The internet has brought about a revolution in how we work with information. That revolution has strongly affected the executive search profession, and how employers and professionals find each other, but it has not replaced the need for human interactions. Recruiters, both in-house and consulting professionals, need to stay on top of what is happening with employers, industries, job candidates and the human resources arena. This requires ongoing, continuous efforts in face-to-face networking, attending meetings and using technology. MedZilla asked the experts what todays recruiters need to know in order to remain competitive and add value to employers and candidates.
For Immediate Release
Marysville, WA (PRWEB) April 9, 2004 -- Recruiters—whether in-house or outside consultants—are only as good as their last hires, industry experts say. To maintain your value in a profession that is so competitive and demanding, todays recruiters have to spend a lot of their time staying on top of what is going on in companies, industries and the workforce.
The web is an endless resource of candidates, company information and industry news," says Frank Heasley, PhD, president and CEO of MedZilla.com, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community that serves biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and science. However, the most successful recruiters agree that technology is not the end all, and does not replace face-to-face, old-fashioned networking and research."
Internal professionals: Going outside the bounds
Internal and consultant recruiters generally need different talents, according to Gerry Murak, MBA, PHR (professional human resource certification), a turnaround performance specialist with Murak and Associates, LLC, Williamsville, NY. For the internal recruiter, the key is understanding the external market.
Murak says that internal recruiters can maintain their edge by making sure not to operate in a vacuum or get comfortable thinking an annual membership with the Society of Human Resource Management is enough. Internal recruiters, should not only get involved in professional and other organizations, but also change their activities regularly, so they are exposed to different markets and ideas. Theres a lot on the internet, but it helps … to get the buzz off the street," he says.
Murak recommends looking into alumni groups, sitting on company and university boards and joining not-for-profits or world trade groups to be exposed to people entering or wanting to enter the country. This is another full circle of networking that is often overlooked," Murak says. Sometimes jobs cant be filled by the local market supply."
Internal recruiters cannot, however, forget the value of staying connected within their own ranks. Josh Paskewicz, a corporate recruiter with Fifth Third Bank in the Chicago area, says recruiting is very much a sales environment. … probably the best thing that I can do to keep myself in good standing with my customers and my managers is to keep the lines of communications open. The partnerships that I have formed with all my hiring managers are critical to my success," Paskewicz says. I really get in and learn their business, whether its through attending their meetings or just by working with the same people all the time."
Recruiting consultants: Sharpening your skills
The external recruiter generally has a good understanding of the external market; so, staying sharp tends to be more focused on understanding the internal needs of client organizations, according to Murak.
While the internet can provide a wealth of information about companies and their histories, search consultants (and job candidates) need to go a step further and conduct research at their local libraries. Microfiche and other library resources often provide insights into companies and their leaders that cannot be found on the internet, he says.
According to Peter Felix, president of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, which is the professional association for the worldwide retained executive search business, the core function of retained executive search consultants has remained the same: It is really all about introducing executive talent that will meet the requirements of a defined position in the organization and help bring into to an organization outstanding talent."
The real expertise in executive search comes when the consultant combines that understanding of a clients needs with knowledge of the market and how to find qualified candidates.
Like their in-house counterparts, consulting recruiters need innate talents which they have enhanced through training, education and experience, according to Felix. They have to be perceptive, good communicators, persistent, driven, motivated and extremely good consultants--people who listen very well and are used to helping people solve those problems," Felix says. Then obviously, they have to add to that the real experience and knowledge of the marketplace that they have decided to specialize in."
Consultant recruiters, specializing in pharmaceutical, biotech or other industries, need to be able to speak knowledgeably about those areas, speaking the speak." Staying on top of what is going on in an industry means knowing its major players; the performance characteristics of companies; how individuals have contributed within an organization; and what impact a senior executive has when he or she joins the organization, according to Felix. Recruiters should even know the reputation executives have. It helps if they immerse themselves in the industries and companies by reading industry news, conducting research and attending association and other meetings. The face-to-face interaction is often the most powerful way to keep a pulse on a market, Felix says.
The consultant recruiter also has to have a general knowledge of key human resource issues, Felix says. That, too, requires consistent reading and networking.
Fran Luisi, principal and partner of Charleston Partners, a retained-based executive search firm that exclusively recruits for human resources professionals, provides insight into what makes recruiters, themselves, valuable to employers.
What we have seen over the past few years is that the in-house corporate recruiters are becoming much more strategic—marrying the strategic and tactical aspects of their roles and becoming much more proactive than reactive," Luisi says. What we have seen in progressive organizations is the in-house recruiting professionals really understand their competition; really understand where they need to find people; and are very strategic in being able to manage those things. [This is] as opposed to being tactical and reactive--only attacking something when there is a position open."
Technology helps
The internet can make sourcing of candidates, backgrounds on people, companies and industries much faster and easier. Those who really make the internet work for them use it on a continuous basis as a networking tool," says Michele Groutage, MedZillas marketing director. Recruiters often develop and expand their personal networks by signing up with sites like MedZilla that serve as places where employers, recruiters and professionals meet."
Felix says that other types of technology, including voice mail and personal email, have been extremely helpful" in the daily business lives of recruiters. The communication methods allow clients to get back to recruiters on their own time, he says.
The whole goal of the search consultant is to be that highly trusted and very capable advisor and partner to the client to achieve critical objectives for the client, which are to bring in top people. You cant do that unless youre up to speed with what is happening in the market and comparative evaluations of executives," Felix says.
About MedZilla.com
Established in mid 1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. MedZilla databases contain about 10,000 open positions, 13,000 resumes from candidates actively seeking new positions and 71,000 archived resumes.
Medzilla® is a Registered Trademark owned by Medzilla Inc. Copyright ©2004, MedZilla, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this text in its entirety, and if electronically, with a link to the URL www.medzilla.com. For permission to quote from or reproduce any portion of this message, please contact Michele Groutage, Director of Marketing and Development, MedZilla, Inc. Email: mgroutage@medzilla.com.
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Contact: Michele Groutage
Company: MedZilla, Inc.
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