James Caan CBE is one of the UK’s most successful entrepreneursInternal recruiters are on the rise, this has been apparent for the last few years. As the job market picks up, as does the need for effective recruitment strategies within businesses looking to develop the best team possible.
It’s common knowledge that our recruitment sector has become a little saturated, and it’s now harder than ever to make it to the top as a great recruiter. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be successful in recruitment, because the competition is so fierce.
So, why are employers becoming more inclined to employ an in-house recruiter?
The majority of the time, employers believe that an internal recruiter is able to gain a deeper understanding of the business and its values, and should therefore have the ability to find a candidate that would really fit in with the company culture.
As well as this, hiring an internal recruiter can often be cheaper than using to an agency, as long as you have enough work to justify their salary.
When I asked around my office, the majority of my colleagues indicated that the rise in internal recruitment is becoming more and more prevalent in the market today.
One of the main arguments often used in support of recruitment agencies are the notion of specialism and availability of the right candidates. If you’re a business owner looking to recruit for several different roles, does employing one internal recruiter cover all bases? Can that one person hire a graduate for your audit division as well as a CFO for your strategy division?
Outsourcing your recruitment to an agency will mean you have access to several different skill sets because there’s more diversity in a team of people.
So if this is the case, why are we seeing such an increase in internal competitors?
The introduction of LinkedIn and social recruiting has made it easier for both internal recruiters and recruitment consultants to source great candidates – we all have access to the same database these days. It’s because of this that employers assume the process isn’t as complex as it used to be and employing an internal recruiter (and cutting costs) won’t make a difference to their talent attraction strategy.
The process and methodology implemented by an external recruiter who reports directly to a CEO who specialises in recruitment should (in theory) provide a client with a seamless service but it seems that’s not the case.
I believe this is due to the fact that the quality of service being provided by the industry is not at the level it needs to be.
Far too often recruitment consultants neither meet the client nor the candidate and, instead, end up rushing through the recruitment process often cutting corners in quality and service.
I’m a firm believer in the idea that the more we focus on improving our skills and ability, the more valuable we will be for our clients.
To me, the solution to this issue is really quite simple. If we need to improve service, we need to invest in training. It’s not rocket science; invest in methodical training for our staff and in return, they will provide a better service for their clients, their billings will increase and their reputation will improve – all of which simultaneously enable business growth.
Our industry is naturally very competitive and often, it’s every man out for themselves. However, this isn’t how we should be working. Average recruiters will NOT survive in this market, but exceptional recruiters will learn to work in conjunction with internal recruiters.
Having seen the lack of great service in our industry, I felt the need to address this problem. That’s why I’m launching Recruitment Guide, for recruiters globally who want to be the best they can be.
After 30 years in recruitment, it’s time for me to share my step by step guide to the art of recruitment, in the hope I inspire recruitment consultants to embrace the passion and desire needed to be a true professional in the industry.
It’s time to invest in your training, don’t get left behind. Register your interest in the Recruitment Guide now www.recruitmentguide.com
By James Caan
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