Guess who is H.R?
This post has been written for the latest edition of #HRCarnival, which is hosted by Jennifer McClure. Jennifer is best known as @CincyRecruiter.
I was lucky enough to meet Jennifer at #HREvolution, and I’m delighted that she will be sharing her wisdom at #truManchester on the 8th/9th September. Not to be missed!
I have been prompted in to this post in defence of Recruiters. Recruiters have never been top of the christmas card lists (apart from those they have got jobs for,) but just recently they have come in for extra attention particularly from the H.R. Community.
I believe recruiters, third-party or corporate, do a great job. I was proud to be a recruiter for many years. One of the key areas that I believe has damaged the service received by H.R.Departments, is the lack of any real partnership or trust in the recruiting process.
These are my 5 ways we could fix the process and build better relationships:
1: Don’t work with multiple suppliers. You tend to get back the loyalty you give. Build a close relationship with your chosen suppliers. Meet often and help them to understand your company, its culture and people, not just your open vacancies.
2: Understand what you are looking for beyond a list of skills wanted and a tick list. This means understanding and communicating a realistic picture of your culture, the job and the department warts and all. You should spend 40 minutes to an hour discussing this every time you are recruiting.
3: Ask for conversations not resumes. If you are going to trust your recruiters, then you are going to need to trust their recommendations. If they ask you to interview someone, then you should. When the relationship is right, the resume is an interview aid, not a selection tool.
4: Communicate face-mail not e-mail. on the phone or in person. Discuss requirements, candidates, people and progress. Be willing to listen to advice from a recruiting expert.
5: always give feedback in a timely way. give the recruiter something to tell their candidates. Issue rejections with advice and be willing to accept feedback in the other direction.
These are just a few thoughts. Maybe we should petition for a “love your recruiter” day.
Be ambassadors of great recruiting,
Bill
Norton Folgate: The Recruiting Unblog 
[…] In Defense of Recruiters – Professor Bill Boorman of Norton Folgate: The Recruiting Unblog. […]
Some of my best friends are recruiters!