I have to admit it. I never thought in 2015 I would be recruiting recruiters. It just kind of fell in my lap. Honestly, it makes sense. I knew there would be a great shortage of recruiters this year. I called it!! The amount of good recruiters is just not out there. Recruiters out there who have been at it for a year don’t know enough. AT ALL!!
Dude and Dudettes, you have to earn your stripes in this business. You have to feel the pain. You have to work your ass off. You have to get your ass handed to you a few times. One of my favorite posts of all time is a guest post called “You Have Failed as a Recruiter.. Congratulations!!!” by Chadd Balbi. It’s true, you have to weather the storm in this business.
Every recruiter should start with an agency. I have said it before, and I will say it again. Competition is fierce this year. I swear, even though it is a candidate’s market, there will be a ton of hiring! So with all the roles, how the hell are companies going to fill them? You are going to have to hire recruiters!
Companies are going to hire recruiters. All recruiters. Good recruiters. Bad recruiters and awful recruiters. There are certain traits of recruiters that will lead to the probability of a successful recruiter, but essentially you will be rolling the dice.
Here are 9 reasons recruiting recruiters is a difficult task:
- Recruiters don’t know what the hell they are talking about– Seriously.. Take the time to learn about the company. Take time to learn about what the manager is looking for in a candidate. Take time to understand the technology so you can speak fluently to the candidate!
- Recruiters know how to source, but they don’t know how to close– Sourcing is only half the battle. Don’t get me wrong, sourcing is an art. IF you can’t close the candidate, or the manager on the candidate, you really aren’t going very far in this recruiting game.
- Recruiters think they are worth more than they actually are worth– Good grief guys. Good recruiters get paid well, but they work their ass off to get there. Simply having a college degree and a little recruiting experience doesn’t take your salary into the stratosphere. Check your ego at the door, please.
- Recruiters don’t know any better to know that there are alternatives– So, I started at Aerotek. I drank the Kool- Aid. I still have friends that work there that are great at what they do, but there are other options fellas.
- Recruiters are afraid of the phone– In this day and age it is easy to hide from the telephone with texts and e-mails. Don’t get fooled. You aren’t going to build any long term relationships with just doing that!
- Recruiters think social recruiting is saying “Hi” to Friends on Facebook & Twitter– The biggest misconception about recruiting “socially” is you hang out on Facebook and Twitter. Dude, you are just wasting time. It can be part of your effort, but there is much more to recruiting than that.
- Recruiters don’t listen– Again, listen to what the candidate wants. Listen to what the manager wants. Don’t fit a round peg in a square hole! Your just going to frustrate people and piss them off.
- Recruiters have higher priorities than recruiting– I know you want to hit the gym at 5, but guess what? The guy next to you will stay later and fill the role. They will kick your ass!
- Recruiters think they are good interviewers- So recruiters interview people for a living right? Doesn’t that make recruiters good interviewees? Hell no. In fact, most recruiters have aren’t very good at interviewing at all.
So, if you can find recruiters that don’t have the above characteristics you may have a shot at finding some decent ones. It is almost better to find someone and train them than go through thousands to find one.
I’m telling you this because I am recruiting you. If you think I am full of crap or because you know you have what it takes to be a kick- ass recruiter, then I want to chat with you. If you think I am talking generalities, then, pick up the phone and call me. I really want to know who you are!
Don’t forget, Bulls Eye isn’t just a blog, it is a recruiting business. I am a recruiter and I want you to prove me wrong. I need you & companies need you. I have roles all over California looking for recruiters in the staffing world. Let’s talk!
