Don’t Buy a Dog and Bark Yourself

The 10 Must-Haves for Effective Recruiting Partnerships

The never-ending rise in social media (LinkedIn, Meta et al), the supporting technology, and the globalisation of talent (some jobs can be done from anywhere) has reshaped traditional recruiting by providing employers access to massive pools of talent, including passive candidates who aren’t actively looking, but are open to opportunities.

Once upon a time recruiting was a core responsibility of the HR Generalist, and savvy HR operators nurtured a network of trusted recruiters to do the leg work to identify and find great talent. Over time, Talent Acquisition (TA) has evolved into a specialised function.

Talent Acquisition is now its own function

Talent Acquisition has now evolved to become a specialist function within People & Culture departments. However, the sunk costs of TA headcount and software licences mean organisations feel they are already spending enough and should limit the use of recruiters. What hasn’t changed is that organisations still face challenges like backlogs of open roles and a lack of quality applications. There’s still a lot of important work to get done, and in our opinion, most in-house TA teams still can’t do it all.

Here’s the key point. Using an external recruiter has always been, and should always be, a partnership. Properly used, recruiters shouldn’t be seen as replacement to TA or P&C headcount; they should be viewed in terms of how they augment and enhance TA. This is done by addressing specialised needs, heavy workloads, or confidentiality requirements; the important and necessary leg work.

In other words, don’t buy a dog and bark yourself. To create value, the recruiter-client relationship must be a partnership built on clear expectations.

The 10 Must-Haves for an Effective Recruiting Partnership

1. Brand Management: Recruiters must effectively manage your employer brand (EVP) as well as you can.
2. Engagement: They should foster strong relationships with Hiring Managers and TA/HR teams through comprehensive briefing sessions.
3. Market Insights: Your recruiter should provide insights into talent market conditions, including perspective on the remuneration and benefits on offer.
4. Original Research: Passive candidates (who represent 80% of the market) must be proactively sourced, with advertising used strategically rather than as a default. This includes researching competitors and adjacent industries for suitable talent.
5. Transparency: Open and two-way meetings and check-ins to discuss market research and progress help ensure clarity and alignment throughout the process.
6. Ownership: You should own all research and data generated during the assignment, enabling additional hires from the same search without extra costs.
7. Tailored & Flexible Approaches: Recruiters should adapt their strategy—such as Market Mapping, Talent Pooling, or Executive Search based on the unique needs of each role.
8. Candidate Management: They should rigorously screen candidates and only present those who are both interested and qualified for the role.
9. Comprehensive Reporting: Documentation should provide a clear and actionable foundation for engaging candidates.
10. Proactive Candidate Identification: Pro-active talent submissions should be encouraged from trusted recruiters, but with incentive-based fees (e.g. 50% of the fee).

Value Beyond Cost

Value is about more than cost. Partnering with a recruiter is an investment in process and outcome. Delivering on these expectations often requires a skilled research and administrative team, so fairness in fees is essential. Remember the old recruiter adage: “You’re either a client or a target.” You want the best recruiters working with you.

Taking Your Partnership Further

A strong recruiter relationship can also elevate your talent acquisition strategy beyond filling individual roles. Partnering with recruiters offers additional strategic benefits, such as:

• Market Mapping: Detailed insights into specific markets, industries, and talent availability, along with competitive benchmarks.
• Ready-to-Activate Talent Pools: Pre-built and maintained talent pools allow you to act quickly when roles open up, reducing reliance on reactive hiring.
• Talent Pipelining: Develop talent pipelines for multiple hires over time, optimising cost-efficiency and engagement.
• TA Support: Recruiters can provide on-demand support for internal TA teams during high-volume hiring or when internal capacity is stretched.

If you’re ready to explore how you can make the most of your recruiting partner get in touch for an obligation free discussion.

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Justin Miles

Manager Partner, Melbourne at Generator Talent

Justin is the Managing Partner of our Melbourne office, an outcome focused leader with a track record of driving business performance through proven talent and organisation development practices. Justin’s methods and skills have been shaped by working with performance oriented leaders in great companies including PepsiCo, The Campbell Soup Company, Diageo, Rip Curl, Fonterra and Wesfarmers, in Australia, the USA and Latin America.