04/08/2023 Dave White SC Palo Alto dwhite@scpaloalto.com

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What Is Your Relationship With Your Recruiter?

As a Hiring Manager or HR Manager your relationship with your recruiter is vital.

Think about it:

Would you hire your legal counsel, tax accountant, executive consultant on these terms?

Multiple tax accountants – who ever files your taxes first gets paid, quality is secondary

Lowest bidder possible for your legal requirements Your accountant sends you 20 month-end closing statements so you can

pour through them to see which one is right

So, is it time to examine your relationship with your recruiter?Here is a framework.

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What Is Your Relationship With Your Recruiter?

Ask yourself: Do I see my recruiter as a trusted partner? Can I tell them almost anything? Does my recruiter help me plan and provide market data? Does my recruiter develop a “recruiting brand” and strategy? Am I getting too many disappointing resumes or not enough resumes at

all? Do I feel like I am doing too much of the work? Does it feel like I am overpaying my recruiter for what they do? How well do they know me, my industry, and my specific needs? Are they loyal to me? How many other clients are they sending the same

candidates to at the same time? Did they even ask to come in and visit and see your environment? Do I avoid the phone if it is my recruiter calling?

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The Recruiting Relationship Pyramid

1. Trusted Advisor and Partner Exclusive and Retained

2. Relationship Driven Exclusive or Retained - Trusting

3. Multiple Recruiters “First in wins” Some Loyalty – Some Trust

4. Bargain Basement Approach

Multiple Recruiters Little Loyalty, Little Trust

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Where Do You Start?

4. Bargain Basement Approach

Works in some cases, but not for the toughest and most critical jobs

Perhaps the cheapest way to go but with limited results Generally involves you doing much of the work No real understanding of you or your business Recruiting is primarily posting jobs or scanning job

boards, does not reach the rich pool of candidates that are not actively looking or do not know you

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Where Do You Start?

3. Multiple Recruiters – “First in wins”

Drives the relationship to a low level of engagement and enthusiasm – deal by deal only – no long term or strategy

The only way for a recruiter to “win” is to send candidates in before the others. This can lead to minimal qualification of each candidate and sending in as many candidates as possible to “cover all bases”

With little loyalty it pays to send candidates to multiple clients to see who moves first leading to competitive situations

Recruiters will rightfully spend time on the searches that have the highest chance of success. Competitive situations lower the perceived chance of success.

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Where Do You Start?

2. Relationship Driven Recruiting – Trusted

Not driven by “slamming in the deal” and looks to a long term professional relationship

Cares about you and the best fit candidates for you Takes the time to know you, your environment, visits your site Takes the time to understand your needs and wants Fully qualifies every candidate on every point of the job and the

candidate – even presents potential negative aspects of candidates in balance

Provides routine updates of activity and results Makes commitments and keeps them Includes a large amount of “outbound” recruiting, not simple job

postings

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Where Do You Start?

1. Trusted Advisor and Recruiting PartnerDoes everything a Relationship driven recruiter does more:

Sees your total business needs and uses this when recruiting Consults with you on hiring and growth strategies Provides insights and training on hiring, interviewing, etc. Manages the offer process to a mutual win Presents potential candidates based on needs not just open job

descriptions Becomes a trusted confidant Provides you with career counseling when asked Is always there for you whether you are hiring or not Knows how and when to push back in your best interest

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What Do You Do Next?

Take Action Stop working on the bottom two levels of the triangle. Find ways

to move up to the top two levels for your important roles. Review your relationship with your recruiters – are they as strong

as they can be, is the relationship serving you? Look for ways to elevate your current relationships and move them

to higher levels in the triangle Hire a recruiter or recruiting firm that operates with you at the top

two levels Stop trying to make a bad situation a good one, not everyone

operates well at the top of the triangle Include both inbound and outbound recruiting

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What Do You Do Next?

Select the type of relationship you want to have to fill your most important roles

Find a recruiter that fits this bill Knows, and even helps define, your process Knows what you are looking for Finds the hidden candidates Qualifies candidates thoroughly and in writing Is creative and aggressive in their candidate search

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What Is Your Relationship With Your Recruiter?

Brought to you by David White and SC Palo Alto650 – 530 – 9011

dwhite@scpaloalto.com

www.scpaloalto.com

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