As with just about anything in life, there is a spectrum of quality when it comes to Recruiters. There are bad recruiters, there are average recruiters, and then there are good recruiters. But what makes the latter – a good recruiter – so valuable as a partner to your company?
A good recruiting partner knows your time is valuable
Unless you need to staff an entire cloud migration project by the end of the week, a good recruiter should only be introducing quality candidates for your open position. It’s the recruiter’s responsibility to comb the market and ask tough questions to qualify/disqualify candidates, so that only a small handful reach you, the hiring manager. It’s the age-old notion of “quality over quantity”. As a technical hiring manager, spending less time on hiring means more time to tackle other challenges.
A good recruiting partner shares insight on a candidate not found on a resume
You work with a recruiter in order to take care of the “leg-work” at the beginning of the interview process, so that you & the candidate can immediately begin having advanced interview discussions. Your recruiting partner should be able to inform you on the candidate’s situation, how they match up against the skill/experience requirements, their career aspirations, salary expectations, personality, and more. These are things can’t be found on a resume and can help you, the hiring manager, have more informed and progressive conversations during interviews.
A good recruiting partner’s input isn’t always geared towards their pocket
For a recruiter, every candidate that is introduced to a client presents a potential monetary opportunity. However, a good recruiter should play the part of the trusted advisor, consulting with you to solve the hiring problem. Not every candidate is going to be “outstanding”, “amazing” or “must-hire” material, and therefore a good recruiter shouldn’t be too biased with their judgement on the pros & cons of the individual’s candidacy.
A good recruiting partner focuses on providing positive & professional experiences to your candidates
No matter how delicious a chef’s menu is, if the wait-staff & maître-d are rude to customers then the restaurant is doomed to fail. Hiring, even for the most technical positions, is no different. Studies[1][2][3] have shown that several pitfalls of the recruiting process can be traced back to negative candidate experiences. The modern-day technologist has no shortage of suitors and competition for certain technical skillsets, such as Java, AWS and Pen-Testers to name a few, has never been stronger. With so many opportunities to choose from, the “candidate experience” that a candidate receives while interviewing for your position has become absolutely critical. As the matchmaker, a good recruiter will ensure that your candidate receives first-class treatment as they go through your interview process. That means exhibiting traits like honesty, respect and integrity with your candidate, along with frequent & transparent communication.
A good recruiting partner helps to distinguish your company & position from the competition
I touched upon the demand for tech pros in the last paragraph. A good recruiting partner will help to “sell” your candidate on the overall opportunity with your company and ward off interest from your competitors. This is particularly important if you have several steps in your interview process. You could be looking forward to a final interview with a strong candidate in a few days, but another company could swoop in and make an offer in an effort to take your candidate off the market. A good recruiter will be able to consult the candidate on the benefits of finishing the process with you, therefore giving you an opportunity to seal the deal.
DTG Consulting is a boutique search & staffing firm that has consulted hundreds of clients over the last 4 decades on acquiring top technology talent. We hope to have the opportunity to consult with you on technical hiring to help your company complete IT initiatives and achieve critical business objectives.