2014A Numbers Game

North American Staffing and Recruiting Trends Report

2

Contents

3 Introduction & Key Findings

4 Revenue and Growth •RevenueExpectations •ActualRevenue •Headcount •BranchExpansion

6 Agency Health •RevenuefromRepeatClientBusiness •RelianceonLargeClients

7 Performance Benchmarks •MostImportantMetrics •TotalNumberofPlacementsGrowth •AverageFillRate •AverageHitRate •AverageTime-to-Fill •AverageSubmissionsPerHire •AverageApplicationsPerJobPosting •PercentageofPlacementsfromATS •FeePerPermPlacement

14 Compensation •CompensationPerformance •RealCompensation

16 Trends •GreatestOpportunityandBiggestThreat •SkillsShortage

17 Insights •CandidateSourcingStrategies •ATSImportancetoFirmSuccess •GreatestQualityofaSuccessfulRecruiter

20 Demographics

Growth: •77%ofrespondentsmetorexceededtheirrevenuegoalsin2013,morethan2012,2011,or2010.

•75%offirmsplantogrowheadcountin2014,comparedto82%in2013.

•Growthininvestmentisslowing:only23%ofrespondents’firmsplantolaunchnewofficesin2014,comparedto48%lastyear.Firmsthatconsiderrecruitingtechnologyimportantaremorethantwiceaslikelytoopennewbranchlocations in2014.

Metrics: •Forthethirdyearinarow,totalnumberofplacementswasthemostimportantmetricforrecruitingagencies.

•Theaveragefillrateacrossallrespondentswas46%.

•Averagehitrateincreasedforrespondents,from33%in2012to40%in2013.

•Theaveragetime-to-fillin2013was6daysfortemp,8daysforcontract,and32daysforperm.

•Respondentsmade49%oftheirtotalplacementsusingcandidatesfromtheirinternaldatabases.

Candidates: •71%ofrespondentsadmittohavingashortageofskilledcandidatesintheirrespectivesectorsfor2014versus76%for2013.

•Thebestsourceofqualifiedcandidatesfor2013wasexistingcandidatesfromrespondents’applicanttrackingsystems,followedbyreferralsandsocialmedia.

Key Findings

Introduction

In December of 2013, Bullhorn conducted its fourth annual Staffing and Recruiting Trends survey of 1,337 agency recruiting professionals.Comprisedofperformancebenchmarks,metrics,andrevenueandcompensationfigures,thisreportanalyzesindustryinsightsbyfirmsize,recruitmenttype,industry,rolerecruited,androleofrespondent.Itisacompendiumofusefulstatisticsdesignedtohelprecruitingprofessionalsdeterminewheretheystandinrelationtotheirpeers.

Forthepurposesoftheanalysesinthisreport,wesegmentedstaffingandrecruitingagenciesintofoursizes,basedontheirnumberofsalespeopleandrecruiters:1-10(small),11-25(lower-midsize), 26-74(upper-midsize),and75+(large).

2013wasbyalmostallaccountsaverygoodyearforthestaffingandrecruitingindustry.Overallrevenue,aswellastotalnumberofplacements–themostimportantmetricforfirmsacrosstheboard–increasedoverthepastyear.However,therearesignsofaslowdownfor2014.Agenciesaremoreconservativeabouttheirgrowthplans,andsomefirmsareoverlyreliantonasinglelargeclientforrevenue.Meanwhile,contractandtempfirmsaregainingmomentumfor2014,asthepopularityofrecruitingtechnologyunderscoresaneedforspeedandperformance.

3

4

Revenue and Growth

Revenue Expectations: 77%ofrespondentsmetorexceededtheirrevenuegoalsin2013,morethan2012,2011,or2010. Intermsofrevenueexpectationsforthecomingyear,recruitingprofessionalsareoptimistic.88% expectsomesortofincreaseandonly3%anticipateadecline;92%ofrespondents expectedtoincreaserevenuefor2013. Largefirmsaremostbullishongrowthingeneral.

Actual Revenue: Weaskedrespondentstodisclosetheirfirms’actualrevenuesfor2013.Weexpressedthesefiguresasrevenueperrecruiter/salespersonbyfirmsizeandrecruitmenttype.

