Over the course of my 20 years in human resources, I’ve had a few stints as an in-house HR generalist. All these roles were in the social sector (i.e., nonprofits and public agencies) and had small teams: from one HR person (just me, hi!) to 2-3 people. Recruiting was nonstop, often budget-constrained (say, $500 for job postings), and was managed while handling a full spectrum of other HR duties.
It wasn’t until mid-career that I worked for an organization with the resources to engage an external recruiting firm. So I have a lot of empathy for hiring teams that haven’t worked with a recruiter before, as it can be very confusing. As a starting point, I had to learn the difference between retained search and contingency recruiting, contrasted with my role as in-house recruiter.
Now that I’ve been on the “external recruiter” side for several years, I’ve noticed a few things—beyond the basics—that hiring teams should know when beginning a partnership with any kind of recruiter.
Where do candidates come from?
Let’s say you’re at a shoe store and don’t see what you’re looking for. You might ask a clerk, “Do you have anything else in the back?”
“Do you have anything else in the back?”
I sometimes get inquiries in this vein, whether I’m in an external recruiting role or embedded with the organization. The hiring team isn’t satisfied with the candidates who have opted into the recruitment, and they want to see something “else”—as though candidates are a product.
Sorry to dispel the illusion, but working with humans requires an entirely different way of thinking. Recruiters are not manufacturers of employees; we run a process to try to match job openings with people who can do those jobs. Sometimes, that involves a database of individuals who are already known to us; sometimes, it requires building new relationships on behalf of a specific client.
Some recruiters will talk about “our candidates,” but that’s misleading. The candidates are free agents, professionals considering the next step in their careers. The truth is that job seekers are using us (recruiters) to help them find a job (for free!) just as much as the hiring team is using us to find an employee (not free!).
Here’s where candidates really come from: An individual finds a job opportunity to be interesting as a career next step, and they indicate interest by applying or opting into further conversation.
What does the recruiter need from the hiring team?
As an in-house HR generalist, my relief at getting the green light to work with a recruiter was quickly dampened by the realization that I still had responsibilities in the hiring process. The hiring team can’t just “throw it over the wall” and expect the recruiter to show up with “The One” perfect candidate. Whether retained, contingent, or in-house, the recruiter is an extension of the hiring team and a partner—not a replacement—to the process.
To get the best results (i.e., a good hire) when working with an in-house or external recruiter, the hiring team should:
Be Clear. Start out with a clear picture of what the job is and what type(s) of candidate could do that job. It’s okay if your understanding of the needs of the role evolves over time. That is common once you start interviewing candidates and get a sense of what the professional profiles look like “in real life” for a role you had imagined. Continually communicate those learnings to the recruiter.
Be Timely. To get the best candidates, make decisions quickly. Candidates don’t wait for hiring managers to make decisions; I have often seen candidates accept a less attractive offer just to have certainty and move on with their careers. Meanwhile, recruiters will turn their attention to other projects if a recruitment isn’t moving along.
Have a Process and a Timeline. Candidates need a clear path as they engage with the hiring organization. They want to know how many rounds of interviews there will be and the timing for each one. Every candidate has other obligations in their professional and personal life, and they want visibility into how the current opportunity will affect their current path, not just for scheduling interviews but potentially for making a job change.
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A final thought: Hiring teams should proactively share their previous experiences when starting a partnership with any recruiter, whether in-house, contingent, or retained. That helps the recruiter calibrate their support so they can explain things as needed. A good recruiter should have no qualms about revealing “where candidates come from.”