What’s the Plan, Stan?

I’m not sure about you, but how many companies have you worked for which offers a structured learning program for recruiters? I’ve worked for one, that was SKM, now Jacobs. That was a DDI Recruiting course back in 2006. Sheesh, a decade ago, a decade of billions. Google acquired YouTube for US$1.65 billion in stock, and the 1 billionth song was downloaded from iTunes.
So why is it that the function responsible for recruiting talent is stocked full of people without any formal accreditation or certification? Can you imagine human resources being staffed with people who never completed a Human Resources (HR) qualification? Or a finance team with no qualified accountants? Imagine if all these people were taught on the job!
Most recruiters I have met, have fallen into the industry. They haven’t studied it because there simply is no formal degree, unlike HR. Like Gandalf’s apprentice, you are taught on the job. Or it’s a sink or swim approach, because who really has time with limited resources to train people properly? I know I am guilty of this. How many other people in your organisations is negotiating salaries and wages likely to be in the top 3 expenses for your organisation?
[bctt tweet=”For an industry that’s worth A$500b, recruiters r hamstrung by a lack of accreditation says @stanrolfe”]
The global recruitment market in 2015 is estimated to be valued at AUD$500 billion according to Ciett. With this in mind, why isn’t there more formal qualifications, or more courses which cover all aspects of the recruitment process? Certainly there isn’t anything with formal accreditation here in Australia. Will recognised degrees, diplomas, or certification help improve the perception of the industry? Will it see recruitment move closer to the seat at the table? I think so.
Structured training demonstrates a commitment to your profession and helps people understand that it’s not a role anyone and everyone can do. It’s a science, with plenty of methodology, process, and systems that work together to attract, identify, select, engage and on-board. And yes, there is a bit of the gut feel to it.
There is so much to what we do from marketing (employer brand, ad writing, attraction campaigns, inbound and outbound), communications (talent pool engagement, employee engagement), workforce planning, investigation and assessment (interviewing, reference checking, psychometrics), negotiation, etc etc. There’s certainly enough content for the next volume of Lord of the Rings.
There definitely is a need for it, and I am stoked to see Social Talent finally opening shop here in Australia. Who are Social Talent? They produce Ninjas, Black Belt Ninjas no less. I don’t need to say anymore. Social Talent provide a self-paced online learning platform for recruiters. They cover all areas of recruitment and upon completion become a Black Belt Ninja. I love the concept and best of all, it is affordable and I have yet to come across anything similar. This is a shout out to Johnny and his team. I am not getting paid for these nice words, although a sneaky Guinness might be in order.
Not only will training improve the quality, efficiency and productivity of your recruiter but it becomes an attraction component to recruiters looking to join your team. A point of difference in a sector where little is afforded to people who help organisations become great.
Globally there are over 15,000 Black Belt Ninjas. Are you next?


 

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One Response to “What’s the Plan, Stan?”

  1. Nice post Stan, love your plans!
    I agree with you on the technology piece needs to play a key part, the key will be training the recruiters to execute!
    My view on technology right now there are a lot who talk a good story but few organisations (recruitment leaders) willing, capable (or unable to influence the change) to take the plunge and trust technology. Many think LinkedIn Recruiter is there answer to using technology and being innovative.
    Secondly when it comes to technology it’s more about the execution, I see many who use for example LinkedIn Recruiter but don’t know how to search but think they do. The vendor really needs to be very switched on to make technology work, train their customers and pretty much hold their hand otherwise I think many will fail. Question, are the vendors capable and/or willing to do this?
    Aside for you (VR stuff), a CBA and a few others who are really pushing technology to create a competitive advantage/efficiency I’m not so convince recruiters will take up the challenge now when the opportunity is there to be had.
    I hope I’m wrong but not game to put too much money on it!

    Reply

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