|
"When you
need a heart by-pass, will you select your surgeon on the basis
of what he charges?"
Companies think very little about paying the fees charged by lawyers,
accountants and management consultants, but when it comes to finding
and hiring top talent, a whole new mentality appears. The prevalent
thinking seems to be that a company doesn't mind paying huge fees
for what they cannot do for themselves, but that finding talent
is something they could do if they wanted to, but will farm it out
if the price is low enough. This may be true for some positions,
but for top talent, nothing could be further from the truth. These
people are usually not unemployed, nor are they scanning the want
ads looking for another position; they are busily making money for
your competition!
Here are a few reasons why recruiters are worth what they charge:
1. Expertise: Nobody knows the employment marketplace better
than a professional recruiter who specializes in certain industries
or types of positions. They bring an objective, unbiased view of
the market to your search.
2. Cast a wider net: Recruiters are talking to talented people
every day. They have a detailed roadmap to hidden talent sources
which cannot be accessed by newspaper ads, alumni associations,
applicant databases or the Internet. When you go fishing, the best
way to find the big ones is to hire a guide. Same with recruiting.
3. Cost: It is a misconception among employers that the cost
of a hire equals the cost of the ads run to attract the person hired.
The true cost of recruiting includes: salaries and benefits of the
HR staff involved, plus those of the line manager's time; source
development costs including ads; overhead expenses including telephone,
postage, PR literature, applicant database maintenance, reference
checking, clerical costs responding to hundreds of unqualified applicants;
Training costs for wrong person hired as well as lost business and
stress on department while position is vacant or inadequately filled
4. Unbiased third party input: A professional recruiter is
not interested in putting the wrong person in the position. Our
reputation is based on our ability to find someone better than a
company can find on their own. For most positions, a recruiter starts
with a "long list", which must be called and evaluated, not just
for qualifications, but for cultural "fit". They are looking for
someone who can solve client problems, not just to fill an open
slot in the company organizational chart. Other companies may solve
similar problems with a different, perhaps even better set of job
skills. This type of information will be available through a professional
recruiter.
5. Confidentiality: Constant advertising can be harmful to
a company's reputation, causing a perception that a company is unable
to attract top candidates or keep them once they are hired. It may
also cause turmoil to existing employees as to why they were not
being considered, why people are leaving etc. It can also give your
competitors insight into weaknesses inside your organization.
6. Speed: The recruiting process is always faster through
a professional recruiter who is continually tapped into the talent
marketplace than one having to start the process from scratch. You
know the cost of a key position remaining open, both in terms of
lost revenue, lost opportunity and the effect on morale for those
having to cover the position until it is filled.
7. Post-Hire Downtime: Not only is speed an essential part
of the recruiting process, but also the ability to locate a person
who can "hit the ground running" with a minimum of "ramp-up time"
saves time and money after the hire.
8. Reality Check: Since professional recruiters are hired
to provide the right candidate to solve a problem, not just fill
a slot, they are able to provide alternate target industries or
give insight into realistic salary requirements etc.
9. Negotiation: As a buffer and informed intermediary, the
professional recruiter is better able to blend the needs and wants
of both parties to arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement without
the polarizing roadblocks which can materialize in face-to-face
dealings. The recruiter will also be there to walk the candidate
through the resignation process and the inevitable counter offer.
10. Networking: When you hire us, you tap into a network
of thousands of professional recruiters across North America, giving
us a far larger candidate base from which to choose the 3 or 4 best
to present to your company. Even though you will have many recruiters
working on your behalf, company information is kept confidential
until the final candidates are selected. You have only one contact
with the network - the recruiter handling the assignment.
THE FEE PAID TO A RECRUITER IS A STRATEGIC INVESTMENT IN FINDING
TOP TALENT TO UPGRADE YOU DEPARTMENT AND YOUR COMPANY, NOT AN EXTRANEOUS
EXPENSE.
|
