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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on March 11, 2013 at 10:32am

hi Jai - congratulations on the new job! :)

Here's a somewhat tongue in cheek post I wrote some time back - http://www.recruitingblogs.com/profiles/blogs/10-tips-to-surviving-...

I have been a corporate recruiter for about 2 years since leaving agency. To be honest, it's not that different, minus the biz dev piece. Of course not every agency recruiter is involved in business development, and you don't mention if you were or not, so we'll leave that.

In some ways, corporate recruiting can be harder. You are up close and personal to internal drama / politicking. Your clients know where you sit and will come to your desk unexpectedly. In agency you can more closely manage your time and client visists/phone calls. You still have to "earn" your client's business. You don't mention if you're replacing someone, are new headcount, or if the recruiting function is newly in-house. Any of these things will be "competition" for you in some fashion. Your clients have presumably had recruiting support in some fashion before you started, they may be thrilled to see you or they may want things to stay / go back to how they were. Be prepared. If you get stuck with a bad client, you can't fire them.

Corporate recruiting can be easier, as you mentioned because you're supporting one brand. You get to intimately know the client inside and out - the challenge is how much of that do you share w/ potential candidates during the recruiting process. Also, if a candidate isn't a fit for your company, you have no choice but to cut them loose - no presenting to other companies.

You don't mention what about the "daily grinding" of agency recruiting has gotten to you - this would be interesting to explore because in some ways as I mentioned, corporate recruiting can be more of a grind... I think a lot of agency recruiters make the jump because they think it's easier, and it's not. Something to think about.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

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Permalink Reply by Amber on March 11, 2013 at 11:02am

Congratulations on your new position! I hope you post more about how the transition is. I am an agency recruiter/owner so I like hearing about some of the challenges from a different view. 

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Permalink Reply by Jai Turner on March 11, 2013 at 11:21am

 Hi Amy and thanks to you and Amber,

I am excited!  I think this is going to be a great endeavor.

The "daily grind" - I have to report all kind of ridiculous metrics (interviews, office interviews, placements, and starts)....I think the only thing I should be reporting is placements. I also staff and help with payroll and time cared issues, which is a headache.  I'm a top recruiter at the firm, but i am ready to move up (I believe corporate recruiting in my head, is a step up for me). I don't want to recruit forever, but I would like to lead and do recruiting mgmt and talent development.

I actually am replacing someone who has worked as their Recruiter for a year and a half but she is being promoted to Career Devel. Manager and she and I used to work at the same company, so we have a pretty good relationship.  She was their first corporate recruiter, so they created that position for her.  So I'm taking her spot while she goes up to another position that they created for her. So, I have some shoes to fill, *wipes sweat from forehead*...

I don't do business development, but I do network often.  I am looking forward to the challenge especially getting to know the hiring managers or "clients" and keeping up with the nature of the brand that i will be working for. 

So, I did hear that you could be managing 30-40 reqs at any given time, how do you manage your day? What are some tips for dealing with agency recruiters?  Since now I will be on the other end of the spectrum... :)

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Permalink Reply by Derdiver on March 11, 2013 at 11:41am

Jai,

First, welcome to the club! I did the same thing years ago and have been happy with my choice to join the in house crowd.

The single largest thing to get used to is that YOU are in more control then ever before.  On the agency side you were selling a candidate AND the employer.  In most cases you are more than likely selling the manager with what should be pre closed candidates.  When you contact a person let them know you are in house and not agency.  Nothing against my agency friends I have but when the candidate hears from an internal recruiter for a SINGLE company they seem to get back to you much faster. You are representing a single brand now, not your agency representing a company xyz.  Keep your closing skills tight and you will do great!! Hopefully the hardest part will be dealing with the silly ATS there!

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Permalink Reply by Amy Ala Miller on March 11, 2013 at 11:48am

Thanks Jai - I promise not a shameless plug but I've blogged about a few of those issues lol. You might find answers to some of the questions in previous posts.

