As the politics of downsizing worked their way through the organization, this cynical view began to permeate even the strongest of teams. After all, we have not heard of a single layoff that wasn't perceived by some of the survivors as political. Whether or not it is a valid perception of the recession wrought changes, confidence in work teams is at an all time low. Between expanded task loads and shifting personnel, line managers are feeling the stress. They're relying more on confidence in themselves and less on confidence in their teams.

This is the problem that Recruiters should be focused on solving.

Given the realities of budget, we believe that a hiring manager should be able to expect that the candidates for a job are the best there are. The hiring authority should be able to expect that working with the Recruiting department will produce a trustworthy, hyper-productive team. Cutting through the metrics proposed by the professional bureaucrats, a hiring manager should be able to expect delight in the output of the Recruiting team.

D E L I G H T

We've closely watched the evolution of the various entities pushing so called "metrics" and have come away wondering "So What?" Yes, discipline is critical and recruiting involves a number of routine processes. Yes, they can be measured and improved. They should be. As far as we can tell, the operations pushing the metrics idea are trying to stay away from the only two that matter...success in the job and the delight of the hiring manager. Recruiting can be fast and efficient but if it produces a less than delightful product, it's destructive.

We're certain to hear from readers who think it is a bad idea to set our customer's expectations so high. The only response we can give to that notion is that a Recruiting hop that doesn't produce delight should be outsourced. Predictability can be purchased. Hiring processes that make the overall company more competitive and more effective can not.

Set the standards high. Hiring managers should be able to expect that when they need someone, the recruiters will have anticipated the problem and have initial suggestions. The recruiters should be expected to know who they'll "go to" as a candidate as soon as the "req" is live.

If you are choosing a system to work with, be sure it supports this larger view. Be very wary of tools that meet the administrative goals without a clear picture of proactive recruiting. They will trap you into mediocrity.