Top 7 Mistakes that "Star" Recruiters do & "Good" recruiters dont

If you are a recruiter, and even if you are a star recruiter, make sure that you dont do the below mentioned mistakes as part of your recruitment process. They are criminal and not excusable. Just because your time to fill and cost to fill metrics are good does not mean that you can get away messing up with the process and system.

1. Not entering the data into the Applicant Tracking System.
Lot of so called star recruiters hide behind the excuse that data entry is too tedious and time consuming and that in their already busy day of recruitment they have very little time to do administrative tasks at the cost of loosing hires. What they dont understand is this data is the property of the company. Tomorrow whether the recruiter is there with the company or not this information needs to be with the company. Also reporting is one of the key facets of performance management/improvement and more importantly it provides the business intelligence to the company and reporting cannot be accurate if the data itself is inaccurate.

2. Not following up with the candidates after getting the hire
You get the most number of hires in the team does not mean that you do not have to care for the remaining applicants who are active in the process any more. Remember recruitment is like an investment, dont be too shortsighted. A bad word of mouth publicity due to a bitter candidate experience will create ripple effects down the line that the company will have difficult time getting top talent.

3. No respect for the process or support staff
Respecting others work is important. Always plan the work ahead and keep the people involved in loop. For instance, if you know the candidate will start late, let your hiring manager know. If you know the candidate is travelling so and so date to attend the interview, let your travel desk know ahead of time, if you know the Hiring Manager needs atleast 48 hours notice of interview scheduling stick to the SLA.

4. Candidate Experience
Many a time recruiters are only focused in screening the candidate and do not care about the candidate experience. They dont update the candidate about the number of steps involved int he process, the time involved or dont give enough notice to the candidates for an interview, dont share adequate information etc. Worse they dont update the candidates after the interview or assessment, dont respond to the candidates calls once they feel the candidate is not the right fit etc.

5. Confidentiality
Lot of recruiters do the mistake of sharing too much information with the candidate with the intention of helping the candidate look good in front of the Hiring Manager. What they do not realize is that the candidate might perform well in the interview with this information but will not measure up to the job requirements tomorrow. This will lead to a very undesirable position both for the candidate and the company down the line. Yes, the recruiter should share the process information, the expectations, the job role information etc but should never disclose what would be the possible pet areas of the Hiring Manager or what is the content in the assessment test etc.

6. Filling Jobs Vs Fulfilling them
Star recruiters might be focused on filling the requsitions. They dont care as much whether the job and the individual are wedded for life. As long as the individual has relevant skills and experience and can do a decent job and stay with the company for a minumum period they are done with their job. Its the butts in the seats focus, where as Good recruiters will play a consultative role with the candidates. If for any reason they feel there are potential areas of mismatch in the long or short run, they do not hesistate to discuss that with the candidate upfront. They dont hide any information and are transparent. There is a sense of moral responsibility and an element of personal satisfaction in placing the right candidates into the right jobs. That is the reason a Star Recruiter is busy filling other positions and is not bothered even to check back if the candidate is really enjoying the job or not and if the reporting manager feels he got the right candidate. A good recruiter always checks back and stays in touch through out the initial period till the new recruit is able to gel into the system.

7. Star Recruiters work for Money. Good Recruiters work for people. This is my personal take.

Comment by Randy Levinson on October 19, 2009 at 1:52am: Kiran,
While I am not sure what the criteria is for a person to be a "star" recruiter I do totally get the points you make here and agree. My favorite among the above: #7. Thanks for posting.

Comment by Jennifer Taylor on October 19, 2009 at 11:27am: Hmmm - I like what you're saying here. I do. Especially the candor in which you wrote. However, if I may offer the "Agency" perspective...my own of course.

In order to be a great, not just good recruiter...you must unapologetically accept that you are working both for the accomplishment of "the right fit", and the money. My financial independance and the ability to earn as I perform, does motivate me. So, my bottomline? I work for BOTH, the people and the money. If it is weighted too heavily on either "for the people" or "for the money" - your effectiveness suffers. For instance - if I was in this business only for the people, that would lend me toward an unhealthy "giver" balance - it cannot be all about the company you work for or the clients or candidates you serve - we as recruiters have needs as well, the need to do well, to work hard - but too, we have a need to reap what we sew. A balance of give and take are important. I would be a "giver" without that balance...it is perfectly wonderful to give mind you, but that must be balanced with personal initiative, drive, and a hunger to drive yourself to professional peaks - AND financial reward for effort expended. If it was ALL about the money on the other hand, you would take short cuts which will and always do, catch up to you and are quick to ruin an otherwise solid professional reputation. - JT

Comment by Stephanie McDonald on October 19, 2009 at 11:33am: I think number 7 is underrated by most people, especially candidates. I saw a tweet by a recruiter recently that said something like "I help people finds jobs", which is weird to me. I help companies find great people, and I see a distinct difference. I will, on occasion, work with a really special candidate and market them to great companies, but it's not a focus.

Neat post.

Steph

Comment by Bill Morgan on October 19, 2009 at 11:37am: Kiran, What do you mean 'Star' versus 'Good'. Is it better to be 'Good' but you'll make more money being a 'Star'? or does a star flame and burn out while the good recruiter lasts?!
Also on point 7, are you saying it's better to work for the money or work for the people, or it's just a matter of style.
Thanks.

Comment by Phil Murray on October 19, 2009 at 11:58am: I also feel that the labeling of "star" vs. "good" is questionable, although the points here are good ones. I firmly believe that high performers committed to high quality and "doing the right thing" will also be the "stars" (which I interpret in this article as meaning fast-rising, high-earnings recruiters).

The fact of the matter is, a rising star that creates problems along the way (through lack of follow-up, not "fulfilling" jobs, etc.) will be a falling star before too long. I believe that to be a universal truth which plays out in different ways in almost every profession.

Comment by Ross Clennett on October 19, 2009 at 6:52pm: I might have said #7 slightly differently.

Star Recruiters know their worth and aren't afraid to consistently make commercial decisions to ensure their income matches their skill and effort.

Good Recruiters work hard to please a lot of people and are more concerned with being liked and helping people than receiving an excellent financial return for their skill and effort.

Comment by Suresh Kannan on December 28, 2009 at 9:09pm: Kiran, I get the gist of what you are saying. If we have to succeed consistently we need to have a process in place. Like updating the ATS, and logging the information in our database. Making Followup a mandatory step in your process etc., I dont want to worry about the definition of "Star", "Good", "Bad" and "Ugly":-) I personally want to make lot of Money by excelling in what I do:-)