In just about every country that Firebrand operates, we are finding it difficult to hire great recruiters. We have pretty tightly defined criteria, so I guess that’s not a surprise. However, what is a little unusual so soon after a severe recession, is the evident rush to hire recruiters across the board.
In Australia there is such a shortage of experienced recruiters that one ‘Rec to Rec’ recruiter told me she has over 1200 vacant orders in Sydney alone! In the UK we find that there is strong competition to hire recruiters, and Asia is much the same.
So inevitability, recruitment firms (and corporates too, I imagine) will relax their criteria, maybe train more newbies into the industry, and that is no bad thing.
But…
The biggest cost to every recruitment firm is salaries, and the primary destroyer of profits is under-performing or failed recruiters. That is a fact.
So as the recruitment industry gains momentum, we all have to make sure we hire people who can bill consistently, who can learn, and who fit our culture.
The irony is that our industry is notorious for making bad hires. We don’t train that well either as a rule, and our own staff turnover is often a disgrace. Yet there is another problem, which might at first seem counter-intuitive.
When we make a bad hire, often we are slow to put it right. We hold on to under-performing people for too long.
Now please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t believe in ‘Hire and Fire’. Indeed our mantra at Firebrand is to apply the utmost rigour to making the right hire, and then put huge effort into making sure that hire works out. We invest heavily, and for a long time, to bring people to full productivity.
But even so there are sometimes early signs you have made a wrong hire and it’s not going to work.
I am not suggesting you let someone go if one or even all of these signs emerge, but it should set off alarms and trigger action. Because doing nothing is the one thing you should not do.
Please use my tips with care. Every new recruiter will show some of these faults. But on the other hand if you see them in a rookie, hone in on it. Examine it. Test it. Counsel them on it.
And look for rapid improvement.
If improvement is not forthcoming, you may have a serious issue.
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For all my blog posts please see 'The Savage Truth'
Hi Greg-
I find myself getting repetitive when responding to similar posts on these pages and LinkedIn when the subject comes up! As headhunters we need to realize that making a cold call to a candidate and enticing that person to compare their value in the market is/or can be a life-changing call...In my estimation, people who make those calls have to be very well trained, fine-tuned salespeople, not amateurs! They must understand the basic fundamentals of selling, and be able to apply them. The better they're trained, the better the "law of averages" will work in their favor, and they have to be willing to go "find their paycheck". I think as a business owner If I have salespeople/recruiters, or whatever title representing my business I have an obligation to candidates, clients, and to me to be represented by professionals. And for me that means I'm going to personally train them as a premier "big picture" presenter, and then a closer. If they can't sell me a convincing presentation in role playing, their not getting on a phone!
760-806-9202
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