Not that long ago, for critical positions, hiring managers would often reach out to recruiters to help them find those stellar candidates. Recruiters had the unique ability to find and connect with passive job candidates that would otherwise not respond to a “help wanted” advertisement. In recent years, however, with the rise of LinkedIn and other professional networking sites, employers seem to be able to reach passive candidates much easier without using a recruiter. This begs the question – Is the relationship between recruiter and HR Business Partner dead? #recruiter #careeradvice

The answer may not be as crystal clear as a “yes” or “no”, but we can certainly agree that the relationship is changing! Talent pools are changing. Yes, employers now have access to a similar online talent pool that recruiters use, but do they have the “in” with professional groups? Do they regularly attend networking events where passive job seekers may be more involved? My guess is probably not. Furthermore, if a member of your organization made a call to a direct Competitor to solicit talent and set up an interview, chances are the cat would be out of the bag pretty quickly. A recruiter can make that contact under the recruitment firm name and it’s a lot less taboo.

Recruiters still have a leg up on the time to fill. With all the other things hiring managers have to handle, do they have the time to commit to a proper lengthy conversation with job candidates about their bigger career goals? Sure, if it’s truly critical, all other processes could be put on hold to focus on finding the right talent, but going back to the
talent pool question, is the HR team as connected to available talent as a recruiter?

Remember that recruiters specialize in the art of finding and matching people to the right position. They have their hands on the pulse of the job market. They will be able to advise you on what is realistic for the search in regards to salary, skill set, available talent, and competition for similar positions. This is all information a hiring manager likely wouldn’t have by simply posting a job on a job board. Recruiters are instrumental in finding the perfect fit for a company because they offer impartiality that a company representative will not have. They can also help broker the
best deal between the candidate and the company, often able to see both sides of the story so to speak, without being biased one way or another in a way that would interfere with objective decision-making. Another great point as to why recruiters are beneficial to your screening process is the fact that recruiters can go into a competitor’s office and try to attract the best talent – where a company may not feel as comfortable doing this. Also, recruiters allow the candidate to speak first to an “outsider” without having to speak directly to the company on first sight. These reasons all make the process smoother for both the candidate and the company!

Recruiters increase the likelihood that candidates will say yes. Good recruiters put a significant amount of energy into understanding their candidates and their perspective employers. By having a middleman involved in the process, the recruiter serves as the perfect matchmaker after the first “date.” Recruiters ask both parties how did it go and can manage expectations of both parties in advance. Candidates will likely share info with a recruiter, like that they didn’t feel the culture was a good fit, that they wouldn’t share with a company representative. I think we can all agree how frustrating/disheartening it is to find “the candidate” and then get your offer turned down.

Ultimately, yes almost anyone in your organization can go online and start looking for candidates, but recruiters are specialists! So my answer is “NO” the relationship is not dead. Maybe for an entry-level position you may not call a recruiter, but for those key positions, they are a huge value-add to your organization.