What’s An Expert Worth To You?

Research has consistently shown that experts are not born, but made – but what is recruitment expertise? And why should you invest in  recruitment experts to support your business’ search for the best talent? We’re going to dive into that here…

Has Recruitment Automation Harmed the Recruitment Expert?

There is an argument that experience alone does not make an expert: it is a combination of many factors, “people who build their abilities and become experts spend a great deal of time engaged in either deliberate practice or purposeful practice”*.

Undoubtedly, automation is a reality in part of the market; it can reduce time to hire by saving recruiters the hours spent manually reading CVs, chatbots are intended to enhance the candidate experience by providing sustained, real-time feedback and interview tech can improve job fit by analysing candidate interviews.

However, automation does not replace the recruitment expert. Yes, it potentially has a role to play, especially for volume roles, but as Justin Sleep, Managing Partner at Vocative, explains “specialist roles will always need an expert. I’ve seen the move to automation across my years in the business, but talent acquisition is people focused. Automation technology struggles to read between the lines and see the nuance of an experienced candidate’s capabilities.”

The Role of the Recruitment Expert

How, then, can you tell when you’re dealing with a genuine expert? Real expertise must pass two tests. First, it must lead to performance that is consistently superior to that of the expert’s peers. Secondly, real expertise produces concrete results.

An expert recruiter will be confident in their decisions and provide transparency throughout the recruitment process. Their role will not just be about the quality and size of their talent pool but also about their ability to handle client expectations. Recruitment processes can often be opaque, and to combat that Vocative has built Transparent Search. This service ensures that clients can see the entire talent pipeline from beginning to end.

Transparent Search has become a key way of creating trust between Vocative and its clients because it helps eliminate any anxieties they might have that the market is not being fully exhausted. By being transparent the Vocative team can explain all decisions made in the pooling process. 

The Power of No

Alastair Hacking, Vocative Managing Partner, states “In my recruitment career, understanding client expectations has been critical to successful candidate placement. Often, one of the most challenging details of briefing a client is saying no.”

A true expert can say no. They will be confident to say when a role is ill defined, too junior,  or when the salary is too low. If the role is particularly niche, they may also recommend widening the search criteria. 

The role of the recruitment expert is in knowing and understanding the market, being in tune with client needs, asking the right questions and ultimately finding the right candidate for your business. According to LinkedIn’s own data, 60% of talent acquisition leaders say that quality of hire is their most important KPI…is that not worth engaging with an expert?

Talk to Vocative about Transparent Search and/or to discuss your recruitment needs by emailing contact@vocative.co.uk

*https://hbr.org/2007/07/the-making-of-an-expert

Other references used:

• https://blog.mindsetworks.com/entry/experience-versus-expertise
• https://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/05/is-it-true-that-10000-hours-of-practice-will
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/04/16/why-you-should-be-radically-transparent-with-your-customers/?sh=43a883a47aef

Next post >