3 Reasons Why Recruitment and HR Serve Different Purposes

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The human resources department may be responsible for employees and strategies for growth, but are they the best department to handle recruiting? No. While recruitment used to fall under the responsibilities of HR, there have been several changes to the nature of recruitment that increase the need for talented recruiters will specific experience.

Marketing recruiters need to partner with key stakeholders in their organization, like HR and marketing, but they have their own separate responsibilities that need a specific set of skills.

1.    Recruitment is an ongoing process.

Sourcing and screening candidates is an essential skill for recruiters. The typical recruitment process used to include help-wanted ads, working through resumes and cover letters and evaluating them manually. Now, thanks to technology, the process has evolved considerably.

Not only are there advanced tools for tracking applicants available, but candidates aren’t simply submitting resumes and hoping for the best. They are actively networking on social media, developing their LinkedIn profiles and using the social web to increase their standing as strong candidates. Candidates have changed, so recruitment is changing with it.

Marketing recruiters also have to be vigilant about understanding a company’s needs and participating in social media with top candidates. With this new landscape, recruitment responsibilities go well beyond what a human resources director or department can handle. It’s a special focus that requires dedicated attention.

2.    Recruiters are partnering with managers and senior leaders.

When recruitment was primarily a division of HR, hiring managers and senior leaders often “placed orders” for their recruiting needs which the human resources department filled. They had the long term vision for the business in mind as they searched, but relied on the managers to understand their needs and define the parameters for search.

As recruitment has developed into a more specialized discipline, recruiters can take a new approach. They are assistants and partners to other departments, rather than order takers. They provide guidance in helping the hiring manager understand their needs and whom would make a good culture fit for the entire department. Since recruiters offer more guidance and support, it makes sense that they serve a role outside of the HR department.

3.    Recruiters are a different breed.

Recruiters are hunters rather than cultivators. While HR departments are focused on helping the management work with and support its biggest asset – the people – recruitment is about zeroing in on the right fit. A great recruiter is interested in the hunt, not the cultivation. It takes a different mindset to be a recruiter than it does to work in HR, so they need to be treated separately.

Recruitment and HR need to work together – but their duties shouldn’t be handled by the same person or department.


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