Press Coverage
Rec2Rec Poor Relation?
The Headhunter - 2002-04-01
"Does recruitment-to-recruitment (Rec2Rec) need to sharpen up its act?" This was the question posed by the Recruitment Society at its meeting last month. Chaired by Steve Hutt, the evening opened with presentations from Graham Roadnight, a board director of The Drax Group, and Zena Everett, founder of Rec2Rec firm Perriam & Everett.
Roadnight began his speech pointing out there are roughly 100 Rec2Rec firms in the UK of which only 6 are registered with the REC (Recruitment and Employment Confederation).
"The Rec2Rec industry offers a poor service on the whole, with the occasional pockets of excellent", stated Roadnight. "I can criticise because as a manager of a recruitment firm I believer I've some responsibility for the service."
Roadnight was quick to point out that Rec2Rec is simply a reflection of the recruitment industry as a whole. "Whilst we can be pious, it doesn't reflect very well on us as a whole".
The lack of regulation in the recruitment industry is seen as part of the problem. "It has long been a bug-bear for all recruitment companies who want to do more tan exploit the current market opportunities, that anyone can start up a recruitment firm and that once started no standards are applied, or unethical actions reviewed", he concluded.
Zena Everett agreed that Rec2Rec needs to sharpen up. "And so does the rest of the industry in general. The view is that recruitment is a necessary evil", she argued. Everett believers that because Rec2Rec relies on its parent industry to survive, it can help it to grow. "If the recruitment industry truly believes in its own service then it will understand the benefits of Rec2Rec".
Everett estimated that there is between 100 and 300 Rec2Rec firms - the figure varies hugely according to who you speak to. Executive Grapevine's UK Directory of Executive Recruitment Consultants 21st Edition, lists approximately 35 quality Rec2Rec firms working at the senior ends of the market.
"There are plenty of rogue and individual operators who are only there for wealth interest", stated Everett. The only way the Rec2Rec industry can improve is for the industry as a whole to treat it as a partnership. "Treat us as a partnership and treat us as you expect to be treated by your clients", Everett implored.
Everett concluded that Rec2Rec will improve when a meaningful body regulates the whole industry. It appears that Rec2Rec is suffering from an image problem. In an interactive session that followed the presentations, Recruitment Society members agreed that Rec2Rec is considered to be a poor relation to the recruitment industry. Despite that, members wanted to view the industry positively. As both Roadnight and Everett pointed out, Rec2Rec consultants learned from their parent industry and is a direct reflection of recruitment as a whole.
Until the industry is regulated and rogue traders are forced out of business, recruitment consultants and observers will need more convincing. As Phil Boyle, joint managing director of executive search firm Ramsey Hall, said: "Most Rec2Rec firms are appalling. Virtually everyone sees it as a poor relation and it needs to clean up its act before it becomes a welcome friend."
