How to Hire Better Agency Recruiters | @DebiEasterday on The #SocialRecruiting Show

The tension between staffing agencies and internal recruiters is palpable.

It feels like they’re at war – not to find the best candidate, but to get the lowest price. We both know that’s not a formula for finding the best people – and so does our guest after decades of recruiting. The relationships become broken and recruiters know less and less about how to find the right agency for that company, said our guest last week Debi Easterday, CEO | Chief I2B MatchMaker at MatchMade Consulting.

That’s a trap so many recruiters fall into. Due to time, price and every other constraint from in-house partners, so many agencies jump to adjust bids and make a resume match to deliver on speed. But as many well-versed recruiters know, matching on resume alone doesn’t deliver the best candidates. It surely doesn’t make for a good partnership between the hiring manager and agency recruiter.

Instead, Debi suggest that agency recruiters perform best when they’re embedded in the teams.

“Let them talk to your marketing team. What’s your brand? What’s the tone? Do you have templates?”

Debi also recommended that agency and in-house partners review corporate communications and see the culture for themselves.

But even with these steps toward a better relationship, Debi pointed to one bigger flaw. A problem so few talk about, even though it fuels this tension and makes it difficult for these relationships to be successful from day one.

“Most hiring teams have no idea how to hire a recruiter or what to look for.”

You don’t have to have a specialised degree to end up in recruiting, talent acquisition or HR. There’s no special qualification or checklist to find the right one for your company. So often, people are buying off of a script and don’t realise they’re working with someone who doesn’t know recruiting.

TA has to be a better buyer and communicator when it comes to agencies. A good partnership is more than lower pricing and promises of speed. The partnership is about having honest conversations and trusted advice. Reflecting on her own career, Debi saw too many moments where recruiters weren’t talking to hiring managers. Her approach?

“Pick up the phone and call!”

That isn’t limited to hiring managers. Agencies have to maintain candidate engagement too – and not just the easy conversations. An agency is responsible for keeping candidates in the loop on tough conversations. “I don’t get why it’s so scary to have hard conversations,” said Debi. But those conversations are the hardest part for inexperienced recruiters and a sure sign to buyers they aren’t getting the most experienced recruiter for their role.

If that wasn’t enough, below you’ll hear Debi share more: