This blog is written for hiring managers who have partnered with external Recruiters in the past or are contemplating it for the future. You need to be clear on how to partner best with external recruiters so you are set up for success. Hiring is a skill, and as we know-skills must be consistently honed. Choosing an external recruiter is a part of that skill-set, so it’s time that we talk a little bit about it.
So often, I have the following conversation:
“We are working with a terrible external recruiter. Ugh. They’re doing nothing for us. They don’t ‘get it’”
“Why did you choose them?”
“What do you mean…choose?”
“Well, you remember you had a choice, right? You know you can interview a few different Recruiters. Invite them into your office and meet them in-person. Then, you can check their references and ensure you are fully confident in your decision. Did you empower yourself to do that?”
“Oh. Gosh. No. Didn’t think to do any of that. Just called the awful guy we’ve always called in the past…we were in a rush.”
This conversation has probably been had by every External Recruiter I know. We end up totally flabbergasted and talk privately about this, among ourselves, asking: how do we better educate them? What can we do? How can we help them help themselves? Why is this still happening?
A few pointers!
- Slow down to speed up.
When you are rushing to hire, you are panicked. Your heart-rate goes up, your palms start sweating and you literally call external recruiters out of breath. (We also talk among ourselves in disbelief about how frequently we get calls like this!). At this moment, you think quicker is better. “Send me resumes NOW!” “Get this filled YESTERDAY!” and in this moment of panic, you could potentially choose the wrong external Recruiter. You’re panicked. Does it even matter which external recruiter you hire, you think? I just need a sea of resumes ASAP! OF COURSE it matters! If you care about your employer brand, candidate experience and hiring process, you have to choose wisely. Your actions need to be aligned with your words. If you say you are a strategic hiring manager who takes great pride in your candidate experience, employer brand, desire to hire diverse talent….how can you do this well in a haphazard state of panic? Lastly, it’s really important to remember that the recruiter you choose to partner with is an external brand ambassador for your organization. That’s a very important role; this person is the first impression to your organization. Are you ready to entrust that responsibility to just… anyone?
- Do your research.
So your CFO said to call ‘this awful guy’ because you’ve been partnering with him since 1996. Great. But, is he the right match for you? You are the hiring manager. What is best for YOU? Empower yourself to research your own recruitment partners and choose wisely. If you’re hiring well, you will be partnering with this recruiter consistently and need to be transparent, communicative and respectful of each other. You want to ensure it’s someone whose values align with yours, and ensure you know exactly the level of service you’ll be getting, understand how they treat candidates, and how they’ll be representing your employer brand to the external market. Ask friends in your space for recommendations. Schedule a few phone calls. Invite your top choice out for coffee. Interview! This isn’t meant to be a dismissive choice. If you choose wisely, your entire employer brand can improve. The quality of your hiring process today will indicate your ability for future talent attraction, engagement and recruitment. Who do you want on that important journey with you?!
- See it in a positive light!
When I talk to external Recruiters in Europe and Australia, they are surprised that not every internal Recruiter or HR pro in NYC has embraced the idea of partnership with external recruiters. They ask me: why doesn’t everyone recognize the power of a strong external recruiter? Don’t they see that more is accomplished as a team? Why haven’t they learned the power of choosing a strong partner? I don’t have all the answers for them. But, I have observed that many feel defeated if they need external help. “I should have been able to do this myself!” they say, and thereby start the process from a feeling of negativity. I can’t help them overcome that; that’s their own self-awareness work to do. But, I will empower hiring managers to know that it is NOT a weakness to need external help. There are so many times in our lives when we will reach out to an external service provider to bring in additional expertise (think about it: lawyer, accountant, therapist, coach, trainer…the list goes on). We need to try and pivot the thought to: It’s a gift to have the help from someone on the outside. They’ll save me time, money and resources. They’ll teach me some things I’ll use in the future. They’ll help me see something in a new way. They’ll give me constructive feedback and help me grow professionally. They’re an expert in this and will guide us in ways that we can’t even see yet! They’ll even take some things off my plate so I can be freed up for something else. Come from a place of excitement and gratitude for the external help, not defeat. Release your emotions of negativity. Hiring should be fun, and an external recruiter should be a joyful part of a fun process!
—
There you have it: a few thoughts I wanted to share with you. I could talk about this topic all day every day. There’s more to be said and I’m excited to keep talking about this with you. I simply hope this helps you start to think of external recruitment partnership in a new light. Recruitment is a service; within that are varying levels of service. Make sure you know what you need and want…
Choose carefully. Interview your recruiters. Slow it down. Think positively.
Happy Recruiting!