One thing [Overloaded] Corporate Recruiters value in Recruitment Agencies...

I was a "Head-hunter" (on contingency basis) for over 11yrs and have been on the "other side of the desk" for over 5yrs. Having worked on both sides, I can understand the frustrations both agency recruiters and corporate recruiters feel when dealing with each other.

Ironically, some of the frustrations are similiar such as response time, communication, content of requested information, etc. We both have the same complaints in many cases, the difference is from which side it comes and who has it first. Either way, it can develop into a real quagmire of frustrating issues that eventually get resolved either by Agency pouching from their client (because they decided that it was more valuable taking out of them than working with them), or Corporate Recruiters black-listing the agency (usually done discretely by consistantly telling them that they don't have any job orders to give them until they fade away...and probably end up pouching from them anyway).

Just as a gentle reminder, Corporate Recruiters have more than just sourcing, qualifying and placing the candidate. We also have to deal with Compliance issues (internal/external), Corporate Initiatives (e.g. Diversity), Constant Meetings with Stakeholders, Training, Posting jobs and documentation on ATS', "special projects"--lovely term for "more work, more hours, zero reward", etc. , etc, ETC!

Because we (Corporate Recruiters) are over-worked beyond belief (especially with downsizing recruitment depts to bare bone), this creates a need for what I call, "Recruitment PARTNERS", not "Vendors".

So as my Post Title suggestions, I'd like to let all the Agency Recruiters know a particular area that can "set-you-apart" from "Head-hunters".

The primary value is information. Since our days are spent (including but not limited to) handling 100+emails, managing the recruitment process, creating and explaining endless spreadsheets for each of our 40+Hiring Managers, the last thing we want to have to do is spend hours qualifying ONE candidate for ONE position (of +40 positions we have to fill YESTERDAY)...especially when the candidate comes from an Agency!

"Head-hunters" to me is defined as a recruiter that sends a SANITIZED CV with little to no extra information other than the typical 4-5 bullets such as availability to interview, salary expectations, etc. and doesn’t do any more work except when requested (piece-mealed!).

What a “Recruitment Partner” will do is send their INTERVIEW NOTES TO THE CORPORATE RECRUITER! When you’ve invested the time to FULLY INTERVIEW YOUR (I REPEAT, YOUR) candidate, AND SENDS THOSE INTERVIEW NOTES to the Corporate Recruiter, it saves us:

1) Time
2) Gives us a wealth of information to process in little to no time, and
3) We can then make an informed decision (collectively with the Hiring Manager or with the Recruitment Partner themselves) as to which direction we want to go in with THEIR candidate.

Notice I mention that the candidate is the Recruitment Partner’s candidate? Because the Candidate is YOUR ASSET, not the Corporate Recruiters. And some of you have experienced “Credit-Junkie” Corporate Recruiters but regardless if they want to take an ego trip and claim the candidate as their own, at the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter to you because it all comes out in the open. Did you forget that the candidate knows who placed them?? So don’t get caught-up in that mess. It’s a waste of time. Your stock will go up in the eyes of the Hiring Manager/Stakeholders no matter how political the Corporate Recruiter gets.

You see, the value of information is priceless to a Corporate Recruiter. The more you can do for us, the less we have to do, and the less we have to do, the more valuable you become, and the more valuable you become, the more we want to use you. So just because you work on a contingency basis, or you fear loss, the worst you can do is give limited information. You limit your ability to make a placement and build your relationship when you work with limitations. Don't worry about the limitations the Corporate Recruiter places on you (e.g. gate-keeper to Hiring Manager), go with blind faith and SET EXPECTATIONS UP FRONT with them! AND REMIND THEM WHEN THEY DON'T MEET YOUR EXPECATION...gently (as you are probably aware that Corporate Recruiters can sometimes have "attitudes" with "HEAD-HUNTERS"). Its up to your savy ways to find a way to connect with your client.

