idealpeople blog

You’ve probably heard about the credit crunch, right?

And you’ve probably heard about the trouble brewing in the worldwide financial markets, right?

There’s plenty of people out there wondering how this might affect recruitment. So we decided to ask the Idealpeople team what they thought 2008 held for them. First up, it’s our inimitable former MD, Michael Wright - recruiter extraordinaire, and a real recruitment visionary. He won’t thank us for the photo, but then he’s not MD any more, so he’ll just have to put up with it

So, what does he think?

What’s the biggest challenge YOU face in 2008?
Continuing to differentiate our service, against a background of an increasingly commoditised & unregulated marketplace where cowboy practices are abundant.

What’s the hardest thing about Recruiting right now?
Trying not to laugh myself to death at the deluge of ‘revolutionary’ e-recruitment/referral/social media, web 2.0 services like Jobster, Zubka, Jobtonic, Blue Chip Expert etc who claim to be a suitable, software based replacement for the human element in Recruiting/Headhunting. *Chuckles* I am old enough to remember when job-boards providing direct services to hiring clients would be the ‘death knell’ for Agencies and Exec Search firms.

If you had the power to change one thing in the world to make your life as a recruiter easier, what would it be?
To force everyone in the country earning over £50,000 to put their CV and contact info online on a personal web page. Google Hacking CVs rocks!

What’s the easiest thing about recruiting at the moment?
Since I stopped writing adverts for positions, and relied soley on my wits as a headhunter, networker, social media evangelist and web-sleuth - things have been a damn sight easier. No more rejecting 100+ unsuitable applications per day and getting stalked by losers who sit on the job board with their finger constantly on APPLY. So long you losers.

How is 2008 different to 2007/earlier in your career?
Recruiting is easier than ever. I’ve learned that as my network grows, so does my ability to deliver results to my clients and candidates faster.

What do you predict will happen to the Recruitment market this year?
There will be some hard times ahead for lots of the Agents and Headhunters who have mainly been doing Financial Services/Insurance recruitment, especially those who have no presence outside of the UK. My bet is that the Investment Banking Recruiters in particular will struggle, although the VISA IPO may reverse their fortunes. Skills shortages and a lack of talent will keep most Recruiters revenues, profits and shares on an upwards trajectory, despite shaky macroeconomic conditions. Those who don’t look globally will miss out on opportunities…