"Decent recruiters need to be recognised, standards need to be maintained – especially as its so easy to set up alone as a recruiter with no regulations" - Fiola Myerthall 
“Like I said originally working internally is a totally different ball game to agency recruitment so getting government approved and funded training aimed specifically at Talent Acquisition is the best thing to happen to the industry. Finally, internal staff will have the qualification to back up their skills and responsibility.”
– Fiola Myerthall, Talent Acquisition Partner at Sage
I had the pleasure of a coffee and a chat with Fiola Myerthall this week, Fiola is a Talent Acquisition Partner at Sage , and has 14 years of experience in the world of recruitment.
What is the difference between an In-House recruiter and a Talent Acquisitions Partner?
An inhouse recruiter is transactional – gets a job spec and hires for it specifically – whereas a Talent Acquisitions Partner is involved with strategic planning – looking at influencing the Hiring managers to make decisions that positively effect the business as a whole, work with HR with forward / succession planning and planning for departments or individuals who are seemingly high risk of leaving.
Plus, the management of applicants – being able to look at a candidate (both internal and external candidates) and see they have more than just skillset that fits the role, sometimes it’s their attitude, their enthusiasm but on paper they don’t look anything amazing.
Have you worked as an agency recruiter?
Oh yes – served my time, I’ve done mainly specialist recruitment in construction, oil and gas and engineering, in various locations – North London, Texas and Australia, over roughly 7 years Then moved into internal recruitment where I have also been for about 7 years, which I think is harder ! With the internal recruitment you lose your choice – you can’t pick and choose the jobs that you work on – they are all yours! If your hiring manager doesn’t understand the pressures or demands of a particular role you have no choice but to work with them.
Don’t they say that in-house recruiters are failed agency recruiters?
LOL, no!! Definitely not! Much as I am sure I have joked the same in the past, I disagree completely! Its interesting that the recruiters that I work with don’t know that I have an agency background and think that they can tell me how to do my job, thinking I don’t know the processes, or the candidate’s needs.
That can be very frustrating as if I could make the Hiring manager move faster, I would – I need the role filled and off my desk as much as they do! I have similar targets and KPIs to an agency, so our goals are very similar.
The move into inhouse recruitment has meant that I can focus on quality, building relationships with decision makers and becoming a trusted, knowledgeable colleague, I was frustrated that for agency recruitment it can be a numbers game.
What do you think about PSLs?
Well managed they can be very helpful, keep terms and conditions realistic. Speculative CVs from a random agency don’t really work in the current climate, it’s not the way forward. The best candidates come from the agencies where there is a great rapport, a great relationship with an individual recruiter.
What do you think of the new in-house qualifications being made available under the Apprenticeships Funding Scheme?
Awesome! Really awesome!
Like I said originally working internally is a totally different ball game to agency recruitment so getting government approved and funded training aimed specifically at Talent Acquisition is the best thing to happen to the industry. Finally, internal staff will have the qualification to back up their skills and responsibility.
Bigger picture in recruitment as a whole, It’s a great way of bringing a standard level of knowledge to the industry – we need to be able to remove the cowboys, the rubbish recruiters , enhancing the reputation of the industry as a whole , by bringing in an industry qualification, and moving towards regulation – We need to make recruitment a career to be proud of!
Would you more likely work with a recruiter who has qualifications in recruitment or who has only industry experience?
Although I’m not qualified myself, and it’s one of my regrets that I didn’t pursue a qualification that would back up the industry knowledge and experience that I have, I would choose to work with recruiters who have both. Saying that even if they don’t have qualifications I want expect the recruiters I work with to have a very high standard of training.
Do you think recruiters should be chartered to ensure a quality of work?
YES! Decent recruiters need to be recognised, standards need to be maintained – especially as its so easy to set up alone as a recruiter with no regulations. It can be a career that attracts young people who are money driven and not process driven, so being accountable by being chartered would ensure quality candidate experiences as well as the relationships build with employers.
Written by Teresa Fisher, Owner of Grant Recruitment.
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