Recruitment….is it a support function?

During my review meetings and team discussions, I often get the message or excuse that any deviation from the expected performance of the business unit is due to non-submission or delay in submission of resumes by the recruitment team. I sense a perception that recruitment is a back-office function, a support unit that is supposed to handle a mere transaction of resume search and submit. And, I do not like it as it is far from the truth.

Personally, I feel that recruitment is a tougher sales job as they have to deal with not one, but two customers to close a sale. They need to convince the candidate about how important is the role, why the company is the right one to join, and what is in for him/her, as a frontline ambassador of the business. At the same time, the business unit too needs to be convinced as to why the candidate is the right fit for the role. 

The job of a recruiter is to understand the rational and logic behind the role requirement, search and select right talent, attract and bring the candidate on-board at the right time thus helping the business engine to run smoother and better.  When business is all about people and growth is all about talent then recruitment is not a support unit, it is rather a true business enabler.

I believe, it is about time we change this perception…