Before you can improve efficiencies and results using the tips I’ve provided throughout this blog post series, you must first identify the right recruiter for you.
After 20 years as a headhunter, I hold these three truths to be self-evident about Great vs. Lousy Recruiters:
- Great recruiters add value to their clients by providing top talent and insight.
- Lousy recruiters waste people’s time and make just enough placements to stay in the business.
- Companies receive more solicitations from lousy recruiters than great ones because there are many more lousy recruiters than great ones.
In addition to those three self-evident truths, I also believe two of what you might call “sub-truths”:
- Great recruiters have things in common. They were trained well, they have a process, and they have a variety of tools and resources. They have experience recruiting or working in the industry or discipline for which they recruit and present candidates in a manner that shows the person is qualified and interested in the job. These professionals strive to improve themselves and their methods and enjoy a stellar reputation and the fruits of their labor.
- Lousy recruiters lack most of these qualities. They believe recruiting is a way to make a fast buck, they have a few methods of identifying candidates, and they like to wallpaper their clients and prospective clients with resumes, hoping to get a hit in the process.
Use these truths (and “sub-truths”) to align yourself with a great recruiter . . . and avoid working with a lousy recruiter. Doing so will make all the difference in the world.
(For more information about maximizing the benefits of working with a recruiter, download a copy of Dan Simmons’s e-Book, Hunting the Headhunter: Your Guide to Debunking Myths, Cutting Costs, and Changing the Way You Play the Recruitment Game.)
