Like most other professional services, the recruiting industry—from transactional agency to sophisticated executive search—operates in a world which is part science and part art, and just like the Wizard in Oz, from behind a screen hoping that Toto doesn’t force the grand reveal. With apologies to the good guys, there is a reason why the term “head hunter” is pervasive. Smart candidates suspect that many ( most?) recruiters are transactional. Savvy clients learn when and how to use external help, and smartly choose their partners to target the 75% of people who are currently employed, but not actively looking. Smart candidate or savvy client… understanding how the search industry operates will help on either side of the desk.
Fact: In either agency or contingency work—in a search with no retainer, where multiple firms are working on the same role, and are all chasing a single fee—speed is the primary driver. How fast can I get candidates in front of the client? The quality of candidates often becomes secondary, a by-product of the competitiveness of the search. A successful contingency recruiter I once met even had a KPI for speed: 2 resumes in front of the client within 48 hours would effectively double the odds of winning. Why? The competition quickly loses interest if the client is interviewing someone else’s candidates.
Fiction: A recruiter who promises a deep dive into the candidate pool can also deliver a quality, fully-vetted short-list of candidates in 2-3 weeks for mid-level to senior roles. Unless the recruiter is conducting a junior search, this promise is as fabled as the Internet of Things. There is a key difference between being on the market, and being in the market. People actively looking for jobs are on the market, they comprise about 25% of the labor pool, shining like beacons: easy to find. The remaining 75% are in the market, but are not actively looking. They have a job, but will listen to a career opportunity. Pick up a calendar and work backwards, getting this right takes time.Whether you are an employer or candidate, make sure to look for recruiters who understand both the employer value proposition or your individual career goals. And are realistic with their commitments.
Fact: We all need to eat, but if you’re a candidate and the recruiter doesn’t insist on meeting you, you’re probably viewed as a meal ticket. Like a Happy Meal, minus the toy. If the recruiter doesn’t appear to know much about the client and asks you to go in after a 15 minute phone call, the odds of a match are pretty low. This is one reason I never partner with other recruiters on my assignments. I’ve heard candidates described as “a walking fee” or a “Recruiter’s Dream Candidate” (RDC for short, true story). One recruiter even offered to “help me put the puck in the net”. I wondered if he treated every search like the playoffs, and didn’t shave until the offer was signed.
Fiction: The Internet and social media have leveled the playing field in the search business.We all have access to the same pool of candidates, therefore the business has become commoditized. Nothing could be farther from the truth. If anything, search today is harder than ever in spite of—not because of—the sheer volume of candidates and ubiquity of personal information. Isolating the intangibles around cultural fit, and assessing how skills and experience meet the performance-based characteristics of a job requires high EQ, and laser focus in a search partner. Be wary of apps, bots or algorithms which claim to do this for you.
Fact: Every quality candidate is swamped with LinkedIn InMails from recruiters who have done little research into their respective skills and experience.This is the digital version of junk mail, except the mail carrier now masquerades as LinkedIn. How does a good recruiter stand out? By understanding the performance characteristics the client is looking for and by assessing how transferable your skills are before sending you a personal note. Cutting and pasting are best saved for art projects.
Conclusion: either as employer or candidate, listen closely to how your prospective recruiting partner tells their story, positions their services, and explains what makes them different. And then pick the one that you trust enough with your future.
Next up, some suggestions to clients and candidates on how to best engage recruiters.
Note….the picture was taken from a mountain top during a recent trip to northern Scotland. If you sleep with your phone, think the Twitterverse is a real place or are bored with small plates, check out the NorthCoast 500. Your senses will be assaulted by spectacular scenery ( think Game of Thrones ), single track roads and the nicest people you have ever met. Spiritual or not, you’ll be closer to your soul while you’re there.
Fred Kulach is the owner and Chief Talent Officer of Mindspan Recruiting, singularly focused on Employer Brand and Candidate Experience for customer-facing roles in the technology, software and services sectors. Smarter Hires… fkulach@mindspanrecruiting.com