Firms That Met Or Exceeded Revenue Goals

2010 71%

2011

2012

2013

70%

73%

77%

60% 70% 80%

Byrecruitmenttype,largetemporaryfirmsandlargecontractfirmshadthehighestrevenueperrecruiter/salesperson($604,000and$549,000,respectively).RPOfirmsingeneralwereonthelowerend;smallRPOfirmshadrevenueperrecruiter/salespersonof$171,000.

Revenue Per Recruiter/Salesperson By Firm Size and Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

Executive Search- Retained

$0 $300,000 $700,000

Executive Search - Contingent

RPO*

1-1011-2526-7475+

N/A 75+

*Note: Due to limited sample size we did not calculate large RPO firm revenue.

Revenue Per Recruiter/Salesperson By Firm Size

1-10 $266,000

11-25

26-74

75+

$339,000

$336,000

$528,000

$0 $300,000 $600,000

5

Headcount: Hiringplansfor2014arehealthy,withonly2%ofrespondentsdisclosingthattheirfirmsplantoreduceheadcount,and75%planningtogrowit.However,thisislessaggressivethanlastyear, when82%plannedtoaddstaff.

2014 Headcount Plan By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0% 50%

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

Add EmployeesReduce EmployeesKeep Employee Count the Same

100%

86% 13%1%

77% 22%2%

68% 29%2%

69% 31%0%

63% 37%1%

64% 33%3%

Branch Expansion: Weaskedrespondentsiftheirfirmsplannedtoexpandintonewbranchorofficelocationsin2014.Giventhepositivenewsaboutrevenuegrowth,weexpectedaggressiveexpansionplans.Thiswas farfromthecase.

Only23%ofrespondents’firmsplantolaunchnewofficesin2014.49%havenointentionofdoingso,and28%areunsure.For2013,morethandoublethenumberofrespondents’firmsplannedtoexpand.And2013wasn’tanisolatedcase.Whilethepercentageoffirmsmeetingorexceedingrevenuegoalsisgrowing,theirinvestmentinheadcountandphysicalexpansionisshrinking.

Interestingly, firms that consider recruiting technology important are more than twice as likely to open new branch locations in 2014. Amongthoserespondentswhoconsiderrecruitingtechnologysuchasapplicanttrackingsystemstobeimportanttosuccess,26%plantoexpandbranchlocationsin2014.Forthosewhoareneutralorconsiderrecruitingtechnologyunimportant, only12%plantoexpandbranchlocations.

Byprimaryrecruitmenttype,contingentexecutivesearchfirmsaremostconservativeintermsofheadcountplans,whereascontractandtempfirmsareprimedforheadcountgrowth.Interestingly,RPOfirms’growthplansarecomparativelymodest.GiventhetremendousgrowthRPOhas seeninthepastseveralyearsthisfinding wassurprising.

Firms Planning Branch Expansion

2011 56%

2012

2013

2014

39%

48%

23%

0% 70%30%

6

Agency Health

Revenue from Repeat Client Business:Firmsthatgenerateahighpercentageoftheirrevenuefromrepeatclientbusinessdemonstratethevalueofnurturingstrongcustomerrelationshipsanddeliveringsustainableresults.Itappearsasthoughstaffingandrecruitingfirmsunderstandtheimportanceofcustomerrelationshipsandkeymetrics(aswe’llseelater): 72% of respondents generate 50% or more of their revenue from repeat client business.

Resultswererelativelysimilaracrossrecruitmenttypes,rangingfrom57%ofrevenuefromrepeatbusinessforpermfirmsto64%fortempfirms.

% of Firms That Can Stay in Business if Largest Client Was Lost

1-10 93%

11-25

26-74

75+

95%

100%

98%

Firm

Size

70% 85% 100%

Reliance on Large Clients: Whilerevenuefromrepeatclientbusinessisasignofstrongagencyhealth,relyingtooheavilyonasingleclientcanberisky.Thenextquestionweaskedinthesurvey–“what percentage of your total revenue does your largest client represent?” –aimedtodeterminethenumberoffirmshedgingtheirbetsonadangerousproposition.

Bysize,thefindingswerefairlytame,withonedefiniteexception.48%ofupper-midsizerespondentsget70%ormoreoftheirrevenuefromtheirlargestclient.

