Recruitment is still gold!

Plenty of recruiters are stressed.

The boom has slowed, and now hard work can bring scant rewards.

The threat of AI, both real and grossly exaggerated – looms large.

Some are questioning their vocation.

“Should I even be a recruiter?”

But hold firm, my recruiting friends.

My take?

Our industry will continue to thrive

However not all recruiters will thrive along with it, because they do not adapt

So, I think our industry will grow in terms of revenue but perhaps shrinks in terms of headcount.

I made this prediction which may well be wrong, (although every week it is looking more ‘right’!), but it holds both great hope as well as existential threat – for some.

I have a reminder and a message for you.

If you have the right skill-set I think being a recruiter is going to get even better – because the parts pf the job you hate – will go away!

Admin, compliance, ATS maintenance, record keeping, database mining and maintenance, screening, scheduling, formatting and note writing – all done by the tech – which means you have more time to do the real fun parts of the job – connecting, networking, selling, advising, consulting, mentoring, story-telling, influencing and creating outcomes for the greater good!

I love being in recruitment.

Seriously, I think it’s the best job in the world.

It is tough sure, and that will always remain. What you are selling can say ‘no’, and that is a challenge.

However, if you can master the influencing skills of a great recruiter, this job will be intensely satisfying and rewarding in years to come. If you can excel at the parts of the role that tech cannot automate, your future is assured.

I know many recruiters have doubts. I know plenty of recruiters feel slammed. You may be feeling like that right now!

It is common for recruiters to wobble. It’s a tough gig

I am not going to gild the lily. Being a long-term success won’t be easy. But tell me anything genuinely worthwhile, that is.

But it will be worth it!

Here’s why:

• Recruiting is a win/win/win. Unlike most commercial transactions, recruiting is not a win/lose scenario. If I sell you a car, I aim for the highest price, and you push for the lowest. One of us will feel we ‘won’, the other a bit despondent that we ‘lost’. It might even get a little acrimonious. But in the perfect recruitment scenario, everybody wins. Happy client, happy candidate, happy you. This is not as trivial as it seems. There is something intensely rewarding about doing a job where everyone is grateful and excited about the outcome – and then you get paid.

• You create excellent outcomes. Maybe the coolest thing about being a recruiter is that this is a job where you literally make good things happen. Well, good recruiters who can influence the key ‘moments of truth’ do. The candidate is reluctant to go on an interview, but through your influencing skills, they reluctantly go along, do exceptionally well, love the job, and get hired! The client won’t see your top candidate because of something they spotted in the resume, but you persist, explaining the person is better than the document, the client relents, and your candidate gets the job, gets promoted, and in time becomes your client! For me, when I recruited, this was the real buzz. Making things happen. Controlling the process. I would crack open a beer on Friday and reflect. That would not have happened if I had not seen the opportunity and influenced the outcome. Not with arrogance. With gratitude. Beyond cool.

• And, of course, that leads us to another reason why recruiting rocks. What we do matters. I mean, it really matters. Recruiters get a horrific reputation sometimes, and occasionally, it’s deserved, but hey, at the end of the day, we find people jobs! We help companies grow! And that’s a good thing, right? Something to be proud of. It makes an impact. We change people’s lives. We solve companies’ staffing issues. We help people further their career ambitions. Fantastic!

• One of the beautiful things about our business is that it is so measurable. Of course, this does not suit everybody I know, but there is nowhere to hide in recruiting, and I like that. Oh, there are all varieties of BS and egos and big talk in our business, sure. But in the end, the truth will out! If you have the right temperament, you will thrive in this competitive environment, love that you can measure yourself against your competitors and colleagues, and revel in the transparency of fee-tables and bonus-by-results. You could probably be an average accountant or teacher, and no one would really know or remark on it. But in recruitment, you know when you are good. You know when you are mediocre. You know when you are under-performing. And so does everybody else. There is nowhere to hide.

• You can ‘own’ your market. If you have longevity, maintain integrity, and deliver service and outcomes that your customers want… you can elevate yourself to a trusted advisor, and recruitment becomes a beautiful thing. All your work is exclusive, all your candidates come via referrals and recommendations, clients treat you with respect, seek your advice, and bring you ‘into the tent’. You ‘own’ your patch, and that is a beautiful place to be! Graham Whelan, who I referred to as the most outstanding recruiter ever, could walk into any Board Room in Sydney or Melbourne to be greeted with handshakes and hugs, because he probably placed half the people around the table. Often, he had placed their kids! The rest he had helped in some other way. Literally.

So, if you are having a down day. Never forget.

Recruitment rocks!

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