processes, provide a good experience for applicants and eliminate unnecessary risk, it might be worthwhile investing in a consultant or a business partner. The difference in fees is often minimal/manageable and it could save you a lot of money long term.

My advice: Expect what you pay for and don't be afraid to DEMAND it. If an agency is charging an arm and a leg, they should definitely contribute to business recruitment transformation! Equally, if you're paying a pittance, don't expect them to rock your world.

If you're a Hiring Manager, I'd love to hear about your frustrations with recruitment processes and whether you feel you're getting the value you pay for.