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When In Doubt, Contract It Out: Using Recruiters To Find The Right Candidate, Right Now

Forbes Human Resources Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Tyler Koch, SPHR

My first image of a recruiter was one of a fit, motivated individual in a dress blue “D” uniform with a pull-up bar set up on my college campus telling me what all the U.S. Marine Corps could do for me. Recruiters were the salespeople, the front lines of the workforce attraction, the first taste of an organizational culture. The recruiter, for all intents and purposes, was the primary ambassador of what would become employee experience.

In the private sector, recruiters have a slightly different connotation. HR professionals think more about how to justify explaining a recruiter’s commission check. Ranging anywhere from an average of 10–25% of the successful candidate’s base salary, the higher compensated the candidate, the higher the payout. Many may be thinking, “Why would I pay someone else to do what I can for free?!”

Quite simply, because they’re worth it.

Granted, just like in any other business, there are varying experiences within the talent acquisition arena. I’ve had recruiters and staffing agencies waste my time and I’ve had some waste my money. I’ve had some send candidates to interview who showed up with no idea for which position they were there to interview. But when a company can find a recruiting firm or recruiter who truly "gets it,” then emerges the basis of progress within the HR world — a relationship of transparency and values alignment.

The A-Plus Players

While the plethora of talent acquisition suites and systems has enabled many HR professionals to pull candidates into the employment pipeline, there has also been a significant increase in the number of indiscriminate applicants flooding the marketplace. The bottom line for the employer: an inflated applicant pool and wasted time.

I first grasped the value a recruiter could bring to my organization after reading a Boston Globe article covering the recruiting tactics of Kayak co-founder Paul English, in which English claimed, “The difference between an A player and an A-plus player is the difference between a million in revenue and a billion in revenue.” Wouldn’t it be nice if a company’s talent pool facilitated deciding between only A-plus players?

Enter the recruiter.

Set Expectations And Manage Accordingly

When an organization is at a point where unnecessary costs are as damaging as the loss in efficiency associated with personnel turnover, identifying the right firm to deliver the right candidate can provide relief. When choosing a talent acquisition partner, consider the following factors:

• Make one perfect decision: The HR profession is one of customer service. Employees, managers, board members, candidates, spouses — they’re all in demand of attention in solving a variety of problems throughout the day. Layering the responsibility of managing multiple hiring processes can lead to an unintentional dilution of cultural quality. Finding a recruiter who takes the time to investigate the cultural side of your business will facilitate the type of hiring process that your organization demands. Resist the lure of optimized buzzwords and commercial terms and seek values alignment. If the company demonstrates genuine values alignment, it’s more likely it will deliver candidates of a culturally satisfactory caliber. This is the one hiring decision that has to be perfect.

• Leverage the experience: Recruiters’ livelihood is based on their ability to deliver results, which encompasses their inherent responsibility to navigate the process in a way that even the most seasoned HR professionals can only hope to attain. Even the most competent HR professionals, or CEOs for that matter, may not have direct experience hiring a CFO until an incumbent’s retirement is upon them — which is definitely not a position to figure out as you go. Competent recruiters monitor global workforce trends, master the latest talent acquisition tools and are connected to the workforce in such a way that they can identify the right candidate for your position even before the candidate knows they’re looking (think back to Paul English).

• Confidence in reference checking: The days of hiring managers across an organization conducting at least three personal and professional reference checks on prospective employees are nearly gone, partly due to the increased reluctance of previous employers to release much information. Many recruiting firms have the resources and access necessary to navigate the channels of previous employers and can deliver a pre-checked candidate pool complete with reference summaries for review. Think of the TSA pre-check line at the airport: Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could just keep their shoes on?

• Consolidated metrics: Knowing what’s important to your organization, a recruiter can deliver a pre-screened roster of top contenders only containing the skill sets and qualifications required. When coupled with a validated experience level, a previously unfiltered pool of 120 candidates could be swiftly narrowed to three. High-line metrics such as salary expectations and average tenure, certifications and education are all consolidated into a previously agreed-upon format.

• Focus on what’s important: While I’ve never done business with them, I have enjoyed following the growth of Green Key Resources, a recruiting powerhouse headquartered in New York with 11 other office locations that is making waves in the permanent placement and staffing arenas across the country. It is a firm that understands an HR professional’s most valuable resource: time. Its relationship with clients is more than just filling a position, as its digital footprint is dedicated to adding value to a company’s performance and awareness across multiple arenas. Judy Holt, executive director of Green Key’s Rockville branch, explains: “We bring more to the table than just access to top candidates and a deep expertise in talent acquisition, we are committed to earning your trust and building a relationship. Once we know your culture, we can deliver candidates who will thrive within it.” When you trust your recruiter, your focus can be given to the other problems awaiting a solution.

Contracted recruiting doesn’t come cheap, but only an organization can determine what time spent and turnover is really worth. Then again, only having to decide between an A or A-plus player to fill the next position … priceless.

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