Recruitment firms face the crisis
20 December 2010
Read by 1569 persons
Some well-structured providers managed to avoid it, while others suffered the full force of its repercussions.
Like the job market, recruitment firms have been impacted by the crisis. Some well-structured firms managed to avoid it, while others suffered the repercussions of the crisis, as national and even multinational companies reduced their hiring, preferring to manage their budgets cautiously. Similarly, the recruitment consultant profession has undergone a major transformation, due partly to the demands of client companies, which have become very selective in their choice of providers, and partly to the introduction of new recruitment methods with the development of e-recruitment and social networks. And this, without forgetting the arrival on the market of Generation Y, which has proved very different from its predecessors, being very demanding and very mobile, and it is not for nothing that HR managers call them the "zapping generation".
So, updating recruitment methods and negotiation techniques is a "must" to attract these young people.
Another important element not to be neglected: with the launch of several national development plans (Emergence Plan, Green Morocco Plan, Morocco Numeric Plan 2013...), there is a major shortage of specialized profiles in certain areas, making headhunting increasingly difficult and ensuring that the best win. This means that the recruitment consultant must not only be well-equipped and efficient, but must also adapt to this new environment quickly in order to optimize the quality of their services and develop their added value.
In short, this professional, faced with new challenges that they must manage, is called upon to take into account the new market trends. There are firms that have understood the stakes and have diversified their services, offering, in addition to their recruitment services, recruitment consulting or HR consulting, in order to distinguish themselves from other players in the sector. It should also be noted that more and more new recruitment firms are emerging, as all it takes is an office and a small team to get started, but ultimately, it is the quality of the services that will make the difference.
"You can't improvise yourself a consultant overnight"
Expert Opinion • Ali Serhani, Associate HR Consultant, RH Gesper Services
Has the recruitment consultant profession changed in recent years? If so, how?
Absolutely, and the first, if not the main, change has been the professionalization of the profession. Because you can't improvise yourself a recruitment consultant overnight (as was the case in the past). For a long time, for example, even accounting or auditing firms were doing recruitment on behalf of their clients!! Today, we notice that most companies are turning to firms that have made recruitment their core business, alongside consulting and sometimes training. Another change is that most consultants have a good background in HR or, in some cases, have managed men and women in various functions, and this is very reassuring. Don't forget that before contacting you, know that the client has already done their research and already has a very clear idea about you and your firm. For example, we were surprised by a British client when he traced the history of the main firms in the country, as well as that of their respective founders. Finally, and this last change seems significant to me, is the vision that companies have of recruitment firms. Today, most companies see you as a partner, not a supplier like any other. They share their expectations with you. To quote a client, they ask you to help them find the perfect candidate. The fees received by the firms are no longer considered a cost by companies, but simply part of the investment they bear when they recruit anyone for any position. Today, no one (whether companies or job seekers) can deny that recruitment firms are above all partners.
How has the internet impacted the exercise of this function?
Firstly, and to be frank, with new technologies, everyone is informed about anyone with a simple click. This is a major advance in skills hunting. You can get an idea of a person's career path who has put their CV online via a professional network or other. Another thing, the internet has allowed contact to be made via videoconference, which is a good thing. Several clients have made hires via videoconference, especially multinationals. For firms, if the person is on the other side of the world, before meeting them, you can get an idea of them during the interview, which is done remotely. It's better than classic conference calls because you see the person as if they were sitting next to you. Finally, I should point out that the internet also allows us to be informed of all the latest developments affecting HR and to share ideas and HR experiences with professionals around the world via networks.
However, the only drawback is that, in recruitment, despite the beneficial effects of videoconferencing, the internet can never replace direct contact with the candidate, and this is fundamental.
Companies have become selective given the abundance of offers. What criteria can tip the scales towards a high-performing firm?
I will answer with the famous maxim by saying that nowadays companies "know how to separate the wheat from the chaff". It is not enough to declare yourself a consultant and say that's it, the road is clear. You can work through connections, but for how long? When it is seen that you are ultimately not up to scratch, even the most powerful network will be of no use. You must always think long-term. So here too, concerning the consultant, the latter must be competent.
