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Recruitment

The Issue Is Trust

Career Preparation, Employer Insight, Recruitment /

Recruiters don’t trust Candidates, Candidates don’t trust Recruiters, Hiring Authorities don’t trust Recruiters, & Recruiters don’t trust Hiring Authorities. Confusing, but the illustration above is simple enough to understand… So, how is this distrust manifested… Cue the typical email from a Recruiter to a Candidate: Hello, Candidate – our client in the pharmaceutical sector, a global entity and leader in their space is looking to hire a new Director of Something…to hear more about this exciting opportunity, please reach out to me. Everyone is familiar with this sort of email. Here’s the explanation and much needed context… The average Recruiter receives a job assignment from a Hiring Authority alongside 3-4 other Recruiters who have been put on the same assignment. Cue the rat race! When I was introduced to this industry, I was told that you should never disclose the name of the hiring company to Candidates because of fear that they would go behind your back, reach out to the company directly, and thereby eliminate you from the process entirely. What a terrible way to establish any relationship! Recruiter to Candidate Distrust: From the perspective of the Recruiter, I expect you to take my calls during your work day, listen to what I have to say about this great opportunity, take time off your job to meet with me and interview with my client, leave your comfortable position, and move to a company that you know little about, all while I keep the company’s identity from you until it’s convenient for me to share it with you. This is essentially what we do as Recruiters, and we gripe when candidates don’t call us back, ghost the process when it’s no longer convenient for them, or take a counter-offer after you’ve spent 3 months working with them to get them to the finish line. Candidate to Recruiter Distrust: Candidate: So, who is your client? Recruiter: I’m sorry, but I cannot disclose that for confidentiality purposes. Candidate: So, you expect me to commit to this process without knowing the company? Recruiter: Yes Candidate: Can I at least know what the salary range is? Recruiter: How much are you looking for? Candidate: Not interested. Thanks. Hiring Authority to Recruiter Distrust: From the Hiring Authority’s perspective, you’ve dealt with enough Recruiters in your lifetime to know that they surface only when they want something and fling resumes that they haven’t properly qualified. The conversations are generally centred around what is best for them with little to no effort to get to know your company, your team, the position, or the culture. Why would I trust a professional who operates in this manner? Mindset: I’ll force recruiters to work against themselves since they clearly don’t know their own value. Recruiter to Hiring Authority Distrust: You know that Hiring Authority is flirting with other Recruiters which automatically diminishes the relationship and causes that Recruiter to keep their options open as well. That’s why it’s easy to ghost their clients. “You haven’t committed to me, so I won’t commit to you.” If this works out, great, but if not, we’re not married to each other. Again, hardly the foundation for anything good to come from this. Yet, we continue to engage in this sort of transactional behaviour. This is precisely why Recruiters must change the way they see themselves. If you don’t respect what you do, then how can you expect others to take you seriously. Takeaway: For Recruiters to remain relevant in their marketspace and be seen as a solution, and not a thorn, they need to change the way they operate. Admittedly, that change has to start at the leadership levels within our own ranks. AI will never become a threat to the profession if we position ourselves as value-adds that give more than we take.

