5 Recruitment Career Killers…

I meet with a number of Recruitment Consultants every week who are looking to move on from their current position, or step up to their next opportunity… I probably speak with a further 10, or more on the phone….

And, to be perfectly honest I’m lucky if I meet with one a week who I consider a good, old fashioned ‘A’ Candidate…

It’s not to say that these candidates are not fantastic on paper… On paper most of these candidates look great…. On paper most of these candidates would walk into roles with the best agencies…. On paper most of these candidates lead me to squeal with delight (not like a little girl, but squeal with delight and dignity), and jump straight on the phone…

But, as you all know – what often looks good on paper has the tendency to bite you on the bum and inject you with a reality hit.

Unfortunately, it seems some Consultants (and I do stress some), believe their own hype to the point of hilarity. If they were a lollipop I’m sure they would enjoy giving themselves a jolly good licking… The difference between expectation and reality in the market sometimes really is quite amazing.

You would expect that most Recruitment Consultants have a good understanding of what is required to be successful and what the market is looking for – you really would expect that…wouldn’t you?

Regrettably this doesn’t seem to be the case…

So what I have outlined below – in no particular order, and for those who live in a make believe land of Fairy Floss, Oompa Loompa’s and Talking (HR PufnStuf kinda) Trees - are 5 very basic Recruitment Career Killers.

‘I don’t want to do any sales’ Excuse me?…. Did I hear you correctly? Don’t want to do Sales??? This is becoming a more and more common demand when speaking with prospective candidates. The truth is Recruitment is a sales based industry. If you don’t like it I suggest you find a role outside of the industry. Sure, there are candidate only roles, but the ceiling for career advancement is very low. And yes, there are the occasional Account Management roles, but these are very rare and believe me – you will still have to sell to hiring managers and organically grow the Account.
‘I’d like an Internal or In-house role’ Picture me burying my face in my hands and letting out a deep and guttural wail… I have nothing at all against internal roles, but Recruitment Consultants should be aware of these facts.
1. If you wish to make the migration to an internal environment, do it when the world economy is more stable. During times of economic uncertainty Corporates tend to downsize their internal recruitment function and outsource to agencies – so instead of this being a burgeoning market, in the current economic state of play it is shrinking…
2. A desire to move to an internal/in-house environment is often perceived by the market as a gesture of a ‘burnt out’ Consultant.
3. Internal Recruitment is not that easy! You are measured on placement success, time to placement and you can not hide from your clients – ever!
4. If you migrate to Internal/In-house and then look to return to agency recruitment at a later date, you will probably find that the agency world is not all that welcoming. A stint in-house does not necessarily look good on your cv.
Short stints at many Agencies. Oh sure, there are always reasons for your short tenure – made redundant during GFC, management issues, the role wasn’t what was presented to me during interview, I moved for family reasons, blah, blah, blah…. And sure, our industry is notorious for turnover – I’ve often said that 1 year in recruitment roughly equates to the same as dogs’ years. So 2 years with the same employer is about 14 years of loyal service in most other industries…. Unfortunately, clients don’t see it the same way and may forgive 1, possibly even 2 strikes – but 3?
‘I will need to use a colleague as a referee.’ This one is probably more relevant to Consultants who have been in the industry for a number of years. It both surprises and dismays me as to how often I come up against this one. From a client’s perspective there is really no excuse for not being able to come up with 2 credible referees – and by that I mean managers you reported directly to, or clients you had a commercial relationship with.
‘I’m on $65,000 now, so I’ll want $80,000 to move.’ Wow! You want a $15k increase in salary to move roles…. Let me ask you a question… Why do you deserve a 20% increase in your base salary, and are you really aware of what the market is paying? The simple facts are that yes, there was a time pre- mid 2008 when a substantial increase in base salaries to move roles within recruitment was par for the course. Agencies learnt a lot from the GFC and one of the most valuable lessons was that base salaries were over-inflated. Consultants should be looking at their ability to earn and OTE, rather than base salary alone.