Another point, quantity does not automatically mean quality. This is true for all professions. Not forgetting, and as mentioned above, you cannot improvise yourself a consultant overnight. It is a very heavy title to bear. As I indicated earlier, giving you the example of this English client, believe me, even before contacting you, all prospects or clients know practically everything about you, down to the smallest detail. You know, in Morocco, you have all the information you need in the blink of an eye. The grapevine works wonders. Don't we say in our popular jargon "Might as well do things right, because everything gets known". When a client comes to see you, they don't do it to please you, but simply because they need you and are counting on you to help them. So, if they can trust you, they will work with you ad vitam aeternam. The most concrete example is the one I share with several colleagues. Each of us has one or more clients that they have been supporting since the creation of their firm because, to quote one of my colleagues: the relationship is built on solid foundations. Finally, don't forget, you don't work with someone with whom you share nothing. Apart from the work relationship, it is sometimes a friendly relationship that develops over time, based on professionalism and objectivity. If the contact is excellent between the client and the recruitment provider, then I would say in two words "everything is fine". However, if the current doesn't flow, then you will limit yourself to a maximum of two or three recruitments with the client, and then they will go elsewhere because there has been, dare I say, an "incompatibility of temper".
Has the crisis impacted recruitment firms?
Far be it from me to consider myself the spokesperson for recruitment firms, but I would answer Yes and No. Yes, when you put all your eggs in one basket. Let me explain. If you only do recruitment, know that it is good to specialize in a specific field, but never forget the proverb that says "never put all your eggs in one basket". So, for this type of firm, they experienced the crisis with a capital C because they bet everything on recruitment at a time when companies were retreating into themselves.
Generally, an HR consulting firm does recruitment, HR consulting, but also training. For this type of firm, the crisis was very well managed.
There is, of course, another rather special case. That of firms that only do recruitment and that were not impacted by the crisis. This is for a very simple reason, which is that their recruitment method is very selective because they don't work with the masses. They were content with a certain number of recruitments, and the loop is closed, and therefore they managed their growth well during the crisis.
Finally, and I'm not telling anyone anything new, I think that a recruitment firm, like any self-respecting company, must control its fixed costs. Don't forget that almost all the firms in the country are VSEs (Very Small Enterprises - 7 to 10 permanent employees) if not MEs (Micro Enterprises 2 to 4 permanent employees)
Published on December 12, 2010
Posted online on December 21, 2010
lematin.ma
Like the job market, recruitment firms have been impacted by the crisis. Some well-structured firms managed to avoid it, while others suffered the repercussions of the crisis, as national and even multinational companies reduced their hiring, preferring to manage their budgets cautiously. Similarly, the recruitment consultant profession has undergone a major transformation, due partly to the demands of client companies, which have become very selective in their choice of providers, and partly to the introduction of new recruitment methods with the development of e-recruitment and social networks. And this, without forgetting the arrival on the market of Generation Y, which has proved very different from its predecessors, being very demanding and very mobile, and it is not for nothing that HR managers call them the "zapping generation".
So, updating recruitment methods and negotiation techniques is a "must" to attract these young people.
Another important element not to be neglected: with the launch of several national development plans (Emergence Plan, Green Morocco Plan, Morocco Numeric Plan 2013...), there is a major shortage of specialized profiles in certain areas, making headhunting increasingly difficult and ensuring that the best win. This means that the recruitment consultant must not only be well-equipped and efficient, but must also adapt to this new environment quickly in order to optimize the quality of their services and develop their added value.
In short, this professional, faced with new challenges that they must manage, is called upon to take into account the new market trends. There are firms that have understood the stakes and have diversified their services, offering, in addition to their recruitment services, recruitment consulting or HR consulting, in order to distinguish themselves from other players in the sector. It should also be noted that more and more new recruitment firms are emerging, as all it takes is an office and a small team to get started, but ultimately, it is the quality of the services that will make the difference.
"You can't improvise yourself a consultant overnight"
Expert Opinion • Ali Serhani, Associate HR Consultant, RH Gesper Services
Has the recruitment consultant profession changed in recent years? If so, how?
