Lori-RushLori Rush, this month’s guest blogger, has an extensive background and expertise as a corporate recruiter, an agency recruiter, human resources manager and a hiring manager. Lori understands the focus, drive and dedication necessary to secure a person most suited for a position. Thanks to Lori for sharing this valuable information, and you can learn more about her and her work at Rush Mentoring Services.

Are you a business owner who has tried to hire for positions without much success? Have you hired for positions and soon afterwards determined the people were not a good fit for the position and company culture?

Hiring a professional recruiter to help you can make all the difference in the world.  Here’s how a professional recruiter can help you find the right fit for your company and culture.

Why hire a recruiter?

  • Recruiters know how to attract talent with job descriptions/postings/networks.
  • Recruiters know how to select the best candidates through the hundreds of resumes.
  • Recruiters can assess the skills and talents of candidates as a 3rd party with no emotional attachment.
  • Recruiters are skilled at interviewing to determine the fit for the potential hire.
  • Business owners/hiring managers who are wearing many hats don’t have the necessary time it takes to determine the best candidate(s) for the position. Recruiting done right takes a lot of time.
  • It takes an average of 23 days of dedicated time to fill a position.
  • Recruiting/hiring is generally not a strong skill set of a business owner/hiring manager. They can focus their time on their strengths and outsource functions they do not like or aren’t strong at.
  • Taking short cuts to build your team may ease immediate growing pains but create regrets in the long-term which will ultimately affect sales and profits.

How do you justify the cost?

  • The average cost to a business of a bad hiring decision can cost as much as 20% of that individual’s first year potential earnings. That means a single bad hire with an income of $50,000 can equal a potential $10,000 loss for the business. The loss is compounded by the impact of a bad hire on productivity and team morale. One sub-par employee can throw an entire company or department into disarray.
  • One of the most costly, time-consuming mistakes a business owner can make is picking the wrong person for the job.
  • Saves the business owner time and money they could spend in growing the business/business development.
  • 80% of employee turnover can be attributed to bad hiring decisions.

How can you be collaborative with a recruiter?

  • Make sure the recruiter is working for you, the business owner, and not out to just “fill the position.”
  • They should discuss in depth with you the culture and atmosphere of your business to make sure the potential hire will fit with your culture.
  • Fitting into the culture is most important; the candidate does have to have the most important skills and experience to perform the job but if they don’t “fit in” they most likely will not succeed.
  • Make sure the recruiter you select has a placement guarantee and stands behind their work. Most reputable recruiters/staffing agencies have a guarantee to fill a position at a reduced rate if the person is not a good fit and is terminated within a certain number of days, usually 60 or 90 days.

Lori Rush of Rush Mentoring Services