Recruitment is a very strange profession – no-one goes to school with the intention of being a recruiter when they grow up… And we really are setting the rules as we go along. But to be honest it’s really not that difficult… Think about what you expect from your candidates – the transparency, honesty, realistic expectations, and understanding of their market. Then, if you engage a rec-to-rec to help you secure your next opportunity, offer them the same courtesy…

Comment by Tracy TC on November 9, 2011 at 4:11pm: Yes, Sandra, I would. And trust me, it takes a lot to rile me. The comment was simply inappropriate in a business forum, tongue in cheek, or not.

Comment by Amy Ala Miller on November 9, 2011 at 4:28pm: @Tracy please don't read any of my blogs. They are beyond inappropriate. :)

Comment by Kris Butterfield on November 9, 2011 at 4:29pm: It makes me sad that you actually have to listen to that kind of crap from recruiting candidates...gives our profession such a bad image!

Comment by Luke Collard on November 9, 2011 at 7:03pm: Great stuff Craig - any one of the 5 and my shutters come down. Often see it with those that have had a couple of good first years in recruitment and think that gives them the option to pick and choose what 'bits' of the job they want to do.

Comment by Nate Fischer on November 9, 2011 at 8:56pm: Wow, it kind of strikes, even tongue in cheeky, as a little high and mighty. Some of this I can agree with, but where I am in the Boston area, you make do with what you have or train individuals who lack, but as a smaller third party agency, you can't just get the perfect candidate. If you are, congratulations, but otherwise don't expect people to aim for lofty goals and not give people the opportunity to shine through. Cause IDEALLY the perfect candidate would be running his own agency, OR be an independent recruiter.

Comment by Luke Collard on November 9, 2011 at 9:07pm: Nate - I think it is more about attitude and being relaistic about what the job of a an agneyc recruiter is rather, than skills ...

and you can't train someone to have a good attitude.

Comment by Craig Watson on November 9, 2011 at 9:11pm: Not sure you got my point Nate. I'm really talking about mindset, and some people wanting an easy ride. Quick question - you say '...in the Boston area, you make do with what you have or train individuals who lack...'

Sales can only be trained in those who want to sell - do you still 'make do' with those who want the easy ride in recruitment, but do not want to sell? And, if you do please let me know how your business model works because it could revaloutionize the industry.

And I don't mean to come across 'high and mighty' - just trying to make it easier for my prospective candidates to understand what my clients are looking for...

Cheers for the post - Craig

Comment by Nate Fischer on November 9, 2011 at 10:21pm: No I understand your point now; however, you have to understand recruiters frustration as well.

For example your sales statement, many agencies up here, say that sales will be part of your recruiting regime only to then turn that recruiter in to a FT sales person, which many recruiters quit because they don't want to do it, nor can they. They are distinctly two separate skills. While sales is obviously a portion of your job as a recruiter, they are not best suited to "pound the phones".

This then leads into short stints, and not being able to use managers as references.

While I agree attitude is an important thing and willing to be flexible is important, remember there are TWO sides to every story. Additionally, am I to understand that you work as an agency for recruiters? I appear to be inferring that, and quite frankly there is a market ready for the picking in the Northeast, the agencies of that stature up here do a HORRIBLE job.

They tend to have open arrangements with about 20 different staffing agencies, and when they get one resumes they just AUTOMATICALLY set up interviews at each one. They don't even screen the candidates with the manager, many occasions, I've heard people saying managers don't even know who they are. It's a market ripe for the picking I tell you.

Comment by Craig Watson on November 9, 2011 at 10:43pm: @Nate Love to set up in the Northeast, unfortunately, we are Australian based - and probably operate a little differently. We try to understand the motivations and skill set of our candidates and match them to the right roles. It is rare that we send our candidates to any more than 2 prospective new employers, and only then with their compete buy in and approval.

Having said that the state of the labour market is in a very robust state here and there is a 'candidate shortage' in relation to good Consultants.

Comment by Craig Watson on November 11, 2011 at 1:03am: Hi Georgia. Nothing wrong with wanting to work with, or help people - you need those qualities to enjoy recruitment. But you also need to be successful. Unless you are working for a NFP your employer will be expecting you to add to their bottom line. Recruitment is not HR - and those of us in commercial recruitment are always going to be measured on our billing capabilities...

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