Recruiters certainly have more than one obstacle on their desks at the moment . . . but which one is the biggest? We conducted a survey of the Top Echelon Network Membership in order to find out.

Considering the current economic conditions that exist in the country—specifically the fact that the recovery is moving at a snail’s pace, and that’s being generous—you would think that the biggest obstacle would be not enough job orders. Makes sense, right?

However, that was not reflected in the results of our survey. Another obstacle was chosen by Top Echelon Network recruiters by an almost 3-to-1 ratio. That obstacle?

Not enough qualified candidates.

In fact, “not enough job orders” didn’t even come in second place. It was third. Below are the percentages of recruiters who chose the top three answers in our survey:

• “Not enough qualified candidates”—50%
• “Slow-moving clients”—23%
• “Not enough job orders”—18%

How do these results compare with what you’re experiencing right now on your desk and within your recruiting firm? Is not being able to find enough qualified candidates for your job orders the number-one obstacle on your desk at the moment? If it is, what steps are you taking to overcome this obstacle? If it isn’t, what IS your biggest obstacle and how are you tackling it?

As always, I welcome your feedback.


(Communications Coordinator Matt Deutsch is a writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog.)