As I got to sit down and write this week’s blog, I could not stop thinking, “It’s been a while since I wrote a blog that is directly written to the hiring manager.” Most, if not all, of my blogs always address the needs of the candidate; however, today we are going to shift our focus and look directly at the needs of the hiring manager. With the fourth quarter rapidly approaching and headcount again a priority for 2024, the question begs itself: why should Mr. or Mrs. Hiring Manager initiate the use of a professional recruiter in my hiring plans?
Save The Time With A Professional Recruiter
The main reason for this question is that utilizing the services of a professional recruiter, one that is specialized in your field of industry, will save you time. I can hear you saying, “Time is not my biggest need, I have lots of that.” But do you really? The average firm receives a plethora of unsolicited resumes, and the ones that are qualified are usually few and far between. The reason that you are getting an unsolicited resume is because something happened to that candidate to cause them to send you a resume. Usually, that candidate whose resume you are perusing, like most of the ones before them, has either been released for lack of performance in one way or another. You just don’t RIF someone unless there is a reason. Even when there is a knee-jerk reaction caused by other firms letting go of employees, you just don’t let go of your top producers. So, as you read the resumes, you come to the conclusion that most of the resumes are from candidates who are being coerced either politely or not so politely to look for a new position.
Deeper & Wider Knowledge Of Candidates
The second reason that you want to use a professional recruiter is that they have their fingers on the pulse of the industry. You as a hiring manager have a microscopic view of the candidate pool. Yes, you may have your favorites on the hit list that are your “someday” people; however, a recruiter takes a macro view of the candidate pool out there, as they are aware of what’s happening with different firms. They can present top candidates that you are not even aware that they might be looking. Another reason is that even if you pick up the phone to call these top prospects, they usually will not tell you the truth about their situation. They want the comfort of being able to share their story and not worry about it getting out to the marketplace where they perceive their value will be diminished.
When Working With A Professional Recruiter, You Can Move People Quietly & Quickly
Another reason is that you may not want your competitors to know that you may have a void in your army of professionals. For example, if you know you are a bond counsel firm about to lose your top 103 lawyer (which will cause a hole in your armor), using a professional recruiter to fill this void quickly and quietly may save you lots of headaches and lost deals. On the public finance side, if you find out that your firm may be the subject of raiding from another firm, you may want to get out in front of that and look for future investments to secure your market share. What better way than going to the marketplace quietly ahead of your actual need? Another example is you may know that one of your top professionals is going to be retiring, and again you want to keep this quiet and have their replacement already lined up.
Get The Job Done
These are just some of the reasons, but the real reason is that a recruiter can get the job done for you. Your job is to run your division or even the company and relying sometimes on your internal recruiting team turns out to be more of a process than you thought when dealing with finding high-level talent. A good, professional recruiter will work with your internal hiring managers, not against them. Yes, HR may have all the names in their database, but do they know the prospect’s real story when they reach out to them? Probably not. The real prospects want and need the use of a recruiter, and for that reason alone you should want to partner with us.
Conclusion
You don’t need a resume to chat with us! If you would like to discuss your options, please reach out for a confidential conversation at 760-477-1284 or email at [email protected]. He can also be reached on LinkedIn. Harlan publishes a blog every Thursday here. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter here, which is a compilation of our weekly blogs, so you never miss one. You can find our listing in the “supplier and services” section of the Red Book under the title of “executive recruiting.”
About Harlan Friedman, JD & Founding Member, H. Friedman Search LLC. Harlan is a thirty-year veteran Public Finance Banker turned recruiter who specializes in the placement of all levels Public Finance Bankers, Healthcare Bankers, Municipal Advisors, Compliance Officers, Issuers, and Bond Counsels.