Are recruiters still relevant?
Radu Palamariu
Headhunters in Global Value Chain | Amazon bestselling co-Author of "Source To Sold"
I sometimes get asked this question and it tends to be a common topic during HR events. Both in the context of the Supply Chain ecosystem, which is our purview. But also relevant to any other industry vertical for that matter.
So how much value do recruiters nowadays actually bring to their clients?
As truthfully still to this day and age, some transactional recruiters are resuming at being a mailbox. “Pushing” CVs everywhere. Hoping a client will pay for that. And unfortunately this does create a bad reputation across the industry.
The digital wave has challenged transactional recruiters. It's possible for candidates to reach out to clients directly. And the other way around. It's also not that difficult for candidates to work with several recruiters. Moreover, some organizations started to have their own internal recruiters. And are trying to source for candidates directly.
So how to stay relevant in today’s context? By becoming a Search Partner!
Again and again, the feedback from clients is there are plenty of recruiters! Not enough search partners!
These trusted advisors are market consultants who have access to information and knowledge faster than anyone else. Would typically know market movements even before they are announced. And can advise organisations in terms of their talent acquisition strategy.
Some of the traits that come up as extremely important are:
- In depth market knowledge - the most important thing a Search Partner needs to have is an in-depth knowledge of the market. They need to be able to tell where the market stands now. And where will the trends take it in a year. Know who's hiring for which positions. What type of skillsets are in high demand. Which candidates are open to new opportunities. And most importantly, how to find the hard to get candidates.
- Access exclusive candidates – Search Partners need to be able to identify, reach, and bring to the table exclusive candidates. They have excellent network and reach. They know how to find these candidates. And when they are open to move. And they also know what companies should be doing to attract them. They can give advice which clients can implement into their talent attraction strategy.
- Have a strong personal brand – Search Partners need to be visible and demonstrate their value themselves. They are talent magnets, with great social media and branding skills. So candidates want to speak to them. By building trust, they even get exclusive rights to represent candidates to clients. And that, in the case of unique skillsets, is the equivalent of being the agent of a top football player.
- Be a communication expert – the process of finding a win win between the needs of the company and the needs of the ideal candidate is an art. Which requires a lot of tact. Ability to be empathetic with both sides. Understand their needs. Understand where they see themselves long term. And help create the magic and the match.
Of course, there is another important angle on what value a good Search Partner brings to a candidate. Which we will write about in a future post.
But in the meantime, do let us know your thoughts - is there something else that should be included on the list above? What is your view of the value Search Partners bring to clients?
Some of my other articles:
- Technology in Logistics: Threat, Disruptor or Differentiator
- 5 Steps on How to Get Promoted
- Hottest Supply Chain Jobs in Asia Pacific
- Executives, Shut Up more during the Interview!
About the author:
Radu is Deputy Managing Director of Morgan Philips Executive Search, heading the Supply Chain & Logistics Practice.
He has been living for the past 8 years across Singapore, Indonesia, and India, where he managed a spectrum of senior level placements and worked with a myriad of industrial clients.
He is currently based in Singapore, but travels across the region for his assignments.
Feel free to connect with him or follow him on LinkedIn.
Morgan Philips Executive Search is the headhunting firm - 21st century version.
We have created an extremely innovative digital model enabling you to recruit your talent better, quicker and more effective.
Great article Radu, every recruiter should print it and frame it!
Headhunters in Global Value Chain | Amazon bestselling co-Author of "Source To Sold"
8 年@Brian: your answer resonates on many levels with our observations. Partly the responsibility lies indeed also with the company because of the practice f sharing the role with too many recruiters. However, it is our choice to enter that battle or not. We try to mostly work on exclusive searches, may it be retained or exclusive contingency because indeed it is our belief that this is in the client's best interest. As it allows for in depth research and complex work to be put to make sure they get the best candidate.
Dynamic & Highly Skilled Procurement Professional with specialties in Sourcing and Contracting
8 年I definitely see the benefits of having a "Search Partner" to fill open positions with the best possible candidates. Over the past several years, I have had lots of interaction with recruiters - as a hiring manager and also as a job seeker. I have seen a very sharp distinction between the people that I would consider to be true professionals in their field and those who are just passing through. Unfortunately, the number of true professionals is very small compared to the total number of people that I have encountered who bill themselves as a recruiter. The vast majority of the recruiters I have encountered could be best classified as "resume collectors" as they did not have close knowledge of the position or what the hiring manager was really looking for in candidates. In fairness, the hiring companies themselves share much of the blame for this phenomena since they are loath to pay the "retainer" fees and grant the "exclusive" recruiting rights to a position that most professional recruiters require in order to take on an assignment. In my view, it is actually counterproductive to release a job spec to multiple recruiting firms - especially in a small market - yet that is what many companies do on a regular basis. My biggest complaint is that most recruiters seem to rely on candidates to find them through responses to job ads rather than those recruiters actually looking for candidates through appropriate channels with thorough research. This practice does not add any real value, and it helps to give recruiters a bad reputation. I could well be wrong on this point, but that is my perception.
Change Management - Asset Management
8 年Fantastic article. Speaks every single word on my mind and I often wish that recruiters could put in more effort to understand the true value that their clients are looking for.
Global Data Privacy Expert | CEO & Founder at Formiti Data International | GDPR & Risk Management Specialist | Forbes Top 10 GDPR Compliance Leader: HIPAA Consultant, Outsourced HIPAA Officer Service
8 年In 2013 i flew into Singapore from Europe to interview three IT management candidates who had been shortlisted for the role. It was a fantastic experience, for the following reasons. 1: All candidates had different personalities but met the criteria of the job description and the culture of the company. 2: Candidates preparation and knowledge of my our company was 100% 3: Candidates had measured themselves against the role and identified areas they would be looking to improve if successful. If i had the luxury of three positions i would have hired them all, but could only hire one. Very successful process. Success was down to the requirement gathering , being challenged on those requirements, and measuring the candidates against the culture fit with our organisation Well done Ambition ( Singapore) a first class organisation, what pleased me most that the most success was attributed to the researcher not the consultant. I do think researchers are sometimes not given the credit they deserve.