Much has changed in the land of employment recruiting over the last 20 years and today’s recruiters are truly feeling these changes fueled mostly by a down economy, and an industry disrupted by the infusion of technology.
A visit to any recruiter’s forum online reveals just how much pressure they are under to perform, as well as some fairly high levels of frustration in attempting placements without a personal touch and in a growing number of instances, without a pool of qualified candidates.
As previously posted, it used to be that job seekers wishing to work with a recruitment agency would have to walk in and formally register with the agency. The registration appointment was the first step in the agency’s vetting process of the candidate, and a crucial selling component for the recruiter. First-hand descriptions of a candidate’s physical appearance and demeanor are high up on the company client’s list of “want-to-knows.”
But mass-adoption of the Internet has changed all that, and today, most recruiters are forced to scroll through web-based employment sites, sifting and sorting through thousands of database entries, in what’s now become their initial attempt toward screening.