Pimps. Blood Suckers. Ambulance Chasers. Scum. Some of the words I've heard used to describe Recruiters by those within Australian industry.

Often though I've found that hostility or hatred is underpinned by misconceptions about how the recruitment industry works......


Friday, January 15, 2016

Challenges of a candidate rich market

When the job market is healthy and unemployment is low, good candidates are hard to find. That’s referred to as a candidate poor market. Using a recruiter makes sense - they have the established networks and relationships to make sourcing quality candidates possible even in a tight market.

So what happens in a candidate rich market and relatively high unemployment (as we currently see in Townsville, where i’m now based). Some might think that recruiters are superfluous to requirements in such a market.

Not really, is the short answer. For a few reasons.

First reason is companies want and need to hire the *best* person that’s available in the market. Just because you get a lot more ad response, that doesn’t mean the best person in the market will be among them. In fact a lot of top people tend to hunker down that bit more in a fragile job market, perhaps parking their job hunting. You need to ensure your company’s job opportunity is being presented to them, and presented well, to get them engaged with the role and allay any concerns. Hiring the best people is what will escalate your business above the competition. 

And as I’ve commented on before, there’s no barrier to applying to roles via Seek. The lion’s share of the extra ad response generated in a depressed market will stem from unsuitable people. Even if there is some quality ad response, you’ll have to dig and dig hard to find it. That creates an administrative burden for your business, one that can potentially hurt your brand if not managed diplomatically and professionally. Another reason to use a recruiter. They create a buffer between your business and the market place, and also relieve that administrative burden allowing you to focus on your core business.

And it’s worth remembering the very economic drivers that typically trigger high unemployment and a candidate rich market, are ones that will probably be having an impact on the bottom line of your business. That’s the time you want to be focusing on core business activities and escalating your business above the competition.

 

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