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The Real Measure Of Value

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

My walk last night did little to solve my value conundrum. The dog feces left along my path certainly didn’t help the situation… I’m struggling with value… Every recruiter pitches their value the same… “a huge database of resumes” “years recruiting in your industry” “a team of recruiters who will be dedicated to your roles” “flexible fees” …a great list of value cliches, but this is not real value because it doesn’t address the needs of the end user… Recruiters are in over-supply and the demand for talent is at an all time high. There is a recruiter on every street corner and the trail of scarred executives runs deep… I’ve encountered executives within companies who would rather struggle to fill positions through their own efforts than work with “another recruiter.” Hard to blame them… 3-months, 6-months, 9-months, a year goes by, and the position still hasn’t been filled… If recruiters are in over-abundance with demand for talent running at the same pace, then why haven’t these two variables been able to marry each other at this equilibrium point… If there are so many of us and an equal number of roles to be filled, then why are executives reluctant to sign on that dotted line to engage that recruiter? Why would they rather deal with the lost revenue and frustration of having positions go unfilled for quarters… I believe the issue lies in quality, not supply… Recruiters for years have over-promised and under-delivered. They talk a big game but fail to show up when it counts. This has happened so many times over the years that companies have caught on and would rather forgo the trauma of another failed attempt to work with a recruiter… The missing link in this relationship has nothing to do with statistics and experience. It has everything to do with doing what you said you would do… Executives are tired of being taken on a roller coaster ride. For most, the thrill no longer exists, and they are exiting the ride in droves… Most executives in my opinion could live with the result of a failed attempt to fill their position if recruiters demonstrated traits of resilience and integrity… We don’t need another recruitment agency. These days anyone with Wi-Fi and a cell phone plan can be a recruiter… What we need are professionals who understand the importance of what they do and how they can drive an economy forward. The key is to serve, not extract, with the end goal of facilitating lasting partnerships. This remains the greatest stumbling block within the recruitment process… I don’t mind paying for a service (even overpaying) if I believe there will be a true exchange of value & a commitment to quality. The reason why there is so much negotiation is because of a misunderstanding of how both sides benefit in this equation.

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Choose Your Next Window Contractor Wisely

Career Insight, Employer Insight, Human Resources, Recruitment /

Why should it matter to you whether that recruiter is retained, contained, or contingent? To many people, recruiters are all cut from the same bad cloth. When you sense that it’s another recruiter on the line with the same self-serving pitch, you likely tense up, rush them off the phone, or hang up before they can complete their sentence (hopefully you don’t do the latter too often. There is something humane about letting another human finish what they have to say, even if you’re completely disinterested). I digress… Retained, or not to be retained. That is the question! Let’s first dissect this misunderstood word. In simple terms, it means working exclusively with a service provider with a monetary deposit to ensure the commitment to & integrity of the relationship (I did not use Google for that). Let’s employ an everyday scenario… You’re looking to get your windows done and you hire a contractor to do the work. The contractor comes over to assess the job, provides a selection of window options, and offers a quote for the job along with a timeframe for completion. You agree to use that contractor, at which point, the contractor requests a deposit to solidify commitment from you, the customer. That deposit is then subtracted from the final cost of the job once completed. Simple enough and agreeable as a practical way of doing business. Let’s now take a look at the recruitment industry… When I broke into this field almost 15 years ago, I was trained in a purely contingent environment. The normal way of doing business under this model was to solicit business from a company to fill one of their vacancies, take the request, create a stealth job description, reach out to prospects, facilitate interviews and final offer, & close the deal. Rinse & repeat. Pretty standard to the industry, but in all of this is an open-ended, commitment-less relationship with zero accountability to the other party. What do you mean Troy? Do tell… Let’s go back to the window contractor example… You hire that contractor to do the job, but this time, there is no deposit made to the contractor. They agree solely based on a signed contract. They start the work, and everything is progressing well enough. All of a sudden, the contractor shows up late for the job. The day after, they’re a no show. Your calls go unreturned for the next 3 days and you’re left wondering if the job will get done. Friday afternoon, you receive a call from the contractor, and they agree to complete the job the following Monday. On Monday, they’re a no show and you’re left with an unfinished job, money in your pocket, but now you begin the process with another window contractor hoping for a better experience. This is what we commonly refer to now as ghosting. That contractor abandoned the job, likely for another customer who paid a deposit. So, why are hiring executives disagreeable to paying a retainer for exclusive recruitment services? It stems entirely from how recruiters have positioned themselves in the marketplace. For years, they’ve worked for free and hiring authorities have lived with the poor results associated with “free” If you’ve been getting a free service for years, why would you one day want to start paying for that service, even if the facts declare that free hasn’t resulted in positive outcomes for you? Recruitment is no different from any other service and we need to start seeing ourselves as organizational difference makers, change agents, & facilitators of growth. If we don’t value what we do, then how dare we get upset when others don’t. The issue is internal. Once we start respecting what we bring to organizations’ and peoples’ lives, then we will see real change and lasting relationships with decision makers. Google defines retained recruitment as a search process that focuses on quality and long-term value over speed, leading to a lower risk of bad hires and a more thorough search process (with more transparency). In essence, retained recruitment is better because it prioritizes finding the right person for the role, reduces the risk of bad hires, and fosters a strong partnership between the recruiter and the hiring company, leading to more successful hiring outcomes. Wouldn’t you consider this to be more desirable than what I described above? The onus lies entirely within the recruitment industry to redefine its image and start positioning itself as a service that allows executives to sleep better at night. The days of recruiters competing against themselves, chasing candidates in a reckless manner, candidate redundancy, and a poor brand image are the past. Welcome to the future of the candidate/recruiter/customer relationship, and only those willing to do something different will reap the benefits.

