This is one reason that I no longer work on the agency side of the business. I was tired of having my income tied to things that were outside of my control. Even if the recruiter handles everything well, there is no guarantee that things will work out and the person will be hired. The company might not offer the candidate a salary that they will accept, the candidate might take a counter offer from there current employer, they might be interviewing with other companies at the same time and take one of the other offers. There are a host of reasons why a qualified candidate might not get hired. We can only know what the candidate tells us, and not all candidates are willing to tell you much (when I have interviewed for new positions, I do not always tell the recruiter everything else that I am working on).

Sincerely,
David Hafernik

Bill, Why the blatant statement with Kens article being wrong?…with regard to ‘Time to recognize hire’ I find it interesting that you’re holding Recruiters responsible for a hiring managers time management skills and workload. I staff for an environment of PhD level research management, quite often it’s difficult sometimes to elicit a response/feedback in a timely manner. Why is it my responsibility to manage a hiring managers workload & priorities? I am literally dealing with people developing cures for infectious diseases and cancer related illness and to be honest, even though there is a strong need for a hire, I understand there are other priorities on the plate for a hiring manager that absolutely cannot be influenced by a mere Recruiter like me! Aside from providing the expected customer service and appropriate follow up, (that an inexperienced recruiter could do as you say) could you perhaps give us some tips/examples on how to approach a hiring manager and expedite the time to fill ratio without coming across as continual harrassment and unprofessional?

Also, could you perhaps give us some examples of how in the past you have been successful with influencing a hiring manager to move quickly on a candidate that you have felt strongly about? Aside from presenting a strong resume and adding a compelling presentation on how my candidate is great fit for the role/company as well as providing strong customer service/consultative oriented approach for follow up once candidates are presented, I am really looking to learn what else I can do outside of this… It sounds like we could all benefit from your experience.

Also, with regard to ‘vendor relationship disclosure’ I’d like to think that if I am providing the above mentioned customer service to my hiring manager he/she would not be straying to use alternate external resources, however, if they did choose to do so, I think I’m an experienced enough Recruiter to manage the situation on my own like a big girl and not have them reported to HR for ‘violating code’ that seems to me like an ‘inexperienced’ recruiting move to me.

Cheers,

-Sonya

You can?t make stupid smart, slow fast, lazy ambitious.

You also can’t judge the hiring managers decision to hire an ex-Titan–it well may be (and often is) correct.

Hiring is a highly complex human interaction and the irony contained here is that someone who hasn’t hired in 25 years proposes to instruct those who hire regularly—and works with the hired on a daily basis.

Rather like having your children choose your clothes.

The innumerable posts and articles that appear here on metrics (or, how do I keep my job!) all advocate acquiring some form of authority without corresponding responsibility.

If we just had enough rules, there would be no divorce, they cry again and again.

Recruiters, corporate or TPR, would be wise to understand the limitations of their roles and the inevitable frictions that will result from working in the relationship business. Avoiding and managing those frictions, without resorting to the policy handbook, will yield far greater results than trying to police everyone around you. Look to the plank in your own eye.

If any of you have read Maureen Sharib’s– HR buy-in posts, you know what I mean. Forging ahead sometimes means just that and doing so without the pat on the back–the highest number of hires, or recognition of hires at all.

I do think hiring managers’ inability to make a decision and pressure of inaccurate metrics or the lack of usable metrics play a role, but what I have found in my current position is that after a recruiter has been slapped down long enough by– red-tape, active then in-active requisitions, indecisiveness on many levels, and knock-out tests that defeat the purpose of finding top quality candidates– some individuals feel defeated.

But, this defeatest attitude takes on several faces. Individuals can start making excuses, or they can get on the ball and a)look for a better culture in which to produce b)stay front and center with the newest technology that at the right moment can be presented to those with the authority to approve it and c)simply stay intellectually challenged by the hunt itself.

Look for new ways to dig up those passive candidates, stay excited about them, even if they do not move forward in your particular recruitment process, keep them warm for the right moment, stay abreast of industry knowledge, and network, network, network.

I agree with Deborah’s comments in that we have to always be providing perspective to the hiring manager, and if you get one or two to understand your vision and passion, the others will follow—or not, but you have to maintain your true sense of what the goal of recruiting is—to make your company or your firm the most outstanding it can be. Is this too idealistic?

Maybe, but good recruiters live and thrive by even the ‘promise’ of the next good hire.

If we lose site of the promise, we lose site of the goal. If you can get past the obstacles on a more personal level, this will be reflected in your professional life as well.

The metrics listed are also bad.

? Time to recognize hire: I don?t get it. What?s wrong with time to fill? Find the candidate and influence the manager to move on them.

? Quality of not hired: Resume?s are the worst indicator of future performance I?ve ever seen. This isn?t a metric but simply looking into a crystal ball and seeing what you want to see. It?s not a metric. You will have no proof that a candidate you did not hire would have performed better then a candidate you did hire.

? Process override: once again, influence?

? Vendor Relationship disclosure: If you can not provide a good service to your customers they will seek other resources. If you believe a manager is violating code of ethics policies with the vendor then by all accounts immediate let HR take care of the issue. Otherwise, competition is a reality of life.

Don?t drink this punch. It would certainly be bad for your career.

Bill Opal
Head of Recruitment
Sony Ericsson