Top 5 Misconceptions About Recruiters

I’m always surprised by the type of questions I receive when I tell people that I work in the recruitment sector. Despite the huge growth in recruiter numbers over the years, to many people recruitment remains a mystery. Here are the top 5 misconceptions I’ve come across over the years:

Being a recruitment consultant is easy

I’m always surprised by how flippantly people say this to me, it shock me every time. The hardest part of being a recruiter is that everything you do relies upon other people’s responses. A consultant can do their very best to present a great opportunity to a candidate, and in turn succinctly describe the candidates key skills for this role to the client and follow the recruitment methodology to a high level for every brief. However, every candidate and client has their own pressure points and levers to make decisions and many of these are outside of a recruiters control; families, co-workers and their companies etc. This role isn’t easy and it requires a strong backbone. This also needs to be accompanied with drive and determination to keep getting back up again and again despite multiple setbacks. You need to train methodologically to perfect the ‘art of recruitment’, it takes years of practise and even the best in the business need a refresh every now and again to keep on top of their game.

Recruiters aren’t specialists

I’ve started and invested in around 50 recruitment firms over the years and all of them have been specialists in a sector of recruitment. Within those firms each consultant will specialise in an area and the best of these will know their market well and stay on top of the latest trends within their area of expertise. Good consultants are knowledge workers, with a strong understanding of what their client’s needs are and the best route to address any skills gaps they face. Knowing your market is step one of the recruitment training process and the foundation of everything a consultant does.

Recruiters are pushy sales people

I don’t know any recruiter who is interested in pushing people into jobs they don’t want to take. In the long term this will only serve to damage their reputation and relationships with their clients. Candidates would not decide to change careers or leave their current employer just because a recruiter encouraged them to do so, and a manager will not hire someone they have met just because a recruiter has introduced them. Recruiters cannot force anyone to act on their advice. Recruiters want candidates who will love working for their clients and make an impact in the long term. Recruiters make introductions, and if they do not make the right connections, their clients wouldn’t come back to them again and again for new job openings.

Money first, candidates second

All sales roles typically require the need to meet targets and sales quotas to get ahead. Recruiters therefore do need to meet monthly quotas and hopefully make some placements along the way. Despite this, most consultants I meet genuinely love what they do. Recruiters need to pay the bills but it doesn’t mean that commission is their only motivation. You can’t connect with the number of people recruiters do every day and not feel driven and inspired by the stories and lives you can positively impact by matching people with their perfect career. Seeing people you’ve placed do well in a great business and be successful is what drives the best recruiters. So although money plays a role, it isn’t the only motivator in becoming a recruitment consultant.

Recruiters are the middle man and HR departments do not like to work with them

This is one of the most common ones I hear, that HR departments and internal recruiters don’t get along with recruiters. The truth is, recruiters make their lives a little easier and they have control over how much or little they use recruitment services. They do not pay for any introduction they do not want to hire. The whole process is completely demand driven. Many corporate recruiters welcome the support from specialist recruitment agencies who have capacity to search for more specialist skillsets. Recruiters make their lives easier, they don’t come between them and the candidates. And most importantly, if they don’t require recruiter services…. Or want to pay for their services, they do not have to.

Due to the sales role tag line, recruiters receive a lot of criticism, despite the fact that a good recruiter requires integrity and a high degree of professionalism to succeed. A poor recruiter who embodies the worst traits of a salesman you’d like to avoid, will rarely be successful. 

As an industry that relies on testimonials to flourish, the misconceptions highlighted above all lead back to the same issue; lack of training. Consultants that follow the step by step methodology of the recruitment process and provide brilliant customer service are the ones who have received high quality training in the art and process of recruitment. They are the ones that will stand out and succeed above all others.

That’s why I’m launching Recruitment Guide, my own recruitment training hub next month. If you want to unleash your potential and perfect the art of recruitment, register now www.recruitmentguide.com.