As more technologies are introduced, the economy shifts and qualified candidates become even harder to find, recruiting is no longer a single one and done activity. We must serve as an ongoing support and resource for new candidates, hiring managers and the teams and leaders they work with. One way to do this is to become a consultative recruiter.
Consultive Recruitment Allows for More Hiring Manager Collaboration
A consultative recruiter is a partner in the recruitment process and sets up the engagement as a partnership, not as a vendor working for a customer. Your primary goal is not to please the hiring manager, but to help the hiring manager understand the expectations of deliverables for you and them. Educate the client on the recruitment process, the steps involved, and the principles of recruiting. Share with the client your expertise, prior successes, jobs you have worked that are similar in nature, and a well-structured strategy. Set up an agreement that informs the client of the needs and expectations you will have of them throughout the process and hold them accountable to this agreement, similar to a service level agreement, or SLA. In essence, your counsel helps the hiring manager be successful.
This approach takes a commitment from both the company and the recruiter and requires open communication, transparency, trust and a commitment to the desired outcome of the partnership. It can’t be one- sided, all involved should be accountable with objectives that are clearly defined and metrics that are frequently measured.
Communication is critical in any relationship, especially in recruitment partnerships. As recruiters, we often feel like we spend a large amount of time hunting down candidate and interview feedback from our clients. A recruiter who has established a true partnership through consultative behavior doesn’t have to do this because the expectations have been set with regards to hiring timeline, job description, interview standardization, and accountability from hiring managers.
How Recruiting Debriefs Can Improve the Quality of Hire
The alternative solution for gathering this information is through planned debriefings and regular discussions with your client. These are equally as important, as an intake call or information gathering session when a job opening comes to you. Not only should you plan these and participate in them, but you should facilitate the meetings. Asking key questions to help the team make the best hiring decision, driving an honest and open discussion about trade-off with requirements and salary, and coaching the client on risks are all keys to providing consultative communication. In addition, there is valuable information shared during debriefings and regular recruitment update calls that expands your insight into the organization, the client’s hiring needs, and the market.
Watch the Rethinking Recruiting Fireside Chat video and hear how the Sisense Talent Acquisition team how standardization of processes combined with the right recruiting technology selection helped them more than double in size in less than 12 months for multiple global offices. This 30-minute chat is packed with recruiting resources to help you quickly scale your hiring and growth efforts.
Are you looking to start your hiring process today? Comeet can help. Check out our plan options to learn more about how we can redefine the way you recruit new talent.
