I wrote an article recently about the fact that when organizations hire a Veterinary Recruiter or Animal Health Recruiter, what they’re paying for is influence, not just a stack of resumes. However, the value that a good search consultant or recruiter provides extends far beyond just influence.
Let me start by saying that LinkedIn is a great tool. It serves a number of different purposes for people in the employment marketplace—job seekers, candidates, employees, and employers. (And yes, even for recruiters.)
There is a LOT of information located within LinkedIn. There is no disputing that. But there is also a LOT of information located within a phone book. The existence of information, especially in cases where there is a deadline or time is of the essence, is sometimes not enough.
There’s a good chance that you can find what you want in a phone book, but it will take time to find it. In some instances, it might take more time than you thought it would take, resulting in a frustrating experience. It can be much the same with LinkedIn.
There’s a chance that you can find what you want in LinkedIn. But once again, it will take time to find it. Not only might it take longer than you thought it would take, but you might also not find what you’re looking for. That is an even more frustrating experience.
Why information only goes so far
On the other hand, there is something called “intel.” This is an abbreviation of the word “intelligence,” and it’s often used within a military context. According to Webster’s Dictionary, intel is defined as follows:
Useful information concerning a subject of interest (such as an enemy).
Intel is not just information; it is specific information. It is information that is incredibly relevant and especially useful to the person or people who have it. In short, it is the information that you want the most and that you want in the quickest way possible.
In many cases, having to wait for the information can have disastrous consequences. That has certainly been the case in military scenarios, and it can also be the case within the employment marketplace and the hiring process. For example, if you’re attempting to fill a critical, high-level Veterinary position or Animal Health position in an expedient fashion and you don’t have the intel to do so, then that can cost your organization a lot in terms of lost time, productivity, and money.
Here’s a prime example. Let’s say that you want to fill that critical, high-level Veterinary job or Animal Health job by finding candidates on LinkedIn. That approach may yield plenty of information, such as names, job titles, employment history, etc. However, will that approach yield intel? Will it yield information such as the following?
- Which candidates are happy in their current position
- Which candidates are unhappy in their current position
- Which candidates are most likely to make a move (regardless of whether they’re happy or not)
- What exactly would convince those candidates to make a move
Of course, you can try to find out that information, but it will take time. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll find out what you need. This is the important difference between information and intel. It’s the difference between LinkedIn and a search consultant.
“On the front lines” and “in the trenches”
Search consultants speak with hundreds of people every month. They talk with professionals at all levels, including job seekers, candidates, employees, managers, and hiring authorities. Through these many conversations, recruiters accumulate important intel. To use another military phrase, they’re “on the front lines” of the employment marketplace. Or to put it another way, they’re “in the trenches.”
Search consultants or recruiters are not just in the information business. They’re in the intel business. Below is a list of some of the intel that search consultants possess:
- Which candidates are happy in their current position (sound familiar?)
- Which candidates are unhappy in their current position
- Which candidates are most likely to make a move (regardless of whether they’re happy or not)
- What exactly would convince those candidates to make a move
- Which organizations within the industry are in the process of hiring
- The organizations for which candidates are interested in working
- What professionals think of the organizations that employ them
- What the company culture is like at various organizations
- Compensation expectations of the individuals you want to hire and whether they fit your salary range
Keep two things in mind. First, this is just a short list of what search consultants and recruiters know. Second, while this information can (and does) change at any time, recruiters typically know about these changes in real time. In other words, they’re in possession of up-to-date information. Once again, that’s because they speak with hundreds of professionals every month. If it’s happening in the employment marketplace, recruiters know about it.
So when an organization in the Animal Health Industry or Veterinary Profession works with an experienced Veterinary Recruiter or Animal Health Recruiter with a track record of success, it receives more than just influence. It also receives intel. The search consultant not only has valuable intel, but they’re also able to use that intel to benefit their clients through the fulfillment of their hiring needs.
I’ve been part of successful searches that have taken only a matter of days. They only took days because I knew exactly who to call about the opportunity. I knew exactly who was both qualified for the position and also motivated to seriously consider it. This was information that was incredibly relevant and especially useful to my clients. It was the information that they wanted the most and that they wanted in the quickest way possible, and was the information that I was able to provide for them. In many cases, it was information they were not able to get on their own.
When you need to fill a critical, high-level Veterinary job or Animal Health job as quickly as you can, you don’t just need information. You need intel. You need influence.
You need a search consultant.
We help support careers in one of two ways: 1. By helping Animal Health and Veterinary professionals to find the right opportunity when the time is right, and 2. By helping to recruit top talent for the critical needs of Animal Health and Veterinary organizations. If this is something that you would like to explore further, please send an email to stacy@thevetrecruiter.com.