While this economic downturn has jumped our nation’s unemployment rate to its highest level since 1982 (9+ %), many experts also point out that the unemployment rate of recruiters (corporate, third party, staffing) is closer to 50%!
Unfortunately, many organizations still perceive recruiters to be “overhead.” And, if your organization is not hiring a ton of folks, “overhead,” is an easy target for them to cut headcount/costs.
What can you (recruiters) do to show value to your organization and stay (or get) employed?
Bonita Martin from P|Form asked this question to the folks in her network. While some of the ideas presented seem like natural fits, I thought some were very creative.
If you feel your job situation is uncertain, and/or you actually do have some extra time on your hands… I recommend you do some of the things listed which will add value to your organization (as well as improve your skills).
Hope you are having a great week!
I have worked with our sales team to help them identify contact names and contact info at target companies where calling through the main line has not worked. I’ve also streamlined our EPA reporting because of my experience with metrics and Excel. Like Frank, I have been “upgrading” because there is so much talent available. I am pipelining and referring candidates to other people in my network because these candidates may also be clients one day (and in fact, two have referred business our way.) And, most importantly, I am responsible for the retention of key employees. I know why they joined the company and am in constant communication with the President about what we can do to retain them.
- Bonita Martin, Director of Human Resources, P|FORM
I think being a part of the outplacement process is a natural fit that recruiters don’t think of. They have lists of competitors, can help with resumes, directories of headhunters, interview tips.
- John Cressy, Executive Recruiter, Supply Chain Consulting Search
Recruiters can help writing/editing company newsletter articles, assisting the Sales team with more leads, revising the internal resume template format, helping our services team plan activities for spring and summer company events. And, of course, building your pipeline and maintaining those relationships for future hiring needs.
- Mike Brogan, Sr. Recruiter, Systems Evolution SEI
I would suggest that instead of recruiters asking “do you have any positions I could work on”, they try a different angle; “with all the turmoil, top shelf candidates that wouldn’t even talk to me before will now entertain opportunities–with the talent available, this is the perfect time to top-grade your staff. If you have any marginal performers, let me show you a couple of alternatives–if they’re better, great, if not, you haven’t lost anything….” Second idea–I’ve always felt that good recruiters are salespeople wearing an HR hat, I’d suggest assisting with sales.
- Frank Steele, Director of Recruiting, FirstGroup America
We are establishing a structured process that can be used at all of our locations in hiring and on-boarding. We are also looking to go to an on-line application system to ensure better hires coming in.
- Steve Browne, Director of HR, LaRosa’s
Recruiters can help with lay offs – inform employees about resources (government, non-profit) available, research and provide training on employment or other new laws, turn into mini generalists with the people they’ve recruited-ask if they need help with benefits, etc, and work on retention, make sure other groups in the organization know what’s going on in the organization.
Always be as positive as possible.
- Tom Pellegrino, HR Manager, Fecon
We’re using this time to finally get around to projects that have been on the back burner for far too long. For example, we’re currently working on updating (actually, OVERHAULING) our careers site. We’ll determine the content and format and then work with our internal Marketing and IT people to make the changes. We’re also building our pipeline of candidates for roles we know we generally hire into very often.
- Laura Hennel Albert, Recruiter, Siemens PLM Software
It is not glamorous work, but vital to any organization is cash flow. There are many companies right now feeling the credit crunch and are Account Receivable is becoming an issue. I have volunteered to make ‘collection calls’. Recruiters are not afraid of the phone and if you have a significant amount of receivables outstanding there’s a great place to made an immediate impact on the bottom line.
- Gregg Fitzgerald, Recruiter, Burke & Schindler
- Be prompt and accessible. Return calls and emails promptly. If a candidate or client takes time to seek me out, I value that by being prompt. No waiting for weeks to get a response.
- Be honest and trustworthy. In our uncertainty in society, I can guarantee with certainty that I will not misrepresent an opportunity or candidate. Building relationships is important in stable times, and is even more vital right now.
- Be resourceful – go the extra mile. Is my candidate thinking of relocating? If so, get them in touch with relo experts who can inform them about their new location. With my clients, following up after the placement, even long after the guarantee period has elapsed, can give us both feedback as to what we can do next time to improve the process.
- Diana Heath, Recruiter, Wright Health Care Consultants
We are focusing our team on four initiatives:
On boarding – improving the new hire experience resulting in engaged, productive and informed employees
Pre-hire assessment tool – evaluating the value-add and effectiveness of a tool to better assess sales skills for retail hires
Redesign of Career section on website
Building candidate pipeline and implementing CRM tool
Refining Talent Acquisition Scorecard
- Fran Gordon, SVP/Director of Talent Acquisition, Rabobank
Grow the business with new marketing techniques with social media and internet marketing techniques.
- Amanda Blazo, Recruiter and Business Analyst, Sente Global
- Release our contract recruiters. I would deploy researchers/sourcers on business development activities. We gained access to our Sales Dept’s CRM, and then scanned those prospects that had weak or limited knowledge recorded in the database. We entered a full Company Profile – sort of like a D & B Plus workup, and at no cost to the organization.
- Researchers/Sourcers, working with the Senior Admin staff, can get a “heads up” on all planned executive travel that would be visiting customers or prospects. Once we know who they were meeting with, we create a “Personal Dossier” on each of the individuals, (including home addresses, photos, personal data, etc,), on each of them, put it in a packet, and give it to the traveling Exec. the day before departure, as “airplane reading”
- For the regular Recruiters, we created a Getronics Career University —- in essence a full outplacement program modeled after those offered by external vendors (at ridiculous prices). The recruiting staff would run workshops, on and off-site, such as Resume Writing, Interviewing Skills, Campaign Management, Negotiating Offers, Use of the internet, etc. Sometimes these were even run for employees before their release date. We also purchased the inexpensive services of a virtual Outplacement program that would stay active for the employees up to 3 mos after departure.
- Dan Kilgore, Principal, Riviera Advisors Inc.(formerly of Gentronics)
Providing training classes for our Team Leaders, Directors or and staff member. One of these classes included the basics of interviewing which included a section on legalities. Basically questions that you can and cannot ask. In another class we focused more on “drilling down” with candidates when interviewing. In this class we included a section on Behavioral Interviewing.
Turn our knowledge around and provide outsourcing services. We could help people write resumes, provide interviewing training form a candidate standpoint, and help people research information on the Internet and so on.
We have provided help with students that will be graduating in June with resume writing, interviewing, etc. as well.
- Chris Seidel, Human Resources/Recruiter, Hancock Regional Hospital
Recruiters can transfer skills to sales and customer service positions. Strong sourcers can assist in market/competitive intelligence. Recruiters can help sales organizations identify selling opportunities, key industry contacts, etc. Recruiters can also act as internal outplacement services for companies letting folks go and/or recruitment firms as a service.
- David Szary, President, Recruiter Academy