In the world of sports it’s normal practise that a player has an agent representing him/her at contract negotiations, an agent, who – in combination with the player – works on his/her career path and organises his/her life, so that the player can concentrate on world class performances.
Before we start, I am aware of the bad image sports agents have within the media and the public, but imagine the following:
Instead of you having to go through the tense period of salary negotiations and the time-consuming effort of finding market value, etc, you can concentrate on your job and let somebody else do it for you. Your relationship and your reputation remain intact. Your performance remains high. That would be quite attractive, wouldn’t it, for all parties – individual and employer. That’s quite similar to M&A activities.
Just imagine you were a young graduate or school leaver and you could have somebody who can identify your brilliance, who can advise you on how to achieve your goals and happiness, but crucially then also acts on it. They would look at what skills you need? What areas you need to improve? What is your first job? When do you move? Somebody who helps you adjust to new external surroundings, but also internal shifts. Somebody, who has your interests at heart because it equals theirs.
Think about a small company who has trouble attracting top performers, but suddenly strikes a feeder club agreement with an attractive employer and therefore receives raw diamonds and up and coming stars that need a bigger role and more experience.
Think about this from the employer perspective – suddenly there’s a place to give top performers another outlet without loosing them to the competition. It’s an exciting proposition to give to a potential candidate –not only providing a job, but a career. Preparing and assisting them when they’re ready to make that next leap.
For me, that’s a very logical next step for the recruitment industry, especially with the power shifting more and more towards the individual candidates.
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Twitter: Urps
says
I agree Felix that this approach seems logical and would be a good general model to follow. I think the problem and the reason it isn’t being used now is that too many recruiters are obsessed with making quick money and are far too short sighted and so in reality they fail to see that by offering the best candidate service/ experience they can create a lasting long term business
Twitter: drivethruhr
says
Felix, In reading your thoughts I start working my way through my various levels of frustration with the recruitment industry in a very generalized sense. I can proudly state that I have friends, colleagues and acquaintances who have always acted as the “agent” for the their career clients. In fact one them coined the phrase that (I’m not a “recruiter” I am your Career Partner for life….) This long-term marathon approach to recruiting and representing is amazing, valuable, respectable and based on the number of recruiters in the world more rare than it should be.
Again, I know several of these endangered species and have the highest level of respect for them. An example would be Jennifer McClure who is fairly well known in the US and can be found @cincyrecruiter on twitter. She was just on the following radio segment http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animal/2010/05/19/jennifer-mcclure-recruiter
describing some of her interview and client processes of which I’m SOLD I would call her if I had an executive search.
Most anyone that primarily grows there business from client referrals and can effortlessly articulate their “processes” with conviction such as Jennifer is already miles ahead in the race; sadly you find the majority of these types of folks on the higher-level Professional and Executive Search side of the business. Question to the industry leadership: why can this type of quality permeate all levels of recruiting. PS. I couldn’t begin to list all of the amazing search professionals in the business that I personally know so keep up the great work, one search at a time.
Twitter: alanwhitford
says
The Jerry Maguire post is a great one. I love the ‘feeder company’ approach. That essentially is what the Minor League is in US baseball, and the US university system is in basketball and football. As to who is the agent? In my Woodstock Recruitment Philosophy, the recruitment consultant is actually a consultant! and could perform the trusted advisor role for candidate, employee and employer.