Is technology killing recruiting? All us savvy recruiters in house and outside search agencies as well use Linked In and other social media. I just asked you above to follow me on Linkedin! It has vastly increased my network. If you can’t beat em join em, right? But we have to remember that e-mail and online recruiting are making us lazy. What happened to the art of picking up the phone and talking with people? Hey, talking is what I do best and I find myself more entrenched online than I want to be. It is killing the art of dialogue.

I think we can all agree that technology is a useful tool. But, companies are always going to need recruiters like myself. The idea that recruiters can be replaced with an online solution underestimates the impact a recruiter has in the placement of a senior professional candidate or future top talent. Individuals whose skill-sets are in high demand and short supply will have multiple options and it is up to us to sell them on the opportunity. It is also up to us to determine the right cultural fit. Companies have their testing and lengthy interview process but sometimes they are too close to it to be objective. I can tell them the unvarnished truth about what they will be facing because I want them to succeed in their new environment.

I can also determine, based on my knowledge of a company, what candidate would be the best “cultural fit.” I also find after a lengthy conversation with a candidate that my heart skips a beat when I have found the right one. Call it intuition or years of experience but picking future leaders and top talent
is an art. I have to delve into the qualifications, lifestyle, character, integrity and achievements of a candidate. Not an easy task but done correctly leads to success. And while the searches get tougher, we have to work harder.

Companies will always need executive search firms if they have a difficult location, a confidential search or if they have exhausted all their resources.
Technology is great but it’s not enough.