The months of April and May usually bring not only good weather, but also an upswing in the labor market. But due to the consequences of the Corona crisis, this is not the case this year. Instead, more than half a million more people are unemployed compared with the previous year. Conversely, this also means that there is more movement on the labor market, more people are applying for individual positions, and since there are fewer advertised positions at the same time, the chances of hiring highly qualified candidates are also increasing. The problem here is that many companies have scaled down their recruiting capacities. The solution: Interim Recruiter.
After the economy in Germany flourished in recent years, the current recession is a new experience for many companies. The reactions have been correspondingly positive, with many managers putting their employees on short-time work or even giving them notice. Accordingly, many recruiting activities are currently lying idle. But experience shows: Sooner or later, every recession is followed by an economic upturn, for which it is important to be prepared in order to benefit as much as possible. In order to be able to react optimally, but above all flexibly to the current circumstances, interim recruiters are therefore a good choice.
Interim Recruiter: The All-Rounder in Recruitment
One of the great advantages of interim recruiters is that they are available immediately and also do not require a long training period. Interim recruiters are highly trained recruiters who have professional specializations and can focus their activities on a desired area. They are partially integrated into the company and thus get to know it better, but at the same time they are independent and bring their own tools and approaches with which they can best support and fulfill the companies and their requirements.
Another big plus is their flexibility. Before the project begins, it is possible to clarify with them exactly in which areas their support is needed and how many positions need to be filled over what period of time. Together, they determine how many days per week they will work for the contracting company. Depending on demand and the economic situation, capacities can be increased or reduced at any time. In case of doubt, very short notice periods usually apply or the commitment can be paused or resumed at the appropriate time. In most cases, offboarding is also quite straightforward and problem-free. So managers can hardly go wrong with hiring interim recruiters.
The better alternative to headhunters Headhunters
Especially in comparison to headhunters, interim recruiters can score points. While headhunters still collect success bonuses depending on the gross annual salary of the persons placed, the costs for interim recruiters can be calculated exactly. This is especially worthwhile when several positions need to be filled, as interim recruiters can easily do this in parallel, for the same pay. Another advantage: proximity to the company. Headhunters select candidates based on some predefined criteria, whereas interim recruiters are also part of the company – even if for the most part only briefly – and thus get to know the company’s needs and values better. Nevertheless, they bring a certain distance to the company and can therefore additionally optimize processes, so that in the end better candidates can be found who also fit the values of the company.
Interim recruiter: a good alternative not only in times of crisis
But interim recruiters are not only a good alternative in times of extreme crisis like the current one. Interim recruiters are also a good substitute as a parental leave replacement or in case of short-term bottlenecks, for example due to a dismissal, illness or longer absences of employees or also in order to be able to ramp up recruiting capacities again as quickly as possible. Companies thus remain capable of acting and are not under so much pressure to find new employees and train them first. Especially for replacements that are too long to let the processes rest for the entire duration or actually too short to hire someone new, interim recruiters are the perfect solution.
The necessary advantage in the “War for Talents
Interim recruiters can also help in the fight against the prevailing shortage of skilled workers. At the moment, there are more well-qualified candidates on the market than there have been for a long time, with less competition from other companies. But since these candidates usually don’t just fly to you, you need to approach them directly. The magic word here is active sourcing, i.e. proactively researching and approaching potential candidates. This is especially necessary for job postings that require very precise skills or are difficult to fill. Interim recruiters can therefore use appropriately selected Boolean operators to target talent on social networks such as Xing and LinkedIn, which would be too much of an effort in normal day-to-day work.
Interim recruiters are therefore the all-rounders in the recruiting business and can be deployed in a versatile and, above all, flexible manner. Therefore, companies should consider them not only in crises, but also in other bottlenecks, in order to achieve the best possible result in the end, with which all parties involved are satisfied.
Kooku Recruiting Partners has been placing senior-level recruiters on an interim basis throughout Germany for about ten years. With our market expertise, we have already supported companies in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and Hanover, among others, in their search for qualified talent.
You can find more information about our interim service in our service data sheet.
