A new report released by Bullhorn, has revealed interesting differences in the working practices of recruiters in the UK and the US. According to TransAtlantic Recruitment 2011, which is based on data from over 50,000 recruiters in the industry, 87{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} of British recruiters met or exceeded their revenue targets in 2010, compared to 75{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} in the US.
Furthermore, British recruiters work longer days, spending around 9 hours a day on the job, compared to 8.1 for their US equivalents. However, while recruiters in the UK often work into the evenings, shorter holidays in the US mean that working hours are similar when averaged over the year.
Analysis of day-to-day activity reveals that while American recruiters split their time evenly between account management and business development, their British counterparts spend 12{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} more of their time on account management.
Social media adoption was high in both markets, at 91{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} in the US and 88{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} in the UK, with the majority expecting this to increase in 2012. US recruiters are ahead on their use of Facebook (40{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} compared to 28{6060b2de664e4eaa3e7b7e86961ce2c4bbd7a29b6c1097abf8257a4e5b07383e} in the UK).
The report is based on Bullhorn’s ATS and CRM and social recruiting usage data from over 50,000 recruiters across the two nations, and cross-referenced with its 2011 Recruitment Trends Survey. It is designed to provide the first comprehensive statistical comparison of the recruitment sectors in both countries.
A further interesting finding relates to workflow differences based on job order submissions, sendouts and interviews. Peter Linas, Bullhorn’s EMEA MD comments: “UK recruiters submit fewer candidates to their clients but secure more interviews; ironically this means the funnel diagram has more of a ‘pint glass’ shape compared to the US’s ‘Martini glass’ model!”
The statistics on working practices and logistics were retrieved from Bullhorn’s core SaaS platform, and the social media data was accessed through Bullhorn’s new dedicated social media recruitment service, Bullhorn Reach. Linas continues: “This is the most thorough juxtapositioning of American and British working practices I’ve seen. It’s important we monitor activities across the pond as both recruitment communities can learn from one another, and take advantage of the global opportunities rapidly developing in emerging economies.
“The Bullhorn platform is a gold mine of data and we believe sharing this information will help recruiters across the globe to formulate best practice and concentrate on new skill sets, like those associated with social media uptake. A good example can be found in the success US recruiters enjoy using Facebook.”
Credit: onrec.com