Mar 5

Preparing for the Recovery: Become a Strategic Service Provider

Recruiter Training Margaret Graziano, recession, recovery, Recruiter Training, recruiting Add Comment (1)

(Note: This is the second in a series of blogs that shares the thoughts of industry trainers regarding what recruiters should be doing to prepare for the economic recovery. Below are the insights of Margaret Graziano of Keen Hire.)

“Recruiters need to be asking their customers about what their issues are and what they see as their most challenging issues going forward, as compared to focusing on their own issues.  Unfortunately, the corporate world’s take on recruiters is that they’re more interested with the ‘problem of the day’ instead of helping them with their long-range needs.

“I’m not saying that recruiters shouldn’t be hunting for job orders and candidates, but they also need to be armed with strategic questions.  They need to be looked at as strategic service providers who are committed to their clients’ problems more than their own.  Recruiters need to combine the time they spend prospecting for job orders with time spent asking strategic questions.  There should be less pushing and more pulling.

“In order to be positioned correctly, recruiters have to educate themselves more.  They have to be educated about the same issues that Corporate America is knowledgeable about.  These are issues like retention, competitive talent management, talent development, and being an employer of choice.  They need to take courses on things like leadership development, the impact that millenials will have on the market, and the impact that outsourcing and off-shoring will continue to have.  Recruiters should know everything that their clients know—and more.

“We need to evolve into full-service providers instead of just doing what we’re used to doing.  As Corporate America spends more money on strategy and talent, companies are going to look at recruiters as transactional service providers and not as strategic partners. The recruiters who are thriving [in this market] are the ones who operate with their clients’ best interest in mind.”

(The above information appeared previously in the Networking News newsletter, a publication of Top Echelon Network, the leading split placement network of recruiters.)