Len April
Why businesses should put their hiring initiatives in the capable hands of staffing curators
In our last article, we made the bold recommendation that top talent in today’s stagnant business environment should consider abandoning the notions of traditional full-time employment in favor of flexible, and even more lucrative, contingent arrangements. Job openings are abundant, yet salaries remain flat or falling, the bulk of the jobs being created are in low-paying sectors, and part-time positions represent a great deal of the recorded growth. Contingent work, however, continues to soar. And not by dint of circumstance — talent are clearly opting for the freedoms and opportunities that they’re realizing through freelance or contract engagements.
The non-employee workforce shows no signs of shrinkage or backsliding. The human capital consultancy G. Palmer and Associates now predicts that the staffing industry will continue to grow by another 10.5 percent this year, or roughly 135,000 jobs. The firm’s forecasts maintain an exemplary record for accuracy. In 2010, they estimated a 20.9 percent increase in contingent assignments. The actual number was impressively close at 19.2 percent. If this trend bears itself out, non-permanent employment positions will reach a tipping point at the three million mark.
Meanwhile, the fact remains that employers are struggling to fill open job requirements, whether for direct-hire or contingent roles. Traditional hiring sources, such as web-based job boards and niche social media like LinkedIn, will still play a role in attracting active candidates, yet the push in most organizations is for cultivating a more robust network of passive candidates and non-employees — proven performers and flexible masters of their trades. Business leaders are also preoccupied with the industry warnings about skills shortages and the scarcity of qualified talent. So whatever the hiring need, it’s time for the business community to consider abandoning internal recruiting efforts and let expert search professionals work their magic. Here are some signs and reasons why.
You’re having trouble engaging with talent
Maybe you’re not even sure where to find them. While traditional job boards like Monster and CareerBuilder will feed your recruiters resumes from active job seekers, in-demand passive talent, freelancers, contractors and contingent workers might not be posting on these sites. They’re spending more time interacting on social media, directly building networks, engaging employers through online staffing platforms or utilizing other virtual marketplaces. This savvy generation of talent approaches employment opportunities with caution and discernment. They vet prospective employers with the same prowess that the best recruiters use to qualify applicants. And these workers have options. At any given time, they possibly have three or more pending offers — or interested hiring managers — at their disposal.
In this business climate, company leaders need to sell their open jobs with the same expertise, communication and attention they use to pique the interests of customers. Today’s talent want to be courted. They want to be engaged. Winning them over requires a deep understanding of the market, the competition, the candidate’s goals and a greater effort to carry on interactive dialog — not an impersonal question and answer session, Most organizations have neither the time nor resources to dedicate. Some may also lack the skills or domain expertise to capture the interests of this talent.
Recruiting experts excel at engaging people and imparting informed, professional and compelling messages to candidates. Additionally, recruiters keep conversations going by anticipating concerns and objections before candidates bring them up. Sourcing and recruiting are also what they specialize in. At many companies, internal HR or recruiting professionals can be stretched thin, supporting too many departments and addressing needs that extend beyond hiring. Staffing curators develop robust and knowledgeable teams that have only to focus on superior search strategies. Their recruiting experts also bring experience and acumen specific to industry sectors, job categories, skills and business types.
Your time to hire is too long
Staffing curators have a tremendous advantage over corporate recruiters in terms of connections: they represent countless companies and are deeply entrenched in all applicant tracking platforms, from traditional job boards to social media and online marketplaces. Staffing curators have developed diverse staffs of internal hiring experts who bring a wealth of past industry and organizational experience to the process. These professionals have worked with a variety of MSPs and hiring managers, across industries and job categories, enhancing their knowledge of real-world job needs, position requirements and applications. All of these factors provide staffing and search professionals with critical skills that will benefit employers.
- They know that high achievers aren’t dwelling on resume distribution or poring over job boards for generic vacancies. They’re not likely to respond to traditional methods, time-consuming applications or a five-interview screening process. Staffing curators, with their resources and tools, know how to find this talent quickly and approach them with a compelling story. What employers get back is a qualified, engaged and meaningful shortlist, in a dramatically reduced timeframe.
- Though you may know your company inside and out, staffing professionals know talent. They have educated themselves to excel at determining realistic performance expectations, job duties, remuneration, compliance protocols and the identification of high caliber workers. These attributes enable them to perfectly match candidates to your business needs and culture, capture their interest and hone job descriptions that allow your staff to better manage performance and output.
- Your internal recruiters may be overly driven to fill quotas and meet deadlines. Unfortunately, satisfying those corporate obligations can detract from their efforts to source exceptional talent. Recruiters at cutting-edge staffing firms are highly incentivized to produce results, not counts. Unlike traditional incentive programs, for example, Zenith Talent’s remuneration structure is strictly performance based, offering recruiting partners an unparalleled profit potential. Global Entrepreneurial Talent Acquisition Specialists don’t receive base salaries; they’re paid based on results. For successful recruiting partners, this has yielded six-figure incomes. The model also defies typical commission-based programs where caps limit potential, and where quotas or lead generation can take precedence over customer care and performance.
You’re not getting any bites on your hook
Skilled recruiting professionals are adept at securing candidate acceptance for offers. And this is because they’re spending more time and effort baiting the hook, working the line and interacting with prospects. Staffing curators take this a step further by coaching the right candidates, helping them develop compelling personal brands, guiding them through the hiring process, providing critical feedback and continuous improvement suggestions, and even counseling them on approaches for negotiating offers or counteroffers. These workers come to employers satisfied and eager to contribute, while those companies have greater assurance of lasting contributions from committed talent.
Your cost of hire doesn’t sit well on the books
The process of searching and hiring isn’t cheap. Employers incur mounting costs from advertising, the overhead of their internal recruiters, screening, interviewing, training, orientation, onboarding and so forth. And if good hiring decisions aren’t being made, attrition costs can run employers one third to three times the amount of the departing worker’s annual salary. Elite staffing curators significantly curb these expenditures. By placing the most qualified and culturally compatible talent, they mitigate the likelihood of turnover and replacement. They also remain actively engaged with the workers they’ve shortlisted, easing their transitions through the interviewing, screening and onboarding processes. Their roles don’t end with superior search techniques — after the hiring decision has been made, staffing curators continue to benefit employers by filling a unique role as talent integration specialists. This goes miles toward long-term retention and job satisfaction.
And when high performing workers are coming off assignments, staffing curators present them with new client opportunities, possibly yours, for consideration. These candidates are already screened and vetted, creating a strong pool from which to draw for new projects.
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