| The world of recruitment is changing. Traditionally, | | | | business case to hiring managers. |
| employers turned to recruiters for their resume | | | | The increasing speed of recruiting projects is another |
| databases and knowledge of an organization's | | | | pressure on the modern recruiter. It is not uncommon |
| structure. Recruiters were esteemed for their ability to | | | | for a hiring manager to say, "Get me someone in two |
| organize large numbers of candidates and choose the | | | | or three day, this project is crucial." And sought-after |
| best suited candidates for specific jobs within the hiring | | | | candidates put the pressure on as well with comments |
| manager's company. | | | | like, "I have three offers and need yours by Friday so I |
| While such a skill set is still useful in a limited number of | | | | can decide over the weekend." So the future recruiter |
| cases, the nature of recruiting is changing rapidly and | | | | has to be a 'fastcruiter'. |
| requires new skills. Whereas the traditional recruiter | | | | The old world of recruiting was built on stability; the |
| focused within an organization and had a structured | | | | new world is built on change and flexibility. The modern |
| approach to gathering and sorting through resumes | | | | recruiter must be fast, flexible, relationship-oriented and |
| over a period of weeks, the modern recruiter has a | | | | have an active orientation on facts and data. |
| global focus and a flexible approach to analyzing | | | | Seeking Top Talent |
| candidates, which have been sourced through a | | | | In a competitive, fast-paced business world, everybody |
| network of contacts and relationships | | | | wants to hire top people. Better advertising and |
| The recruiter will stay connected to her talent circle | | | | marketing is part of the solution. Another part of the |
| through email, e-letters, the telephone and even | | | | solution is having enough recruiters who know how to |
| face-to-face contact. The circle will constantly change | | | | recruit top people. |
| as new referrals are made by current members. But | | | | Virtually no one sets out to hire marginal candidates. |
| no one in the network will consider themselves | | | | But this happens when tactics drive strategy rather |
| members, rather participants within a group that | | | | than the other way round. Hiring practices, techniques |
| benefits everyone. The benefits include sharing of | | | | and tools have to be designed to hire top people. |
| ideas, the ability to help each other profile jobs and | | | | A talent-centric strategy means that every single step |
| using the collective wisdom of the network as a filter, | | | | involved in hiring is designed to meet the needs of top |
| collaboration on projects, friendship and employment. | | | | talent. Every interface, every advertisement and ad |
| For example, consider this recruitment request from a | | | | placement, every form, every question, every meeting, |
| hiring manager: "I need a person who can oversee a | | | | every email, every offer - in fact every encounter |
| computer programming project involving programmers | | | | must be designed to ensure that top people will be |
| in three countries and that will be used by people in a | | | | wowed by the recruitment process. The 21st Century |
| fourth country." This is the kind of challenge senior | | | | recruiter will know how to seek top talent and all the |
| recruiters now face. Such a demand is unlikely to be | | | | lessons in this Work Book will include these strategies. |
| quickly filled by running a keyword search or by using | | | | Taking a Consultative Approach |
| robots. It is unlikely such a person will be neatly located | | | | If recruiters want to differentiate themselves from the |
| on a job board. | | | | rest of the pack, they need to ask themselves |
| This is the kind of candidate that a recruiter will be | | | | whether they are providers of resumes or providers |
| more successful finding through their network of talent. | | | | of expertise. In other words, recruiters need to |
| They can put this recruitment challenge to their | | | | understand the difference between transactional |
| sources and ask, "What skills would a person need to | | | | service and consultative service. |
| have in order to do this job? Would they need project | | | | A successful recruiter brings more than resumes to |
| management skills? Team building experience? | | | | hiring managers. Those providing consultation to hiring |
| Experience living internationally? Fluency in several | | | | managers bring a much broader range of valuable |
| languages? Knowledge of computer programming | | | | information and service. Successful recruiters can |
| language? Good sales skill?" The recruiter can then | | | | convey market changes directly to hiring managers. |
| sort through the answers and, augmented with | | | | This information comes directly from the source, the |
| assessment tools, create a skills profile that she can | | | | candidates. If the market is the employment industry, |
| present to the hiring manager. | | | | then the candidates are the conduit to the |
| Along with the skills profile, the recruiter will have to | | | | marketplace. |
| answer questions about people with those skills who | | | | The more candidates that recruiters meet, the more |
| live in the surrounding area, which companies these | | | | information they can gather and pass on to hiring |
| people work at, and if students in local colleges and | | | | managers. Information like the availability of various skill |
| universities are studying this subject. By tapping into | | | | sets, the demand for different skill sets, turn-around |
| government databases and perhaps even creating | | | | time needed to secure a top candidate and other |
| some proprietary ones, the recruiter gets a good | | | | current employment trends. |
| understanding of the market that will help hiring | | | | Taking a consultative approach will establish you as an |
| managers understand what they can expect to find | | | | expert. Value means more than increasing headcount |
| locally and what will be difficult to find. It is such an | | | | in a company. |
| external/global focus that helps the recruiter make a | | | | |