According to industry trainer Doug Beabout, CPC of The Douglas Howard Group, recruiters have been too dependent upon technology in recent years. That dependence has hampered many recruiters’ efforts, especially in the face of challenging economic conditions.
“The luxury of dependence upon technology-focused recruiting practices has to be replaced with a reliance upon hands-on recruiting,” said Beabout.
Beabout indicated that relying on technology too heavily brings with it certain risks, especially as it pertains to the more intricate aspects of the profession and the recruiting process. One such example is that of counter-offers.
According to Beabout, counter-offers are becoming more prevalent. The reason? Companies do not want to lose the talent that they have. After all, the employees that they’ve kept during the recession are the ones that they deem to be the most valuable. Consequently, they’re not apt to just let one of their superstars walk right out the door.
However, a reliance on technology is not going to help a recruiter deal with a counter-offer situation. Only a recruiter versed in the basics and fundamentals of the profession can successfully navigate such a situation.
“Counter-offers are rampant right now, and they exist for all the same reasons they existed before,” said Beabout. “People can be bought. Recruiters have to be good at determining the real basis for motivation for any candidate they try to place.”
The bottom line: recruiters can’t go wrong by returning to the basics.
“The real answer lies in a return to the fundamentals that gave us this industry in the first place,” said Beabout, “and that’s identifying, attracting, qualifying, referring, and placing talent.
“Whoever wants to thrive during the next decade needs to get off the keyboard and get on the keypad.”
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Doug Beabout, CPC, a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, has a career that spans 30 years of expertise in recruiting, personnel services, firm ownership, and training. His tenure in recruiting includes building four highly successful businesses and establishing hundreds for others worldwide. Beabout speaks to state, regional, and private recruiter associations. He is a consultant to many corporations and personnel firms. Beabout is currently owner and president of The Douglas Howard Group, a professional recruiting firm, and conducts several online training programs for recruiters and researchers. He can be reached at 850.424.6933 or via email at trainer@recruiterelearning.com.