Every company needs external and/or internal recruiters. With the war for talent, the role of any Recruiter is to become more and more crucial.
But what is actually the role of the recruiter?
When I started M18 almost 20 years ago I quickly learned that there are almost as many types of recruiters as there are fish in the sea. Depending on the company and importance that it places on recruitment, this role can vary. For some companies, it might be doing mere CV analyses and processing. For others it might mean having the final say in the hiring of any candidate within a company.
One thing is certain, the role of the recruitment consultant has evolved and is becoming increasingly crucial for the development of any company! Regardless of whether this recruiter is external or an integral part of the organisation.
Why is it so important to work with a professional recruiter?
Because they can:
- Read between the lines and identify what a candidate is- and isn’t saying in the CV
- Determine the pace of the recruitment process
- Identify the best CVs out of an entire pile in no time
- Do an honest interview in order to quickly determine the right match
- Explain to line management why they should choose candidate A over candidate B
- Be bold and convince the hiring manager even when there’s only one (great) candidate
- Explain findings from the market
- Advise client to make possible changes in their demands depending on these findings”
- Keep track of the duration of the recruitment process which means making the difference between hiring or losing THE candidate
Whilst all of this has always been the case, today being a professional recruiter goes much further than matching candidate and company. As recruiters we listen actively to the context of the hiring company (market, competitors, internal developments…), and by asking the right questions we identify much more than just their recruitment needs. We understand their strategies, business models, market approach, daily pains and gains…, all whilst treating this information in strictest confidence.
It often happens that through listening and analyses we become a ‘trusted advisor’ or ‘business enabler’ that helps companies beyond their recruitment needs.
One small example: We met a scale-up that is producing start-of-the-art innovative robots. It just so happens that we have another client that imports and distributes products for the same market. Because we understood the business models of both companies we asked both of their leaders whether they would be interested to meet, and we then put them in touch with one another.
In this example we could apply our broad and strategic view on different markets and companies not just for our clients’ recruitment benefits, but also to enhance their overall business.
So here are my tips:
- next time that you are looking for a recruitment partner or are hiring a recruitment consultant, look at the value add that such party brings.
- talk more to your current recruiters, their knowledge of the market and of your business, which they obtain from speaking to the many candidates that they meet, is an excellent source of information that is of great value to your company’s future success.
