With or without the current recession, recruiters in general, especially those involves in recruiting talents in IT, Laws, Accounting, etc., needs to start improving their recruiting skills.  Based on my experience in the last few years, below is the list of top 5 reasons.  I guess I will try to be as unbiased as possible.

1. Recruiters need to understand more about each job types in different professions.  For example, job titles with “Analyst” is not the same as “Architect”.  In fact, the job functions and pay grades are not even close.  i.e. Technical Analyst is not the same as Technical Architect; in accounting, CA – Chartered Accountant is not the same as CPA – Certified Public Accountant (many have suggested that CA > CPA, in many countries); Assistant Director is not the same as Director Assistant.  With websites like Wikipedia, there is no excuse in mixing up the job functions and titles.
2. Recruiters work for both the client company and the list of candidates to fill that job opening.  i.e. if you are planning to charge $5/hr in the next 6 months to fill a contract position, be smart and start acting like you care.
3. As a recruiter, if you had asked potential candidates to remove their resumes from online job sites when they said no to what you proposed as ideal jobs to them because they liked their current job better.  You should consider changing career.  However, hope you didn’t take your own advice since your resume wouldn’t be on any online job site if you did.
4. Understand the needs from the candidates.  Although you would like to fill the job opening for a client, you need to put the potential candidates’ career plans into consideration.  This is related to point #1.  By knowing a little bit more about each job titles and knowing what the career needs from the person you are trying to recruit, you will be able to find what he/she is looking for, even if it is not right at the moment.  The best talents to fill the job opening, are probably on track in their career the way they have planned it.
5. I am not suggesting recruiters to lie, however, recruiters need to start thinking about selling.  If real estate agencies are staging houses before putting them on the market, recruiters need to start selling job opportunities better with creative ways.  Job interviews is bi-directional, especially when it’s a top job and there are multiple agencies trying to fill the job opening for the same client.  Start approaching the top talents like a salesman and stop approaching them like a telemarketer and spam phone calls or e-mails.