External recruiters are not usually the favorite group of people within a human resources office. They’re somewhat disliked. But more often than not, they’re viewed as just a necessary evil — like paying one’s taxes or calling the plumber when your DIY expertise isn’t enough. However, is this true? Are they really that bad or could they be a helpful tool in your toolbox?
The Conundrum of External Recruiters
Most employers would prefer that external recruiters (also known as headhunters) would not be the first or second option for their HR department. We, here at ENSEARCH, understand this. We know that we are an added expense to their recruitment budget, and it is understandable why a hospital would rather not pay our fees.
An HR recruiter, oftentimes, is working for multiple managers, with many needs, and could be responsible for filling A LOT of jobs (we’ve heard as high as 100 jobs for one recruiter!). So if the need is urgent, time-sensitive, or specialized, we can jump in to take the load off on that assignment while they juggle all the others.
But here’s the thing: when the urgent need is there, we come through.
The Improvements for Internal Recruiters
To help minimize these increased costs, many employers are beefing up their HR / Recruitment departments. They do this by giving them more and more tools to be effective, which while helpful for the department, it still comes with an increased price tag with the cost of higher salaries to budget.
If all internal options have been exhausted and the urgent need still exists, it is not until that point HR brings in an external recruiter. This can make the internal recruiter feel like they failed in their role, sometimes even reflecting poorly on the internal recruiter. Unfortunately, this can make for an adversarial relationship between the internal recruiter and the headhunter.
It is not our goal to outshine your employees: we want to work together
Creating a Recipe for Recruiting Success
Here at ENSEARCH, it is never our goal to usurp your recruiting department. We want to come alongside and partner with you. If one of your employees feels this is not the case, then this a lose-lose situation. So it is our goal to help avoid these painful situations (or at least) minimize them.
A good recruiter’s attitude should be like that of Jerry Maguire when he said, “Help me, help you!” Our job is more than finding the right candidate to fulfill your hospital need, it is to make them look good. If the human resources office doesn’t succeed, then we do not succeed. As we help each other, we make each other shine!
Remember: Our goal is not to take over, but to be an effective external arm of the team.
Conclusion
Instead of thinking of external recruiters as a necessary evil, think of us as another member of your team. No, we don’t expect to be used every single time — like your favorite tool in a toolbox — but we can help out in times of time-sensitive needs, searches within a highly specialized niche with a limited supply of candidates, and confidential searches to keep the hospital running smoothly. So to answer the question, yes! You can work effectively with an external recruiter; it just takes a different perspective than you might expect.
