As we come to the end of 2016, it is a natural time to reflect on the last 12 months. 

Reviewing our experiences within our busy and exciting specialism of recruiting HR professionals, there have been a couple of key observations to highlight that offer some interesting food for thought.

Continue to be “cautious” of counter-offers

It is often said in recruitment “Beware of the Counter Offer”. This is a stark warning that anyone who at the point of resignation is hit by an alluring counter-offer should consider the opportunity to stay with a healthy dose of caution.

Why did it take for you to leave for that offer to be made? Will the promises actually be fulfilled and things truly change? Has the offer actually addressed your motivators for accepting an offer elsewhere? How will taking a u-turn on an offer you have already accepted elsewhere reflect on your integrity and personal brand within the professional market place?  It is well documented that people who stay for counter-offers will invariably leave within the next 9 to 12 months anyway, so given all these factors, why does the temptation to remain still lure people away from fantastic new roles and opportunities?  

How emotionally committed are you during your job search and throughout selection processes?

It is perhaps for the simple reason that leaving a job for a new role is not just a factual decision, it is a heavily emotional one. No matter how well publicised the statistics are around staying for counter-offers, unless you commit emotionally to every stage of a recruitment process you are vulnerable from being distracted from what is actually the best decision for you. 

This is an interesting thought. How emotionally committed are you during your job search and throughout selection processes? Are you emotionally and mentally prepared for each stage and for actually being offered a role at the end of it? If not, are you doing yourself a huge disservice? This certainly offers some food for thought. Look out for a further blog from me in early 2017 to explore this concept of the emotional journey of recruitment more fully.

The continued rise of in-house recruitment

At any given times there will always be a particular priority in developing certain specialisms within an organisations HR function. That may be in the form of ER Teams, L&D departments or setting up or growing an internal recruitment function.

In-House recruitment capability is business critical for many organisations and growing or developing this function has been a priority for many companies over the past couple of years and particularly over the last 12 months. A natural conclusion would be that this would pose a threat to external recruitment businesses and less reliance on them. 

From our perspective at HR Heads this has not been the case and for a few key reasons. We operate within a very specific niche and very localised geography – this allows us to be incredibly well connected to both an active and a passive professional network within our area of specialism to a level that in-house recruiters would not be able to replicate due to the demands of recruiting vacancies and roles across a far broader set of professional disciplines. 

As a former In-House Recruiter myself, I am also fully aware of the value that can be gained from developing a great relationship with a specialist external recruiter ahead of actually needing their support. You may not need them for every role, but when you are looking for the very best talent in the market or struggling with a hard to fill position that falls within their niche, they can be invaluable.  

In-House and External recruiters are by no-means enemies or indeed a threat to each other, but instead are on the same side, looking to achieve the same thing and can be a true asset to each other as and when required.

Perhaps a lesson from 2016, in amongst so many unpredicted headlines and uncertainty, is that some of the best lessons that can be learnt are re-considering old adages from a new and refreshing perspective. That is certainly how I will be approaching the new year.