Wealsoaskedrespondentsiftheycouldstayinbusinessiftheylosttheirlargestclient.Only6%ofrespondentsadmitthatthey’dcloseifthiswerethecase.However, 22% of respondents reported that 50% or more of their revenue comes from their largest client.

Percentage of Revenue from Repeat Client Business

Perc

enta

ge o

f Res

pond

ents

Percentage of Revenue

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

5%

0-10%

8%

5%

11-20%

8%

21-30%

9%

31-40%

13%

41-50%

8%

51-60%

9%

61-70%

22%

71-80%

16%

81-90%

6%

91-100%

Whileseveralrespondentsatsmall,lower-midsize,andlargefirmsfeltatriskofshuttingdowniftheylosttheirlargestclient,norespondentsfromupper-midsizefirms(26-74)feltvulnerable.Upper-midsize firms are most reliant on a single client, but are the least afraid of going under if they lose that client.

7

Performance Benchmarks

Forthe2014StaffingandRecruitingTrendsReport,wecollectedperformancebenchmarkdatafromthemorethan1,300recruitingprofessionalswhotookoursurvey.Usethedatainthissectiontoseehowyoucomparedtoyourpeersin2013.

Most Important Metrics: Weaskedrespondentstoranktheirkeymetricsinorderofmostimportant(#1)toleastimportant(#6).Tokeepmeasurementconsistentwithpreviousyears,wechartedthepercentageofrespondentswhoconsideredeachofthesixmetricswemeasuredasMOSTimportantinthegraphbelow.

Forthethirdyearinarow,totalnumberofplacementswasmostimportant.Interestingly,thismetric hasincreasedinimportanceeveryyear.Hitrate(definedasstartsdividedbysendouts),ontheotherhand,hasdeclinedheavilyyear-over-year.Andtime-to-fillhasbecomeincreasinglyimportant,thoughit’sstillatthebottomofthelist.

Whilefillratewasthesecondmostimportantmetricoverall,thiswasinfluencedbysmallfirms. Forlower-midsize,upper-midsize,andlargefirms,averagegrossmarginofplacementfeewas actuallythesecondmostimportantmetricin2013.

TotalnumberofplacementswasthetopmetricforallrecruitmenttypesexceptforRPOfirms, whichconsideredtotalnumberofplacementsandtime-to-filltobothbemostimportant.

HowSuccessfulWereFirmsin2013?

Most Important Key Performance Metric

201344%

2012

2011

0% 50%25%

Total Number of PlacementsFill RateAverage Gross Margin of Placement FeeTotal Number of Job OrdersHit RateTime-to-Fill

38%

31%

8

Total Number of Placements Growth: Giventhattotalnumberofplacementswasagainthetopmetricforrecruitingfirms,weaskedwhetherrespondents’totalnumberofplacementsgrewoverthepastyear.

71%ofrespondentssaidtheirtotalplacementsgrew,20%saidtheydidn’t,and9%wereunsure.

Byrolerecruited,financeandaccounting,legal,andsalesprovedtobehotfunctionalareas.

% of Firms Exhibiting Total Placement Growth in 2013 — By Role Recruited

Finance &Accounting

LegalSales

Clinical/ScientificIT/Technical

Professional/SpecialtyHealthcare-GeneralEngineering/DesignHealthcare-Locum

TenensOffice/Clerical/Admin

All/GeneralistHealthcare-Per Diem

NurseLight Industrial

Healthcare-Travel NurseMarketing/Creative

0% 50% 100%

78%

76%

76%

74%

73%

73%

70%

70%

67%

65%67%

55%

55%

50%

50%

Average Fill Rate in 2013: The average fill rate across all respondents was 46%. Forthisreport,wedefinedfillrateasthetotalnumberofjobordersfilleddividedbythenumberofjobordersreceived,multipliedby100.

Respondentsfillingjobsfortheshippingindustryhadthehighestfillrate(67%),whilethoseinentertainmenthadthelowest(36%).

Forprimaryrecruitmenttype,retainedexecutivesearchfirmshadthehighestaveragefillrate.Contingentexecutivesearchfirmshadthelowestfillrateandcontractwasclosebehind.Thissuggeststhatifcontingentjobsaren’tfilledquickly,theymightnotendupfilledatall.

