Agency recruiting from an organizational perspective stems within an HR capacity where recruitment involves HR practices for hiring processes. However the actual role itself is heavily based in selling the candidates to their respective hiring managers and clients. So which is it – Sales or HR?

Recruitment Agencies involve Business Development Managers that seek new clients looking to fill their resourcing needs. There is no argument here that this role itself is heavily within the Sales industry. While Sales Managers gain orders to fulfil there requirements, these are distributed to Agency Recruiters that are responsible to fill these vacancies.

Here is where things get a little grey. Recruiters also sell the skills of their candidates in order to achieve a close and are rewarded through commission and bonuses. However while studying HR, Recruiting and Selection encompasses this style of recruiting. This is correct when qualifying behavioural and technical capacities of an individual to further determine their ability to perform a job successfully. Like outsourcing recruiting, there are HR practices implemented in order to increase close ratios through detailed qualification processes. On the other hand, there is a fine line where sales become highly necessary to be a successful recruiter. Recruiters sell and highlight qualifications of their candidates to their hiring managers in order to receive commission. Recruiters sell and highlight client offerings to the candidates in order to receive commission.

Similar to Agency style recruiting, Corporate Recruitment is not very different. Corporate recruiters are responsible for relationship management with their respective Hiring Managers, gaining trust in their submissions. Like Sales Managers, Recruiters develop relationships with their Hiring Managers in order to gain their trust and fill their orders. Similar to Agency Recruiters, Corporate Recruiters highlight candidate qualifications to their Hiring Managers in order to increase success measures and performance metrics. Corporate Recruitment is within the HR industry that is centralized for all hiring needs however I do argue that it’s pseudo HR/Sales. While determining turnover metrics, the hiring process is crucial in hiring candidates with both a technical and “organizational” fit – this comes from the recruitment qualification process. However with compensation packages which are geared towards performance in successful hiring, part of their role as Corporate Recruiters is selling Candidates as well to achieve successful performance metrics.

Many Agencies/Clients hire individuals with a combination of Sales and HR degrees in order to understand business HR principles in hiring along with Operational functions and metrics. In order to be successful in this industry of recruitment and selection, you need both Sales and HR.

I would love to hear your comments or thoughts.

Thanks, Neha