How Executive Recruiters Can Help Your HR Department

As a human resources department manager your plate may already be full. Depending on the size of your organization, HR roles can include a variety of duties such as: recruiting and hiring, training, team building, employee relations, policy management, payroll and benefits, and other administrative tasks just to name a few.

Could your HR department use a little support? An executive recruiter could give you that support.

In general, there is a perception in the executive recruiting industry that relationships between human resource managers and executive search recruiters may be what are sometimes referred to as a little "delicate." This is probably due to the fact that there are "bad apples" that give the entire industry a bad name; however, there are "professional" executive recruiters that really can support your executive search efforts. So for the sake of this article, let's assume we are talking about the "professional" executive recruiters.

As a HR manager you may feel that executive recruiters want to "muscle in" on your territory, so you may ask...how could an "exte
al" recruiter know what's better for my company tha
I do? On the other hand, an executive recruiter's perspective may be...why aren't HR managers more cooperative? Why are they so defensive? Why don't they want help?

The truth is that your relationship with executive recruiters should be a cooperative one with mutual understanding and respect so that everyone involved wins. The following are just some of the ways that HR managers can benefit from good working relationships with "professional" executive recruiters:

-Executive recruiters offer support. Recruiters are there to give support to HR managers and save them a lot of time throughout the entire talent acquisition process. This allows the HR department to dedicate more time to and focus on other duties that are outside of recruiting.

-Deliver "top talent" in a timely manner. Exte
al recruiters have experience in locating "top talent" and know how to approach them. Many of these high-level candidates are already working, and those that are not, do not normally stay on the market long. HR managers can take advantage of recruiters' expertise and ultimately secure the best candidates to fill their needs.

-Handle the logistics. Recruiters act as the liaison between the HR department and/or hiring managers, and the candidates. They manage all of the logistics involved in the hiring process that includes locating candidates, qualifying candidates, presenting candidates, presenting opportunities, scheduling interviews, managing communications and feedback between parties, assisting with the terms of an offer, and presenting an offer, while keeping everyone up to date.

-Offer industry insight. Recruiters by the nature of their business are always in tune with market trends involving industry positions and salaries. This means they can lend their knowledge to HR managers and hiring managers to help them and their companies make the best hiring decisions in their executive search efforts.

Professional recruiters want to establish amicable working relationships with HR managers and hiring managers. The best way to do this is not to work against human resource departments, but to work with them, acting as a support system. A respectful relationship with open communication and trust between the two makes for a more smooth and productive hiring process that increases the chances of finding the best candidates.