9

Average Fill Rate By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0%

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

70%

41%

59%

44%

66%

39%

55%

30%

Average Hit Rate in 2013: Average hit rate increased for respondents from 33% in 2012 to 40% in 2013. Wedefinedhitrateasthenumberofsuccessfulplacements(starts)dividedbythetotalnumberofclientsubmissions(sendouts),multipliedby100.

Hitratevariedconsiderablybetweenindustries,withpackaging/warehouse/transporthavingthehighesthitrateandtherestaurant/hospitalityindustryhavingthelowest.

Average Fill Rate By Industry

ShippingPackaging/Transport/Warehouse

IndustrialConstruction

TransportationManufacturing

Consumer ProductsRetail

Business ServicesTelecommunications

Marketing/PR/Media/AdvertisingAutomotive

Energy/ChemicalPharma/Biotech/Medical Equipment

Restaurant/HospitalityHealthcareTechnology

Finance/InsuranceUtilities

GovernmentEntertainment

0% 40% 80%

67%

60%

55%

51%

51%

50%

48%

48%

47%

47%

47%

46%

46%

44%

43%

42%

41%

40%

40%

39%

36%

Average Hit Rate By Industry

Packaging/Transport/WarehouseShipping

TransportationIndustrial

ConstructionManufacturing

AutomotiveEnergy/Chemical

TelecommunicationsBusiness Services

RetailMarketing/PR/Media/Advertising

Pharma/Biotech/Medical EquipmentHealthcareTechnology

UtilitiesFinance/Insurance

GovernmentEntertainment

Consumer ProductsRestaurant/Hospitality

0% 30% 60%

50%

50%

50%

46%

44%

43%

42%

42%

41%

39%

38%

38%

38%

38%

37%

36%

36%

35%

34%

34%

31%

 

10

Similartothefillratepattern,contingentexecutivesearchandcontractfirmshadthelowestaveragehitratebyrecruitmenttype.

Average Time-to-Fill in 2013: Forthereport,wedefinedtime-to-fillasthenumberofdaysorhoursrequiredtofillanewjobopening.Despitethefactthattime-to-fillwasdeemedtheleastimportantmetricofthesixweevaluated,analyzingityieldedsomevaluablefindings,mainly–whattypesofrespondentsandfirmsareobsessedwithspeed?Theansweris,aswe’veseenthroughoutthereport,tempandcontractfirms.

Broken out by recruitment type, the average time-to-fill in 2013 was 6 days for temporary, 8 days for contract, and 32 days for permanent.

Becausetime-to-fillvarieddrasticallybetweenrecruitingtypes,wesplitouttheindustryviewbycontract,temporary,andpermanentrecruitment.Interestingly,time-to-fillatcontractrecruitingfirmswaslowestfortheentertainmentandautoindustries(2days),butasmentionedearlier,entertainmentalsohadthelowestoverallfillrate(36%).What’sthepointoffillingjobsquicklyifyoudon’talsofillthemajority ofthem?

