The Search Business is Dead...or is it?

The Search Business is Dead….or is it?

Regardless of the industry you're in, there will be technology based advancements to streamline business or improve on inefficiencies.  For close to 20 years I’ve heard a common theme in the search business……”The Search Business is Dead”.  The comment is less than intelligent.... I've seen first-hand how technology can compliment the industry for internal recruiters and external search partners.  To compliment the negative sentiment from the uneducated, I've heard similar arguments and have read countless articles about how the end is near for the industry.   Most of the pessimism and negativity comes from underperformers in the industry, those who bounce from search firm to search firm, HR professionals who are really more administrators vs “people and culture strategists”, or those who are simply not understanding of the value a professional search firm can provide. 

For those who are passionate about the industry, adapt to some of the technology and philosophical changes, and continue to invest resources into the qualifying and research side of the business, and continue to nurture and build your client base, the industry will continue to flourish.  As many of you have noted, the human component within the qualifying of candidates is essential for most organizations and many organizations simply don't have the internal resources to allocate in order to eliminate external search firms.

Do you really expect that plugging in search parameters into a solutions platform will produce you the “ideal” candidate?  At best it will provide you with the names of individuals who potentially fit the criteria, however the most important part of the process relates to the qualifying, vetting, and overall validation of those individuals.  Are they even interested in the position and/or company, are they a cultural fit, are their remuneration expectations aligned, do they reside in the region, and can they actually support and back up the career which is posted on-line or on their resume?  This is just scratching the surface…..

The search industry was apparently "dead" when more companies invested in "internal recruiters", only to find that in many of these scenarios, leadership teams realized they were able to still identify more qualified and better quality candidates through external search partners.

The industry was also apparently "dead" when portals such as Monster, Workopolis, Indeed, and CareerBuilder entered the scene, only to find out that although they can play a part in the process, the quality of the candidates was sub-par and either unemployed for legitimate reasons or simply not employable.  If fact our firm has only seen between 4-8% of our placements from any form of portal since the introduction of these options.  LinkedIn has been a great tool to utilize in order to source potential candidates, but that is quite different than qualifying candidates based on other search criteria which you simply can't confirm with any search parameters, or technology advancements.  Bring on the algorithms,  technology, and any other advancements......each company is unique, industries differ, cultures change, and the human component to identify those softer skills, and actually see what a person is like in person vs on "paper" will continue to keep the search business alive and well.

Allan Welyk

President & Director

ELEVATE Search Group

6th Floor - 777 Hornby Street

Vancouver, BC  V6Z 2H7

Phone:(604) 678 5627 

Email: allan@elevatesearchgroup.com

Web:   www.elevatesearchgroup.com

Follow Elevate: www.twitter.com/ElevateSearch

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

Elevate Search Group collaborates and partners with companies to identify, recruit, and retain top-tiered professionals within all levels of leadership and non-leadership careers within business development, sales, marketing, operations, human resource, and supply chain management. Our client profiles range from local, regional, national, and global organizations.

600-777 Hornby Street Vancouver, BC V6Z 2H7

604.678.5627

People. Solutions. Culture. Results.

www.elevatesearchgroup.com