The word consultant gets bandied about a lot in recruitment.

It seems like a natural suffix in the job title, regardless of whether there’s actually any consulting going on.

For some perhaps, ‘recruitment consultant’ sounds better than recruiter. It sounds more official. Higher level.

Like there’s an element of professionalism to the job the individual’s doing. Sadly, whether there is or not.

And obviously, I say this as a recruiter myself.

I’ve talked about the negative reputation of the industry before.

I’ve talked about where it comes from, and potential routes we could all take to quell it.

In some circles, the moniker given to those perpetuating this negative reputation is ‘CV monkeys’.

People who search for key words, and email or cold call those who show up, regardless of what their CV actually says.

The power of the word ‘No’

Senior recruiters understand the importance of telling a client they’re wrong.

They understand a client might be misinformed. They know the hiring market far better than them and appreciate the mutual benefit of carefully cajoling their thinking.

A CV monkey will do as they’re told.

They ask the wrong questions.

Give the wrong answers.

And put the phone down as quickly as possible, before going to find people on their database who solve none of the problems, for nowhere near the right money.

CV monkeys rarely use the word no.

Unless the question is: Have you thought your client might need guidance?

In an overwhelming amount of cases as a recruiter, your client will be wrong. They’ll have unrealistic expectations about their hiring plans. They’ll have next to no idea about the strength (or weakness) of their employer brand.

They’ll think they can pay peanuts (10%) and not get monkeys.

Not telling them they’re wrong is bad for you, and worse for them.

I’m a big believer in the fact, most clients with a negative reputation in the hiring market don’t realise it’s bad at all. They don’t speak to candidates themselves. They just allow recruiters to do that job. Sometimes any recruiter who offers the most favourable fee.

Because of this, their employer brand’s soiled by recruiters they haven’t briefed and the poor standards they follow.

It’s like a farmer paying pests to feast their crops. OK, you got them cheap. But cheap doesn’t make it a good deal.

If these clients were to spend 15 minutes in a recruiter’s shoes calling candidates and mention their company, they’d find out quickly how badly perceived their employer brand is.

But this is what a race to the bottom creates.

In my experience, some of the worst offenders are those who think they’re saving money by creating a bidding war from contingent recruiters. Let’s use the example of startups.

There’s plenty of them about. Lots of them are bootstrapping. They haven’t got untold riches to pay a consultant.

And yet ironically, they’re the businesses most in need of a consultant.

They need to be told no.

Not blind yeses which do little for either party.

Employer branding

If a company doesn’t have an employer brand, or don’t know what theirs is, a consultant could help them find it. And then protect it. Empower it. Drip it in gold so it performed better for those they’d hired and those they’d like to.

This gradual honing and cultivating is where great consultants make their money.

OK, so a business doesn’t know what they’re offering.

They don’t know how to market themselves and even more specifically, can’t distinguish their brand from a competitors’.

Do you know who can?

A consultant.

A monkey however, will struggle.