Average Time-to-Fill by Recruitment Type

ContractTemporary

PermanentExecutiveSearch -RetainedExecutiveSearch -Contingent

6

37

68

Days

832

Average Hit Rate By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0%

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

60%

37%

47%

39%

48%

37%

51%

30%

11

Average Time-to-Fill By Industry — Contract

AutomotiveEntertainment

Marketing/PR/Media/AdvertisingPackaging/Transport/Warehouse

TelecommunicationsConstruction

ManufacturingIndustrial

HealthcareShipping

TechnologyPharma/Biotech/Medical Equipment

Finance/InsuranceTransportation

GovernmentRetail

UtilitiesConsumer Products

Business ServicesEnergy/Chemical

Restaurant/HospitalityDays

22

556

889910111111111111

1313131617

Average Time-to-Fill By Industry — Temporary

4

3

0.9

0.1Restaurant/HospitalityConstruction

Packaging/Transport/WarehouseShipping

Energy/ChemicalUtilities

HealthcareBusiness Services

TelecommunicationsMarketing/PR/Media/Advertising

Finance/InsuranceEntertainmentTransportation

GovernmentPharma/Biotech/Medical Equipment

RetailManufacturing

Consumer ProductsIndustrial

TechnologyAutomotive

Days

0.2

23

4

5

67

81011111212

15

5

1530

Average Time-to-Fill By Industry — Permanent

12TransportationEntertainment

Packaging/Transport/WarehouseBusiness ServicesFinance/Insurance

AutomotiveUtilities

ManufacturingTelecommunications

TechnologyGovernment

Pharma/Biotech/Medical EquipmentConstruction

Retail

Industrial

Restaurant/Hospitality

Consumer Products

Marketing/PR/Media/Advertising

Energy/Chemical

Healthcare

Shipping

Days

2121222325262727272829303131313434

N/A (limited sample size)

3639

For 50% of respondents overall, average time-to-fill improved in 2013; it worsened for only 13%. Weaskedrespondentswhosetime-to-fillworsenedtoexplainwhythishappened.ThemostcommonreasonsincludedstrictercorporateHRprocessesfromclients,alackofqualifiedcandidates(alsothebiggestoverallchallengefor2014),andalackofurgencyfromclients.

12

Average Number of Submissions Per Hire: On average, respondents needed to submit 6 candidates to the client for every hire.

Theaveragenumberofcandidatesubmissionstotheclientforeveryonehirevariedbytypeofrecruitment,withfirmsspecializinginpermanentplacementrequiring7submittedcandidatesforeveryhirecomparedtojust4candidatesfortempagencies.

Byrolerecruited,mosthealthcarerolesrequiredthehighestaveragenumberofsubmissionsperhire,with11fortravelnurses,10forperdiemnurses,and6forgeneralhealthcarepositions.Theexceptionwaslocumtenenshealthcarepositions,whichrequiredthefewestsubmissions(4),asdidlegal.

Average Number of Applications Per Job Posting:Respondents received an average of 28 applications per job posting. Contractfirmsreceivedmuchfewerapplications–17–versusanaverageof49fortempfirms.Tempfirms’highnumberofapplicationscontrastedwiththeirlowsubmissionsperhire,indicatingthatwhilequantity ofcandidatesisn’taproblem,qualitymaybe.

Submissions Per Hire By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

8

5

4

7

6

4

5

4

Overall 6

Applications Per Job By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

60

18

49

35

47

17

42

Overall 28

30

13

Perdiemnursingjobsreceivedthemostapplicationsperposting,followedbyoffice/clerical/adminjobs.Interestingly,office/clericalpositions,despitedrawingahighnumberofapplications,haveaskillsshortageproblemwhichwe’lldiscusslater.

Percentage of Firms’ Placements Made from Candidates in ATS:Overall,respondentsmade49%oftheirtotalplacementsusingcandidatesfromtheirapplicanttrackingdatabases.

Contractfirmsmadethehighestpercentageofplacementsusingexistingcandidatesfromtheirdatabases,whereasretainedexecutivesearchfirmsweremorelikelytoturntonewcandidates.Wealsoknowthatcontractfirmsthatdealwithahigh-volumebusinessaremorelikelytouseVMS,wherespeediscritical,andconsider“existingcandidatesfromtheATS”tobetheirmosteffectivehigh-qualitysourcingmethod(discussedlater).

Alow-volume,long-leadbusinesslikeretainedexecutivesearchwouldrelylessonexistingcandidateswhomaynotbeanexactfitforaseniorpositionandmoreonrelationship-centricsourcingstrategieslikesocialmedia,thenumberonecandidatesourcingstrategyforretainedexecsearchfirms.

Fee Per Perm Placement:Weaskedrespondentsatfirmsspecializingprimarilyinpermanentplacementtodisclosetheirfirm’saveragefeeperplacementin2013.Theaveragefeeperpermanentplacementwas$16,602.

Applications Per Job Post By Role Recruited

Healthcare-Per Diem NurseOffice/Clerical/Admin

All/GeneralistMarketing/Creative

Finance & AccountingHealthcare-Travel Nurse

SalesProfessional/Specialty

LegalLight Industrial

Healthcare-GeneralEngineering/Design

Clinical/ScientificIT/Technical

Healthcare-Locum Tenens

0 60

50

30

4741

393736

33323231

2423

1918

6

Average % of Placements Made From Existing Candidates — By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0%

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

60%

55%

51%

46%

45%

47%

51%

30%

14

Compensation

Compensation Performance:Respondentsareoptimisticabouttheirtotalcompensationforthisyear(definedassalaryplusbonus),withmoreexpectinganincrease(84%)in2014thanfor2013(81%)or2012(77%).

