People often ask me "What’s the current recruitment market like?"

My answer often surprises them.

The state of the market is absolutely, completely and utterly irrelevant  to me - therefore, my answer is "I don’t care!"

Why?

It’s my job, my profession and my passion to uncover the right people to meet the needs of my clients.

I don't rely on throwing up an ad online to deliver the right candidates – if I did, I’d be fishing in the same pond as everyone else – which is of zero value to anyone.

As a client of mine, why on earth would you want to engage me to cast a tiny little lazy net in the same pool as your competitors?

And even more pertinent, would this approach suffice if you do your own recruitment?

Not good enough - in anyone’s book.

The state of the market is irrelevant...

As a business owner or manager, we all know that one of the most challenging aspects of running a successful company is attracting the right people.

We can have all the latest, greatest products and fancy mission statements in the world.

But, without the best possible calibre of employees, it means nothing.

Some of you will know I’ve been around in my industry for a long time now (this is my 21st year, gulp!) – and I will say this about the market – it’s a hell of a lot different than it was back then.

With the advent of technology and social media platforms such as Linkedin, I often feel like a private investigator rather than a recruiter these days – researching, targeting, seducing, ensnaring and locking down talent.

Certain aspects sound like a good time and it often is, but it’s also bloody hard work.

So, back to the question "What’s the market like?"

The market really doesn’t matter if you understand these key points:

1. Everyone is leaving, it’s just a matter of when.
2. You can attract anyone you want into your business if you’re prepared to do what it takes, understanding their motivation and drivers.
3. "Fishing in the same pond" as your competitors is not going to deliver exceptional results – not now, not ever. Leave those fish to them, there are way better hunting grounds elsewhere that they don’t even know about.
4. If you’re not running a recruitment business, you don’t have time to put the hours into researching, attracting and securing outstanding candidates for your business – it’s a full-time job if you’re doing it right.

All of this sounds incredibly convenient from a recruiter’s point of view.

However I’d like you to consider for a moment that THIS recruiter just hired a brilliant new consultant – from a recruiter who specialises in placing recruiters!

Yes – I enlisted a specialist recruitment company to deliver what I needed.

For the same reason I started this article with, my recruiter doesn’t care what the market is like.

She goes out and hunts for solutions that meet the needs of my business, so I’m not considering the same potential candidates as all of my competitors.

Instead, I let her put the time-intensive work in for me – and it's worth its weight in gold.

Quite simply, like you, I’m way too busy meeting the needs of my own customers - all of whom are exclusive relationships – to spend hours on my own recruitment.

It would simply be counter-productive and cost me a hell of a lot more than an agency fee.

Which brings me to my final points.

...But knowing where to fish isn't

If you know where to find the best talent and how to engage with them, the state of the market doesn’t matter.

Just because you enjoy recruiting your own staff and consider yourself to be damn good at it, doesn’t mean you should.

That is, unless of course, you (a) have plenty of time to spend away from your core business or (b) you’re happy to consider just those candidates who happen to be currently available.

Right, that’s it with the fishing analogies.

I’m always happy to talk recruitment, from whatever perspective you’re interested in.

Don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your business, and what I can deliver.

And please note I do enjoy a good fish, so make sure you invite me next time you’re heading out.

I promise not to bash you over the head with my bad jokes – and I bait my own hook!