4 Ways Using a Recruiter Is Killing Your Business
/As an executive search consultant, I often get confused with recruiters, and the distinction is an important one.
1. You have no control over what they say.
You spend thousands of dollars on marketing your business. A bad recruiter can wreak havoc on your reputation. Whereas, an executive search consultant has a vested interest in tailoring their message to be an extension of your brand. A great executive search consultant will be armed with accurate knowledge about your company, its executives, the job, the community, and be an ambassador for your company.
2. You end up making bad, costly hires because you didn’t have all the intel.
A recruiter is a salesperson who is interested in closing the deal. They are only going to tell you the good things about a candidate, and they may exaggerate those qualities. An executive search consultant will tell you the good and the bad aspects of candidate’s background. They understand that fit is critical and making the right hire is paramount. A great executive search consultant will continue the dialogue with the employer about the candidate’s conduct through the offer stage, understanding that people show their true colors when it comes to money.
3. You get inundated with resumes, costing you time and money.
A recruiter is working on a contingent fee, so their odds of getting paid increase by the number of resumes they submit. An executive search consultant’s job is wading through the available talent pool and sourcing only the very best talent that is a cultural fit for your company. A great executive search consultant will be able to narrow it down and put forward a slate of premiere candidates such that every interview is a great interview and each of the candidates put forward could result in a great hire.
4. Your hires don’t stick.
Recruiters are in the business of moving candidates. First, they usually only send you the resumes on their desk: the candidates active in the job market. Second, they will call those candidates again about new opportunities. Recruiters are trained to move their candidates every two years. Executive search consultants often access senior executives who are not actively looking and educate them on the advantages of an opportunity. They gauge their success on hires the last over the long term. A great executive search consultant will develop long term relationships with clients and have a track record of hires that last.
Carrie Trabue is President of Carrington Legal Search, a retained executive legal search firm with a track record of long term relationships and hires that stick. www.carringtonlegal.com