It’s been eight years since I last built a technical staffing agency, and boy, have the past six months of building CyberSN shown me how much things have changed.
For me, the most interesting change I’ve experienced while building CyberSN is just how much the recruiting industry’s positive reputation has turned negative. In my days of building technical staffing agencies, recruiters were a crucial part of the employment process and we made sure an invaluable service was provided. We made a positive difference in people’s lives everyday.
Fast-forward eight years and it looks like recruiters have a reputation comparable to the average lawyer: making big cash and helping little. I am saddened to see this progression in our industry.
So, who’s to blame for the negative turn? Do organizations have culpability in recruiting agencies’ newly formed reputations? I believe yes, partially. It amazes me how many organizations contact my recruiting teams at CyberSN wanting help filling positions, but HR doesn’t want the recruiters speaking to the hiring managers. How is this possible? Recruiters are matchmakers, how do they match people when they can’t speak to the main person in the equation? I believe that the true art of staffing is eliminated when companies ask recruiters to submit candidates based on a written job description alone. This is a big problem that leads to poorly skilled recruiters.
To all the organizations out there that think it’s possible to hire a quality recruiter and tell them they can’t speak with the hiring manager: you will only end up hiring unqualified recruiters who will disappoint you. Find a recruiter who you can trust to not waste your hiring manager’s time and you will experience a service that will put a smile on your face 🙂
To all the recruiters out there who aren’t trained—get trained! We offer coaching services and are happy to help. Let’s change the current reputation of recruiters.
Deidre, CEO/Founder
