This question affects all of us anyone looking to acquire great talent has a staffing partner. But the question is what kind of staffing partner are you to your clients?
As a recruiting professional I have run into many recruiters that do not understand the true meaning of being a great staffing partner, or they think that they have done all they can, and feel there is nothing more they can do. Let’s cover a few key areas that would be a great start to building a great staffing partnership with your clients.

1.Do you really know what your client is looking for in their next hire?
Every great recruiter knows we need to get the top skills, salary range and all of the standard specs to kick off a new position. But Have you really listened to what your hiring managers are looking for? Meaning have you looked beyond the top skills and listened to what is being said, the real meat of the specs, the intangible skills that combined with great technical skills make up the perfect candidate. This is a key to success when presenting candidates to the hiring manager.

2.Can you and do you mange the recruiting process effectively?
Really, you may think you have control over this piece; you are the uber recruiter after all! But think of how many times you have had to present 10-15- or more candidates to a position, and the hiring manager isn’t even close to being ready to narrow to a top 2 to make a hire. Managing expectations, and level setting the hiring mangers expectations, is a key element to a successful staffing partner relationship. Communication is key, which will talk about in a minuet, control your applicant flow. Don’t present the entire pipeline, or all of your top guys/gals at once, only present your top 3-5 candidates. Manage that candidate flow and decrease your time to fill.
3. Do you really know where the TOP talent is sitting?
The buzz word of the day is Passive candidates. We have all heard this in so many articles before but lets remember our hiring managers want the candidate that is sitting in their competitors cushy offices, sipping espresso, and working away without a care. The Passive candidate. You need to have the tools to attract and grab that candidate. That begins with research, and a great sourcing strategy. These candidates may take longer to persuade, but with the right strategy n place, and being proactive in pipeline building, you will be able to grab the best candidates from your competitors!


4.Do you anticipate needs and build pipelines?
If you can’t tell the future learn to! I am not being funny, but proactively anticipating the needs of your hiring managers will show them that you’re always thinking of them. Why not do a little show and tell of a hot candidate, perhaps a passive candidate that you think would be a great addition to the team. You’re the staffing partner; show them why you’re a great one!

5.Great Communicator- is this you?
Communicating, we all have our style; no matter what that is, are we doing it? None of us want our hiring managers calling wondering what’s going on, and then end up frustrated with the process, but instead we should proactively communicate through every step of the reqs life cycle. Even if you have no news, let them know. Don’t let them wonder and then discredit your hard work when you finally do call!

The things I have discussed here are just the beginning, and not new to all of us great recruiters. But it is important to keep an eye on the keys to being the great staffing partner we all want to be.


*Raechele Cravens is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Shift BPM. Shift BPM is a recruitment Business Process Management firm that provides consulting services to organizations looking to build a great talent acquisition model. Shift BPM also provides full service recruiting services, to include metrics design, recruiting and strategic sourcing services, of both active and passive candidates. For more information about Shift BPM, contact info@shiftbpm.com, or call 512-985-5367 www.shiftbpm.com