Take no risk and blame the status quo!

Image courtesy (I hope) of Despair, Inc.

I am saddened by the amount of direct recruiters that are still quoting agencies and job boards as their biggest recruitment cost.  How can this be when there should be so many other costs that should be greater IF they are seriously investing in direct resourcing.

If I were running a direct resourcing team my infrastructure would look something like this.

 

Now I appreciate it is easy for me to suggest such things as 1) I'm not an employee and 2) I'm not risk averse like the majority of UK businesses.  But what really gets me, is that so many Recruiters want to know more but find themselves short of budget because they have spent it all on things that don't work.  Or, they are too busy to think about something else.  Or just plain scared.

Of course, there are some who are prepared to take a risk but are often thwarted by their risk averse HRD; the same HRD that can't get on the Board and they wonder why.  Where HR won't take the risk, then put recruitment in the hands of the business.  Good people are out there and will move but it takes professional recruiters, with a professional system to be able to handle them appropriately.  Teams are getting smaller as are budgets so the only long-term way of success and survival is to get a bit more automation in your process which will reduce costs and save time. 

Too many times I hear the ATS being blamed for so much yet there is no such thing as perfect software.  Rarely are we Users anywhere near fully conversant with the product we have so more effort should be made to become an expert of your ATS.  And if you get there, unless it is really bad, make the most of what you have and don't waste time changing in the current climate.  Yes, change if there is a decent commercial reason, or better system for very little effort but don't change for the sake of it.  I've seen big companies do this and just lurch from one problem to the other; still blaming the ATS instead of looking in the mirror.

The above diagram is hardly rocket science but unless you are actively working to something close to it, you'll just have to continue spending with job boards and agencies whilst your smart competitors continue to thrive.  If you don't recruit great people you'll never become a great business.

Maybe great is not your goal; maybe you prefer safe (as houses), maybe you should think again!