Blog Content
Bullhorn Engage has come and gone and there were very strong themes.
Recruiter Productivity.
Sustainability.
Profitability.
For this to happen Bullhorn1st needs to be a goal – aka using Bullhornfirst in your recruitment workflow. Reducing reliance on data and external systems will decrease costs, speed up placements, and create a more robust recruitment business.
And the way to Bullhorn1st?
Recruitment Automation and Recruitment Training, of course!
Recruitment Automation is So Yesterday!
I started using the phrase CRM1st back in the early 2000s. It was borne out of working with 150 busy recruiters who were rapidly being exposed to huge data sets - LinkedIn, job boards, candidates who wielded the Apply button like a Scud missile. But they didn't have the discipline or process to strategically manage the massive increase in data volume or change in candidate behaviour.
I used CRM1st (it was Adapt then) to help recruiters new to the recruitment sector to battle their FOMO (fear of missing out). I used CRM1st with experienced recruiters and resourcers to help them not get dragged under by rapidly increasing candidate pools.
Have things changed in recent years?
Have recruiters gotten better at managing their data, recruitment technology, candidate and client experience?
Has the colleague experience improved now we have so much data and rec tech that should theoretically make recruitment easier....?
Unfortunately, I'm not sure things have changed (enough).
Recruiters have been running to catch up. But the faster they run, the bigger the data set becomes, the more competition they have (even from their own clients), and the more tech they feel they need just to stand still.
Recruiter Frustration – Ready, Fire, Aim
I'm frustrated with the sector that can't seem to grasp what it's good at...
Niche specialisms +
Nurtured communities of candidates and clients reliant on great recruiters +
Colleagues delivering best practice and making a difference, changing lives.
But that "goodness" can't happen without focus.
And how can a recruiter focus with huge data sets, too much tech and not enough process?
Whether you have Bullhorn or another recruitment CRM, it needs to be first on your list to source, engage, nurture, and place from - if it’s not 1st, everyone loses. (Apart from the software company you buy comfort from!)
Automation – The Re-Humanisation of Recruitment!
Automation for my clients has become the missing link. It’s been around for years, but now automation is really being used to take away the pain, and the admin.
Recruitment Automation is being used to drive the best of behaviours.
It's enabling CRM1st (aka Bullhorn1st).
It’s creating time for training – for all, not just new recruiters!
And it’s creating time for trained recruiters empowered to get on the phone and do some good.
Once you automate what you can, you can train what’s left – and what should be left is the gold in the recruitment process – humans!
More effective sourcing
Speedier screening designed to prevent counter offers
Interviews with clients who move to placement uninterrupted
Placements and onboarding designed to generate referrals
Recruiters need training on their systems and process so that they can deliver what their clients pay for. Automation creates space and time for this training to happen.
Automate What You Can - Train What's Left
If you can automate what you can, and train what's left, then your data, your database, and your 3Cs (candidates, clients, colleagues) will be in a really good place, perhaps even 1st place, for the rest of this year and beyond.
What are you going to automate?
What training is needed to deliver sustainable recruitment business?
My team can help with both of these key goals.
Paul Robson, The Crew Hunter. We have managed to restructure our business, with more recruiters and more time to recruit. And the ROI from our Bullhorn Automation training?
Time Saved. Admin Removed. Staff Efficiency.
We've saved 45 hours with 1,345 automated actions in just 8 weeks.
Plus, we built 3 automations at the beginning of the project which allowed us to remove an old core process which freed up space for another recruiter.
Talking of Recruiters Getting More Automated!...
Using recruitment automation to improve data, process, candidates and client experience - that's a great goal! But you also need to free up your recruiters to be exceptional And they need training for this.
Our high intensity interval training - Recruitment HIIT - helps recruiters source, convert quicker, and develop healthy pipelines. We aim to save every recruiter and resourcer at least 1 hour per day (6 working weeks a year) - more billing time, more fees!
TRY RECRUITMENT HIIT
READ ABOUT OUR BULLHORN AUTOMATION BUDDY
BOOK A CALL TO DISCUSS RECRUITMENT TRAINING
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Matt Edwards
Blog
Productivity Webinar Series: Tips for Job-Short Recruiters - Easier Sales!
