Use Your Internal Recruiters as Advisors: 4 Business Insights They Offer

June 14, 2013

When it comes to hiring, internal recruiters are the eyes and ears of the market.

While an internal recruiter’s main responsibility is to identify and engage candidates for the company, their insight into the market can help tighten up your company’s recruitment strategy.
As a recruiter, I am able to pass forward market knowledge of the company I am recruiting for. This information comes from engaging passive and active candidates, and ranges from understanding the company’s reputation in the market, to insights into the candidate experience, company culture, and competition in the market.
Below are a few examples how internal recruiters can advise internal management with market intelligence to help them improve the overall company reputation and stay competitive in the hiring market.

4 Businss Insights Recruiters Offer Management

1) Company Reputation

Because recruiters are constantly networking and engaging candidates, we hear what the candidates think of the company brand. This can include anything from what the candidate heard about the culture, hiring process, feedback loop, etc.
I have heard great things, and not so great things from candidates. It is important to pass along all information in order to get a full, realistic picture. After all, receiving honest feedback is the only way to constantly improve the process and improve the reputation of the company.

2) Competitive Pay

In addition to accessing detailed compensation reports on specific positions, I always have my ear to the ground on what candidates are actually being paid, in addition to what non-monetary benefits they are receiving, such as work-from-home flexibility and unlimited vacation.
If I determine from this information that compensation does not match with the profile for the role that I am targeting, I let my hiring managers know so they can re-evaluate the profile and/or the budget.

3) Market Intelligence

Are candidates familiar with the company? What do they know? How have they heard about it?  What interests them in the opportunity and company?
Pass this information along to your marketing team as a data point to see if recruitment campaigns are successful, as well as to provide feedback on what to potentially focus on in a future recruitment campaign.

4) Trends

What is a candidate’s motivation for staying in their current role? Why are active/passive candidates looking to make a move? What company is having layoffs? What companies do candidates not want to make a move from? Why? What else is going on in the market?
These are all questions that candidates give helpful insight into.
The key to finding out this market intelligence is listening and asking the right questions. Don’t be afraid to ask candidates any of the above.
What insights are prospective candidates sharing with your internal recruiters?

Director of Talent

<strong>Carlie Smith</strong> was the Senior Talent Manager, Sales & Marketing at OpenView. She worked directly with hiring managers and key stakeholders within OpenView and its portfolio to lead vital searches and provided process guidance on recruitment strategy, including talent identification, strategic sourcing, relationship building, and competitive intelligence. Currently, Carlie is the Director of <a href="https://www.circle.com/en">Circle</a>.