I began my career in HR quite some time ago, and have always had my hands in the recruiting side of the work. I remember my first recruiting assignment: hire 30 temps to work the third shift line over the summer…by Friday!
Run the ad in Tuesday’s paper, and get a pile of applicants. Call ‘em, bring ‘em in, and hire ‘em. Done by Thursday and a full new employee class on the next Monday. A slam dunk!
Things have changed just a bit!
Point A to point B
The hiring process is straightforward. Connect point A (where you are) with point B (where you want to be). Determine where an organization stands and the talent needed to move it ahead. Review the job description and with a little investigation, you’re off and running. Right?
Not quite the case today. From a corporate position, the current situation is dynamic and demanding. Most organizations are still a bit gun shy about hiring, and business is more challenging than ever.
With the uncertainty of the economy, organizations have a difficult time staying on any course or plan which in turn has the effect of frequently changing hiring needs. In addition, potential employees are also shaky about making a job change and demand to know more about the job, the company and their future.
So this simple concept of a straight line from A to B becomes a rather irregular and wavy path.
The drain is clogged
The employment rates prove the point of an over supply of workers, ranging from assemblers on the manufacturing floor to executives in the board room. Businesses have cut staff and many have failed. And all these folks are standing in line for a select few job opportunities.
We face the opposite problem of three years ago: then, it was the hunt for talent in a market that was nearly fully employed. Now, the over supply makes a big task of culling through the piles to get to a solid candidate…a task complicated by so very many “B “candidates.
The recruiter’s challenge
In addition to core recruiting skills it’s more critical than ever before for a recruiter to have a deep and sound understanding of the:
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client’s needs (both today and in the future) with a solid background in…
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business in order to match the needs of the employer to the…
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context of the open position (role responsibilities and expectations) as it relates to…
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current market conditions affecting it.
AND be an expert in:
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managing the relationship during the process in order to…
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offer professional and accepted advice, while bringing the situation to a SUCCESSFUL PLACEMENT!
So that’s the challenge from where I sit…I hope you’re up for it!