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Progress Is A Collection Of Small Steps

Employer Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

✅ We want to be a market leader by 2040… ✅ We want to increase our revenue by 50% in 3 years… ✅ We want to surpass our competitor in the development of… Goals are great, but they are only achieved by focusing on the details. These are the seemingly insignificant tasks that we take for granted. We all like to put “excellent attention to detail” in our resumes, but how many of us actually pay attention to the details that matter the most? We’ve become so fixated on distant goals, that we’ve forgotten about the process. Tucked away within the process is how you treat your most valuable asset, your people. We’ve forgotten that people achieve goals, not numbers in an excel sheet, not investing in automation, or buying your competitors. If motivated and treated correctly, your people can become the engine behind attaining market leadership by 2040 or increased cash flow by 2028. It’s interesting when I hear business leaders talk about their goals. Take me inside your company and let me see how you treat your people. I’ll tell you whether you’ll attain your goals or not. Even if you do, it won’t be sustainable. You’ll spend all of your profits filling holes along the way. So, what are “the details” that are often overlooked by business leaders… 1️⃣ “Good morning, Team!” 2️⃣ “Take the afternoon off to spend with your kids” 3️⃣ “Let’s talk about equity in this company that you’ve served faithfully for years” 4️⃣ “Thank you for a job well done on this project. Without your contributions, it wouldn’t have been possible” 5️⃣ “Thank you for cleaning the restroom, Steve” (Comment to Janitor) 6️⃣ “Tell me how I can serve you better” 7️⃣ “What are your financial goals and what do you need to make to achieve that?” We’ve spent years focusing on the wrong things. Let’s start bridging the disconnect by doing the little things well & consistently.

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The Engine Of The Enterprise

Human Resources, Leadership, Recruitment /

HR is one of the most undervalued business units within a company. I’m not quite sure when the shift took place, but it’s apparent from my experience that Human Resources is operating at a diminished value within most companies. Transactional at best, and often abused. Think about it, they are looking after the greatest assets within a company, and they architect the policies, procedures, and programs that have the greatest impact on those assets. They hold everyone to a standard and call things out when they don’t align. It’s no wonder why we have witnessed an increase in dejected employees. The governing body that is supposed to be looking out for them has become an afterthought by many business leaders, leveraged only when it’s convenient. Case in point; I was recruiting an executive leadership role for a customer of mine late last year and there was a candidate who had entered into serious contention for the role and had received good reviews internally amongst key people. Being the astute leader that he is, he noticed that HR was not amongst the decision-making cabinet and that worried him. Perhaps a sign of other issues within the organization according to him… Why does Human Resources in some cases fall under the leadership of the finance department or CFO of a company when the interests & functions of these 2 business units are completely different?! Both are working towards the success of the company, but the goals are distinct. Those lines shouldn’t be crossed. Investing in Human Resources should be intentional & consistent.

