I recently read an article called What Nobody Told Me When I Started Recruiting, in which the author, a recruiter, suggests that newbies to the industry are not given a good foundation on which to build their craft. And it really is a ‘craft’ – something which you can learn quickly, but spend a lifetime perfecting.
He says: “…given the lack of formal training in the field (aside from somewhat new certification programs), here’s what I’m here to tell new recruiters: Don’t go at it alone. Lean on your community of recruiting peers. It doesn’t matter if you’re agency, corporate, contract, RPO, consultant. We are not competing against each other. We are collectively responsible for the humans we serve — including ourselves — and their experience in the world of work.”
The NPAworldwide recruiting network members would likely agree – sometimes your “competition” can turn into your best partner.
On a NPAworldwide regional call today, the volunteer leader for the US West Pacific region discussed business matters such as self-employment retirement options and other tax strategies. While the members may work in different niches, they all share in common the fact that they are either sole proprietors of a recruiting business, or have a small number of employees, and thusly, run into similar business issues, such as inconsistent income. The group also discussed their experiences with response rates to marketing efforts, what they are seeing in terms of gaps in what the candidate wants and what employers are willing to offer, how candidates are sensitive to hiring process speed, and an increase in candidates unwilling to work on-site.
Of course, joining a split network can also lead to more splits, more clients, and more money in your wallet. But further, you can utilize your trading partners for knowledge. Whether on NPA’s open forums, networking calls, or 1:1 connections, recruiters ask eachother what ATS they are using, what sourcing tools they find effective, what kind of language do they use in contracts, etc. They also discuss how to make more money by paying less for things, and what investments are worth the cost. For example, one of today’s call participants said he recently made a split placement that was a direct result of attending NPAworldwide’s annual global conference in Fort Worth, TX last month. One placement easily covers hotel, airfare, ticket, etc., so that investment was definitely worth it.
On-the-job learning is a valuable resource, especially when you have access to mentors all around the world, in all different niches, with decades of experience under their belt.