Devoted to recruiting, finding top recruits, and hiring tips and advice

With "Joblessness in Utah is at a record low 2.5 percent" (Salt Lake Tribune, 11/14/06) many companies who've avoided recruiters like IRS Auditors are having to re-think their strategy.

Speaking recently with an executive of a local company, I was sung two verses of an increasingly familiar tune:

1. We don't work with outside recruiters because we don't like "paying the fees".
   - and -
   
2. Our recruiting efforts--job postings, job fairs, university recruiting, etc.--are simply not bringing in the caliber of candidates that we need.

In my opinion, this partial schizophrenia stems from a confusion about the value of professional recruiting.  Any busy executive will tell you that an excellent* recruiter is worth her or his fees in gold.  Their on-target, on-demand resourcefulness can save a company not only time and money, but can be an external check to help prevent you from making the age-old hiring mistakes that EVERYBODY makes.

There's no question that recruiters cost money.  But, hiring a headhunter is choosing to value your time more than your money.  (Afterall, as Jim Rohn says, you can always make more money, but time--once spent--is gone forever)

Remember: Hiring a contingency recruiter means you never pay for time--only money.  And you pay nothing if the recruiter can't execute.   

Having your internal staff recruit for you costs both their time and your money!  It may feel cheaper in the very short-run, but watch carefully, because (in this economy) the time they spend can quickly become more expensive (in salary and lost productivity to your business) than a recruiter's fee ever would be.

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* I make this distinction specifically.  An excellent recruiter, especially one dedicated to your industry, is not the same as any recruiter.