Recruiting used to be an entry-level HR position, but those days are waning
How will organizations of the future win the war for talent? Today they spend millions of dollars trying to create competitive recruitment strategies. They try powerful recruitment brands, slick career sites, effective assessment tools and lucrative rewards packages.
But how many organizations are investing the same amount of time and effort into developing recruiter capability? Globally, heads of companies consistently rank the ability to find the right talent to deliver on business objectives as one of their greatest challenges. That makes the recruiter’s role one of the most important in the company.
Given the many recruitment issues that will face organizations over the next decade, one would think developing recruiter capability should quickly be rising to the top of the HR priority list. But, surprisingly, it is not. How does a company put steps in place to ensure it has the right capability to get talent in the door?
The first step is to recognize the importance of the recruitment function and the professional skills needed to efficiently and effectively manage hiring practices. As one of the single greatest assets the organization has for sourcing and attracting talent, the appropriate investment of time and resources is needed to ensure the right recruitment capability is hired and developed for the organization.
Remember, it takes talent to find talent. The investment in capability upfront will have a direct impact on the quality of the talent who come in the door later. On the flip side, weaker capability means less impressive results for the business overall.
The next step is to determine what capability is needed for the organization. Does it need a recruitment specialist or a recruitment generalist? Does it need an agency or corporate recruiter?
A recruitment specialist is typically a recruiter who is focused on one particular skill, business or talent pool. Many large organizations have specialized recruiters who target a specific career segment, industry, line of business or role. Depending on the demand for talent in the organization, choosing specialized recruiters can be a very effective strategy. The recruitment generalist, like the HR generalist, is expected to be the jack of all trades on the recruitment team. Often considered to have a more challenging recruiter role, as no two positions they ever recruit for are alike, the recruitment generalist is often found on smaller teams and typically in small- to mid-size companies.
Other factors to consider when deciding on what capability is needed is whether a more strategic or transactional recruiter is needed. Consideration should be given to the degree of accountability the recruiter has for the end-to-end hiring process, the amount of project work, program management and strategy development.
Another consideration when determining what capability is needed is whether the organization needs staffing agency or corporate recruitment experience. Many recruitment teams now have a mix of skills to balance business and organizational awareness with strong sourcing and networking capability. Both types of recruiters can play a valuable role in any recruitment strategy.
Once the type of recruiter capability has been determined, knowing where to find the capability is key. When seeking recruitment talent, the best place to start is with people who are already in the profession. Ask other recruiters for names of good recruiters — they all know their competition.
Another way to attract recruiters is by demonstrating an organization’s commitment to good hiring practices. Recruiters build awareness of organizational hiring practices through many routes. Remember they speak to jobseekers every day and this provides them with a wealth of knowledge that they then use when seeking new opportunities for themselves.
Staffing agencies are also a good source of recruiter talent and one that is often overlooked. The vast majority of recruiters have spent some time over their career working for a staffing agency and it is likely that experience that has developed their sourcing and networking skills.
Depending on what capability is needed the assessment of recruiter skills should focus on outcomes and success factors:
•Can the recruiter network and source the right talent? Sourcing capabilities have become a key differentiator of recruiter capability and should be probed extensively.
•Can they attract talent once it has been identified? It is easier to attract candidates to companies with well-known brands, but can they attract a candidate to an unknown brand?
•Can they build strong relationships with your business partners to determine “fit” to your organization?
•Can they deliver quality talent in the right amount of time and at the right cost?
If assessing recruiter capability is not your strength, know when to hand it over to the professionals.
If an organization already has the right recruiters working for it, it is then important to know how to keep them. Recruiters work the job market everyday and are more aware than most of the many career opportunities available. Retention strategies for recruiters are not that different than for most HR professionals, with one notable exception: recruiters are more like sales professionals than HR professionals.
They sell, negotiate and close deals everyday and want to be recognized and rewarded for both short- and long-term successes. Ongoing growth and development of the recruiter is also essential. Recruiters know they need a path of continual learning or they will be less competitive in the job market. Communicate career path options and be committed to their ongoing development.
Lastly, know the market value of your recruiters and ensure they are fairly compensated. Quickly going are the days when recruitment was the entry-level job in HR.
In anticipation of the many talent and labour shortages facing organizations in the next decade, some HR leaders are beginning to build the right recruitment capability now. They are hiring professional recruiters, developing their skills and rewarding them appropriately for the value they bring. They know investing in recruiter capability today will make a difference in their organization’s ability to recruit tomorrow.
