Will COVID change the Recruitment Industry?
I damn well hope so.
'Recruitment' became a thing after the 1940's.
Many soldiers went off to war, leaving a substantial amount of vacant jobs that needed filling. So staffing agencies were invented to fill these placements.
Fast forward 80 years and it's a billion dollar industry.
Yes, there's a lot of money in finding the right person for the job.
And because of that, it became a very, very, sales-y industry. We all know the ones... The archetypal 20-year old recruiter prancing around Broadgate square downing the ritual shots and pints after a successful placement. Swimming in ridiculous daily KPI's and "smashing the blower" to land that next placement to get themselves the same Rolex everyone in their office has because they billed ￡1 million that year.
If it reminds you in any way of the Wolf of Wall Street, then you'd be right. It's very much that.
So what changes has the recruitment industry undergone already? (aside from technology, which helped a lot with ATS and CRM's making the process faster and more efficient)?
And more specifically, what has COVID highlighted to the world (apart from a load of s***)?
It's brought out the humanity in us,: kindness, charity, the need to help.
With thousands of people furloughed and made redundant, agencies SHOULD have stepped up and helped in any way that they could. Sadly, however, some agencies predominantly focused on the KPI's that their recruiters weren't hitting because recruitment in many businesses froze for a few months.
What qualities did such agencies show? A lack of humanity, lack of compassion and lack of help.
Despite the pretty branding and 'core values' that some agencies portray, COVID’s impact shed light on the fact that this veneer hides precisely that wolf of wall street culture.
In order to dismantle this toxicity, we have to completely restructure our agencies from the inside out.
Instead of using training material that teaches young graduates how to make commission through lying, manipulation and information phishing, - teach them how to listen, how to help and how to lead with kindness.
Stop handing out low salaries and unreachable commission structures — pay them higher salaries and a fair commission structure so they understand that the help they give out to candidates, listening to them for as long as necessary, has value.
Reduce your KPI's. You can't put a KPI on the time and effort spent to nourish loyalty and friendship in candidates and clients.
The recruitment industry should be continuously evolving…but, it feels like it's very much still stuck in the 1980's.
Has COVID potentially acted as an accelerator for change?
If so, it’s certainly my purpose to oblige.
Sales | Business Development | Commercial Strategy | Fashion | e-Commerce | SaaS
4 年Over many years in client and account management, one thing I have learned to focus on is creating a win-win situation, therefore both for the company and the client. To do this you need empathy, emotional intelligence and above all, to listen. I think after this last year recruiters would do well to focus on these things in order to 'tap in to' candidates better. It would also help us the candidates understand the recruitment industry better. My biggest gripe is the complete lack of will to understand a candidate, which is essentially what the recruiter's bread and butter is.
On a Mission to End Career Based Misery | CCO at Fraser Dove International | Private Equity and Life Sciences Executive Search | Speaker | Bestselling Author.
4 年Very refreshing approach and I sense that the people like you who run rec businesses where values are more than just a wall decoration will win big.
Recruitment to Recruitment - LONDON /Business Coach/Mentor/Podcast Host ‘Ruella Talks Recruitment’ /'Recruitment Hacks Live.’ Linked in Live Show. DM or call me on: 07768 011999.
4 年Really lovely post Alexandra ??
Attracting and Building World Class Talent ?? Lead Tech & Product Talent Partner @ zooplus ????
4 年Good points Alexandra C. But, there's a big difference in being a good recruiter and great recruiter, and there's a reason why the paradigm is shifting, a lot of agencies are going internal, the critical question is why and where the problem actually lies? The core foundation for agencies should start with their leadership's motive and morale for their employees and workspace...how they spread such cultural values throughout the organisational structure? i.e. do they emphasise teamwork, inclusivity, autonomy, open communication channel, transparency and parity or negative seclusion, toxicity, selfishness, blaming, micromanagement, strict KPIs confinement etc... Not everyone starts out as a materialistic recruiter who is always looking for a big payout with a pint to chunk after a long hard day. I've personally met a lot of softer external recruiters who are compassionate individual that genuinely love helping and talking to people/candidates. But, as I'd like to reiterate, the problem lies in the foundation, you can't blame your employees for embodying the same values you've perpetuated throughout the history of the organisation. P.S. It Takes Years to Build a Great Company Culture, But Only Seconds to Destroy It.
Senior Recruitment Business Partner | Recruitment solutions and talent acquisition
4 年For the better, I think.