Staffing Professional, Recruiter, Sourcer and More!!!!

So one thing I have read allot about, and seen the terms used allot are the terms/title; Staffing Professional, Recruiter, Sorucer, etc.. But there have not been any real definition to them. So after doing allot of research here is a simplistic version of what I have come up with. Please remember these are generalization, I am sure there are one offs, and places were the lines blur allot.

Staffing Professional (SP) = A professional who has mastered all parts of staffing, who can source, screen, account manager, job description(JD) writer, interviewer, functional analyst, PM, negotiate, report generator, consulting with Hiring managers, be a closer, internal hiring, career development/counseling, resume writing, trainer, HRIS/ATS and more (simplistic, as each part has multiple sub parts with multiple tools and methods used)) all this make up or are needed to fully understand the Staffing Lifecycle (SLC). These people are normally associated with corporate staffing. Of course while they have mastered all parts of staffing that does not mean they perform all parts, all the time. They might have help with some. But in the end they have mastered it all.

Recruiter = they have mastered most parts of the SLC, but this title is mostly associated with agency or consulting company positions. They have mastered all parts of the recruiting, from a different perspective than a Staffing Professional, as the people they hire are usually put on assignment in another company or at least working at another company. So the way a JD might written is different, the closing is different, as for account management- in this case it could range from none to candidate account management to client account management, etc... Usually there is no consulting with the hiring mangers here as you are there to get in, fill the opening and on to the next. The consulting or long term relationship is usually built by the account manager. Note I said usually as there are full service recruiters, or full desk as they are known. These recruiters do it all, but again from a consulting or contract perspective. Not saying one is better than the other just different. Also, of course, just because they have mastered it all, does not mean they do it all, or do not have help.

As you can see Recruiter and Staffing Professional are very close to the same thing. Just a matter of what industry you are in.

Sourcer = This is someone whose job it is to find potential candidates. This function can be just finding to finding and screening of candidates. They very rarely write JDs, rarely have any account management responsibilities. They are purely sourcers, or researchers as some call them. This title is universal across corporate, consulting and contracting. All industries use this title and it is arguably the most important and the toughest to find top notch sourcers. Of course most Staffing Professionals usually are top notch sourcers as well.

Screener= This is someone whose sole function is just to screen candidates. Usually they are either doing simple HR screens, or reading from a script.

JD writer = as the name implies they write JDs. believe it or not there is even a certification for it. This actually falls under the tech writing vertical, but is a part of Staffing and Recruiting.

Talent Engagement = these are very similar to the Staffing Professional, and usually use in the corporate world. In the case of Talent Engagement, they will usually also be involved with internal hiring, but not the same as a staffing professional. They go into more depth, in that they not only look at the here and now , but the future. Looking at internal talent to see where and when they might be ready for the next assignment. Now there are other names for this role, but let's stick with this one, as there are way too many to go through.

Employment Specialist = These tend to be more about finding jobs for people then finding people for jobs. Think of it as reverse recruiting. This happens allot in the military, colleges, etc...

Account manager = these tend to be the people who have direct contact with the client or hiring manager. In the case of contract companies they can also manager the onsite temps.

Now let's look at some of the functions not already described in the titles above:

PM = a good SP will treat each opening like a project, and as such will be able to effectively manage their time, resources, and complete the Staffing Life Cycle (SLC) with great success.

Report Generator = well any good SP knows keeping, an generating reports is what allows them to show there worth, and what they are doing.

Functional Analyst (FA)= simply a good SP is an FA, meaning they know how to get the requirements and information they need to be successful.

Negotiator and Closer = A Good SP knows how to negotiate with both clients and candidates. Of course you have to be a closer in order to be a negotiator

JD writer = any SP worth their salt knows how to write a good, effective, and well marketable JD.

Interviewer = again you cannot be a good SP without knowing how to interview, both your candidates and your HMs.

Screener = Different from interviewing screening is what a good SP does of any resume to determine if the candidate is a possible match prior to interviewing. This can also include simple HR screens and screening that is done over the phone or email

Consultant = This is one of the biggest functions of an SP and one of the biggest differences between a SP and a recruiter. An SP is a consultant to their hiring manger, teaching them, helping them to navigate the murky waters of the hiring process.

Other words used in some titles: personnel, and career.

Well there you have it, a simplistic version of who is who and what it what, again this is not all inclusive. Does not mean there are not some line blurring or overlap, missing titles, or one offs, this is just a generalization based on the research I have done.