Written by: Diane Delgado LeMaire, Senior Managing Director, CFS Houston
I often wonder why recruiters have a bad reputation. We help people
find jobs, and we do this for free until we actually successfully place
someone. So, what is it? Are we bad people? Are we not upfront? Do we not
communicate enough with our clients and candidates? Well I must admit, our
follow up with candidates might not be the best, but when you speak with OVER
30 people a day and get over 500 emails in a week…This can be a bit challenging
to say the least!
We also have a lot of people that come in and out of this business
very quickly. I’m not sure what the turnover ratio is for recruiters, but I am
sure it’s almost as high as collections or customer service employees! It’s very hard to
establish relationships with candidates and clients when you don’t put in the
time to earn their business. I’m sure it doesn’t sit well with many candidates
or clients to get a call from one recruiter today only to find out that they
are gone the next.
Turnover and bad communication are definitely issues, but still not
the biggest problem. It seems that most Recruiters look at this profession as a
“job” and not a career. On one hand you have the people entering and exiting
the business at rapid rates. On the other hand you have Recruiters that just go
through the motions and make their calls to say they hit their daily quotas. In
addition to this, there does not seem to be much thought process behind what it
is they are trying to accomplish today, tomorrow and in the future. In a
booming economy that may work, but in a recession it takes a little bit more
time investment than just working the numbers. Every connection we make has to
count for something.
So, what can we have to do as Recruiters to be viewed differently?
Well to start, we need to become masters of our domain. That includes taking
pride in what we do and who we represent (both candidate and client). It also
means sometimes walking away from a deal that “just does not feel right” or is
not in the best interest of all parties involved.
Here are some suggestions for those who want to become an expert in
this wonderful world called RECRUITING:
- Look at every contact as a long-term investment. It does not matter if the person you are working with graduated college yesterday or if they only have 5 years left in the workforce. Today’s candidate is tomorrow’s hiring manager. Today’s hiring manager is tomorrow’s candidate.
- Stay educated about your local business community. If you are not reading your local business journal and newspaper business section, you’re doing yourself and your candidates/clients a disservice. You have to know what is going on in your local economy!
- Constantly stay on top of new sales techniques. Start by subscribing to various newsletters online. We are all busy, so pick one article per week. It’s worth the 5 minutes of your time!
- Become involved in your community. Join the local Chamber of Commerce or volunteer for a cause that you are passionate about. Go out and meet the people! People do business with people they like and share commonalities with.
- Read, read, and read! Everyone should read Business Week, Fortune, The Economist or something else along those lines. There are so many magazines that relate to your local and global economy– just pick one! At the very least, check out www.money.cnn.com daily. You need to know the highlights of what is going on to speak intelligently with clients and candidates.
- Be courteous, genuine, honest, and ethical. It is very simple: karma! What comes around goes around.
As Recruiters, we need to take our career seriously and not just consider it a job. We want to be known as the experts, and becoming the expert takes a little more effort than just showing up from 8 to 5 and going through the motions.
Have more questions about recruiting? Please comment below, or contact a CFS office located near you to speak with a recruiter.
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