Intermsofrealizedcompensationoverall,2013wasslightlylesslucrativethan2012.61%ofrespondentssawayear-over-yearcompensationincreasein2013,versus63%whosawonein2012.

Real Compensation in 2013:Nowlet’stalkactualnumbers.CEOsunsurprisinglymadethemostmoneyin2013($154,000),butsalespeopleandaccountmanagersmademuchmorethanrecruiters($92,000versus$74,000).

Actual Compensation Performance Compared to Previous Year

Increase Decrease Stay the Same

2010

24%

22%

54% 2011

29%

11%

60% 2012

13%

25%

63% 2013

25%

14%

61%

Average Compensation By Role

CEO/Owner/Managing DirectorSales VP

VP of OperationsRecruiting Manager

Salesperson/Account ManagerHR

IT Manager/CTO/CIORecruiter

Social Media/Marketing Manager

$0 $90,000 $180,000

$154,000$145,000

$123,000$109,000

$92,000$81,000

$75,000$74,000

 

$73,000

15

Wealsobrokeoutcompensationbyfirmsizeandthreeroles.SmallfirmCEOsmadeanaverageof$149,000,whereasCEOsoflower-midsizefirmstoppedthechartswithaveragecompensationof$215,000.AndwhileCEOsatlargefirmsmadethesecond-highestamountamongtheirpeers,recruitersatlargefirmsmadetheleast—withaveragecompensationof$62,000.

Analyzingcompensationbyrecruitmenttype,it’sclearthatretainedexecutivesearchiswherethemoneyis.CEOsforfirmsspecializinginretainedexecutivesearchpulledinacomparativelymassive$230,000inaveragecompensation.

Average Compensation By Firm Size

CEO/Owner/Partner

Recruiter

Salesperson/Account Manager

$0 $250,000

1-1011-2526-7475+

$149,000

$100,000

$215,000$190,000$200,000

$78,000$79,000

$63,000$62,000

$83,000$97,000$92,000

$119,000

Average Compensation By Recruitment Type

CEO/Owner/Partner

Recruiter

Salesperson/Account Manager

$0 $250,000

ContractTemporaryPermanentExecutive Search - RetainedExecutive Search - Contingent

$146,000

$100,000

$159,000$139,000

$230,000$149,000

$71,000$53,000

$77,000$84,000$96,000

$95,000$74,000

$93,000$95,000$105,000

16

Trends for 2014

We examined several key trends for 2014 based on our 2013 findings.

Greatest Opportunity and Biggest Threat:In2014,accordingtowrite-inresponses,thegreatestopportunityforrecruitingfirmsissocialmedia.In2013,thegreatestopportunityforrecruitingfirmswastheverysimilar“accesstopassivecandidatesviasocialmedia.”“Mobilerecruiting”isadistantsecondfor2014,followedby “BigData.”

For2014,basedonopen-endedresponses,thegreatestobstacleorthreattosuccessisalackofqualifiedcandidates.Thisiscloselyfollowedbyeconomicconcernsandincreasedcompetition.In2013thegreatestchallengewas“alackofskilledcandidates,”followedby“unrealisticclientexpectations.”

Percentage of Respondents with Shortage of Skilled Candidates — By Industry

TransportationUtilities

Pharma/Biotech/Medical EquipmentEntertainment

Energy/ChemicalIndustrial

TechnologyHealthcare

TelecommunicationsAutomotive

ManufacturingFinance/Insurance

ConstructionGovernment

Restaurant/HospitalityBusiness Services

RetailMarketing/PR/Media/AdvertisingPackaging/Transport/Warehouse

Consumer ProductsShipping

0% 50% 100%

84%

78%

77%

76%

73%

73%

72%

72%

71%

71%

70%

70%

70%

70%

68%

64%

64%

64%

61%

61%

54%

 

Skills Shortage:Thegoodnewsisthattheskillsshortage,whilebeingthebiggestchallengetwoyearsrunning,isslightlylesspervasivethisyear.71%ofrespondentsadmittohavingashortageofskilledcandidatesintheirrespectivesectorsfor2014versus76%for2013.