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Business Lessons From The Basketball Court

Career Insight, Employer Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

I love basketball banter! As I’ve aged, I have come to appreciate the pre & post game analysis more than game action. The news that still has the basketball world buzzing and the Dallas community in fury, is the trade that happened behind closed doors, finalized in the wee hours of the night to avoid public scrutiny & backlash. Coined the most shocking trade in NBA history, the move of one of basketball’s rising legends is still mind-boggling to many. How could a franchise with playoff aspirations at the beginning of the season now be facing a missed opportunity to make the postseason? I’ll leave the conspiracy theories to the experts, but there are important lessons to takeaway for the business world: Whatever you are trying to accomplish as a business leader should be clearly communicated. It’s unrealistic and counterproductive to reach a consensus on every decision, but leaving your team in the dark is certainly not the way to build a winning organization. Hidden agendas provide a smooth runway for your best people to take their talents elsewhere.

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Try Something Different

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

I received a call from an executive leader of a company a few months ago. He wanted to enlist my help on a couple of searches that his organization was having trouble filling. These were not highly complex roles to fill by any means, but given the tightness of the marketplace, finding the right people and keeping them beyond a year is proving to be a challenge. My kickoff call went well, but ultimately, discussions stopped there. I was told during the call that they had a few recruitment partners that were working with on the searches, but for reasons unclear to me, they were not able to successfully fill their positions. Essentially, they wanted to add me as another recruiter since I was known to one of their executives in the company, under the pretense that more eyes on a search means greater odds of a successful outcome. I challenged the train of thought by suggesting that perhaps your approach to date is not working and maybe you should try something different. I realized today that most business leaders are afraid of change, and they are wired to engage in the same behaviour hoping that somehow circumstances will work out differently in the future. I think by definition you can call that insanity, yet most people are okay to remain in this state and this has somehow translated to be what’s best for business. It’s like repeatedly hitting your head against the wall and complaining about your headache. We are okay to have multiple recruiters working on a given search at the same time, yet we employ the services of one mechanic if our car needs an oil change or one law firm if we are being sued. I’ve never heard anyone say that they were going to use multiple surgeons to remove their gallbladder to increase the chances of a successful operation. Yet, this has become the dominate thought related to recruitment and then we wonder why positions are taking longer to fill and hires don’t make it past the first year of employment. Let’s try something different.

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Regular Maintenance

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

The courtship precedes any successful relationship for good reason and regular maintenance of that relationship is a must. Just ask anyone who has been married for more than 90 days or been in business for more than 10 years. Finding that great candidate or trying to build your team of professionals without healthy steps towards courtship is counterproductive. As a Recruiter approaching 15 years in the industry, I’ve facilitated many great relationships. Fortunately, I’ve witnessed hiring processes that were collaborative & just a joy for everyone to be part of, and others that would make you cringe. The onus rests on business leaders to create a good runway for those they are looking to hire. One of the worst things to do during the courtship is to make the other party feel like you are doing them a favour or leading them on a journey to nowhere. The best amongst us will be able to sniff this out early. If it’s not a fit or the timing is off, all parties should be able to understand so long as honesty and transparency were woven into the process from the beginning. If you’re a business leader overseeing a project team or product group, you will have to perform regular maintenance on those relationships. The camaraderie within the team falls entirely on your shoulders. Don’t make it easy for people like me to lure your best people away. Hire right, and treat your people well enough so that even the best offer they could receive won’t move them. This is the challenge because we are so narrow-minded, egotistical, and oblivious to what motivates our best people. One of the criticisms I received as an early driver was that I just drove my car. I did not do anything to take care of it. That explained a lot of the issues I had with that vehicle. I was reactive in the maintenance of my car when I should’ve been proactively checking the oil, tire pressure, coolant, and so forth. The cost associated with reacting far surpasses the cost of acting in the first place. Part of the maintenance on your team includes regular discussions about their goals and the career path they’d like to be on. Conscious at all times that this could be constantly evolving for some individuals. This is where not taking your people for granted comes into play. This could happen over lunch, bowling, or simply meeting as a team in your boardroom over coffee. This morning, I surprised my Wife with a bouquet of flowers, not because I’m a good husband, but because I’ve made a conscious decision to build a peaceful home and that requires maintenance in the areas that she finds meaningful. I am challenging business leaders to take regular steps towards building chemistry and trust within their team. The cost of not doing it is always bad for business (…but great for mine 😉)

