This article is for those who want to be professional Recruiters and it's a wake up call for all other agencies, search firms, in-house recruiting departments, and business owners who want to benefit from the expertise of their recruiter(s).
There's a vast range of skill and understanding at play throughout the recruiting industry today. Fundamental, basic recruiter skill training is painfully absent. The only way to tell the skill level of someone who claims to be a Recruiter is with an interview and specific check list.
Did you know there is a 60% - 90% turnover rate in staffing agencies and search firms for new recruiters with under six months of experience? Are the corporations who use these services supposed to believe their ‘experts’ don’t know how to identify and screen candidates in their own industry? The whole recruiting industry suffers from a credibility issue when turnover rates reach such staggering levels. Why does this embarrassingly high turnover remain business as usual? (Hint: lack of training and ongoing mentoring.)
Did you know there was an average turnover rate of 23.6% for American companies in 2006, per the US Dept. of Labor Statistics? The US Government estimates the recruiting industry will grow by at least 50% by 2014. Corporate estimates put the number closer to 70%.
There are a few constructive conclusions I can draw from this data that's woven into my background and understanding of executive recruiting, risk management, and operating several businesses over the past 25 years.
1. Recruiting skills are not to be mistaken for recruiting tools. Job boards, ATS (application tracking software), memberships in associations, etc. are tools, not recruiting skills. Lack of sound recruiting methods costs companies billions of dollars each year.
2. If you're a professional recruiter, take charge of your career and your success and invest in training yourself. If your company gave you a desk and a phone and said, “work hard and you’ll make a lot of money”, don’t believe it! Don’t be an unnecessary casualty of lazy, poor management. There are a number of solid training courses to develop the skills you need to establish a method to make placement after placement. Training will help you improve your results. Do it today!
This is your profession. Don’t fail or lose out on income because you stepped into a revolving door mentality in a staffing agency or search firm office. You know first hand that companies view candidates as a portfolio of skill sets and the more skills one has, the greater their value. The investment in training will be in your self. Your job satisfaction, effectiveness, paychecks, peace of mind and self-esteem will increase.
Corporate in-house recruiters suffer tremendous frustration from lack of training in the basic principles and methods Executive Recruiters use. Many in-house recruiter positions are glorified clerical spots, with great, unmet expectations. They are recruiters in name only. While it's understandable that upper level executives can clearly see the value in eliminating or reducing costs for outside recruiters, it's silly to think their companies will benefits from a recruiter with no understanding of how recruiters’ get the job done.
The majority of recruiters have no clue how to utilize 100% of the candidate marketplace vs. the 20% reached by ads alone. There's more to recruiting than resume diving. If you're an HR Manager, help your company by making an investment in recruiter training for every person involved in the hiring process. Investing in training programs for in-house recruiters also means that should a recruiter leave, the materials for recruiting remain for the next recruiter to utilize.
When Staffing Agencies and Search Firms take a few days up front to train every recruiter who walks in the door, even if it's a refresher course, the company benefits on multiple levels. Applying risk management principles has proven throughout all business that reducing the risk of loss, SAVES companies money and also MAKES them piles of money as well.
It’s that simple. Longevity of staff members means less ad costs, less interviewing, less down time, less time spent on orientations, less business interruptions, fewer mistakes, reduced frustration on the part of those continuously picking up the slack from vacancies, and less chaos to name a few benefits.
Longevity also means, more cohesiveness of effort is possible. More placements will be made and people can enjoy their job! Less stress, less frustration, more money, and better service can be delivered faster, smarter. A strong team, which everyone says they want, can actually have a chance to materialize when the expertise of everyone is raised to a higher professional level.
When recruiters in an office all use the same methods, they have more trust in co-workers because they know the same principles and methods will be used on every search and issues of personality or ‘sloppy’ practices are no longer a concern. One recruiter can assist another at any point in the process if needed.
The number of industries who utilize standard practices is countless. Take Home Inspectors. There has been a standardization of items to check in a home during an inspection that has been in effect for decades. The Associations Home Inspectors belong to demand their members take continuing education courses every year to keep their good member standing.
Credibility is enhanced and production increases with training.
The recruiting industry is evolving quickly. This fantastic profession impacts businesses like never before. If you've never invested in a recruiter training program, do so today. There's greater and greater competition for top talent. Please don't try to 'wing it' when it comes to your career or the success of your business.
We train Recruiters. visit us at http://www.toprecruitersecrets.com
