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From the Note Pad of Nichole McDonald, SPHR

It is well known in the marketplace by search firms, hiring managers, job candidates and even the HR Department that if a candidate wants to get interviewed andcorporate, recruiter, brand, business partner hired into a company, the best way to do that is go around the HR Recruiter.

Yes, HR, this is fact and not fiction.  As a matter of fact, on any given day, some where in the world, hiring managers are talking to candidates that by passed the HR Department.  HR gets the call from the hiring manager that he/she just interviewed a great candidate and is ready to make an offer.  The HR Recruiter is left out of the process with the exception of preparing the employment letter and setting the new hire up for new hire orientation.  This scenario plays out over and over again.

While, Human Resources departments have implemented technology advances such as Applicant Tracking tools to further enhance the sourcing, recruitment and selection processes, to enable the HR Recruiter more time to be a business partner with the hiring manager, the technology in some ways have placed an increased administrative burden on the HR Recruiter.  The Recruiter is spending more time in front of the computer reading hundreds of resumes coming from the company’s applicant tracking system and less or time with hiring managers.  Additionally,  coupled with the numerous and increased exposure to social media outlets,  candidates, hiring managers and others in the recruitment business can connect more easily together and more quickly. HR Recruiters are more and more responsible for administrative paper pushing either manually or electronically.  More specifically, the HR Corporate Recruiter is undersiege.  Perhaps, this is being to dramatic of a statement and therefore to soften the blow, let me say it like this, the HR Corporate Recruiter must recognize the paradigm shift that is taken place in workplaces globally, but probably less so in some developing countries.  Never the less,  change is happening with the role of the HR Corporate Recruiter.

Now that I have your attention, whether you agree or disagree with my opinion we can have a dialogue that results in a diversity of ideas, solutions and feedback which is generally the first stage of transformation.  Here are the 3 things an HR Corporate Recruiter needs to do to change the way the marketplace views the role.  Actually, there are probably more than 3, but I have learned, that most of us can only handle three.

So far, I have only been talking about the HR Corporate Recruiter, but we know that the Recruiter reports up to higher level roles in the organization.  Therefore,  it is ultimately the responsibility of the senior level Human Resources leader to lead the change in the role of the HR Recruiter.

First, hire and train HR Recruiters who represent the company brand and are seen by company leaders as being credible business partners.  This means the Recruiter understands the language of the business, including strategy, products and services.

Second,  be unconventional in candidate sourcing and recruitment.   Applicant tracking systems should be tools that support and enhance the recruitment process not become a burden to candidates, hiring managers and human resources.

Third, use creativity in sourcing and recruiting candidates, invite candidates to meet you without asking for a 3 page resume which has to go thru your applicant tracking system which then picks up key words.

HR Corporate Recruiters, the marketplace is changing daily in the way candidates and hiring managers connect, if you want to be an integrated part of the conversation, its time you CHANGE!

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Nichole McDonald, SPHR

Nichole C. McDonald, SPHR senior vice president, Human Resources, has more than 20 years of experience in senior leadership roles in human capital management. She is responsible for leading Laureate Higher Education Group’s human capital management strategy. This includes managing the areas of talent acquisition, talent development and organization effectiveness and retention. Throughout her career, she has worked in strategic positions where building teams, systems and processes have been of critical importance to organizational growth. During her tenure at Laureate, Nichole has led the people integration process for 14 acquisitions, growing the workforce to over 7,800 employees worldwide. This includes 9 locations in North America and sites in the Netherlands, Poland, Australia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and New Zealand. She currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for New School of Architecture & Design in San Diego, CA. Nichole holds a B.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Maryland at College Park, Maryland. She is an active member of the Society of Human Resources Management.

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