The Value that a Good Recruiter Brings

Many believe that professional recruiter fees are amplified and never justified. However, there are extensively valid reasons why employers use third party recruiters. One of the foremost reasons for the use of professional recruiters is due to the fact that the market is flooded with job candidates. The common logic is that human resources should just be able to simply post a job and get plenty of candidates. While this reasoning is sound, the fact remains that human resource departments are overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of resumes that come across their desks. Sadly, most of the resumes show a lack of qualification and experience.

A good third party recruiter doesn’t simply send resumes to his or her clients. The best recruiters have embedded processes within their organizations which ensure that all candidates are properly screened to ensure they are appropriate for the position and company in terms of functional skills, education, experience, and personality. Simply put, they weed out inexperienced and unqualified candidates saving corporations an abundance of time and resources.

The work of a recruiter does not stop once the resumes are submitted. Experienced recruiters understand the need to manage the complete hiring process, which includes not only finding, screening and submitting qualified candidates, organizing interviews, getting feedback from all parties, negotiating offers, and conducting reference checks and background investigations. And throughout the entire process, the recruiter must manage expectations of both the candidate and the client to maximize the probability that once an offer is made to a candidate, he or she will accept.

By developing relationships with skilled third party recruiters, corporate human resource departments can dramatically decrease their workloads, enabling them to focus on other key human resource responsibilities such as managing benefits, grievances, workman’s compensation claims, etc. Likewise, hiring managers can focus on their jobs instead of screening countless resumes for their open positions, most of which will not have the required skills and experience present.

While partnering with corporate human resources to ensure the smooth operating of the hiring process is the bread and butter of the third party recruiter, he or she can add value to the client in a number of other ways.

Another valuable tool a third party recruiter brings to the table is connections. The nature of the job requires recruiters to make hundreds (or even thousands) of connections with professionals within their specializations. The best recruiters form relationships that may span many years with people they have assisted in finding jobs, or hiring managers who they have helped. This generally provides recruiters with a wider network of potential employees for their clients.

That being said, professional recruiters do not steal from their clients. Put another way, ethical recruiters do not actively recruit from their clients. When a talented individual decides it’s time to leave his or her organization, they often contact their recruiter for assistance. This enables the recruiter to bring a pool of talent to the search beyond those candidates that have registered on the major job boards.

It is safe to say that there are many other functions recruiters perform. Managing the hiring process is a large part of what recruiters do, but not the only part. There is no doubt that the fees are substantial, but so is the value that a good recruiter brings to the organization of a company or corporation, and that value can be measured in real terms.

Akins, Chris. “Why Employers Use Recruiters.” N.p., n.d. Web.12June2012.