Is Recruiting Broken?

On June 24, 2011, in HRExaminer, by John Sumser

Is recruiting broken? HRExaminer Photo Credit compujeramey on Flickr.com

photo credit: compujeramey, view photo on flickr


The idea that Recruiting, in its current shape, is some sort of a strategic function is completely laughable. At best, most Recruiters are “fixers” or “firefighters”. They respond to immediate crises.

In most business functions, one plans in order to either avoid or minimize crises. When a commodity is essential to smooth operations, one manages the supply. Predictability in the supply chain is what differentiates a great company from an erratic lifestyle business.

The most obvious example is the cherished position occupied by the search function. Searching is what desperate people have to do when they are unprepared for a shortage. Searching is a profoundly reactive function.

Instead of being the model of industry excellence, searching should be understood as the method of last resort. It represents a failure of the planning necessary to run a successful business. One searches for replacement personnel because one is not prepared.

Because there is no meaningful educational infrastructure in our industry, some extraordinary myths get repeated:

  • Using free software is a cost effective approach to Recruiting;
  • Technology solves Recruiting problems;
  • Someone who isn’t looking for a job is preferable to someone who is;
  • Recruiting is not local, industry or job specific; and
  • Planning is impossible in Recruiting.

The list goes on and on. Everywhere you look, being busy and doing stuff appears to be valued over producing results.

About the author

John Sumser

John Sumser is the founder, principal author and editor-in-chief of the HRExaminer Online Magazine. John explores the people, technology, ideas and careers of senior leaders in Human Resources and Human Capital. John is the also principal of Two Color Hat where he routinely advises Human Resources, Recruiting Departments and Talent Management teams with product analysis, market segmentation, positioning, strategy and branding guidance.

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  • http://twitter.com/jasongorham jasongorham

    John, I believe it has been broken for years.  Recruiters want to use the Easy button, post a job and let the best candidate come to them.  Like any great athlete it takes hard work to capture the right candidate at the right time.  Recruiters should stop looking for the easy button, it doesn’t exist.  

  • KUsher

    Better still, we should really listen to what John’s saying and look to build for the future – a future that will always throw up surprises, and one that will be led by those who prepare in advance.  Think instead of the true and potential value of succession planning (oops! I said that word that’s a myth) through out your system – challenge, growth, low cost and high value replacement, quick turnaround, true engagement and (here I go again!) an educational infrastructure.  One of the broken bits of HR these days – over-specialization resulting in myth-building as a way of life!

  • http://twitter.com/SusanDStrayer Susan D. Strayer

     I think there’s also the question of risk + fear + cost.  Companies fear
    taking a risk and being innovative because if it doesn’t work, they see sunk
    cost instead of seeing the possibility innovation creates. There are also few
    people in recruiting organizations that own innovation or have the time, energy,
    directive and money to do it. So it’s left to consulting firms and external
    parties in many cases.

  • http://twitter.com/SylvieDahl Sylvia Dahlby

    You knocked it out of the park with this one John, especially with the myths list.

  • Paul

    The myths list is excellent – and is a partial list. But the fact that recruitment is broken is revealed more by its abysmal results than by its character flaws. Nearly half of new hires leave in the first 18 months and fewer than half of new hires receive a rating of very good or good six months into the job. About 30% of company failures are due to poor hiring decisions.  (I have references for these and many more depressing facts for anyone interested in the sources.) 

    More importantly than its failures are recruitment’s potential successes. Recruitment can be and is being fixed – that is, it can generate better and usually much better results. Like many other domains, recruitment can be improved by analytics, serious science that can understand the huge complexities of jobs and people. It is happening today and will grow. As it does, recruitment results will improve and we can start celebrating instead of commiserating. 

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