Byindustry,thefindingsaresomewhatpeculiar.Technology–whichinpreviousyearshadacriticalshortageofqualifiedtalent–isrunninginthemiddleofthepackthisyear.Transportation(84%),pharma/biotech(77%),andutilities(78%)allsawhigherreportedshortagesthantechnology(72%).

17

Insights

What Makes a Successful Recruiting Firm?Forthisyear’sreportwesoughttolearnmoreaboutsomeoftheelementsofrecruitersuccess,startingwithbestpracticesforsourcingcandidates.

Candidate Sourcing Strategies:Weaskedrespondentstoranktheirmostsuccessfulcandidatesourcingstrategiesfor2013frombest(1)toworst(7).Themostsuccessfulsourceofqualifiedcandidatesfor2013wasexistingcandidatesfromrespondents’ownapplicanttrackingsystems(3.3),followedbyreferralsfromprevioussuccessfulplacements(3.4)andsocialmedia(3.5).

Jobboards–oftendiscussedanddebatedintherecruitingmedia–wereinthemiddlewitharankof3.6.Aggregatorsites(4.6),re-hires(4.8), andcoldcalling(4.8)didpoorly.

Segmentedbyfirmsize,thefindingsvarysignificantly.Forlargefirms,themostsuccessfulsourceofqualifiedcandidateswasjobboards,followedbyreferrals.Theleastsuccessfulsourcewascoldcalling.

Meanwhile,lower-midsizefirmsfaredbestusingexistingcandidatesfromtheirATS,followedbyreferralsandjobboards,butdidpoorlywithcoldcalling.Upper-midsizefirmsweremostsuccessfulwithexistingcandidatesfromtheirATSaswell,andalsosawstrongresultswithjobboardsandreferrals,butdidterriblywithre-hires.

Average Rank of Candidate Sourcing Strategies

Existing Candidates from ATSReferrals

Social MediaJob Boards

Aggregator SitesRe-hires

Cold Calling

1 7

3.3

Best Worst

3.43.53.6

4.64.84.8

Average Rank of Candidate Sourcing Strategies By Firm Size

1-1011-2526-7475+

Job Boards

Referrals from Placements

Existing Candidates from ATS

Social Media

Aggregator Sites

Re-hires

Cold Calling

3.1

1 7Best Worst

3.33.6

3.8

3.33.43.5

3.4

3.43.23.1

3.4

3.73.4

3.83.4

4.74.74.8

4.5

4.85.1

4.44.8

5.05.04.94.8

18

Socialmediawasthemostsuccessfulsourceofqualitycandidatesforpermanentstaffingfirms–amajorevolutionsinceour2011TrendsReportfoundsocialmediatobetheleastsuccessfulsourcingmethod.Butforcontractfirms,wherespeedyplacementsarecrucial,existingcandidatesfromapplicanttrackingsystemswerethebestsourceofqualitycandidates.Fortempfirms,referralsfrompreviousplacementsprovedtobethebestsource.

Retainedandcontingentexecutivesearchfirms,notshowninthegraph,hadcommonresults.Forretainedexecsearch,thenumberonesourcingstrategy–likeperm–wassocialmedia(2.4ranking).Referralswereadistantsecond(3.3),andre-hiresweretheleasteffective(5.4).Forcontingentexecutivesearch,thetopcandidatesourcingstrategywasalsosocialmedia(3.0),followedcloselybyreferrals(3.0). Lastwas,again,re-hires(5.4).

How Important Is Recruiting Technology to Agency Success? Applicanttrackingsystems(ATS)arenolongeraluxury–they’reanintegralpartofagencysuccess.89%ofrespondentsconsiderrecruitingtechnologysuchasapplicanttrackingsystemstobeimportantorveryimportanttotheirfirms’successfor2014, ahigherpercentagethan2013or2012.

