Five pieces of great recruiting news

Some brilliant things are happening in recruitment right now!

I see them with my clients.

I hear about them from recruiters daily.

I hope you see them where you are.

This should cheer us all up.

1. A new generation of recruiters is being born!

Right before our eyes. The mass layoffs and defections from our industry due to Covid have left agency employers with little choice. Hire rookies! And they are – in the thousands. While this may create some short-term challenges as the newbies ramp up, it has brought in a diverse group of talented, ambitious, resourceful new recruiters who will add energy and a fresh outlook to the industry. Sure, many won’t stay long term, but many will, and that is an exciting prospect.

2. Developing recruiters is getting better!

We have a long way to go, but my observation is that this new generation of newbie hires is getting better onboarding, better training, and better coaching than ever before. Oh, it’s not anywhere near perfect, but I see real commitment from employers to help people succeed. And it’s not all about ‘billing fast’. There is a desire to make sure skills are learned, ethos absorbed, and mental health maintained. I also see more effort to help already ‘good’ recruiters become ‘great’. I am delighted at this, and have an offering to assist.

3. Maturity and trust have blossomed.

Driven chiefly by WFH and a range of flexible arrangements, employers are learning to trust their recruiters to do good work unsupervised. Or at least ‘unwatched’. Understand me on this. Clear expectations, high standards, activity goals, and outcomes still drive consistent recruitment success, but many managers no longer feel the need to ‘look over shoulders’. (PS I wrote an eBook on managing recruiter productivity, and you can have it here. Free). You do still get some premier league micromanaging in Agency recruitment, and you also always get some recruiters who game the system and take advantage. Still, overall, the dynamic has changed for the better.

4. Recruiters are being promoted sooner.

Again, driven by need and growth, employers are adjusting the criteria for promotion to Team Leader and Manager. It’s also true they are getting better at working out career paths for recruiters. Some recruiters are suited to leading. Others can have just as successful a career as a long-term recruiting mega-star. This has led to the right people slotting into the right roles, which drives excellent outcomes for all stakeholders. We have a long way to go, but I love the idea of opportunities being offered based on ability, potential and trajectory – not on how long you have been in the seat, or how much you billed last year.

5. Recruiters believe in their value! (And so do clients).

Many recruiters are losing the underlying ‘imposter syndrome’ that we all go through. They know they are great at finding candidates that their clients can’t. They understand that bringing those candidates to the client hiring table is a game-changer. And they know that they can manage the process through to an acceptance. Both recruiters and client are clearer about the value this brings to the client. It is business-critical. And everyone can see that. Therefore, many recruiters are declining to take on ‘bad business’, and more clients offer exclusive work. And those are beautiful things.

I know it’s different in every market and every vertical.

This may not apply where you are.

These are just refreshing good news trends I am seeing. I love them, and I hope you drive them forward.

The benefits for client, candidate, and recruiter, are immeasurable.

Have a wonderful recruiting week!

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