Career Recruiters “He not busy being born, is busy dying.”

by Rory Walsh, Regional Manager Cork, Collins McNicholas Recruitment & HR Services Group

I had a fantastic, thought provoking and reflective day recently at the Greg Savage Seminar. Greg is a thought leader in the Global Recruitment Industry and is a regular keynote speaker at staffing conferences around the world. Something that repeatedly jumped out at me, and has been on my mind for quite some time, is the speed at which the industry is changing.

Change is exciting and embraced by some, daunting and resisted by others. One thing is for sure, we have some very exciting times ahead for those individuals in our industry who are willing to learn, develop and keep challenging the “norm”.

As Bob Dylan said “He not busy being born, is busy dying.” You either embrace the change, or find yourself on the slippery slope backwards. There is no middle ground.

As our industry changes, the skill-set of a successful recruiter changes also. The “transactional” recruiters are becoming less and less successful and the long term relationship builder is rising to the top. Honestly, this is music to my ears. But this raises a very interesting issue.

Low attrition rates in recruitment are more important than ever because the long term, specialist consultant, is the way to succeed in tomorrow’s recruitment industry.

We need to focus on this attrition rate by balancing engagement and career progression potential with the basic fundamentals of a “competitive basic wage, package, bonus and commission structure”. 

A consultant doing a great job, should in turn get a great package to reflect the contribution they are making to the business.

Am I right in coming to this conclusion about the importance of attrition in this fast changing recruitment environment? It has always been important, but now it is becoming the deal breaker; the difference between success and failure. I would love to hear any further thoughts on the above?

On looking to recruit 3 consultants for the Cork office recently due to further growth, I found myself with a competency wish list that was a little different from a short number of years ago. However, this is a change that is definitely welcome in our Industry.

About the author

Rory Walsh is the Regional Manager in Collins McNicholas HR Services & Recruitment Group for the South and South East based out of the Cork office. Rory is a native of Cork and joined the management team in May 2016. Rory has recruited across the technology, engineering, scientific and supply chain fields and has over 10 years’ experience in recruitment, managing recruitment teams and specialising in technical appointments within the Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Industries. Rory holds a degree in Chemistry and is currently specialising in Science and Engineering recruitment across the South and South East.