The role of a recruiter has never been more important

With the current national unemployment rate sitting at 4.2%, economists promoting 4.0% as zero unemployment, and the expectation that there'll be a 3 in front before the years end, we can really see the strain on organisations to attract talent from ponds that have all but dried up. This has really highlighted the value of what a good recruiter can add as a hiring partner for businesses.

No longer is it enough to have a vacancy, every organisation has vacancies, and everyone is in work.

Clients really need to work closely with recruitment partners so they can promote a culture, career, and pathway that is an attractive consideration for change for candidates.

Likewise, clients must work extremely hard to retain existing talent by providing employees and on-hired workers with an environment that they feel challenged, engaged, appreciated, and rewarded in, or someone else will.

This shortage of talent and labour is expected to continue well after this year and is affecting all sectors, and none more so than the professional staffing sectors.

Workers also have more choices than ever before so providing flexibility to work remotely and a supportive culture is a common theme for candidates evaluating a change.

Employers need to understand that going to more recruiters does not help attract more quality candidates. It only makes results and quality worse.

If a recruiter gets a role that a dozen other companies get, they won’t put as much effort into resourcing that role and getting the best candidates, compared to a role they have exclusively, or shortlisted with 1-2 other agencies.

Recruiters are only paid on placement and success, and they are extremely busy and work within tight margins.

So, in this tight market a recruiter’s role has become more about promoting a client and workplace, and not just a role.

Clients should also expect a recruitment partner to have a stable workforce and management strategy to accommodate change, so operations of service are not affected by a recruiter’s staff movements or unplanned disruptions such as pandemics or mother nature events such as fires and floods.

Great recruitment partners will really show their value in these times and those that are simply advertising on job boards and expecting applicants to apply may find very slim pickings.

It's never been a better time to be a recruiter…