US Recruitment vs Philippine Recruitment: Two different worlds

Two similar yet very distinct two worlds in the field of recruitment

By Uniqo Makata

A recruiter's daily work can be classified into a handful of processes: Sourcing, Interviewing, Applicant Management, and Client Relations. However, it is safe to say that a recruiter from Company X is almost always never the same as that of the recruitment professional from Company Y.

A Call Center Recruiter would spend his days interviewing more than a dozen applicants per day. Whereas, an IT recruiter would spend hours reviewing a handful of resumes. The more technical the requirements for a certain position, the more tedious it is to skim and screen through the applicant profiles.

Thus, becoming a seasoned recruiter in one field does not necessarily mean a very smooth transition to another. One must learn new processes and unlearn ones that are no longer needed.

Simply put, each field has its ecosystem but it is just up to us recruiters to adjust and adapt.

One such 'ecosystem' is US Recruitment which somehow has lots of differences compared to what we normally have here in the Philippines.

Life as a Philippine recruiter

Working for banks, schools, or any local company as a recruiter can be demanding. However, most of the recruiters would agree that there is one unifying trait about Filipino applicants: politeness and courtesy. Being a 'recruiter' in the local recruitment scene comes with a certain level of distinction. Applicants in the manual labor fields such as construction and security will give you titles such as ‘Bos’ and ‘Madam’ whereas applying for a local staffing agency will get you often addressed as ‘Sir’ or ‘Ms’.

This does not mean that working for a BPO company as a US Recruiter would not earn you the same respect. However, it would require more assertiveness and a handful of other communication skills to survive the latter.

Here, the chances of an applicant picking up your call for a pre-screen interview are the same as that of hearing 'for today's bidyeow' while scrolling through your FB page. Furthermore, you can expect applicants to be responsive (more often than not) to your texts and emails regarding their application.

It does not mean it is a walk in the park. Every industry has its challenges, BPO recruiters are faced with the challenge of volume hiring and stiff competition. Whereas, a recruiter in a school setting has to deal with a myriad of job titles from Physics teaching instructor to Accounting department manager.

However, with tons of hard work and dedication, you'll get far in the world of local recruitment.

Life as a US Recruiter

In my recent journey as a US Recruiter, I can say that it takes more than just pure hard work. One would need lots of persuasiveness (lots of it) and aggressiveness when it comes to making hires.

In the local scene, applicants go to recruiters (especially for well-known companies, schools, or firms). In US Recruitment, you'll need to be a seller and be good at how to market the position you are offering to applicants who will think otherwise.

As a US Recruiter, LinkedIn will be your best friend. The more connections you make, the more chances you'll get that next hire.

Differing locations is a challenge as having plenty of connections in one state is never enough if you are hiring for multiple US states. Being knowledgeable when it comes to state-mandated salaries and policies is also a must.

Below you'll see a table of pay rates across different US states, something US recruiters must keep in mind.

Image Courtesy: Hourly.io

You'll see in the table that there are US states wherein the hourly rate salary your company offers might not match what they expect. So it is important to check first the pay rate scale guide before hiring a candidate from a certain state.

As a guide, you may refer to this page posted by the Economic Policy Institute.

The Bottomline

Two different worlds with two different approaches. Whichever type of recruitment you are in, both require effective communication skills and 'diskarte' in knowing who to place in what and which positions.

Lastly, a heart to help people land their dream job while doing it effectively based on the company's needs and policies is what separates an average recruiter from an outstanding one.

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