Corporate Values vs. Recruiter Talent - Which Matters More in Recruiting?

Ah yes, the corporate values project.  You've drawn the line in the sand and spent months working through the process of figuring out what your corporate values are, and now you're ready to go public.  You've brought in the consultants and now, you're even thinking about wallet cards for your employees, and collateral to use in recruiting.

Laminated or glossy wallet cards?  Which one will look better? 

Play on, player...

Here's a quick question I have for you, related to Corporate Values in the recruiting process.  Which matters more - your stated corporate values or the talent of the recruiter you have talking to candidates?  I'm asking the question as a riff off of an article at ERE.net. 

From Walter Hall over at ERE.net:

"Ask HR professionals to identify the core of a company’s success and chances are, most will point to the recruiting and selection process. Performed effectively, these two distinct but inseparably connected activities can result in sustainable profit and growth for the organization and all its employees.

I believe a company’s organizational values, its core values, culture, and mutual expectations, are a company’s best recruiting and retention tool."

Now I agree with Walter on a couple of things.  I hear from time to time that candidates look at our website, read what we say we are about and comment that they want to work for a company like us (based on what they've read).  So outward facing value and mission statements do matter - they're a good thing to have. 

But, my back of the napkin math suggests that maybe one out of ten candidates I talk to mention that.

You know what impacts EVERY candidate in the recruiting process?  The personality, knowledge and business savvy of the recruiter they were dealing with.   I  estimate that as many as half of the candidates I come in contact with mention their experience with the recruiter, or the hiring manager.  To be fair to Walter, he didn't really cover this, so he may agree. 

It's the company's best selling point.  A strong recruiter, who knows how to connect with a variety of people, drives your close rate up.  An average or below average, internal recruiter gets beat for the same talent every time.

So, find someone who can sell in the recruiting role.  Someone who can match a candidate's "career pain" with what your role can provide.  Values matter, but a strong recruiter beats "Respect for the Individual" on a laminated card every time in talent acquisition.

Comments

[James Hayton]

Actually, the empirical research on this suggests that in the majority of cases what counts most for influencing decision to take a job is... (drumroll)... the characteristics of the vacancy, and the reputation of the organization over the recruiter.

However, a good recruiter can do two things that help. First, present the information about these good characteristics in a way that 'sells.' Second, they can positively influence perceptions of inexperienced candidates on the organization's attributes and attractiveness.

Bottom line - your best recruiter still can't put lipstick on a pig, especially when the candidates already know a lot about your particular barnyard.

[Michael Haberman, SPHR]

My favorite comment from recruits was their expression of suprise on how much I knew about the business.

Hey James.. you can put lipstick on a pig, it just is not going to make it look any better and sometimes worse.

[KD]

James -

Thanks for checking in. I agree that the reputation of the organization is key, but that reputation is the reality and may not reflect values on the card, right? Most of the time the reputation on the street has nothing to do with the values statement.

Here's the impact of the recruiter. A good recruiter can position the reputation that a company has, and frame it in a way to compete in a positive fashion, at times even when the reputation of other potential employers is more positive.

No need to put lipstick on the pig. The recruiter's job is to communicate how the opportunity to hang with the pig has value for the candidate, if only for a couple of years...

Thanks for checking in!

K