Firmsacrossallsizesconsiderrecruitingtechnologyimportanttosuccess,butsmallfirmareonthelowerendofthefindings,at86%,versus93%forlower-midsizefirms,94%forupper-midsizefirms,and93%forlargefirms.75%ofrespondentsfromlargefirmsconsideredrecruitingtechnologyveryimportant.

Byrecruitmenttype,thefindingsareverydifferent.Itappearsthattheshortertheplacementcycle,themorerespondentsconsiderrecruitingtechnologyimportanttosuccess.Forahigh-volumeplacementsbusinesslikeRPO,contractstaffing,andtempstaffing,recruitingtechnologysuchasapplicanttrackingsystemsiscrucial.A whopping 86% of RPO respondents think recruiting technology is not just important, but very important.Foralonger-leadorlower-volumebusinesslikeexecutivesearch,recruitingtechnologyisperceivedaslessimportant.In other words, the firms that rely most on recruiting technology have a need for speed and automation.

Respondents Who Consider Recruiting Technology Important or Very Important to Firm Success

2011

84%

2012

87%

2013

89%

Average Rank of Candidate Sourcing Strategies By Primary Recruitment Type

ContractTemporaryPermanent

Social Media

Referrals from Placements

Existing Candidates from ATS

Job Boards

Aggregator Sites

Cold Calling

Re-hires

1 7Best Worst

3.24.3

3.9

3.43.3

3.6

3.43.4

3.0

3.83.3

3.1

4.44.1

4.8

4.55.6

5.4

5.34.0

4.2

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Respondents Who Consider Recruiting Technology Important or Very Important to Firm Success

— By Recruitment Type

Contract

Temporary

Permanent

ExecutiveSearch -Retained

0%

ExecutiveSearch -Contingent

RPO

100%

92%

92%

86%

86%

79%

96%

50%

The Greatest Quality of a Successful Recruiter:Wewantedtoconcludethe2014TrendsReportonaqualitativenote.We’vepresentednumerousbenchmarksthatdemonstratewhatsuccesslookslikeforrecruitingfirms.Butwhatmakesasuccessfulrecruiter?Whatcharactertraitsseparatesomeonewho’sjustinitforpersonalgainfromarealprofessionalwhocaresaboutpeople–amasterofappreciatinghumanpotential?Whatisthesinglegreatestqualityofasuccessfulrecruiter?

Weaskedrespondentstowriteintheirideas,andthemostdominantanswerwas“persistence.”Thiswasfollowedby“the ability to listen”and,supportingtheimportanceofholdingonagainstallodds,“tenacity.”Onehighlyoptimisticindividualwrote“good looks.” Greatest Quality of a Recruiter

PersistenceAbility to Listen

TenacityAbility to Follow Up

CommunicationSourcing

NetworkingRelationship Building

PerseveranceDrive

Determination

0 80 160

141

 51

 50  

48  

 48    37     

31      

31       

28        

26         

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DemographicsAbouttheTrendsReport

In December of 2013, Bullhorn conducted its annual trends survey of 1,337 North American recruiting agency professionals. Below is a breakdown of respondents by:

Firm Size (total number of salespeople and recruiters)

•1-10:58% •11-25:17% •26-74:13% •75+:12%

Primary Type of Recruitment

•Permanentand/orRPO:41% •Temporary:12% •Contract:33% •ExecutiveSearch-Contingentand/orExecutiveSearch-Retained:13%

Geographic Locations

•UnitedStates:91% •Canada:9%

Bullhorn®createssoftwareandservicesthathelprecruitersputtheworldtowork.Foroverfourteenyearsourinnovationshavepoweredtherecruitingandstaffingoperationsoffast-growingstart-upsupthroughtheworld’slargestemploymentbrands.HeadquarteredinBoston,withofficesinSt.Louis,Vancouver,LondonandSydney,Bullhorn’srecruitingCRM,backoffice,andsocialrecruitingproductsservemorethan10,000clientsrepresentingnearly300,000usersacross150countries. For more information: Please visit www.bullhorn.com or call +1(888) GoLive8.

BullhornisaregisteredtrademarkofBullhorn,Inc.Allothertrademarkscontainedhereinarethepropertyoftheirrespectiveowners.

1.888.GoLive8 • sales@bullhorn.com • @bullhorn

About Bullhorn

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