The recruitment industry is changing. All industries change, whether its due to the changes with technology, or changes in customer requirements. Methods and techniques become outdated, they are seen as obsolete or out-of-fashion. This is just the way of life.
The Measure of intelligence is the ability to change- Albert Einstein.
Many industries, well-established as they may be, have recently undergone change. In recent months, the plight of the retail industry has been thrust into the spotlight with the sale of House of Fraser to Sports Direct. House of Fraser has been the latest in a series of retail casualties due to dropping high street sales.
The issues with the retail industry come from the unpredictability of customer behaviours and trends, but are multifaceted and complex to define.
Change in this instance is bad. It will eventually affect thousands of people as the crisis deepens. The interesting thing about change is as one entity loses out, another gains. This type of transactional behaviour allows us to plan and forecast for change, to ensure we, as a society still continue to flourish.
So, you would be forgiven for hedging your bets, and investing your time in a behemoth industry that rarely changes. where would we find such an industry, in an ever changing world?
When I reference change, I don't refer to the small scale changes, but the massive, over-arching industry disrupting changes. Of course, you may argue, the recruitment industry is unrecognisable to what it was 25 years ago, and you would on some level be correct. We didn't have digital advertising, or at least in the way it exists today. There wasn't a new person calling themselves 'Recruiter' every 5 minutes. You can always put a bum on a seat. Finding the right bum? Ask any real recruiter, that is a task.
There are three things however, we can see completely disrupting this industry, to the point of it being unrecognisable.
No, I'm not discussing that one lad in uni that travelled the breadth of Nepal and now personally counts Buddha as a mate. Organisational culture is now more important than ever. We define organisational culture as the learned behaviour of a group of people, basically 'the way we do things around here'.
If you are involved in a culture that believes in constructive, powerful change for the better of an industry? You've bagged yourself a winner!
Culture is a driving force behind what we do as human beings. It is impossible to create an immersive and truly innovative company with a half-baked culture. You're actions, values and what you say must all be aligned, and this unfortunately is hard to find in todays 'recruiters'.
Obviously, in the digital age, this point would feature. It is crucially important that all companies have a handle on the digital aspects of their business. We are coming to the age where our children are digital natives. Being brought up in an age where the tablet computer replaces human interaction is going to have startling effects on these individual's perceptions.
Soon, (and already to some extent) an individual will know everything about the person they are about to deal with. This is down to their whole lives leaving a digital foot print, and everything being so accessible.
This is fantastic for the organisations that hold true values and principles, and are established and trusted. Reputation is everything in recruitment, but not every 'recruiter' seems to comprehend of that.
Obviously, Brexit is a contentious subject. One that can definitely ruin any family BBQ. However, there is some great lessons to be gleaned. In the digital age, so much has been misrepresented you couldn't possibly believe everything you see. Which is great! Finally, lesson well learned!
Well, imagine if that was the case. Instead you have a multitude of people, purporting to be 'Recruitment wizards', or 'Digital Marketing Guru's' really clogging up the recruitment industry. With any service, you build your brand on trust and knowledge, and when the market is flooded with sub-par recruiters, does that not threaten all of us?
The fallout could be intense, leading to a powerful lesson in the importance of stellar credentials for not only our individual businesses but the recruitment industry as a whole.
Be truthful about your values, don't subsist on the short-term small wins. You don’t establish longevity by short-term, inconsistant thinking!
If youwantto see how a recruitment business should function, give us a call at 0191 492 6622, whether you are looking for a job or looking to fill a job!
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