Maureen Neglia is director, RBC recruitment for RBC Financial Group.
But how many organizations are investing the same amount of time and effort into developing recruiter capability? Globally, heads of companies consistently rank the ability to find the right talent to deliver on business objectives as one of their greatest challenges. That makes the recruiter’s role one of the most important in the company.
Given the many recruitment issues that will face organizations over the next decade, one would think developing recruiter capability should quickly be rising to the top of the HR priority list. But, surprisingly, it is not. How does a company put steps in place to ensure it has the right capability to get talent in the door?
The first step is to recognize the importance of the recruitment function and the professional skills needed to efficiently and effectively manage hiring practices. As one of the single greatest assets the organization has for sourcing and attracting talent, the appropriate investment of time and resources is needed to ensure the right recruitment capability is hired and developed for the organization.
Remember, it takes talent to find talent. The investment in capability upfront will have a direct impact on the quality of the talent who come in the door later. On the flip side, weaker capability means less impressive results for the business overall.
The next step is to determine what capability is needed for the organization. Does it need a recruitment specialist or a recruitment generalist? Does it need an agency or corporate recruiter?
A recruitment specialist is typically a recruiter who is focused on one particular skill, business or talent pool. Many large organizations have specialized recruiters who target a specific career segment, industry, line of business or role. Depending on the demand for talent in the organization, choosing specialized recruiters can be a very effective strategy. The recruitment generalist, like the HR generalist, is expected to be the jack of all trades on the recruitment team. Often considered to have a more challenging recruiter role, as no two positions they ever recruit for are alike, the recruitment generalist is often found on smaller teams and typically in small- to mid-size companies.
Other factors to consider when deciding on what capability is needed is whether a more strategic or transactional recruiter is needed. Consideration should be given to the degree of accountability the recruiter has for the end-to-end hiring process, the amount of project work, program management and strategy development.
Another consideration when determining what capability is needed is whether the organization needs staffing agency or corporate recruitment experience. Many recruitment teams now have a mix of skills to balance business and organizational awareness with strong sourcing and networking capability. Both types of recruiters can play a valuable role in any recruitment strategy.
Once the type of recruiter capability has been determined, knowing where to find the capability is key. When seeking recruitment talent, the best place to start is with people who are already in the profession. Ask other recruiters for names of good recruiters — they all know their competition.
Another way to attract recruiters is by demonstrating an organization’s commitment to good hiring practices. Recruiters build awareness of organizational hiring practices through many routes. Remember they speak to jobseekers every day and this provides them with a wealth of knowledge that they then use when seeking new opportunities for themselves.
Staffing agencies are also a good source of recruiter talent and one that is often overlooked. The vast majority of recruiters have spent some time over their career working for a staffing agency and it is likely that experience that has developed their sourcing and networking skills.
Depending on what capability is needed the assessment of recruiter skills should focus on outcomes and success factors:
•Can the recruiter network and source the right talent? Sourcing capabilities have become a key differentiator of recruiter capability and should be probed extensively.
•Can they attract talent once it has been identified? It is easier to attract candidates to companies with well-known brands, but can they attract a candidate to an unknown brand?
•Can they build strong relationships with your business partners to determine “fit” to your organization?
•Can they deliver quality talent in the right amount of time and at the right cost?
If assessing recruiter capability is not your strength, know when to hand it over to the professionals.
If an organization already has the right recruiters working for it, it is then important to know how to keep them. Recruiters work the job market everyday and are more aware than most of the many career opportunities available. Retention strategies for recruiters are not that different than for most HR professionals, with one notable exception: recruiters are more like sales professionals than HR professionals.
They sell, negotiate and close deals everyday and want to be recognized and rewarded for both short- and long-term successes. Ongoing growth and development of the recruiter is also essential. Recruiters know they need a path of continual learning or they will be less competitive in the job market. Communicate career path options and be committed to their ongoing development.
Lastly, know the market value of your recruiters and ensure they are fairly compensated. Quickly going are the days when recruitment was the entry-level job in HR.
In anticipation of the many talent and labour shortages facing organizations in the next decade, some HR leaders are beginning to build the right recruitment capability now. They are hiring professional recruiters, developing their skills and rewarding them appropriately for the value they bring. They know investing in recruiter capability today will make a difference in their organization’s ability to recruit tomorrow.
Maureen Neglia is director, RBC recruitment for RBC Financial Group.
