Those with an ear to the ground and eyes wide open on the market – will be familiar with what in manufacturing and technology is being hailed as Industry 4.0.
 
A radical (but inevitable) step change in thinking, philosophy and application – a natural evolution and trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It includes cyber-physical systems, the Internet of things, cloud computing and cognitive computing.
 
So, what about those service and support sectors that exist and whose purpose it is to facilitate and enable industry? What exactly is going on here – to remain aligned, relevant and let’s face it – in business.
 
Anybody in pretty much any sector and commercial walk of life will tell you; what they do, how they do it and to what end – is literally unrecognisable from the recognised and accepted practice of only a few years ago.
 
Yet, when it comes to recruitment per se (don’t get thin skinned on me – those of you who have adapted and evolved!) – we could wind back to, let’s say, specifically June 1993 – the day I walked into my first recruitment job – not much has really changed.
 


Nose to the grindstone?
 
The go to M.O. for some remains a random and improvised soup of; indiscriminate cold calling, the relentless pitching in of well below average candidates (that could in fairness, be trawled off any job board by anyone with half a brain and a PC), getting LinkedIn, like a digital whore with anyone with a sharp suit and/or conventional ‘beauty’ and a pulse, ‘smashing it’ when, after countless calls, actions and hours – manages to get a deal over the line.
 
Low on design, purpose and meaningful results – high on effort, time, emotion and a high price to pay on personal and brand reputation (lots of pissed off people left in the wake).
Arguably, the Industry 1.0 equivalent of: mechanisation, water power and steam power. Where’s the dignity in this?
 


So, Recruiter 4.0. What might this look like:
 
Let’s start with the fact that we’re currently in the cognitive age – so, knowledge, thought, reasoning, assessment and evaluation is very much in the mix.
 

Recruiter 4.0 (1) - Organisational design and development

 
Taking a considered and dare I say it, ‘consultative’ approach to our craft, talk to the client, ask deep, relevant and probing questions – get the root of the issues now and what can know about the future the client business and any other.
 
Link your strategy to the business’s long range strategic plan – this gives what you are offering relevance, meaning, significance and sustainability.
 
To do this effectively – you need to know your stuff and I mean REALLY know your stuff. Superficial soundbites and anecdotes won’t cut it – educate yourself about what’s really going on. Then and only then will you have the depth of knowledge to underpin your new authoritativeness and specialist expertise.
 
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/00318?gko=c7329
 

Recruiter 4.0 (2) - Collaborate – one of you is not better than all of you.
 

As much as the client would prefer for you to wave a wand over their issues – and in doing so, make everything alright - my maxim is ‘the client will make a conscious and wilful decision':
 
a)   Be complicit in your (and by extension their) failure to achieve what needs to get done or
 
b)   Be an enthusiastic stakeholder and active collaborator in your shared success
 
IMPORTANT!!! Walk away from any client that is not prepared to invest the time, energy and effort. They’re looking for a fall guy to hang the blame on and will shoehorn you into a failed strategy and unhealthy 'you lose - you lose' dynamic.
 

Recruiter 4.0 (3) - Embrace, master and stay ahead with your tech

 
Real time, lean, integrated and intuitive – in the age of social media, online shopping and smart phones – where exactly is the all-important user experience in asking for, receiving and sharing a CV of a candidate.
 
Employers need to step up here too – or potentially lose out to others competing for the same talent with more progressive and engaging strategies.
 
The evidence is that very best candidates feel reassured by, buy into and are better engaged with a process that is real time, interesting and consistent with how they access, share and track information and data – in most other aspects of their lives.
 

Recruiter 4.0 (4) - Broaden and future proof your skills set
 
Don’t let anyone tell you that the process of recruitment is sophisticated or in any way complex. It’s simple. Fisher Price – simple.
 
The dynamics of the market are complex, uncertain and fast moving.
 
Recruitment workflows are elementary.
 
When any service evolves to a point where there is an oversupply of vendors, technology is becoming a bigger piece of the equation and here’s a thing; clients don’t sense, feel or appreciate the value – it’s time to step up, change or get out.
 
If you want to contribute to the thinking and strategy of your clients' approach to talent management; understand what it means to lead on ‘engagement, retention, skills development, culture, competing for the brightest & best and sustainability’ – educate yourself on what OD and L&D means and does.
 
If you want to build better relationships further up the food chain – get in the shoes of the high-level influencers – know what’s important to them and learn what you need to join in and contribute to the debates that are raging in most right thinking business’s boardrooms.
 
Work harder – and until you get there (you’ll know when you’re there!) and longer than you currently do.
 
Every hour invested in learning and applying what you’ve learned is another step towards being the best you can be – and provides that all important competitive advantage over those you’re in the business of rendering obsolete.
 


So, to conclude:
 
Of course, this is just our take and opinion – as we do in our teams, we suggest that everything that is shared with them needs sorting into one of four piles:
 
1)   That makes utter sense – I’m going to do that
2)   It’s worth a try – I’ll give it a go and measure the difference
3)   No thanks, that sounds like utter bollocks!
4)   I’ve got a better idea – I’m going to try that