I suggest that the main reason why Recruiters don’t divulge Candidates' contact information up front, and hold information back is due to trust. My suggestion to you is:

IF YOU DON’T TRUST YOUR CLIENT ENOUGH TO DIVULGE ALL THE INFORMATION UP FRONT, THEN YOU HAVE A TRUST ISSUE. AND IF YOU HAVE A TRUST ISSUE, WHY DO YOU EVEN WANT TO ENGAGE IN A BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM? THE SAME PHILOSOPHY APPLIES IN PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS APPLIES IN BUSINESS RELATIONSHIPS. ESTABLISH TRUST FIRST, BUILD ON IT WITH SOME AMOUNT OF BLIND FAITH, AND GO FROM THERE. I can certainly assure you that if a Corporate Recruiter doesn’t trust an Agency Recruiter, believe me, you are of no value to them nor yourself. And at the cost of contingency, what dice do you want to roll?

Comment by Brian K. Johnston on March 10, 2011 at 12:44pm: Mauricio- LOVE this article LOVE the BOLD, LOVE the content.... 100% I would drink beers with you... Best to ALL, Brian- P.S. With your skills, communication, and positioning, you might choo$e to go back to work on agent side...

Comment by Jerry Albright on March 10, 2011 at 1:30pm: I've eliminated most of the "misinterpretation" involved in describing the job to my candidates - and highlighting the top skills of my candidate for my clients.

On top of each job order I am working on - there is a play button. Candidate clicks it - and listens to the client describe the company and positions.

On top of each resume I introduce to my clients there is also a play button. Client clicks it - and listens to the candidate describe exactly why they are a fit for the job.

Yes - there are ways agency recruiters can be a partner to their clients and not waste their time. I'm doing it every day.

Comment by bob on March 10, 2011 at 1:35pm: jerry i have considered skype interviews or pre interviews that candidates will have on line. do you think that can work sort of a talking resume any thoughts thanks

Comment by Jerry Albright on March 10, 2011 at 1:56pm: Rather than hijack this conversation - I'll just say that, yes, it does work.

Comment by Gay Carter on March 10, 2011 at 2:11pm: So appreciated your posting as our recruiting firm subscribes to giving our corporate recruiter as much information as possible by covering many things in an e-mail that accompanies the resume. I have always liked the idea of partnering with my corporate clients/recruiters, it's much more satisfying to feel you are working for/with that person than throwing things out there and hoping for a good outcome. I can't imagine working any other way!

Comment by Jay Perreault {DCTechRecruiter} on March 10, 2011 at 2:20pm: Good points Mauricio. Getting past the gate-keeper is tough at times but worth the effort. At times I tell people when to expect my call and give a brief introduction of why the applicant I have recruited is the fit they are looking for. They take my calls since it will save them time and stop the loss of revenue because of a vacant seat. “If you would consider taking my ten minute call, I will help you save your time so that you can consider this position filled. I will help make you look good in the eyes of your hiring manager.”

I too have split my career and time on the agency side and corporate. I recently switched back over to corporate for a change of pace. This business is FUN! If you’re not having it, then why are you in the game?

Jerry- I would like to learn more about your product... 202-596-5411. Thanks!

Comment by Mauricio on March 10, 2011 at 2:56pm: Thanks to all that provided your “unbiased” opinions and comments. I am new to this blog/website and honestly didn’t intend nor expect that anyone would comment. But I would like to take a moment to respond to a few of you and also rebut a couple…

First, to Louis Volpe, I totally agree with you. As there are some unscrupulous “head-hunters” out there, too are the Corporate Recruiters that abuse Agencies rather than partner with them. In my confined world of limited time and opportunity to network with fellow Corporate Recruiters, I have taken the liberty [opportunistically] to “coach” my colleague that have never worked on the Agency side on how to “treat” and “respect” the Agency Recruiter. I think that the BEST Corporate Recruiter is one that has “earned-their-stripes” as a Contingency Recruiter. I commend EVERY ONE OF YOU CONTINGENCY RECRUITERS for doing what you do. You literally put your money where your mouth is (unlike Retained Search Recruiters” and work against all odds!  I am going to follow-up on another topic that is very dear to my professional heart and I’m going to title it, “The Tri-Lateral Relationship…Agency, Corporate Recruiter, and Hiring Manager”. I learned this model from an ex-Leader whom came from the Agency side too and went on to work for a Fortune 100 Company as a Recruitment Manager (up to 125 Corporate Recruiters working under him). I have since, had an incredible relationship and success working with my “Recruitment Partners”.