As a recruiter, you know that finding more jobs to work on is the key to consistent billings, stronger client relationships, and faster placements. But are you fully leveraging your Bullhorn database to uncover new opportunities and make selling easier?Watch our Recruiter Productivity webinar, where we’ll show you how to master Bullhorn and unlock more jobs to work. If you're tired of relying solely on job boards or struggling to find quality job leads, this session is a must-attend!Unlock More Jobs on Bullhorn and Place and Sell Faster😵We know that you either are job-poor or perhaps sometimes work the wrong jobs.🙈You may be too busy to see what's right there in front of you.📉On average if you have 5 jobs you only place 2! (One client recently told me it was 0.8 out of 5 - oh my!)🤑Your business is likely either over-investing in LinkedIn and job boards, or wasting precious time on the free versions, or both!😱Many jobs are being worked by more than 1 recruitment business. First past the post isn't a sustainable process!Who Should Watch this Bullhorn Tips Video?Recruiters and Resourcers looking to work on more jobs with less effort.Business Development and Sales Teams who want to win new clients faster, whilst also protecting their existing accounts.Recruitment Leaders aiming to maximise their team’s productivity and efficiency with Bullhorn.Why this Webinar MattersToo many recruiters spend hours searching for jobs, perhaps losing deals, and competing with hundreds of others for the same roles. Meanwhile, the smartest recruiters are using Bullhorn to uncover exclusive, high-value opportunities before they’re widely available.If you want to spend less time searching and more time placing, this session is for you. We’ll equip you with practical tips, real-life case studies, and a step-by-step guide to turn your Bullhorn data into your most powerful sales tool.Watch Our Bullhorn Tips for Job Short Recruiters - Easier Sales!Recruitment and Bullhorn TrainingWe deliver the best live Bullhorn ROI webinar training, and you'll find other tips and tricks in Recruitment HIIT, our online recruitment training platform.Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.TRY HIIT FREE HERECONTACT US ABOUT BULLHORN ROI
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Wayne Barclay
Blog
Protect Your Pipeline with this Antidote to Backdoor Placements
Backdoor placements are often an "invisible" pipeline killer. Yet they are also a great opportunity to recover lost revenue. Silver linings! Are you missing out on smashing target by not actively managing backdoor placements? 20 Years Ago, in a Land Far Away...In Lisa and my younger days (20 years ago), we created a report to track theoretical backdoors, and had a team calling candidates at the employer they'd recently had an interview with. If they answered, they were put through to the recruiter to begin recouping the lost fee.Surely time has moved on and there are more effective and tech-driven ways of doing this? Plus, surely recruiters are better at sales admin and relationship management now, so back doors are less common? I'm not so sure... If anything more data and tech has actually created a less robust process in many firms.Let’s explore why tracking backdoor placements is critical and how to implement best practices and technology for spotting and reducing them.The Financial Impact of Backdoor PlacementsWhen a candidate you’ve introduced to a client is hired without your knowledge or agreement on fees, you lose the fee. This often happens when terms of business aren’t adhered to, or when a client chooses to go behind your back. Consider this: one recruiter we’ve worked with reported uncovering at least one lost fee per consultant annually. For a team of 30 recruiters, that’s a staggering £150,000 in potential net revenue. In one instance, a single backdoor placement resulted in a recovered fee of £32,000. These numbers are too significant to ignore.Additionally, recruiters often spend resources sourcing candidates from external platforms instead of leveraging their databases. Tracking and addressing backdoor placements encourages better use of internal resources while ensuring you recapture fees rightfully owed to your business.Building Trust and Strengthening Your Recruitment ProcessClients: Actively managing backdoor placements helps you optimise your client relationships. Clients who circumvent your terms of business do not value your partnership. Using Bullhorn to flag these incidents creates transparency and helps you spend time on clients who value you.Candidates: Additionally, having a proactive backdoor placement management process complements your silver medalist strategy. Silver medalists are candidates who reached advanced stages of the recruitment process but were not placed. By regularly engaging these high-potential candidates through your tracking systems, you keep them warm for future opportunities while minimising your reliance on external sourcing.Best Practices for Managing Backdoor PlacementsTrack Every Interaction: Ensure your CRM system captures interview stages and outcomes, even for candidates rejected at early stages. Use detailed note types like “Rejected at Interview” or “Rejected at CV Send” to maintain a clear record.Standardise Your Terms: Attach your terms and conditions to every client communication. This ensures clients can’t dispute fees later and provides you with a reliable audit trail.Monitor Data Ownership: Many lost placements are tied to inactive users or former consultants. Assign ownership of these candidates to managers to maintain visibility and accountability.Automate to Remove Human Error: Implement automation to consistently track candidate progress and flag potential backdoor placements. This minimises manual errors and improves data integrity.Automation - The Antidote to Backdoor PlacementsDuring a recent Bullhorn Automation User Group, I was asked about my top 3 ways to use automation. Backdoor placement management is one of those 3 ways. These 2 automations are a must of you are set on prevention and pipeline maximisation:Interview Confirmation automation: If you already use these automations, add a notification step, x months after the interview date. Choose a timeframe which suits your sector the best.Check Past Interviews (Backdoor): If you don't use Interview Confirmation automation, create a stand alone automation that tracks the interview date and does not have placement. Add a wait step x months later to send a notification to your recruiter to check-in with the candidate and check they don't have a new job. You could even do what Lisa and I set up in a previous life and call the employer and ask to speak to the candidate. If they answer... bingo!Process and Tech Is KeyUse tech to prevent them.Use tech to spot them.The bottom line is that backdoor placements aren’t just about recovering lost revenue; they’re an opportunity to refine your recruitment strategy, strengthen client and candidate relationships, and ensure your systems are robust enough to thrive in a competitive market. Take control, and turn these challenges into wins for your recruitment / staffing agency.And if you need help on your processes, your data, and your Bullhorn adoption / ROI - call us - we can help.Automation and Bullhorn1stWe are Automation Buddies and Bullhorn Experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.Automation: We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Bullhorn: We optimise, train, and improve RoI from your key recruitment system.READ ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICERead about our Bullhorn 1st Service
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