Could You Benefit from a Procurement Recruiter?

Even the most experienced and well-staffed HR departments sometimes struggle to manage everything on their plate. They're constantly busy reviewing resumes, conducting interviews, coordinating follow-ups - and that's not to mention their day-to-day talent management concerns like facilitating training, handling internal communications, and overseeing benefits programs. Simply put, HR has its hands full.

Is your HR team feeling overwhelmed? A third-party Procurement recruiter could provide the relief you've been looking for. Leveraging their knowledge of hiring, recruiting, and Procurement best practices, they'll supplement your internal efforts with a valuable outside perspective.

So how do you know it's time to look for outside help?

1. Procurement's Performance is Suffering
Leading Procurement teams employ all manner of technology to conduct sourcing events, assess suppliers, and uncover savings opportunities. No technology, however, is more important than human capital. Sourcing initiatives will never get off the ground without the right team of talented individuals. If you've read an industry blog in the last year (this one included), you've certainly read about Procurement's widening talent gap. The gap can easily grow more pronounced as HR's tasks pile up and staffing and recruiting efforts suffer. A Procurement recruiter can provide the bandwidth you're missing, assess the market, and introduce you to best-fit talent. With a the right team in place, you'll once again observe Procurement's strategic value.

2. Your Job Postings Aren't Sticking
In today's volatile Procurement talent market, posting your listings on job boards won't cut it anymore. A good Procurement recruiter provides access to a database of well-vetted, highly skilled professionals. Working together, their connections will become your connections. Leveraging these new insights, you'll find it easier to locate the candidate you need. Procurement recruiters can also make efforts to locate passive talent. It's entirely possible the perfect candidate has never seen your listing. Your recruiter can make sure the listing gets in front of the right people and attracts the ideal applicants.

3. Interviews Have Been Less-than-Stellar
Let's face it. HR's busy schedule means they're unlikely to fully comprehend the profile of an effective Procurement professional. Their efforts, however well-meaning, will often lead to interviews with ill-matched candidates. Stop wasting your time. A Procurement recruiter knows precisely what it takes to succeed in Procurement. They'll locate and vet candidates by asking the right questions and doing the necessary digging. Identifying red flags, they'll make sure you only schedule interviews with top-notch candidates.

Source One's Procurement recruitment experts have helped a number of clients identify their company's missing pieces. Let's take a look at a recent example.

The Situation

Our client, A leading North America-based international medical devices company, was looking for a top-notch Director of Strategic Sourcing. They needed someone who could successfully operate in a very lean environment to build out their sourcing team and run an effective supply chain. The challenge was finding the right fit: someone local who came from a highly regulated industry, was comfortable in a start-up-like environment, and possessed the ability to not only rollout strategic initiatives, but roll-up their sleeves to fill tactical talent gaps.  The client spent over a year attempting to conduct their search internally. Frustrated with the amount of time, money, and effort they'd spent on an unsuccessful endeavor, they reached out to Source One for procurement staffing support.  

The Solution

Source One’s procurement staffing experts got right to work. We leveraged our robust candidate database to pursue active and passive talent. In just two weeks, our Procurement recruiting team presented five talented, qualified, local procurement and strategic sourcing specialists with to the client's hiring team.

The Results

 For the client, the headache of recruiting for such a niche role was over. Source One’s procurement staffing team knew where to look and how to vet the candidates. Facilitating the recruitment, vetting, and interview process, Source One helped the client find the candidate they were looking for. In just a few weeks, the client was ready to on-board their new employee and get their procurement initiatives off the ground running.  With a Director of Sourcing in place, our client has been able to build out effective procurement policies and procedures, and continues to work towards building a world-class procurement team.        

Interested in learning more about effective Procurement recruiting? Contact the recruiting and staffing experts at Source One today.