To a few of you that challenged the idea of providing a wealth of information “upfront”, I say to you, how much investment are you willing to make for the return? As a Contingency Recruiter, I learned very early on that my candidate is my ASSET. So if I treat them like an ASSET, I will get to know everything about them possible. Because we tend to forget about the Candidate themselves. They’ve got more Skin-in-the-game than either of us…including the Hiring Manager! So doesn’t it make “MORAL AND ETHICAL SENSE” to understand the candidate BEFORE you present them to anyone???? The only way to do that is to get to know them (professional and personal motivations, desires, dreams, challenges, etc; short-term, long-term goals; limitations/knock-out factors/must-haves. I mean, come on, how well do you really know your candidate BEFORE you ever present them to your client (regardless if your “client” is the Corporate Recruiter, HR Manager, or Hiring Manager). If you don’t view and treat your own candidate as an Asset, then you’re in the wrong business or making ends-meat (regardless of the market conditions). My RECRUITMENT PARTNERS work their desk this way and that’s why they are my RECRUITMENT PARTNERS. By the way, I only work with a few…and we make placements and everyone is happy…including the candidate!
With respect to the “ownership” issue, I will only say that if you have signed an agreement as a Contingency Recruiter, you have accepted the fact that there is competition and if the T&C’s also state ownership (and it’s wise to have it in there for clarity and transparency for both “sides”), then that’s the world you’ve decided to live in and if you don’t like it, try your shot at Retainer. So if you want to invest little time knowing your candidate before you present them, then I purport you yield less success.

And rounding off my rebuttals, I’d like to state that as Recruiters, we need to go-back-to-the-basics and the foundation that we learned and were [hopefully] trained to know your business. Know your Candidate, know your market, and know your client. Research, research, research! That includes your candidates! Having one candidate for one client is for beginners. I started out that way and worked my way during the times where the internet didn’t have google, social networks and jobsites. We had telephone books, company directories (too bad those are scarce anymore), and old fashion “who-do-you-know”…which by the way, is still effective if you know the trade secrets. If you do this, you will understand why you invest more time with your candidate than you do your client. So if you don’t place your candidate with one client, you should have enough business to place them with another client. So either way, it pays to invest time and gather a wealth of information from your candidate. Did I forget to mention that your candidate is your Asset? ;-)

P.S. if your candidate gets selected for an interview, a good Corporate Recruiter, will develop a relationship with your candidate no matter how much information you provide. At the end of the day, your candidate may end up working in the same company as your Corporate Recruiter!

Comment by Mauricio on March 10, 2011 at 3:02pm: Oh, and almost forgot something very important to soothe the notion that your CLIENT MIGHT call your candidate if you provide contact information on the first presentation...AND???? WHAT'S THE WHOLE IDEA OF RECRUITING? ISN'T PART OF IT (AND I MEAN IT WITH THE UTMOST SARCASM), THE HOPES THAT YOUR CLIENT FELT IT IMPORTANT ENOUGH AND INTERESTED ENOUGH TO CALL THEM WHEN THE EMOTIONAL "BUYING" TIME IS THE MOMENT THE FINISH READING THE CV???

I'll give you a little taste of my "Trade Secrets" whilst contingency recruiting (and I say this with a whisper)...Let the candidate know that you've presented them to your client (after you've gotten permission from your candidate, no doubt) and that they might be contacting them. And if they, do, to please let you know once they've been contacted. And there you go, you've closed the loop and everyone's in-the-know. How neat is that??!! ;-)

Comment by Chris Hofstetter on March 10, 2011 at 3:41pm: I really liked Louis' comment referencing the "ideal world" of recruiting. What it really comes down to is a case by case issue, i.e. client by client. Then a contingency firm needs to prioritize their time. Since I am a sole proprietor this is important to me. If a client just wants me to fling resumes their way then so be it but I am not going to spend any real time on that. Developing a relationship with a real "decision maker" - usually the smaller to mid sized companies - has always been paramount to me. In order to do this I need to research, not just the company website, put press releases, etc. to get a grip on where they are going and how I can help. Usually the presentation of a MPC comes in to play at this point or at least a pipeline of appropriate talent. As far as "we already have that person in our database" line goes I have been hearing that for over 30 years. I include a procuring cause clause in my agreement so if the candidate hasn't been approached by a company employee or agency recruiter about that position then I shall receive credit because I am the procuring cause of the hire.