"I'll Never Use A Recruiter Again" - CEO
We talk to thousands of companies every year. Many of them have no interest in our services, sometimes dramatically and emotionally so. That is perfectly okay, of course. However, there may be a little trend in why these firms cannot see themselves productively engaging a recruiter.
Why would we use a recruiter?! It is expensive and who knows if the candidate will stick around?
Companies who refuse to use a quality recruiter for filling critical roles often have a couple traits or challenges in hiring. This is not universally true; sometimes companies have phenomenal recruiting teams or an effective referral programs which provide enough quality candidates. But most do not. Recruiting is arduous. It is often an afterthought to accomplishing the company's main work product.
1. The most common objection to using a recruiter seems to be that they are content with the level of talent which most often comes through job postings and do not value talking to settled candidates. These companies only hire people who are actively looking, for whatever reason. Companies are reflections of their owners. Everyone has their level.
2. The company may not feel comfortable enough making hiring decisions and retaining people to justify paying a recruiting fee. Bad hires in the past have left painful and expensive memories so the thought of paying for another painful expensive hire seems ludicrous. Hiring and retaining with confidence seem far fetched. It is hard enough, why pay a fee too!? This concern deserves a lot of empathy. Hiring is hard. “What if they leave?” has to be the most common question we hear.
You can hire highly qualified people and be optimistic they will be a success and stay. Hiring does not have to be an enigma. It will never be easy but the mechanics should be studied, applied, and refined.
Here is the controversial thought; perhaps the issue with ineffective hiring is not the recruiter. Recruiters are just not a replacement for a relational and disciplined hiring process.
A good recruiter is vital for introducing quality opportunities to quality people. But just because someone is ‘qualified’ does not mean they should get the job and just because the recruiter introduced them does not mean the candidate is ‘in the bag’, so to speak.
Hiring is the most important thing a manager or owner does, so get good at it.
Richard Branson's philosophy that “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” is key to this assertion. Hiring is the most important thing a manager or owner does, so get good at it. You cannot solve all your company's problems but you can hire all the right people to solve them and then your company will be successful.
Concise tips for those looking to accurize their hiring.
1. Understand your expectations and communicate them in the hiring process. Build organizational key performance indicators (KPIs) for roles, teams, managers, and the company. Don't hire someone unless you understand how their past teams have understood 'success', how they do, and how your team understands 'success'. It's different in each company. DO NOT HIRE THEM UNLESS YOU COMMUNICATED WHAT THEY NEED TO DO TO BE SUCCESSFUL. Otherwise, it's your fault when you fire them or they quit.
2. Find ways to remove muddy interview subjectivity with a disciplined process. If four people interview a candidate, you should not get four different answers on hiring them. Each interviewer should understand the criteria candidates are being evaluated against. Conversation about KPIs past and future are helpful here. Personality assessments can also provide useful insight to develop specific and nuanced interview questions to understand this person relative to the responsibilities and team you may give them.
3. Develop real relationships through the interview process. This means interview them in different places, for different durations, with different people, all while asking different questions driven by assessments, company culture, KPIs, and understanding what the candidate believes 'success' is. Some hiring authorities have an immense advantage because their relationship building skills attract the candidate while providing useful insight on the candidate. Caring about the candidate as a unique and valuable person, regardless of if they get the job, is practically cheating. So cheat away.
4. Only hire candidates whose natural inclinations, values, and ambition align with those of your company. If you are sure you can provide an work ecosystem where the candidate can feel accomplished, it is time to make a competitive offer. It may not matter that they were successful before if you do not share values.
5. Do not haggle on compensation. You will reap what you sow. Ask the candidate about their expectations early and decide if you can give them what they are asking through the interview process. Do not negotiate before developing their respect and trust. There are many variables in hiring situations and the most important constant is transparency and fairness. Do not ruin a good process with a cheap offer as if you are bartering at a garage sale. Good offers well delivered create loyalty. Loyalty starts with demonstrating your care for their success.
Let's wrap this up.
Recruiters can get good candidates to the interview. After that, it is ultimately up to you to make the right decision and help the candidate do the same.
We can all grow.
If you want to hire an experienced recruiter who cares about proper process for better results, we should talk about how Ambassador Search Group may serve you. We look for thoughtful companies who care about people.
If you need a wise outside perspective to take a look at your culture, process, and results so they you can hire more confidently, give Katie McConnell Olson (LinkedIn) a call. She owns Hire Education Consulting and provides excellent actionable insight.