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A Legacy of Leadership Excellence

Career Insight, Inspiration, Leadership, Recruitment /

Leadership is a dear subject to my heart. Having sat under my fair share of leaders, good & bad, I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. This morning before Christmas breakfast, I stumbled onto an article about The San Antonio Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich. Coach Pop, as he’s referred to by his players, has been coaching the Spurs for 28 years, a tenure that is not common in sports these days. In this revolving door society, it’s rare for anyone to stay with one organization for that length of time, especially over the last few years while the organization has been struggling to rebuild after their championship run. So, why has the organization bought into Coach Pop’s style of leadership, and how has he remained influential amongst his players 28 years in? The answer is simple and the excerpt from the article below sums up what I believe to be at the heart of responsible leadership: “A cornerstone of his philosophy is balancing the human and sporting aspects of coaching; a method he has employed repeatedly to extract the best performance from his players.” Chris Paul, the franchises newest point guard and seasoned NBA professional, highlighted Coach Pop’s “human-centered coaching philosophy.” “This balance of performance and personal connection is what has made his method a benchmark for coaching excellence.” This is frankly where a lot of leaders fall by the wayside amongst their followers. Being tactical is great. Technical expertise builds credibility, but it doesn’t foster trust and an unwavering commitment from your team. Understanding how grueling and lonely the NBA season can be for his players has made Coach Pop take a balanced approach to leadership that emphasizes stepping away to unwind and refuel with your loved ones. The 5 championships and cruise control to retirement makes perfect sense now. Be as demanding as you need to be, but keep the well-being of your team at the center of your leadership. If you do, then you’ll never have to ask them to go the extra mile. You won’t have to wonder if that request for an afternoon off is really a need to slip away for an interview with your competitor. This brand of leadership does not mean that you won’t experience turnover. In fact, talent will always leave for what they believe to be greener pastures. What Coach Pop can hang his hat on is not his retention of talent, but the caliber of men he is cultivating. This translates to better Fathers, Husbands, & other life accomplishments beyond basketball. When I was courting my now Wife some years ago and going through some personal struggles, my then Manager told me to take an afternoon off to take her to lunch. That was a crucial moment in our relationship and that afternoon set the foundation for what is now a wonderful marriage & life together. My tenure under his leadership had it’s fair share of challenges, but that moment was solidified in my heart as human-centered leadership at its finest. X’s and O’s are necessary and part of the scheme towards success, but put your people first and you’ll never have to worry about being fired or losing the faith of your team.

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The Private Jet Experience

Career Insight, Recruitment /

Understanding the intrinsic value of a product or service is vital to getting the most out of it. A private jet is valuable to those who can afford it because of the comfort it provides and the speed at which it can travel, enabling a faster and a less congested experience to your destination. You as the consumer get your time in return by making this investment. It’s a service and a luxury that we are willing to pay for no matter the cost. My last boss told me on the first day we met that he prides his business on being able to allow its customers to sleep well at night. The greatest value you can provide to the end user is a return of their time. This allows you to remain timeless and insulated from the ebbs and flows of the marketplace & world. You become a sought-after service provider, and your product becomes a staple in many environments. Recruiters fall into the trap of thinking that they only provide resumes and fill positions. Start positioning yourself as a service that gives executives their time back and allows them to sleep better at night.

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