I love it when lame studies project the elimination of an entire industries. Ever see the movie 2001? Weren't we all supposed to be chilling at this point, allowing the computers and robots to do all the work, while we moved toward the plane called self-actualization?
Right.. I know… We're still doing the work. That sucks, but hey, it's job security.
Here's another bold prediction. Some experts see the downfall of recruiting agencies, which you and I know as "headhunters". It seems this set of experts sees the rise of social networks, combines it with how the younger generations like to connect, and concludes that soon we won't need headhunters. The social networks of the younger generations will do the work, and the employee referral will rise as the preferred alternative to headhunters.
Read more on the study from the publication known as Talent Management:
"Direct employee relationships are threatening the supremacy of recruitment agencies, according to the first global “Digital Generation Survey.” The survey has been created by workplace experts Career Innovation (Ci) in partnership with AIESEC, a student-run organization.
“The survey reveals the astonishing effectiveness of personal referrals in recruitment,” commented Jonathan Winter of Career Innovation. “When we asked young workers from 83 countries, 45 percent said someone has joined their organization as a result of their recommendation. If that’s proving so effective, why should employers pay headhunters a huge commission to source candidates? Their own staff have better contacts.”
The researchers acknowledge that personal networks have always been an effective way of recruiting, especially in small organizations. But they cite the growth in social networking as a catalyst that could move this from an invisible, informal activity to a mainstream priority for employers.“Business has always been about relationships, conversations and networks,” commented Winter. “Now at last we are seeing the rise of software that reflects this reality.”
The move away from traditional headhunters will be driven by the next generation of workers. The “Digital Generation Survey” consulted students around the world about their motivation and behavior using new technologies. Contrary to the popular image of social networks as a time-wasting device, the survey revealed their rapid adoption for serious work-related purposes, including recruitment."
I'm not an industry recruiter (I'm a HR pro), and employee referrals are my favorite source of hires. Still, the call that the recruiter will fade as younger generations rise into the professional class is a lame, academic prediction that's intellectually lazy.
Why? Because being connected, taking the time to nourish your network, and using that network to recruit is HARD WORK. Can those with large networks be effective in recruiting and gaining referrals? Absolutely…
Will the managers of the next generation have time to connect, nourish and recruit in addition to their primary roles within your organization? **** no, and that's why good recruiters will always have a job.
Here's how you replace external recruiters. Coordinate the efforts of the managers in your company, and get them involved in social media, including LinkedIn, industry and function-specific social networks. Make being involved externally part of their job, and coordinate their activities through an internal recruiting guru or progressive HR pro. Set them up so when you need referrals, they have to do minimal work.
Of course, that's hard to do, and that's why we still need competent recruiters today. Those young folks? Once they get the responsibility and experience necessary to really deliver on their networks, they're going to be BUSY. Without the coordination/process I'm describing above, they'll have more important things to do.
Advantage – the recruiter. I believe the reported death is a little premature.
I guess I should begin evaluating my options given the dire predictions noted in the report. One of the many reasons I moved to Charleston was to protect myself in the event that the search business becomes a has been industry. I wanted other options – like selling flip-flops at the beach.
I could think of many ways to respond to the report. I think I will stick with your response KD – I think it’s “lame, academic prediction that’s intellectually lazy”. Well said. Outside search is a strategy that goes way beyond referrals and social networking. I can (almost) see it on FaceBook right now…
Fortune 500 CEO needed immediately. $1M salary, Paid Time Off, Incentive Stocks Options and Corporate Jet. Yep. That should work.
I can almost see it right now…
I thought that the job boards were supposed to replace us?
This is the line that explains it:
“threatening the supremacy of recruitment agencies”
I love my supremacy….
Social networks have changed recruiting and those Headhunters that don’t evolve will die. (Nothing new there)
A good recruiters value is both the singular focus on getting the right person into the role and their unique abilities to get all of the humans involved in the decision to the finish line. I think this study is looking at one aspect, engaging possible candidates.
Going back to my supremacy now while I have it…
I agree with the comments above! This prediction is no different than when job boards came out, and everyone thought recruiting would now be “easy”… Networking and building relationships that yield results takes time – both in person and on social networks. Otherwise, tweeting a job opening, updating your LinkedIn or Facebook status, or even blogging about open positions is no different than putting an ad in the newspaper (or online). Doing so will likely generate a response, but a good recruiter does a laser strike for the right candidates (usually maximizing the network that they’ve taken the time to build) versus casting a wide net. “Anyone” can do a cattle call, and that’s not what clients pay a recruiter to do. I’m thinking we’ll still be around for awhile.
Social Networks replacing recruiters???? Job boards were supposed to be the end of the recruiting industry. The Online Career Center (now part of Monster) claimed it would put the recruiting industry out of business. That was 10 years ago. Few remember OCC and I’ve placed 250+ people since then.
If data and the ability to connect with people is all it takes to replace recruiters we would have been out of business with the advent of the phone book.
This report is self-serving hooey.
Without even addressing why companies need to have an outside consultant recruiting on thier behalf for certain roles; its clear that Social Networks will not replace recruiters entirely.
What will be happening is a reduction in the number of “preferred” recruiting relationships at large clients. Many companies are looking to streamline costs with a combination of in-house recruiting teams and a smaller number of, if you’ll pardon the expression, “vendor” relationships.
The Social Networks will make it more challenging as executives at all levels are intrigued by and becoming part of networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. This increases the chances that an outside recruiter’s proprietary contacts can also be found via the web by an in-house team. This may not drive candidates to the role as quickly, but its certainly something to consider when competing against an in-house capability.
Hey Folks!
Let’s be reasonable about this recruiting and selection business. The facts are that recruiting and placement are two different things and there will be differing methodologies in different industries. Internal references and social networking are going to continue to play a role in hiring and placement as well as in promotional decisions. However, there have benn many litigious outcroppings from hiring by using only social networking strategies. In addition, when has anyone ever referred someone that they did not want to work with. The bottom line is that it appears cheaper for a lot of entities to use this method on face value cost analysis, but the benefits are not measureable in most cases given the tracking and data assessment strategies most companies use regarding successful job performance, retention, skills banks, seccessioin and career planning and employee development needs, etc. The more advanced entities know it is one good method, but that in a global economy with a diverse talent pool and often the need for international workers, that will be needed not only in their own countries but as third party expats, there will always be a defensible need for recruiters that are likely to be found on both the inside and the outside of the organization. The implications are self evident for those who truly understand the operational environment and the regulatory underpinnings.
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