I have talked about this before and I make no excuse for mentioning it again, because when you implement the strategies I am about to share; you will totally change the growth trajectory of your recruitment company.
Warning, Warning, Red Alert…
What I’m about to share with you is potentially going to be extremely controversial and could change the way you do business forever.
As someone who worked the 360 model for all my time as a recruiter, I can understand why there could be some questions around this model and I will do my best to explain how it will benefit your business if you change to it.
What is the Ultimate Recruitment Model?
The Ultimate Recruitment Model takes the old 360 Model, where one person would do every single part of the recruitment process, and breaks the process down into three separate service functions, activities and targets:
- Development
- Delivery
- Resource or Research
There are two other possible roles that sit outside the model too; which is marketing and admin/compliance, more on that in another post.
Let me share a breakdown of how the roles in each of the segments would work.
Depending on the way that you deliver your service – you would fit into one of two recruitment business models:
- 180 Model
- 120 Model
The 180 Model
The 180 model would have one person or team potentially covering two areas, e.g.:
- Development and Delivery Team
- Delivery and Resourcing Team
- Resourcing and Admin Team
The 180 model is used in recruitment agencies where there is more spot business being done, for example permanent recruitment where you are placing fewer than five people a year into an account each year or doing retained or exclusive work.
The 120 Model
The 120 model is where you have three separate people or three separate teams delivering on the three areas – they would either work as a pod or:
- A team or person that focuses on New Business Development
- A team or person that focuses on Delivery
- A team or person that focuses on Resourcing Candidates and managing the candidate pool
This model would be used where you have multiple vacancies to be filled in key accounts – large contract requirements or key account delivery into major accounts.
Since we have introduced this model, we have several clients who have moved people into different roles and who are now performing at a much higher level – also they have much happier teams.
Why is it important to understand this model now?
Over the last 10 years, the way that we do recruitment has changed beyond recognition with the introduction of the internet, technology, LinkedIn, online job boards, social media, websites, smart technology, etc.
When I started, the UK recruitment industry was soooo much simpler – all I needed to be successful was a phone, a rolodex and a fax!
The role of a recruitment consultant has become incredibly complicated with all the extra things that they now need to do to generate business and candidates.
Think about what’s expected these days if your recruiters were doing everything in the 360 role, they would need to be an expert in:
- Finding and obtaining candidates
- Writing adverts
- Posting adverts
- Boolean searching
- Database management
- Head hunting
- Social media
- Key account management
- Candidate and client delivery and control
- New business development
- Client meetings
- Client reviews
……….the list goes on and on and on.
I believe that it’s now impossible for someone to perform everything that is needed in a 360 role and perform it all to the high standard needed.
Look at it this way – if you focus on one thing, you can do it 100%. Two things – immediately splits it into 50 / 50 and three things = 30%; you get my point.
There is just too much to do and it pulls people into activities that are not their key strengths, creating stress, frustration, and burnout.
The 360 model is dead and the whole way that we deliver our service needs to change.
But the trouble is that most recruitment business owners are still stuck in the Jurassic age of doing recruitment and haven’t woken up to the fact that the 360 model will curtail their growth.
If you haven’t woken up to the fact that the way we deliver our recruitment service has changed, then you will also eventually become extinct… and can say goodbye to your dream of a profitable recruitment agency.
Here is why 360 no longer works
Because your team will not be able to deliver consistently, your clients won’t get the service you have promised……………….. then, guess what, they will turn to another recruitment agency.
You will have a nightmare hiring people because the 360 recruiter that can do everything is like the Loch Ness Monster; imaginary.
Your team will burnout or become totally disillusioned because they are never succeeding!
Here is why you need to switch up your recruitment business model
- Your billing team will deliver better results consistently
- They will be more productive and get more done
- Less stress and burnout – better staff retention
- A team based model – knowledge shared and cascaded, reduces risk if someone leaves or someone is on holiday
- Experts in their niche
- Easier to hire and train
- Reduce ‘out of flow’ work
Oh, and this model has been proven to generate over three times the level of results that you would get if you were working a 360 model! Email me and I can share our case studies.
How can you change away from the 360 model quickly?
1. Get a bunch of post-it notes and map out your entire recruitment process – from inception to close.
Then, for each part of the process, highlight what activity needs to happen for that part of the process to be completed.
For example… find a job…
Activities that need to happen to complete this part of the process could be:
- Marketing out a great candidate, or
- Following up on a lead you’ve got from your network, or
- Going to an exhibition and meeting potential clients
When you have linked the activity to each part of the process, break the activities down to deliver your service into the three areas:
- Development
- Delivery
- Resource
This will give you your job roles, competencies and activities for each area.
2. Existing team analysis.
Looking at your existing team, what are their strengths? Get a piece of paper and write down each of your team, what their strengths are and how you can use this better in your recruitment business.
Have you got someone who is brilliant at customer relationship management but hates new business?
Why not pair them up with someone that loves doing new business but hates the customer care side?
Where are the gaps? Who else do you need to think about hiring?
Now, if you, like a lot of other top recruitment businesses and professionals from all over the world, have recognised the need to move on from the old, clunky 360 model and are excited to embrace a new recruiting system that delivers higher quality results with less stress and inefficiency, then now is the time to act, way before your competitor’s twig.
Would you like more detail on where and how to start in detail for your own recruitment agency?
Then click here to book a session with one of our scale specialists today.
