Hiring Manager: we pay all this money to our Recruiter, what are we getting?
One of the first clients I worked with after starting Mier Talent Consulting was a mid-size company who needed help with their hiring processes. Much of it came down to the fact that leadership was comprised of very talented individuals who all did their jobs very well for many years prior to coming together. When they did begin this business, they could manage the initial hiring with ease. It was only after they began to grow quickly that they realized they were in some trouble.
We initially connected as I was looking for new business for my new business. They didn’t really know where to begin. They wanted outside help so they didn’t have to hire dedicated HR until they hit certain sales numbers. However, they had reached a point where they were going to be unable to meet the market demand and thus needed to get their act together. I spent approximately 8 hours with the CFO having phone calls to discuss hiring and how to put together a competent hiring process for leaders who just didn’t have a second of time that could be wasted. This included specifics such as how many interviews and with who, how to utilize a 4-box model to accurately weigh candidates, to onboarding/training processes so they could actually get up and running. During all of this, they had me recruiting for two positions so we could implement the changes in real time.
This client also struggled with knowing when to make an offer, when to feel confident you have the right candidate. This group was used to picking their own friends and colleagues from the industry and were now faced with a very different hiring experience. How could they know every stone had been turned? During our weekly check in calls I provided in-depth updates on that week’s activity: which companies did I target? How many candidates did I speak to? Why were candidates interested? Why were they rejecting the position? What were comp expectations? These questions and many more were explored so the client didn’t feel like they received 3 random individuals at the end of the process. They even benefited from learning about their competitors comp plans and how they structured their territories and sales positions. Both of the positions were filled within 9 weeks and when the client finally discussed payment, they were shocked to learn that it would just be the initial fee that I discussed in my retained contract. “What about all the extra?” I happily replied that it is all included.
I share this example because a common hurdle I have to constantly leap over is clients who think I’m going to take advantage of them. My mentality is simple: hiring should be a win-win-win (client-candidate-recruiter). Recruiting is a dynamic process with many parts. I have clients who have been with me for 5+ years who will call just to talk through how to structure an interview and what questions to ask. A great Recruiter will be there as a resource for you because the relationship is reciprocal: we win together. Are you receiving the same support from your Recruiter?
