
The big secret. Unique candidates
The recruitment industry is dysfunctional in many ways.
And the consequences are negative for all stakeholders. Clients, candidates and the recruiters themselves.
All the research*, and my own observations across the world, suggest most recruiters are working longer and harder than ever before, for less return.
Technology has not improved the process as we all hoped it would. Quite the reverse, in fact. It’s made so much data so available, and applying for jobs so easy, that the recruitment process is in fact made less efficient by the day. A cursory glance at how many candidates the average recruiter screens before one gets in front of a client, will tell you that**. (Note to HR tech wannabees: Solve THAT problem first)
What is for sure is that we must get paid more often for the work that we do
Historically, we have tried to deal with that by securing retainers, or at least taking job-orders exclusively. And that’s a good thing, as the contingent multi-listed job-order paradigm is about as fucked as a business model gets.
Exclusive jobs are good, but the big secret about recruitment now is exclusive candidates! (Check out the short video where I explain exactly what this means)
The candidates you get from job-boards are not exclusive, by definition. They are approaching clients direct, they are talking to other agencies, they are combing search engines and social media. The cold hard truth is that there is very little chance of you placing them. Even if they have all the skills. It’s a fact. We place a tiny percentage of the people we screen from job boards**.
If you have access to the same candidates that everyone else has, then your competitive advantage is driven around speed and price, and in that case you are on a slippery slope to recruiting hell.
The modern recruiter is a genius at accessing unique candidates. That is a candidate working only with you. Not available to competitors, but more importantly, unable to be found by your clients either.
What is more, these unique candidates are at the beginning of their job search. They are not ‘out there’. You can act as their agent. This is key.
How do you get these elusive ‘unique candidates’? I have written and spoken extensively about this, but it’s all around becoming a skills-hunter and a talent magnet.
Take heed – don’t follow the herd into oblivion. Unique candidates are the differentiator in modern recruiting. Find unique candidates with in-demand skills and your clients will not only come to you, they will pay you higher fees for the privilege.
* e.g. Bullhorn Recruitment Trends Report 2015.
** Recent research from Social Talent suggest that on average agencies screen 282 potential candidates for a job, for 6 to be presented for interview, 4 to actually get interviews, and one to get hired. Reflect on that for a moment!
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- Posted by Greg Savage
- On June 15, 2016
- 5 Comments
5 Comments