From Recruiting 101 To 102: Retaining Recruiters

Dakotta Alex, Social Venture Director, Dakotta Ventures

Most of the time, the HR department of a typical corporation or other business will be trying to keep its employees satisfied and working. Recruiters are busy searching for qualified applicants who could provide a host of benefits for the company and who are likely to ‘stick with it’ and invest in the future of the company. But what happens when it is the recruiter who is thinking about leaving? For the shrewd HR manager, this is like a warning light going off. If a recruiter has spent any time with the company, there has been time and experience invested that cannot easily be replaced. Thus it is important to deal with this immediately, when warning signs present themselves. Don’t let that recruiter walk out the door!

Why is holding onto a recruiter so important? The answer can be summed up in a single word: familiarity. Recruiters must have an eye and an ear on many aspects of a company’s infrastructure, employee base, and the perceptions of those outside the company. If a recruiter has distinguished himself in service, delivering great candidates on a consistent basis, then they know how to manage the up and coming candidates as well. A recruiter develops the best way to sell the company to prospective employees. (This means employer branding.)

Good recruiters know the right people who can get things done. They’ve spent the time forging close relationships with administrative and executive level employees within the company and beyond as well. Having the right contacts can speed up the hiring process by greasing those bureaucratic wheels. These kinds of recruiters have made the right impression and are sought-after for referrals and advice on corporate hiring, other internal issues relating to employee benefits, and can even be called upon to mediate in-company disputes.

Recruiters know the company they’re working for; they must know how it works in order to recognize whether the latest trends in the outside employment market can be applied within. Working in HR is about knowing people, who they are and where they come from and helping candidates find a place in the company.

By now, it should be clearer why recruiters should be enticed to stay if they have been considering a change in employment. It can be difficult for a business’ HR department to replace a competent and successful recruiter. Moreover, the loss of such an asset could mean subsequent losses in general employment since many viable candidates may be overlooked or underrated by someone with less experience or who is still trying to get acquainted with the company.

Yet, why do recruiters leave in the first place?

Reasons For Leaving

There are a number of reasons why a recruiter may feel that he needs to move on to a different company or even leave the profession entirely. It could simply be time to go. They may want to try something new or even a re-evaluation of their professional goals. The recruiter may even have personal reasons for leaving the business. But this is not all.

Some recruiters may have problems with the HR department itself. Sad as it is to say, some Human Resources departments in large companies tend to fall into bureaucratic pitfalls which can hold a sharp recruiter back. The same goes for narrow focus that many HR directors fall into. It becomes a myopic vision that can strangle or frustrate a recruiter’s creativity. Other deficiencies within an HR department, including over emphasis of present efficiency practices rather than a value-focused approach; keeping everyone busy with a flurry of activities but producing little results; and obsessive fear regarding potential legal repercussions that might target HR can impact a recruiter’s attitude.

The aforementioned are just a few reasons why a recruiter may decide to throw in the towel. In such work environments, the benefits are buried under restrictive and stifling policies and uncertain team goals from management. The recruiter doesn’t feel like he’s making a difference. This is very true when larger companies or corporations are involved and where HR is a big entity in charge of a hundred even thousands of employees.

There may be other external reasons for a recruiter’s departure. There is a growing trend among many companies to find ways to cut their HR costs. One of the primary ways is the use of outsourcing. It can be a less expensive measure to have an outside recruiter do the work and then move on rather than think of retaining his services. This is a worrisome proposition for HR in general and recruiters in particular; it may be enough motivation for some to find another place to be if the rumor of outsourcing begins to circulate around the company.

But if a recruiter is considered valuable to his company, then it is crucial to stand up and take notice. If any of these issues are reasons for a recruiter to think about leaving, then the company is responsible for addressing them directly and compromise. It is certainly in their best interest to do so. 

About the Author:

Dakotta J.K. Alex (author, consultant, entrepreneur) is a Global HR Solutions and Ethics consultant specializing in human capital recruitment, process management, and cultural policy review in the US, Europe and China.  http://www.dakotta.com

Also from Dakotta:

Using Metrics to Measure Your Employee Referral Programs
Hiring the Best Recruiters
How to Incorporate Cultural Diversity Into the Workplace
Training Recruiters to Survive In China

Posted by Dakotta Alex on October 1, 2010. Filed under Retention. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry