Liana Simpson
Many forums have been held in Humboldt County listening to the needs of employers in finding qualified, motivated and suitable staff. Whether it is professional staff, support staff or general labor, we hear a united front: we cannot find good folks to hire!
Why is that?  I have been putting people to work in Humboldt County for over 35 years. While some positions are harder to fill than others, we rarely cannot find a solid candidate. One thing I can tell you for certain, having attended most of these employer forums, most of these employers do not use a recruiter!
Let’s explore what a recruiter does.
First of all, we are not resume suppliers. We are skilled at finding the right candidates. Many people believe all we do is run an ad on Craigslist, the newspaper, or social media and they can do that themselves. Yes, anyone can run an ad, but it is what you do with the results of the ad that make the difference.
Recruiters actually search out currently working folks, many of whom will not respond to an ad in the paper or on Craigslist. If you are, in effect, just looking for the unemployed you are very limited in your search. Every response is interviewed by the recruiter. We don’t screen from a resume. Why? Because we know there are times when the worst looking resumes go with some of the best candidates. Since anyone can have a resume professionally done, only direct contact with specific questioning can determine who the truly good candidates are. The recruiter follows a process and has all of the experience to set up processes that actually work!  Why do recruiter hires nationally last 6 times longer?  It is the knowledge and processes that we use.
We build a relationship with the candidates. We consider the candidates our clients too! Only by gaining trust and a sincere desire to help the candidate find their ideal job can we refer the right candidates to our customers.  An ad and a handful of resumes simply do not bring the detail needed to KNOW if your outreach has been successful and brought in the best candidates.
We hear we are “too expensive”, yet we see some of the advertisements locals run looking for candidates and, from experience, we know those ads are often more expensive than our fee for service. Furthermore, we are a sure thing: it doesn’t cost anything unless you hire one of our candidates!  With an ad, you are on a fishing expedition. There are no guarantees except that the money is spent!

Here are the services a recruiter provides along with strong candidates:

• Ensure compliance with California Rules and Regulations.
• Protect client with liability insurance; many people are shocked to know we carry $1-$2MM in professional liability insurance.
• Screen for skills, motivation, and suitability and compensation requirements.
• Require candidates from out of area to research the new area, including current periodicals, real estate prices, schools, recreational opportunities, a full list of likes and dislikes to make certain the candidate is a good choice for relocation.
• Coordinate background checks and referencing done by third party firms.
• Assist with interview techniques if requested.
• Set up schedules for interviews, whether via phone, Skype or person to person.  Make travel arrangements, etc.
• Follow up with the candidate and the employer every step of the way to ensure good communication and to go over results of the interviews and what questions remain, need clarification and overall impressions.
• Extend offers, and again double check for any red flags, level of enthusiasm for the position and the relocation! Based on the relationship we develop with your candidates over time, we almost never have one turn the job down, causing an expensive start/stop in your recruiting process, and the potential that a key job goes unfilled for a painfully long time.
• Help employers and candidates determine start dates.
• Remain knowledgeable with all current HR laws, rules and regulations, which change annually, especially in California.

That’s what we do, and how we are able to guarantee you the right person every time. Knowing that, why wouldn’t you give us a try?

The information provided in this blog is intended for general information purposes only. Readers should seek the help of an HR professional for guidance on specific issues.