What is Search to Search? And How Are We Improving our Industry?
People are the heart of any business and the recruitment industry is no different. But just like any other industry, finding the right people to fill a recruitment role requires a specific set of skills and knowledge.
That is the central insight behind Search to Search – a fast-growing subcategory of recruitment that specialises in headhunting, talent pipelining and leveraging networks on behalf of recruitment agencies and executive search clients.
Recruit to recruit firms have been around for years but it is only in the last few years we’ve started to see the industry really mature and the emergence of retained search to search firms.
Moving beyond “spray and pray”
Let’s be honest: Recruit to Recruit or Rec 2 Rec has not got the best reputation. If you ask many recruiters, they’ll tell you the average Recruitment to Recruitment agency is unreliable and unprofessional, using a “spray and pray” tactic where they simply fling CVs at clients like bait – and hope for a bite.
But there is another way – Search to Search typifies the very best of the recruitment industry. Because quality recruitment requires market expertise, the strongest client relationships and the best network around.
That is the premise a company like FIFTEEN WEST is built on. Search to Search firms are perfectly placed to offer a deeper service than most traditional recruitment to recruitment firms, because we truly understand the world clients operate in. So rather than simply filling roles, we offer long-term strategic partnerships.
Here are three ways we add further value to clients:
- Geographical expansion
Whether expanding into a foreign territory or simply launching in a different country, setting up shop in a new location can be challenging. But for those that are able to make it work, it is always worth the effort.
By leveraging our expertise and massive network, FIFTEEN WEST has been able to establish ourselves as a key strategic partner for recruitment businesses looking to launch in the USA. It takes a specific kind of recruiter to make a successful transition to the States and not all recruiters on the ground have the specifics skills to make them successful in UK owned recruitment or search businesses in the USA. We helped clients source exactly the right people for the right role.
- Scaling
Growing a recruitment business is a unique challenge, as it is almost entirely contingent on bringing in quality employees. If your people cannot deliver, there is nothing back on – it truly does come down to the quality of hires.
That’s why we are often brought in to help recruitment companies not just source new staff, but figure out how best to scale their business. As experienced recruiters ourselves who have launched and scaled a recruitment business in the USA, we are able to understand the nuanced dynamics of our clients’ businesses and help them achieve sustainable growth over time.
- Headhunting
It’s common for Recruit to Recruit firms to send candidates’ CVs to 10 different businesses – and not really care which one they end up with. But this is bad for both parties: the candidate is being treated like a product, and the client is always in a competitive situation.
That’s why we have focused on making Search to Search a role-driven practice. We work exclusively on retainers, which means we can work closely with specific clients to find recruiters that will genuinely thrive with them. And that often means actively headhunting, creating selling documents, being patient, not over selling, tracking, following up on multiple touchpoints – the majority of our candidates are passive, meaning they were not on the market for a job when we connected.
This allows us to flip the script and deliver an experience for both candidates and clients that they simply don’t get elsewhere.
