Do employers really need recruiters?

Emrah asks: Do employers really think recruiters know better who is the best choice for them, or are they actually looking for someone to blame when choices go wrong?

In Answer:
Employers who use recruiters for EVERYTHING are probably those you don't want to work for - low wages, high turnover, poor staff relations: they need a PR company more than a recruiter!

Employers who use recruiters for specialist staff and positions, use them for developing new divisions and as part of a development strategy which includes both internal and externally sourced new blood are those to work for.

The continual tension will always be there between recruiters and HR departments - after dealing with months of sick leave, absent employees and accidents, the odd bit of proving your worth and having some fun on a recruitment exercise must be great for most modern HR professionals. The modern internet tools also mean that's a real value add for them over a recruiter on the average position.

The best chance of finding out which type of employer you are looking at is to ask the recruiter how many similar positions they have recruited for before, and why? Unless its a new division or new blood development, and if its in the hundreds per annum - avoid!

Good recruiters use their understanding of a company, department, and/or Team to make matches for the company. Their business development, interviewing skills, and their hard work make the difference.

Here are a couple of questions that any great recruiter should be able to speak to:

1. How do you adopt your recuiting style to fit my company's needs?
2. Describe my company's culture?
3. Tell me what candidates succeed most often at my company?
4. What interviewing strategy will you employ for this position?

A greqat recruiter has thought about and can answers these questions without skipping a beat.