dusted / 23 May
Asset Management Recuriters vs. HR
The relationship between recruiters and Human Resources (HR) with the Asset Management industry has been shrouded in negativity for a long time. Each department sees the other as an obstacle, usually based on misinformation, assumptions, or bad experiences. But HR and recruiters needn’t have such a tumultuous relationship. To get to the crux of the problem, we need to look into what caused this animosity.
Sadly, to the disappointment of some readers after seeing the title, this blog is not about a hypothetical battle royale involving recruitment specialists and HR departments. Instead, we are offering a much more rewarding experience that could help sooth the discord between the two positions.
So, what do HRs have against recruiters? Recruiters from specialist consultancies might not realise it, but most of the people they contact at human resources spend much of their time being bombarded with speculative CVs and sales calls from generalist agencies and desperate recruiters. With a market that’s so saturated and competitive, there are often many recruiters chancing their arms in an aggressive attempt to meet quotas.
Recruitment consultancies like Mason Blake differ from other generalist agencies. Our philosophy isn’t to blindly throw CVs at every job opportunity with a particular market. We take special care to provide candidates that suit a position based on experience, qualifications, recommendations, and attitude. We also take the time to meet all our candidates face-to-face and ensure we are up to date with the latest industry knowledge, which helps us differentiate ourselves. Ours is a quality-over-quantity philosophy so it’s in our best interests to get the most suitable applicant within reach of the HR department. Generalist recruiters that cast a wide net are not just exhausting for HR personnel, they also give recruiters who have put the time and energy into finding the ideal candidate a bad name.
However, it can be difficult to ensure that a candidate is ideal for a vacant position when the recruitment consultant does not have any contact with the hiring manager. This can be pivotal to the success of the hire because that point of contact can provide crucial insight into the profile that would otherwise not be available. Knowing what kind of candidate the manager is looking to bring onto the team makes it more likely for recruiters to supply candidates that are of interest to the business.
Another obstacle for recruiters is when HR departments operate with a ‘preferred list’ of recruitment consultants. It’s understandable that they would want to limit the number of CVs they receive and rely on those who they have experience working with. But this also means that opportunities for businesses to meet candidates with specialist skills ideal for their needs could be missed as recruitment consultants will have trouble connecting with organisations’ HR departments. Building relationships are the best way to ensure thorough and effective talent acquisition.
As you can see, HR and recruiters have relationships defined by conflict and stigma, but it doesn’t have to be this way. After all, we’re all looking for the same thing. It’s a shame the HR departments need to deal with generalist recruiters throwing every CV they have at roles that require specialist skills, but recruitment consultancies like Mason Blake should be immediately identifiable because our messaging is always bespoke to the organisation and the vacant role. It’s worth an HR department’s time to build relationships with reliable, specialist recruiters so that they know exactly what the company is looking for in terms of a profile. Recruiters can help maintain this relationship by only sending quality candidates to show they can add value to the recruitment process.
Different roles require different solutions. While organisations that require a large volume of applicants with transferable skills would find generalist recruiters helpful, a specialist consultancy is a necessity for a business looking for a small number of highly-qualified expert candidates with the relevant experience. If your business is in the investment management industry, you will require carefully selected candidates that will not only be able to do the job but also align with your company culture and values.
Mason Blake are the professionals when it comes to finding professionals; if you’re interested in talking to us about finding the right candidate for your organisation, feel free to get in touch using our contact page.
