Lazy Recruiting
August 29, 2009 by Ed McLaughlin
In a good economy, hiring managers and recruiters typically focus on employed (passive) candidates. But in this environment, mass layoffs clearly mean that there are more quality people available in the ranks of the unemployed.
That hasn’t stopped some from targeting the employed. In this Wall Street Journal article, a partner from Kaye/Bassman International Corp. made one of the most ridiculous statements I’ve heard in some time. “If they’re employed in today’s economy, they have to be first string.”
Really? In my experience, layoffs are rarely objective. Sure, talented people survive, but many (some might say too many) sheepwalkers make the cut as well. When the smoke clears, a company is rarely left with the best of the best.
This strategy has another obvious flaw. Placing trust in the talent assessments of another firm is foolish, especially when you consider that many of these companies were run so poorly that they led us into the economic downturn in the first place.
Why would a recruiter stay with this approach? Maybe they don’t know better. Or maybe they’re simply following the rules of their employer (and thus are sheepwalkers themselves). Or perhaps it’s because they’re lazy. After all, the high volume of active candidates would result in additional strain during the screening phase and require a very precise selection process. Sounds like a lot of work to fill a position.
Or maybe they just don’t care. Whatever the reason, the folks at Kaye/Bassman International provide us with a great example of a big company thinking small.
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