Recently, I read an article, “Recruitment, Why are Candidates Getting Frustrated” by Claude Loeffen, which discussed the low response rate Recruiters get from calls to Candidates.  Excellent points were made, the best being that candidates do not want to deal with uninformed recruiters, but it was the responses to the article which were most intriguing.  Several focused on the lack of training for recruiting newbies, forcing enrollment in the ‘baptism by fire’ school of OJT.  In all the commiseration, however, I think they were missing the point.

ROI Without the ‘I’?

Companies who view their Recruiters as valuable brand ambassadors DO create internal Recruiter training programs.  Recruiting is not simply a ‘job’; it is a profession with a rich, interesting, and varied career path.  As in all professions, the training never ends for Recruiters. They and their employers must continually invest in their growth as they do with their other professionals if they are to be best in class.

There is a ramp-up period for all professionals, and there’s no avoiding it.  Inexplicably, some employers behave as if recruiting is akin to a temporary receptionist job with its rapid ramp-up and instant productivity – it’s simply not true no matter how much we may wish it to be.  Brand-new recruiters have a mountain to scale which they must do quickly.  The pressure to produce on a base of literally no experience is seldom seen in other professions.  The trip up the mountain for an experienced Recruiter joining a new company is smoother, but it must be traversed nonetheless.  Clearly, compensation plans suggest that employers recognize the complexity and value of the recruiting role – it may be wise to allow the ramp-up and training plans to reflect these as well.   

A great, low-risk high-reward way to begin in the Recruiting profession is as a Sourcer.  You can learn the foundational skills of the profession and your chosen industry focus without damaging future relationships and referrals or your employer’s reputation.

Value-Focused Recruiting

Most importantly, successful long-term Recruiters, like Executive Search professionals, recognize that they are their own brand in addition to their employer’s brand.  They seek to become the ‘go to’ person for a given populace when seeking position changes or career advancement.  These Recruiters become sources of useful information, advice, networking, etc. and market themselves as such through a variety of platforms.  As a result, they get as much in-bound traffic as out-bound, sometimes more.  Savvy employers recognize this, value it, and provide the time and support necessary for this ‘Win-Win’ strategy.

When we begin to see our Recruiters as pivotal professionals rather than Sales ‘wanna-be’s’, the candidate pool will begin returning calls: the ROI will be clear.