“You can put lipstick on a pig but it’s still a pig” - Greg Savage 2011

Greg was ripping into a Discussion I had proposed with the above comment. Charming Australian directness I thought but in fact it struck me as very apt in another way: Lots of recruitment is dressed up to impress but ultimately some deliver less than they promise.

I’ll add the normal caveat and say there are many exceptional recruiters who do deliver what they promise but there are probably as many who do not.

So why is the word “promise” used in the above description?

Well it’s because recruitment is a process with uncertain outcomes. If you pay an Assassin to kill someone he might get hit by a bus before completing the mission! He might shoot the wrong person…it happens. There are no guarantees.

If however you pay the person who brings you the head of the intended target, there is no uncertainty. This is the basis of our proposition at Vacancy-Clearing.

So next time you listen to a “promise” ask yourself the question… why?

The Russian sniper and The British spy.

The Russian sniper and the British spy…a modern tale of in-house and agency recruitment in a snowy setting.

I remember being told this story as a boy and it’s one of those that attached itself to my consciousness for no apparent reason… that is until today! I realise that it’s a metaphor for the struggle between the forces of in-house recruitment and agency recruitment. As with the story the outcome is by no means certain.

The story is set in the snowy Alps. The British spy (Agency) is being chased on cross-country skis by the Russian sniper (In-House). The Russian is faster downhill but slower than the spy going uphill. The spy is forced to climb higher and higher, knowing all the time that eventually he will reach the top of the mountain.

The moral of the story is that the spy cannot keep on running and must eventually face his adversary. In order to prevail he must hand over the secret documents/market territory or fight/compete with the sniper.

How do you see the outcome?

Licensing

 

(Q) If Recruitment Agencies were like Taxis, which one would you be?

(A) You’re the unlicensed one!

If you think something should be done about this please add a comment.

When is Recruitment Consultancy really Recruitment Consultancy and not just People Placing on commission-only.

Employer: What do you do?

Consultant: I’m a Recruitment Consultant.

Employer: Ok so you advise me how to recruit - right?

Consultant: Well not exactly. I find people for your jobs.

Employer: So if there was a better way to find people, would you recommend that?

Consultant: No I only get paid to place people with you, not for pointing you in another direction.

Employer: So where’s the “Consultancy” in that?

Consultant: Pay me to advise you on how to optimise your recruitment processes and I’ll show you.

Now that recruitment has changed so much, should People Placers look to offer more Recruitment Consultancy regardless of who actually finds the candidate?

What the Recruitment industry must learn from Steve Jobs.

There’s stuff you’re happy to pay for and stuff you begrudge paying for. Think about that one for a second - the list of examples forms quickly in the mind! I’m pretty sure iPhones fall into the first category and life insurance falls into the second.

What about recruitment consultancy?

Well, we have all experienced the moment when a client hires a great candidate and just for that moment they’re not thinking about the cost, they’re thinking about value. Unfortunately the moment tends to evaporate the next time they get a commission-driven sales call or an over-sold candidate.

What Steve Jobs did so well was create a product that resonated with a generation. It was so cool people couldn’t wait for it. They queued around the block for it. As Recruitment Consultants we need to do the same for our clients so that, when we call, they are dribbling with anticipation.

What product or service can we offer that resonates with this generation?

I believe it involves turning our backs on the volume cold-calling “Big Biller” self-interested mentality and taking an holistic consultative approach to recruitment: what’s in the best interests of the client? How can we help make this company better at hiring? How can we reduce their hiring costs? You may never introduce a candidate to them directly again!

This is what I am now doing with www.rsg1000.com. Its recruitment consultancy but not you have known it!

It’s not going to be easy and for many it will be beyond their capabilities but I believe the answer to the question above is:

“Give your client the coolest recruitment strategy they’ve ever seen, upgrade it regularly and leave them feeling in awe.”

Let me know what you think?

Those that would like to become involved should email me david@rsg1000.com

What has the King of Tonga got to do with Recruitment Agencies?

I think we have all accepted that Social Media and the In-House recruitment model have taken root and we need to adapt our recruitment agency offering accordingly.

Does this acceptance mean that a large part of the £20 billion per annum spent on agency recruitment will disappear? The answer depends on to what extent agencies evolve new services to generate new revenues that will replace those that will inevitably be lost.

So what might Recruitment Consultancy look like going forward?

New Services:

Agency recruitment has traditionally been a single outsourced function. Your clients are now exercising the option to take that back in-house. However there are new challenges they will face. These challenges are actually bi-products of the very changes that triggered the move back in-house in the first place. They include: fast-evolving social media, software, technological and cloud based recruitment tools. We may also see: agency licensing, professional qualifications for in-house recruiters, national recruitment agency networks, global recruitment agency alliances. In 5 years time there will be many more. If your client wants to remain recruitment-competitive they may well seek expert help in choosing and integrating the best resources. Are you equiped to provide it?

Greater Accessibility:

What Agencies must also do is overcome market fragmentation and become more accessible. We need to create a supply side where 1000s of great agency recruiters no longer have to shout to be heard.

Due to the nature of the job, the way you are rewarded and zero barriers to entry, fragmentation is inevitable as Recruitment Consultants ultimately seek and value their independence. However there is a possible solution.

The one-stop Recruitment Network who's members cover: all Recruitment Agency sectors, Contractor management, Social Media consultancy, HR consultancy, In-House consultancy, New Product reviews and Global recruitment solutions offers the client an accessible resource that meets all possible needs. It also goes a long way to removing the now redundant PSL.

Like the King of Tonga ruling a tiny kingdom may not be what it once was.

The Word is not Enough!

Recruitment Consultancy in most peoples’ eyes involves the successful introduction of a candidate to a company resulting in an agency earning a fee.

But this isn’t Consultancy!

Consultancy is about providing advice, in this case about how to best approach recruitment, irrespective of where the candidates eventually come from.

In the old days the way you best served your client was by finding and delivering the right candidate. Nowadays, in spite of the fact that agencies are in a shrinking market, fortunately there’s much more to talk to clients about.

The options and choices hiring companies must consider to remain recruitment competitive are complex and demanding: In-House? Agency? RPO? ATS? Facebook? Twitter? Mobile?

Consultancy is about helping these companies get the best blend of resources, optimising their effectiveness and syncing them with internal resources. It’s about delivering the best recruitment outcomes.

Recruitment is evolving.

Calling yourself a “Consultant” is not enough.

If you choose to do so, you have to become a Consultant.