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Recruiters need to evolve to stay ahead in the race for talent attraction

Since the economic downturn many questions have been raised about the future of the staffing industry and the validity of traditional recruiters in it.  Having established that professional search & selection firms will once again flourish in the upturn, it will be interesting to see which paths are taken to evolve into the requisite integrated agencies of the anticipated ‘new era’.

One thing is for certain: the traditional ‘fee-based’ contingency recruitment model will find it difficult to rediscover its ‘mojo’.  Already battling sceptics the advent of social media and its relative successes has shown that – perhaps senior/executive-level placements aside – the placement fee proposition will, in many quarters, require justification.

Of course many employers will look at more cost-effective methods of attracting staff.  But haven’t they always?  There are many routes to market for a hiring manager but each presents its own problems: print advertising is expensive; job boards can be speculative; social media is both time-consuming and intangible.  So where’s the wood through all these trees?

Aside from database searching this is what recruiters need to be doing to ensure a positive evolution:

It’s who you know

Leveraging contacts has never been more appropriate.  Or necessary.  It remains that the only truly tangible way of galvanising a relationship with someone is to meet them. 

Where possible recruiters should be meeting their candidates.  Of course, this is not always possible.  Logistical elements conspire to dilute this prospect but never underestimate the impact this has.  A candidate will rarely forget a recruiter they have met but rarely remembers one they have only spoken with on the phone.

Furthermore, in a competitive industry how do recruiters get in front of prospective clients?  Cold-calling is time-consuming, speculative and very frustrating.  Attending events where employers hang out shows both commitment and sincerity, two important traits hard to portray during a telephonic sales-pitch.

Russell White, owner of executive marketing recruitment agency, Premier Consulting, attests that social networking continues to deliver results: “I do have a very extensive network of people who I have helped over the years and if asked always seem happy to recommend people to me for specific marketing jobs I am working on”.

Traditional advertising

There is much conjecture surrounding trade and national press and its importance in today’s digital and cost-conscious market.  One only has to pick up the Guardian on a Monday to note the lack of marketing & media jobs currently advertised.  It is reasonable to assume, therefore, that the readership and, thus, relevant audience, has dwindled as a result.  This cannot be good for realising ROI, something increasingly difficult to justify given the cost implications.

However, ‘press’ advertising is not only about the immediate recruitment drive.  It is also about both brand awareness and brand association.  Being seen as a partner of the Guardian or Marketing Week, for example, can be a powerful attraction.  Whilst it may often be client-led, recruiters can tag along for the PR ride.

Social media mayhem

I recently wrote that business professionals not engaged in LinkedIn were ‘conspicuous by their absence’ and so I believe this statement to be increasingly true.  But it doesn’t stop with this networking site. 

Twitter, Facebook, and developing social platforms such as Ning afford fantastic opportunities for building communities and attracting candidates.  And the best thing about social media is that it rather surreptitiously manages to tap into the passive jobseekers, which are, of course, the ones clients really want to know about.

The biggest challenge facing anyone engaging in social media is time; the commodity most in demand for any progressive recruiter in the current climate.  Just choosing the right social channels can be sapping so managing the distribution of content is an altogether more daunting prospect.

The good news is recruiters need not necessarily open social channels themselves.  By plugging into a niche social-savvy recruitment advertising platform (cheaper than outsourcing to a social media consultancy) the results are a quantifiable symbiotic relationship that suits both parties.

People management

Today’s candidate is tomorrow’s client is a mantra to which I constantly refer.  I have never believed that ‘going for the ‘fast buck’ wins out in the end and the events of the past two years or so have done nothing to quell this thought.

Successful recruiters maintain loyalty within their communities, be they candidates or clients.  Looking after today’s frustrated jobseeker will pay dividends when they one day find themselves seeking a recruitment partner for their own hiring needs.

Recruiters should strive to manage their customers effectively, continually seeking innovative ways in which to do this.

Conclusion…

Each one of the topics above is an accentuated article in itself and this is by no means an exhaustive list.  For recruiters can organise events, host open days, engage aggregators or split fees with other agencies.

Whichever paths they choose though, recruiters must ensure the candidates they attract are the right ones.  Oversubscription with irrelevant applications muddies the water further and what should be a clear route to a 2011 evolution could end up more frustrating than what initiated the talk of change in the first place.

This is a very topical debate so your comments would be most welcome.

 

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

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