How to Ensure You’re Engaging the Right Type of Recruitment Partner
One thing we can all agree on is the fact that it is getting harder to find the talent your business needs. As the pressure to find the ‘right fit’ increases, it can be tempting to rush into engaging a ‘specialist recruiter’ thinking it will be the answer to all your problems. The issue however, is that as the recruitment landscape continues to rapidly transform, a ‘specialist recruiter’ might not provide the services your organisation really needs. For many companies, the line between specialist recruiter and recruitment specialist has been blurred but they provide fundamentally different services. Engaging the wrong type of recruiter can cause more problems down the line than it solves, but how can you be sure which engagement is right for your business?
What is the Difference Between Specialist Recruiters and Recruitment Specialists?
To explain the differences between specialist recruiters and recruitment specialists, I first need to provide a little background on where each began. Prior to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2007, many third-party recruitment agencies were ‘one-stop shops’ and offered several recruitment services. When the GFC shook businesses around the world, investment in recruitment fell drastically. Many ‘one-stop shop’ generalist recruitment agencies realised they could no longer be all things to all people, and had to change their business model to stay competitive.
From there, generalist recruitment agencies began providing specialist services to particular industries and rebranded themselves as a collective team of specialist recruiters. However, the recruitment sector was also suffering from a talent crisis. In the aftermath of the GFC, many recruiters left the industry and returned to the sectors they had specialised in. Once the market had picked back up a few years later, a gap in recruitment knowledge across the industry appeared. In response to the lack of recruitment expertise, many generalist recruitment agencies began to hire and train people who had little or no recruitment experience but extensive sales or industry backgrounds.
As this was unfolding, global markets began to slowly return to their equilibriums and businesses started to invest again. The need for specialist skills, contractors and temporary recruitment returned but as most specialist recruiters had not been in the recruitment market for very long, they struggled to understand the nuances of these engagements and their talent pools weren’t sufficient enough. As a result, a gap in the market appeared.
Of course, the recruitment market was still filled with experienced recruiters with extensive and established networks. As businesses began to want more return from their recruitment partners, these skilled professionals were employed as recruitment specialists to provide consultative recruitment solutions to these organisations, and be more like an extension to their existing business. Instead of a transactional service, recruitment specialists got to know their clients, their culture and industry well, and aim to build long-lasting and valuable partnerships.
Which Recruitment Service Should I Use?
When you need to decide between which type of recruitment service you need, the question you need to ask yourself is “What do I want from my recruiter?” Firstly, if you need a quick solution to fill a low-level or low-risk position in a specific industry, and nothing else, then the transactional service a specialist recruiter can provide can be everything you need. However, if you need a specialist skillset, have a unique internal culture or if you’ve been recruiting for the same position several times a year because you can’t seem to retain your hire, then you might need a different approach.
Sometimes, simply engaging someone to find your business a body won’t be enough. Instead, you’re going to need an expert who has a deep understanding of the role you’re trying to fill, what your company does, the internal culture it has built and what it will need for the future. If any of those are true, then that’s where engaging a recruitment specialist can make a big difference. What is important to remember though is that your business will be getting a higher return on investment with this solution, so not only will it carry a higher premium rate but it will also take longer to complete.
Summary
Specialist recruiters and recruitment specialists both have their rightful place in recruitment but to thrive in a competitive environment, it’s crucial to be certain that your business is getting what it really needs. To do that, always ensuring you’re engaging the right recruitment partner for your hiring needs is crucial. Talon Recruitment are experts in the whole 360-degree recruitment process. We take a consultative approach to recruitment by comprehending your business’s needs and ensuring that you only hire the right fit candidate for your organisation. If you’re after a recruitment specialist, contact us today to find out how we can make a difference.