Occasionally, as a Recruiting Firm, we get a request from an employer to “send over X (a certain job title) candidates in our database” for review. The company is struggling to find talent and wants to see what we have in our database. Interestingly enough, a Recruiting Firm’s value is not primarily in its database. Say what?! Here’s why…..
For the sake of this topic, let’s say a company is looking for a Construction Manager. The hiring company requests to review a Recruiting Firm’s Construction Manager candidates. The better questions may be – Can you find me active Construction Manager candidates that fit my company’s needs? Or, better yet, How do you find qualified candidates who are willing to make a move? So, a Recruiting Firm’s value is not primarily in its database. It’s in its recruiters who know how to leverage the internal database and all other resources at their disposal.
The Inner Workings of a Recruiting Firm’s Database
Recruiting databases have 100’s of 1000’s of candidates. While pulling up individuals meeting the qualifications of a “Construction Manager” is a very easy task, it doesn’t produce qualified candidates. Qualified to one company may not mean “qualified” to another. Additionally, a database is full of potential candidates. These individuals are or were seeking employment during a particular period of time. They may have been seeking in the past or potentially open to something new in the future. Just because a candidate was looking or exploring a role before, doesn’t mean he/she is exploring now or even open to hearing about something new. In today’s labor market, recruiting consists of finding the right passive candidates because most qualified individuals are currently working.
Most recruiting firms will start a search in their own database. An internal database is full of candidates that are known or familiar. However, it isn’t until a recruiter begins speaking to a potential candidate that the recruiter begins to assess “fit.” Which brings us back to this question – Can you find me active Construction Manager candidates that fit my company’s needs? In order to do this, a recruiter must understand a company’s dynamic, its culture, and the position’s unique requirements. Companies and job descriptions aren’t one-in-the-same. When a recruiter becomes an extension of a particular company, he/she can then assess candidates appropriately. This is why the client-recruiting firm relationship is so important.
While recruiters start in their own databases, they quickly or simultaneously move to outside resources. These resources allow them to target specific individuals meeting their client’s unique criteria. They virtually tap individuals on the shoulder. Once the person responds, the recruiter begins to assess their viability as a candidate for the particular role in question. While a resume outlines hard skills, a conversation takes this a step further. Not to mention, recruiters are experts in soft-skill assessment. Keep in mind, there isn’t a good and a bad with soft skills. However, most clients have a preference. Understanding that preference is KEY! And, while a potential candidate might not be the right fit for one client, he/she may be a great fit for someone else.
As a trusted recruitment source since 2002, the recruiters at TruPath have a customizable process that helps partners (clients) feel comfortable in their search for top talent. Contact a TruPath team member today to tell us about your hiring needs.