Absolutely, and the first, if not the main, change has been the professionalization of the profession. Because you can't improvise yourself a recruitment consultant overnight (as was the case in the past). For a long time, for example, even accounting or auditing firms were doing recruitment on behalf of their clients!! Today, we notice that most companies are turning to firms that have made recruitment their core business, alongside consulting and sometimes training. Another change is that most consultants have a good background in HR or, in some cases, have managed men and women in various functions, and this is very reassuring. Don't forget that before contacting you, know that the client has already done their research and already has a very clear idea about you and your firm. For example, we were surprised by a British client when he traced the history of the main firms in the country, as well as that of their respective founders. Finally, and this last change seems significant to me, is the vision that companies have of recruitment firms. Today, most companies see you as a partner, not a supplier like any other. They share their expectations with you. To quote a client, they ask you to help them find the perfect candidate. The fees received by the firms are no longer considered a cost by companies, but simply part of the investment they bear when they recruit anyone for any position. Today, no one (whether companies or job seekers) can deny that recruitment firms are above all partners.
How has the internet impacted the exercise of this function?
Firstly, and to be frank, with new technologies, everyone is informed about anyone with a simple click. This is a major advance in skills hunting. You can get an idea of a person's career path who has put their CV online via a professional network or other. Another thing, the internet has allowed contact to be made via videoconference, which is a good thing. Several clients have made hires via videoconference, especially multinationals. For firms, if the person is on the other side of the world, before meeting them, you can get an idea of them during the interview, which is done remotely. It's better than classic conference calls because you see the person as if they were sitting next to you. Finally, I should point out that the internet also allows us to be informed of all the latest developments affecting HR and to share ideas and HR experiences with professionals around the world via networks.
However, the only drawback is that, in recruitment, despite the beneficial effects of videoconferencing, the internet can never replace direct contact with the candidate, and this is fundamental.
Companies have become selective given the abundance of offers. What criteria can tip the scales towards a high-performing firm?
I will answer with the famous maxim by saying that nowadays companies "know how to separate the wheat from the chaff". It is not enough to declare yourself a consultant and say that's it, the road is clear. You can work through connections, but for how long? When it is seen that you are ultimately not up to scratch, even the most powerful network will be of no use. You must always think long-term. So here too, concerning the consultant, the latter must be competent.
Another point, quantity does not automatically mean quality. This is true for all professions. Not forgetting, and as mentioned above, you cannot improvise yourself a consultant overnight. It is a very heavy title to bear. As I indicated earlier, giving you the example of this English client, believe me, even before contacting you, all prospects or clients know practically everything about you, down to the smallest detail. You know, in Morocco, you have all the information you need in the blink of an eye. The grapevine works wonders. Don't we say in our popular jargon "Might as well do things right, because everything gets known". When a client comes to see you, they don't do it to please you, but simply because they need you and are counting on you to help them. So, if they can trust you, they will work with you ad vitam aeternam. The most concrete example is the one I share with several colleagues. Each of us has one or more clients that they have been supporting since the creation of their firm because, to quote one of my colleagues: the relationship is built on solid foundations. Finally, don't forget, you don't work with someone with whom you share nothing. Apart from the work relationship, it is sometimes a friendly relationship that develops over time, based on professionalism and objectivity. If the contact is excellent between the client and the recruitment provider, then I would say in two words "everything is fine". However, if the current doesn't flow, then you will limit yourself to a maximum of two or three recruitments with the client, and then they will go elsewhere because there has been, dare I say, an "incompatibility of temper".
Has the crisis impacted recruitment firms?
Far be it from me to consider myself the spokesperson for recruitment firms, but I would answer Yes and No. Yes, when you put all your eggs in one basket. Let me explain. If you only do recruitment, know that it is good to specialize in a specific field, but never forget the proverb that says "never put all your eggs in one basket". So, for this type of firm, they experienced the crisis with a capital C because they bet everything on recruitment at a time when companies were retreating into themselves.
Generally, an HR consulting firm does recruitment, HR consulting, but also training. For this type of firm, the crisis was very well managed.
There is, of course, another rather special case. That of firms that only do recruitment and that were not impacted by the crisis. This is for a very simple reason, which is that their recruitment method is very selective because they don't work with the masses. They were content with a certain number of recruitments, and the loop is closed, and therefore they managed their growth well during the crisis.
Finally, and I'm not telling anyone anything new, I think that a recruitment firm, like any self-respecting company, must control its fixed costs. Don't forget that almost all the firms in the country are VSEs (Very Small Enterprises - 7 to 10 permanent employees) if not MEs (Micro Enterprises 2 to 4 permanent employees)
Published on December 12, 2010
Posted online on December 21, 2010
lematin.ma
