What if we cared more?
As more organizations are getting back to work, more people are applying to jobs, only to be dismayed and appalled by the unprofessionalism of many recruiters and talent scouts.
Not only are people being flat out ghosted, but—since recruiters have so many jobs to fill—many aren’t even looking at candidate’s profiles before they initiate contact.
In the past two weeks, for example, I’ve had numerous (and awkward) interactions with recruiters who have told me I don’t have ‘enough experience doing x,’ when it explicitly says how long I’ve been doing it on my online profile and resume. If experience really matters to you (or your client) why not take a look before you waste my time?
What’s interesting is that all this inefficiency doesn’t appear to tie back into their business models. Recruiters (and recruiting firms) don’t care if they waste potential candidates time—as long as they find the right candidate. Apparently, it doesn’t hurt them at all if they ghost candidates, or neglect to do their homework.
Of course, once enough candidates (and hiring managers) realize the only upside of working with any average recruiter is a slim shot of success (and a high yield of time wasted), they’ll be far less willing to do business with them.
Moreover, given a long enough time frame, as staffing agencies change their business model from ‘what’s the least we can do (for applicants)?’ to ‘what if we cared more?’ traditional recruiting firms will find it ever harder to compete in an already saturated market. (Potentially putting more than few ‘traditional recruiters’ out of work).
Perhaps, by representing their clients (and giving them the knowledge and tools they need to land the career they want) recruiters and staffing agencies could do a better job at sourcing the talent needed for their clients.
And by providing a comprehensive, all-inclusive service—with concierge placement, skill development, brand management, coaching, and networking opportunities—perhaps they’d be able to charge more (not less), giving their agents the surplus of time and slack they need to make their interactions more accommodating.