30 YEARS ON

"Everything has changed…… but not that much is different”

Queens Birthday Weekend marked my 30^th anniversary within the recruitment industry. Whilst I’m not that much into nostalgia the occasion did cause me to reflect on what had changed over the period.

When I first started as a consultant with Key Personnel Limited in Christchurch in 1977 the industry was still largely in its infancy, indeed the local scene comprised only seven recruitment firms;

• Key Personnel Limited (later to become Alfred Marks, now Adecco)
• McDougall Associates (later McDougall Rogers, then Rogers & Partners)
• Wareham Associates
• Drake
• Office People (ChCh) Limited (later Methven Personnel, then Methven Consulting Group)
• Shaw’s Personnel
• Hotel Employment Service.

At last count in 2007, there are some 97 firms now providing various forms of recruitment consulting in Christchurch. This situation is mirrored throughout New Zealand and Australia, the industry itself is now mature and very much international. So….

What Has Changed?

• The proliferation of recruitment company numbers
  
• Number of active consultants and the size of firms
  
• The degree of specialisation – industry/sector/occupational groupings
  
• The commoditisation of recruitment at lower and mid levels
  
• The internationalisation of the industry with major global firms now being represented locally & nationally
  
• Partly as a result of the internationalisation the attendant ‘roll-ups’, mergers and acquisitions and new start-ups
  
• Technology uptake
  • ease and speed of communication (email)
  • effective utilisation of database methodology
  • record keeping and back office administration
  • fully integrated recruitment software for volume recruitment, specialised recruitment, permanent recruitment, temporary recruitment, executive recruitment, executive leasing and executive search
  • growth of online assessment
  • electronic receipt/storage of candidate resumes ( almost nil paper based /applications resumes now received)
  • electronic candidate reports, proposals, resumes and other contractual documentation
  • international reach via internet
  • advanced search capability (local/national/international) utilising international databases
    
• Emergence of volume recruiters and preferred/exclusive supply contracts
  
• Significant and ever increasing use of assessment tools at all levels
  
• Competency based recruitment V’s matching experience and specific industry track records
  
• Major emphasis is now on “fit” rather than track record, skills or experience
  
• Speed of recruitment- there is a noticeable ( and expected) reduction in recruitment timeframes at all levels
  
• Flexibility of recruitment service offerings both bundled and unbundled ( client choice)
  
• Emergence of dedicated “in house” company recruitment functions
  
• Clients are generally much more knowledgeable about good recruitment practice
  
• Demands placed on recruiters by clients are significantly greater
  
• The development of largely transactional relationships – particularly within those larger recruitment firms and those involved in volume and/or contingency recruitment V’S quality partnering relationships. Many can be fickle being largely based on cheapest fee
  
• Outsourcing of entire recruitment functions for some organisations is quite commonplace
  
• Strongly “product or canned” approaches being introduced by some recruitment providers
  
• Formal industry qualifications and training now in place (largely as a result of the efforts of the RCSA/University of Melbourne and others)
  
• The power within the employment relationship has moved from the employer to the employee as people take charge of their own careers.

What Has Not Changed?

• Companies and organisations need to identify, attract, train and retain the best possible talent.
  
• Consultant’s requirement to fully understand the nature and business of their clients and also to know exactly what is required in any specific recruitment assignment for that client.
  
• The need for the consultant to understand intimately the industry sector/specialisation in which they are recruiting for.
  
• Essential requirement for Consultant to have a “passion” for the industry/business V’s $$$.
  
• The need for both the consultant and client to understand that “the obvious is not always obvious” – top consultants have the ability to identify and recommend the appointment of the outstanding (obscure) candidate. Mediocre consultants place the obvious.
  
• A committed, strong and trusting relationship between consultant and client.
  
• The need for the consultant to understand and apply the four fundamentals of consulting:
  • Technique
  • Discipline
  • Control
  • Communication
    
• The absolute need to keep clients and candidates fully informed and updated through each stage of the recruitment assignment.
  
• Candidate care- ensuring that all candidates are treated with dignity, respect and honesty at all times.
  
• The need for the client and the recruitment consultant to be on the same page in terms of what is required in any recruitment assignment.
  
• Flexibility to work around any situation, the ability to quickly respond and deal appropriately with reversals which inevitability occur when dealing with people.
  
• Tenacity and commitment on the consultants part to accept the responsibility for producing a mutually beneficial outcome as opposed to simply having the opportunity to recruit.
  
• Being proactive with both clients and candidates at all times (V’s reactive).
  
• The need for the consultant to stay with the process and to support, guide and make recommendations which are in the best interests of the client.
  
• Consultant requirement for hi-energy levels and a competitive, success oriented motivation.
  
• Service V’s subservient approach.
  
• Ability to challenge assumptions (client & candidate) and recommend alternative solutions.
  
• Critical need for professionalism, confidentiality and consistency at all times
  
• Regardless of what else may have changed, methodologies, technologies, assessment tools etc, there are three fundamentals of recruitment that will never change:
  • Can do – can the person do the job
  • Will do – will the person do this job
  • Will fit – will the person fit the culture of the company, fit the requirements of the role and/or work group.

I am still firmly of the view that the most successful appointment is 20% about skills, experience, work history and competencies and 80% about fit for the role and fit for the company/culture.

Barry T Knight