From Recruiting 101 To 102: Retaining Recruiters

By: Dakotta J.K. Alex. Consultant, Author & Entrepreneur http://www.dakotta.com Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Most of the time, the HR department of a typical corporation is working to keep its employees satisfied and working. Recruiters are busy searching for qualified applicants who could provide a host of benefits for the company and who are likely to ‘stick with it’ and invest in the future of the company. But what happens when it is the recruiter who is thinking about leaving?

For the shrewd HR manager, this is a serious warning light. If a recruiter has spent any time with the company, an investment has been made that cannot easily be replaced. Thus, when warning signs present themselves, enact triage immediately. Don’t let that recruiter walk out the door!

Why is holding onto a recruiter so important? The answer can be summed up in a single word: familiarity. Recruiters have their eye and ear on many aspects of a company’s infrastructure, employee base, and the perceptions of those outside the company.

If a recruiter has distinguished himself in service – delivering great candidates on a consistent basis, then they know how to source the up and coming candidates as well. Every worthy recruiter knows, at least intuitively, the best way to sell the company to prospective employees. Even if a company doesn’t have an employer branding strategy, the best recruiters know the brand – and can leverage it – by instinct.

Good recruiters know the right people who can get things done. They’ve spent the time forging close relationships with administrative and executive level employees both internally and externally. These recruiters have made the right impression and are sought-after for referrals and advice on corporate hiring, other internal issues relating to employee benefits, and can even be called upon to mediate in-company disputes.

Recruiters know the company they’re working for; they must know how it works in order to recognize whether the latest trends in the outside employment market can be applied within.

By now, it should be clearer why all your best recruiters should be enticed to stay – whether you know they are considering a move or not. Moreover, the loss of such an asset could mean subsequent losses in general employment since many viable candidates may be overlooked or underrated by someone with less experience or who is still trying to get acquainted with the company.

Yet, why do recruiters leave in the first place?

Reasons recruiters leave

There are a number of reasons why a recruiter may feel that he needs to move on to a different company or even leave the profession entirely. He may have re-evaluated his professional goals and decided he wants to try something new. She may have personal or family reasons for leaving the business. But this is just one segment of your attrition metric.

Job-related causes of recruiter attrition

· Large company HR bureaucracy slows the pace for sharp recruiters

· HR director’s myopic vision strangles or frustrates recruiters’ creativity

· Over-emphasis of present efficiency practices rather than a value-focused approach

· Keeping everyone busy with a flurry of required activities but producing little results

· Obsessive fear of potential legal repercussions targeting HR

The aforementioned are just a few reasons why a recruiter may decide to throw in the towel. In such work environments, the benefits are buried under restrictive and stifling policies and uncertain team goals from management. The recruiter doesn’t feel like he’s making a difference. This is particularly true in larger companies or in corporations where HR is a big entity in charge of a hundred even thousands of employees.

There may be other external reasons for a recruiter’s departure, on of which is the growing cost-cutting trend of outsourcing. It can be a less expensive measure to have an outside recruiter do the work. This is a worrisome proposition for HR in general and recruiters in particular, and it may be enough motivation for some to find another employer the outsourcing rumor is unleashed.

But if a recruiter is considered valuable to the company, then it is crucial to take notice if any of these issues are the reason a recruiter is thinking about leaving. It is certainly in their best interest to do so.

About the author:

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About The Author: Dakotta J.K. Alex, social venture director and author of “Damn, I Need a Job. Again!” and “The Recruiters Guide Book,” is a Global HR Solutions Consultant specializing in human capital recruitment, process management and career analysis in the US, Europe and China. With over nine years of consultancy experience he has found his niche in the social networking arena and now runs the 3rd largest recruiting network forum www.RecruiterGroups.com in addition to a candidate / recruiter forum kno