Liars, Cheaters, and Thieves...
By Scott Wintrip, BioAs president of The Wintrip Consulting Group.
Over the past few months, I’ve asked hundreds of randomly selected people across the globe the first word that comes to mind when they think of recruiters. I need only one hand to tick off the number of positive responses I heard, which include “helpful,” “partner,” and “beneficial.”
On the other hand, and that one would need hundreds of fingers, the various negative replies were stunning, not so much in their selection, but in the vitriol with which they were said. The most common were: “Liars”“Cheaters”“Thieves.”
Even the press has elected a few choice words, such as these in a prominent Australian business publication:
“Every industry has its deadbeats – but some manage to do an excellent job in giving everyone else a bad name. The recruitment industry is particularly prone to ‘bad apples’ because of the fly-by-night nature of so many of the people who work there and the short-term focus of monthly targets.” – Fiona Smith, BRW, April 2013
So, are we an industry that helps or harms? Your first response, most likely, is “helps,” which is true. And, I submit that any real harm done is perpetrated by a select few, those “bad apples” mentioned by Smith. Unfortunately, our belief in our value pales when stacked against global, public sentiment. Yes, there are clients and candidates who see us differently, understanding, at least to some degree, the helpful nature of staffing and recruitment.
However, the disparity in the number of companies using our services yearly (less than a third) versus during a decade (more than 90%) demonstrates, at least to some degree, the disconnect with the tremendous value we provide.
The next step in the maturation of our industry requires that we do a much better job in helping more companies hire better people, faster than they would on their own. Also, an increasing number of candidates must feel as though they’ve accomplished something they wouldn’t have been able to through their own efforts.
The only way to do this is by laying out a process for both parties to follow that accomplishes better results for all.
This is often different from how we typically cater to clients, in particular, jumping through their hoops and following their processes. If their processes worked so well, would they even need to contact a staffing or recruitment firm in the first place? The customer is always right until the customer is wrong. All too often, we wrongly allow buyers to dictate price and process, hampering us from doing great work. This is where I suggest you begin in your contribution to the elevation of the reputation of our industry.
Continually refine and improve your processes and respectfully insist that those you serve follow these as the best way to do business. As long as you’re good at what you do, the results will speak for themselves, making it difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to use words like liar, cheater, or thief.
BioAs president of The Wintrip Consulting Group, Scott Wintrip has helped thousands of companies across the globe increase revenue, improve profitability, expand market share, boost employee retention and decrease labor intensity.
He has consulted for, coached, and educated more than 40,000 staffing and recruiting professionals, creating more than $1.2 billion in positive economic impact for his clients. For the fourth consecutive year, Scott has appeared on the Staffing 100, a list of the 100 most influential leaders in the industry as a result of his innovative leadership, development of cutting-edge educational programs and offering staffing and recruitment executives a host of practical and sustainable solutions. He is also the author of Sales Yoga: A Transformational Practice for Opening Doors and Closing Deals.
You can learn more about Scott and his services at WintripConsultingGroup.com.
Disclaimer: All information written here is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional and/or legal services.