I am what you call a frugal person – I use coupons whenever I can, I search for the best gas prices on an app, and I happily accept hand-me-downs. But even the thriftiest person knows that there are some areas where you just shouldn’t cut corners. As a recruiter and business owner, you should weigh whether your resources are an expense or an investment, and allot your budget accordingly.
For example, a number of NPAworldwide members are currently attending our Global Conference in Ft. Worth, TX. When you consider the ticket, airfare and hotel, yes, this is another cost to add to the expenses. But when you consider the agenda includes professional speakers presenting topics from candidate sourcing, to marketing strategies, to diversity recruiting – not to mention the opportunities for networking – there is a significant return on investment in attending.
Many of our members agree that the value of going to an in-person meeting far exceeds the cost of attending it. Time and time again we hear of new partnerships and deals being made because of recruiters meeting face-to-face at these events. When it’s time to consider expenses, think of the possible outcome and whether it’s really an investment… and keep in mind this quote:
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. – Warren Buffett
There are plenty of recruiting resources that firm owners can purchase – training courses, different ATS systems, sourcing tools, etc. It’s important for recruitment firm owners to understand the difference between an expense, which costs you money, and an investment, which makes you money. Here are a few areas to consider:
- Recruiter Training / Development – Firm owners who want to focus on growth know that one of the keys to that is developing strong recruiters. Yet, training and development (such as meetings and conferences) is often viewed as an expense. We tell our members all the time that if recruiters learn just ONE tip at a meeting or conference that generates a placement or saves some money, the costs of attending will be more than covered. If additional training in sales, negotiating, technology use, marketing, social media, or interviewing would generate new or additional revenue, it’s likely an investment. Training and development initiatives can also assist in reducing recruiter turnover, which reduces the expense of replacement.
- Recruitment Firm Marketing and Branding – Marketing shouldn’t be viewed as just something to address only if the budget/time allows… it is critical to long-term growth and success. For example, if your website is not mobile-friendly, it’s likely that job seekers are having a difficult time finding you in a search. It may be time to allocate some resources to inbound marketing, using your website to attract candidates and clients to your firm. If marketing is directly responsible for additional placements or new clients, or creates credibility for your business, it’s an investment, not an expense.
- Recruitment Technology – There’s so many different tools and technologies out there — ATS, payroll processing software, cloud-based subscriptions to office applications, LinkedIn services, and more. Technology tools can automate activities that are non-revenue-generating, allowing firm owners and their recruiters to spend more time on activities that DO create revenue. The cost up-front may be hard to swallow (especially for products that require a monthly per-seat license), but these recruiting resources can be some of the most important for your business.
Deciding where to allocate the money in your budget can be a real challenge for a recruiting firm, but if you can scrutinize what are really investments vs. expenses, you’ll realize what is “worth it” to grow your firm.