Celebrating the Indian Recruiters day!

It was on March 9th 2000 that a group of senior professionals from the recruitment industry in India met and conceived of an association that would represent the needs and aspirations of the industry as well as strive to eradicate unethical practices.

ERA today has 8 chapters and 140+ members spread across India, representing the interests of Search, Staffing and Selection firms.

The Indian Recruiters Day is a day of celebration for the recruiters of India. Over 300,000 recruiters from across the country will rejoice in the light of the acknowledgment of their efforts to the Indian economy.On this day, ERA is planning a number of activities at each of its chapter locations to bring together all the recruiters.

As I attempt to write a tribute, I experience a writer's block. The more I reflect, the more I leave unsaid.

Hence I resort to going back into the archives and digging out an old post I wrote back in June 2007 on the naukri recruiters blog- a message meant for corporate recruiters and job seekers!

Whom do you trust more- Doctor or Pharmacist?

When one is sick, one needs both- the doctor and the pharmacist, right?

The doctor would examine you, analyse the symptoms, and based on his knowledge and experience- and hypothesis, prescribe a particular line of treatment, and then, give a prescription deciding the medicine-and the dosage necessary for us to follow to retain our health.

The pharmacist-essentially is a person who stocks different brands of the medicines, and is able to quickly pull out an alternative-and assist us.

Are you wondering..."How is this relevant for a job seeker, or even a corporate recruiter? " right?

As a recruitment consultant for almost 15yrs, I am a little amazed at the way most companies (rather I must be more specific-corporate recruiters) are looking for quick fix or shortcuts while hiring!!

There is a tendency to glamorise the "pharmacist" or the "sourcer" in this case!! A recruiter who just uses 'key words' to download resumes from the various job sites- and hey presto..with a click of the button shoot off a bunch of CVs fast..seem to be valued more-and rewarded as the emphasis here is 'first to log in the resume"!!

In contrast, just imagine the value add..if a consultant actually spends time with a job seeker, evaluates the need for the change- and then educate the person about the choices- validates the interest in a particular role in a specific company..and then sends your profile to that -which is closest to your calling??

As a job seeker, whom would you want to represent your case? So what if you have posted your resume on the net?Who adds value to you more- the one who handholds you through the process..or the one who finds it (first or last is immaterial right?)

For my fellow professionals in my fraternity, here is a way forward suggested in the latest blog post by Greg Savage and so I quote verbatim on how a recruiter ought to aspire playing the role of an architect !!

I use the word ‘architect’ because it suggests designing, building, creating, managing. And these are the complex and subtle skills you will need to thrive going forward.

In recent years recruiters did no placement process architecture. What 90% of recruiters did, and still do, is pure introduction. That’s all we did. We were like organisers of a speed dating night. Throwing loosely compatible people together in an artificial environment for a short time and hoping they would fall in love!

That won’t do any more.

Those recruiters who understand that the human touch is still our primary tool in making a hire work, are those who will be most successful.

So how do we get better at ‘Placement Architecture’? There are three components to building strong hiring process, and these are skills you are going to need:

1. Take the time required. Recruitment is a series of discrete human interactions, and great recruiters will manage, control, and influence the outcome of each of those interactions to maximise success.
2. Listen better than ever before. Uncovering, questioning, and understanding are sadly undervalued recruiter skills that we need to hire and coach back into our business. Most recruiters do none of this. They act on the client’s word as if it is the true gospel, or they tell clients what to do without asking questions first. It sounds counter-intuitive, but great recruiters will purposely be “slow to understand”.
3. Question everything. The biggest cause of placements falling through is people making assumptions. Recruiters taking what they are told at face value. Ask for the “why and how” of everything that does not ring true, and don’t stop asking until you get an answer.

I sign off for today -hoping that we recruiters use today to reflect on how we can improve the perception of our profession, by ensuring we reinforce at least two qualities that symbolises a true hallmark of any professional: One is the ability to work unsupervised and, two, the ability to certify the completion of one’s work.

Cheers to helping shape careers!!