Sounds like you're stepping into a great role where you have advocates - the person being promoted will be able to (hopefully) seamlessly transition you with the clients. I agree you should "only" be reporting placements, and I wish I could tell you corporate didn't ask for ridiculous reports. If you're lucky, you'll have a robust ATS/CRM that will compile that data for you. If you're really lucky, you'll be asked (as you said) to just report placements. I found at my previous employer working for two different bosses that they each had different ideas about what "reporting" should look like. It also depends on what kind of information senior leadership is looking for. Some get all worked up about time to fill ratios and other nonsense. I have found, unfortunately, that some corporate environments can be far more political and report / metrics heavy than agency. I hope that is not your situation.

30-40 reqs - my work load was across multiple business units so 30-40 could often feel like 100. My best advice is be very very  careful with your time. When people stroll by your desk to chat, you have to keep those interruptions to a minimum. I found that scheduling EVERYTHING (including blocking chunks of time for outgoing calls, internet sourcing etc) helped a lot - I also color-coded my calendar so I could tell at a glance what kind of day I was having.

As far as agency recruiters - I think it is critical to develop strong relationships with them - they are often on the "front-lines" and great for networking. That said I don't suffer fools... yes there's a blog about that too ha! :)

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Permalink Reply by Amber on March 11, 2013 at 11:57am

Re: Dealing with agency recruiters - from an agency recruiter - be honest, if you can't or don't want help just say so. If you do need help, but maybe aren't exactly sure where and how - talk to someone who is willing to listen. I have several clients (some are internal recruiters, some HR, and some Hiring Mgr's) who often call to ask my opinion on a job description, etc. It may not be a position I'm working on for them but they have been valuable to me so I love when I can help and know that it helps us work better together when the time comes. You can probably tell when you are talking to someone who is just selling to you vs. those who could be great assets. Your experience from the agency side gives you the benefit of knowing the kind of people who want to partner with, if and when that time comes.

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Permalink Reply by Jai Turner on March 11, 2013 at 12:03pm

You are exactly right Amber, coming from this side, I know what it feels like to feel ignored or strung along. So I have that respect from that standpoint and I know how to stay on top of my hiring managers for feedback. 

Amy, I will check out your blog! I'm ready and getting in gear!

Has anyone had feedback on Virtual Edge ATS or have used it before?  Any thoughts?

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Permalink Reply by Eric Smith on March 19, 2013 at 10:26am

My advice is to pick up the phone every chance, talk with hiring managers, and build relationships. Provide weekly updates as well. And always be responsive and accountable.

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Permalink Reply by Don Gross on March 19, 2013 at 10:32am

I would agree with Eric.  My success in the corporate recruiting world is due to the relationships I have established with hiring managers.  Get to know them, and they will trust you.  Good Luck!

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Permalink Reply by Tiffany Branch on March 19, 2013 at 11:23am

Corporate recruiting is about earning your hiring managers trust as an expert while still following the "process." Oftentimes, I engage my hiring managers in helping to identify potential candidates. I ask them who they know, what orgs they belong to, what companies would they like to see candidates from, etc. At the end, if they trust that you know what you are doing and provide a value, if that job takes a little longer to fill, it will be okay. Also, you may have to do more hand holding. In my current org, I create questionnaires for every position. I submit them to the manager before their inteview so they can get a better feel for the candidate. They love it. It takes more time on my end, but it benefits them. Especially since many of my current hiring managers aren't confident in their interviewing skills.

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Permalink Reply by IT Recruitment on March 19, 2013 at 5:52pm

Identifying and attracting candidates is only half the battle. It is a critical component of business success to have a quality screening process because a right hire can increase productivity and success while a bad hire can lead to losses in time, money and employee morale. Develop a quality screening process and make sure you paint an accurate picture of a position.

Than Nguyen

Dallas IT Recruiters

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Permalink Reply by Malia Jorgensen on March 20, 2013 at 12:48pm

Congratulations, Jai!  I did the same thing recently.  Spent 8 years in staffing/agency recruiting and started as a corporate recruiter 6 months ago.  It's nice to not have someone monitoring how many connects/interviews, etc. you have daily/weekly, but you are the only one in charge of building your pipeline.  I had no existing data base of candidates with I started, so I'm building everything from scratch.  Best wishes to you!  

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