A transformation this big can feel uncomfortable for the marketplace. The answer, however, is simple—and it’s not what most people think.
To call something a “comeback” implies that there was a fall; a deviation from foundational beliefs or best practices.
Perhaps the nose-dive of recruitment was not an actual nose-dive, but an extended state of dormancy. Fueled by greed that promoted profit over morals. Speed ahead of efficiency. Termination instead of rehabilitation.
The desperate chase for commissions and affirmation caused many to act irrationally. The result? The transactional engagements that most have become accustomed to.
My competitive advantage is not really an advantage.
Does anyone praise a fish for swimming or a dog for barking? No. Those are simply identifiers of a thing’s state of being.
The standard is now under a light because, for years, the industry operated in the dark. Hence, the negative perception in the marketplace.
Labeling the current shift as a “transformation” or “comeback” is a good PR tactic. But I view recruitment’s pivot as an awakening—a conscious reapplication of the basic principles that should have always governed the hiring process.
It was always there. It just needed people willing to bring it back to the light.
