Cowboys and Recruiters

Let me apologize in advance… This is a rant, a vent, a complaint, and a statement of discontent. This is also an act of self-defense and a product of being ultra-sensitive. I admit this may not be the most captive introduction you have heard before, but the content of this article is incredibly relevant for anyone who has ever dealt with a recruiter or a recruitment agency during their career.

It’s no secret that there are many associations surrounding the reputation of recruiters, and in my time in the industry I have heard them all. I suppose what irritates me is when people take it upon themselves to purposely vitiate an entire profession that has served many industries in a very meaningful and measurable way. Oftentimes, someone who has had a sour experience with a recruiter, or has been a recruiter and become disenchanted, tends to slam the entire recruitment industry. This is usually based on isolated experiences and practices at the organisations that he or she was involved with. Stories of fake adverts, undercutting contractors, misleading job seekers, and poor recruitment methods are just a few of the items that undoubtedly disturb recruiters and their customers alike, which in turn cause general feelings of mistrust. What is even more unsettling about these sorts of accounts is the fact that they are likely to be somewhat true in some cases, and reinforces a growing misinterpretation of our industry. The recruitment industry is still relatively young and has grown rapidly in recent years, arguably too rapidly to entirely sustain the values that our industry should be underpinned by. In its most pure form, recruitment agencies serve to enable job seekers to realize their career’s full potential, and to provide organisations with the talent that shape their identity and competitive advantage. This overarching outcome should be the underlying drive motivating each and every recruiter and the business they work for.

For some time now, recruitment consultants have been tarred with the same brush that has stereotypically painted images of dodgy car salesmen and ambulance chasers obsessed with dollar margins and self-gain. In the relatively short time the recruitment industry has been around, the term “Cowboy Recruiter” has been coined and circulated aggressively. For those who are not familiar with this term, it does not relate to the hiring of farm workers, nor does it aim to portray a character brought to life in Wild West movies by Clint Eastwood. Instead, it suggests a ‘breed’ of recruiters that are armed with cogent language, a ‘sharp’ suit, a slick hairstyle, and an underlying willingness to sell their own mother for a dollar. They usually congregate in swanky bars speaking brashly about their earnings and professing a general adoration for themselves. I would genuinely love to be able to tell you all that these particular type of “cowboys” are completely mythological, but unfortunately I can’t. They exist, as do the recruitment agencies that are responsible for the industry’s tarnished reputation.

The existence of these ‘cowboys’ and the type of agencies that usually house them is not what I am challenging. Instead, I would like to challenge the much frequented misconception that every agency and recruiter operates in the same manner. I am sure that every person has had a bad experience with a mechanic, lawyer, accountant, or any other imaginable professional. Every industry has its subgroup of organisations that do not behave ethically and to the standards that are expected of them. As a recruiter, and a consumer, I appreciate that our industry is also subject to poor representation by our subgroup of careless professionals. What I find disheartening, and what every other recruiter who believes that they are integral to the employment market will find disheartening, is the that these unfair opinions reinforce an attitude that largely DEFINES our identity in the general public.

Recruiters that operate with integrity and compassion will find some solace in the emerging reality that the agencies and recruiters who have damaged our industry’s reputation will only be able to sustain themselves for so long. The current employment market and recruitment landscape has recently undergone a series of radical transformations. Internal HR practices have matured, become more resourceful, and are more responsible for pure recruitment duties. The conception and astronomical progression of LinkedIn has been nothing short of revolutionary, making talent more accessible than ever imagined. This particular technological landmark, as well as the emergence of other social media, has been incredibly influential on the direction and sustainability of the recruitment industry. These developments will require recruitment agencies and consultants alike to be far more resourceful, adaptive, and consultative. How we engage with our clients and the candidates in the market will need to evolve, and the overall quality of our service will be scrutinised now more than ever before. We are about to engage in our very own ‘survival of the fittest’ where recruiters who do not have genuine relationships and durable networks will fall by the wayside. A rightful advantage will be given back to recruitment organisations that hire and develop agents that act in a fashion that is fitting to such a vital industry.

A generic breakdown of how a Recruiter is renumerated is also up for speculation, which arguably creates a certain implication that these salaries are unjustified or somewhat undeserved. This is attributed once again to a reoccurring misconception that recruitment consultants spend their days sipping lattes between resume flicking and enjoying unmitigated “good luck”. Realistically, however, recruiters often find themselves entirely consumed by their work, required to work incredibly long hours and expected to be available at all times. What is completely overlooked is a recruitment consultant’s management of candidate’s career, adherence to a particular business’ needs, and nurturing of key relationships. These are all duties that are effectively ‘behind the scenes,’ and are all incredibly demanding and require constant attention and maintenance.

The better recruiters in today’s market possess a great deal of intelligence, both emotionally and industry-based. It can be argued that no other industry demands its employees to be as versatile as a recruiter. In one day, a consultant will utilise a vast array of skills encompassing counselling, negotiation, subject matter expertise, and business development. The reality of our trade is not a plethora of champagne breakfasts, fancy dinners and lavish expenses. Instead, recruiters are often used as scapegoats when employment projects do not eventuate as exactly as planned, and placed under great amounts of pressure within cultures that demand high performance at all times. Before any judgement can be made regarding salaries and bonus structures, what must be considered is the extraordinary amount of hours and work that recruiters invest that do not result in any monetary reward. This is simply because our expertise is not billable for time and effort, a controversial direction that our industry has taken in contrast to nearly every other consultative occupation. The most predominant reality within our profession is the fact that we engage in largely unacknowledged work. How many articles have you read or conversations have you engaged in, that describes how a recruitment agent enabled someone to secure their dream job? Or how a candidate sourced through an agency assisted a business to completely revolutionise itself? These are regular occurrences within the offices of recruitment agencies, but are not circulated and spoken of in the way the negative stories are.

My aim is not to glorify or place any impetus on our industry and trade. The recruitment industry does not need justification or approval because it is already an intrinsic organism within the employment market, and always will be. I simply aim to give a voice to recruiters who recognise their worth and proudly identify their impact. The aforementioned ‘Cowboy’ Recruiters that take themselves too seriously should be reminded that we are not dealing with life or death situations that a heart surgeon or medical professional is confronted with. However, they should also be reminded that our industry is responsible for the mobility of talent and intelligence, a responsibility that should be taken seriously and revered. If someone ever refers to me as ‘cowboy’ recruiter, I vow to take a few breaths and try to associate the reference to a Clint Eastwood-esque hero; A protagonist who is agile, versatile, quick-witted…. and possibly handy with a lasso.

By Prashan Wijeyewickrema

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