3 R Manifesto (Recruitment/Retention/Revenue)

12 Self Evident Propositions

Yes, there are minor exceptions to each Proposition

Yes, each could be expressed more tactfully and qualified with more words (as we have in my books and media articles)

But words just remove the spotlight from the significant problems of a self-serving industry. Direct and blunt makes it harder to ignore and discount

1. That there are only small pockets of skills scarcity. Six powerful groups continuously promote a Skills Crisis for their own self interest. However, there is scarcity if you continue to follow most other employers and do what has failed in the past – insanity says Albert Einstein.

2. That there are major untapped and ignored pools of talent which are often discussed in the media. However, just knowing they exist and paying lip service to hiring from them will not get an employer the best from any pool: it requires focus and change to your processes and thinking.

3. That people who are paid on commission focus on money. A commission sales person is not an advisor or consultant. How your suppliers are remunerated matters if you want uncompromised advice to achieve your goals.

4. That virtually all recruitment ‘consultants’ are paid by commissions. Even recruiters who are paid a base ‘salary’ – given their performance is only judged by the revenue they produce, it is just an advance on their commission cheque. They remain commission sales people.

5. That recruitment has a huge staff turnover (ironic given their role) because recruiters who can’t generate sales don’t survive. Turnover matters as employers need advice to hire well – but many in the industry are inexperienced with no time to learn skills.

6. That recruiters have the ability to improve the perceived quality of their product and can unethically profit from it. It simply involves not revealing something negative about ‘their’ candidate, something they can later deny knowing about. Clearly large commissions payable the day the candidate starts work severely aggravates this problem.

7. That the recruitment industry is remunerated by a candidate joining an employer so it’s what they focus on. Their earnings are unaffected by how long the employee stays.

8. That the guarantees provided by the industry are virtually worthless. Their fee was paid, now they have to replace for free. In a world where there are thousands of recruiters and many thousands of potential clients, lip service can and is paid to the hard task of replacement.

9. That large, expensive advertisements in the front of newspapers primarily benefit the recruitment firms. The money trail always reveals the truth: Some big recruitment firms pay substantial cash incentives to staff for selling ads. It’s not altruism but clever commercial logic that disregards the needs of their clients while it pays for their PR.

10. That the majority of career advice is delivered by those who the public believe are the experts - recruiters. People who have an agenda. Their advice is often tainted by blatant self interest (big dollars if the person takes their client’s job) and often by ignorance and inexperience (high staff turnover). The cost to people’s wealth and happiness is colossal.

11. That the anti-discrimination laws passed more than 20 years ago made discrimination on age and gender worse. The laws drove the problem underground – it was removed from advertisements, so ‘undesirables’ were encouraged to apply but then they were quietly and discreetly weeded out. So now we have both discrimination and a huge waste of time for both employers and applicants.

12. That virtually any employer, small or large, can find star employees if they follow some simple processes and ‘think different’.

The Goals of the Recruitment Manifesto

* For recruitment firms to become ethical professionals who work in partnership with their clients and be rewarded for services rendered and retention

* For people to manage their careers and find rewarding employment less hindered by ignorance, greed, prejudice and poor information flows

* For good employers to know of recruitment firms that follow a different model – one based on retention, professional salaries and ethics.

The Methodology to Achieve the Goals

* Bringing the secretive and self serving recruitment industry practices into the light of day

* Promoting the internet as the best method of matching people to jobs – and clearing transaction driven recruitment agencies and newspapers out of the way

Providing the information and resources that employers and employees need to make good, informed decisions.