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However, in the same breath industry and business could not exist without it. It identifies, approaches and introduces true talent. It allows business to grow through the addition of new skills, methodologies and personalities.

Recruitment is a true enigma. At the lowest level it's damaging, expensive and offensive. Carried out correctly, however, it should be strategic, cost-effective and enabling.

The recruitment agent is often likened to the estate agent. A fast-talking, commission-based salesman with little or no subject knowledge and a very short shelf life. They are too busy for process and professionalism, and always operate under increasing sales targets from which only the most ruthless will survive. Let's face it, there are very few recruitment agents out there aged 35 or over.

From whichever angle you care to view it, the security sector represents big business. Last year there was something over £4.2 billion spent within its 'boundaries', while recent events worldwide should ensure that this amount will increase considerably in coming months and years. Why, then, are there only 20 security recruitment companies operational in the UK? In the IT sector there are 6,000 recruitment agencies serving the London market alone! The answer lies in the mechanics of the relationship between recruiter and client.

Examining the available evidence
In order to make an informed decision as to whether a recruitment agent is their friend or foe, security managers should examine all the evidence. To do this, you need to understand the recruiter's key drivers in any relationship , and analyse how effectively you – the buyer – have used the service on offer.

The recruitment agent will often belong to an organisation that specialises in one or several sectors. To ensure maximum coverage, these sectors are sub-divided into what's called 'vertical markets'. In turn, these markets are further sub-divided into regional areas of responsibility and/or salary level. Thus, the recruitment agent will be operating within a very narrow corridor of opportunity from which he/she must consistently generate revenue.

In reality, the recruitment process dictates that no revenue is generated until a candidate has physically started working for an employer. This whole process typically lasts three months from beginning to end. For the recruitment agent, time is very much money. As such, the agent cannot – and will not – allow it to be wasted. Time is the primary driver for any recruitment agent.

The recruitment agent is a process-driven animal – or should be. There are 30 recognised 'Steps to Recruitment', and agents that have been through basic training will be both familiar with them and try to follow that accepted process path. It's designed to be fail-proof, and to achieve the ultimate aim of successfully filling a vacancy with the most suitable candidate. Any deviation from this path can – and does – result in problems.

So, the recruitment agent will attempt to outline this process, which takes time and commitment from the buyer. The agent must fully qualify the vacancy, the buying organisation and the credibility of the project prior to making any informed decision as to the best way forward. In essence, he/she must decide whether the buyer has allocated sufficient funds for the process.

The recruitment agent is a process-driven animal – or should be. There are 30 recognised ‘Steps to Recruitment’, and agents that have been through basic training will be both familiar with them and try to follow that accepted process path. It’s designed t

An experienced recruitment agent will not recruit for any organisation that isn't willing to provide honest and considered answers to these questions.

For his or her part, the inexperienced/ desperate recruiter will either cut corners or fail to ask the necessary questions. After such a poor start, matters will simply go from bad to worse. In the land of the recruitment agent, process is King... and any recruiter that doesn't adhere to this fundamental belief is a pretender to the throne.

Fee negotiation: a key parameter
One of the most important steps in the recruitment process is fee negotiation. For obvious reasons it's also one of the most emotive. The recruitment agent operates under his or her organisation's guidelines (which frame the terms and conditions of business). These are not usually set in stone, and indeed are fairly standard among recruitment agencies. However, the terms and conditions of business will not differentiate one agency's performance over another. This can only be judged by the end result of any assignment.

To understand the recruitment agent's negotiation process with the buyer or end user, you need to bear in mind the factors involved. From a purely procedural point of view, there are only really two types of client (namely Tier 1 and Tier 2). Size or turnover of the recruitment concern is not the be all and end all. Tier 1 refers to the group of organisations that are sophisticated enough to develop a structured business relationship with a selected recruitment partner. Recruitment is an accepted part of their daily activity, and they've allocated the necessary funds and nominated the relevant internal personnel to co-ordinate all recruitment activity, and to run parallel and in conjunction with projected growth.

The recruitment agent will view Tier 1 clients as the preferred option. They will be allowed to progress through the '30 Steps to Recruitment' within agreed timeframes. Provided that they perform, they're guaranteed to generate consistent revenue. This doesn't imply that this is easy business – it goes without saying that these clients will negotiate hard, and demand exceptionally high delivery standards in all areas of the relationship.

Due to the consistency of the revenue flow, the recruitment agent will be happy to negotiate on the terms and conditions of business. Service levels will be agreed, and performance monitored on a regular basis. The professional recruitment agent will work hard for a Tier 1 client, and be committed to the growth of that business. He or she will be rewarded accordingly.

Tier 2 is that group of organisations for which the use of a recruitment agency is a last resort purchase. They have typically exhausted every other means available of attracting the required personnel, and have no other option but to call the recruitment agent. The agent will be wary of this business, and for the most part view this as a one-transactional deal with little or no chance of repeat business. The professional recruiter will recognise that this is still profitable business and pitch accordingly, insisting that the '30 Steps to Recruitment' are adhered to for a professional service.

Cost is often a key factor for Tier 2 clients, and they'll do their utmost to drive recruitment fees down in order to gain as much as possible for as little as possible. As such, this will be reflected in the level of service you receive. The good recruiter will not progress beyond the negotiation phase, but the bad ones out there will take any business that's offered to them. Once again, from this point onwards the whole process falls to pieces.

The recruitment agent is provided with terms and conditions of business because they are calculated by their employers to allow for profit to be made, and for commission to be realised. If these terms are significantly reduced, the margin is negated and thus the work undertaken becomes non-profitable.

Currently, the security recruitment market is immature in comparison with those in other business sectors. It’s unsophisticated, ill-disciplined and thus ill-regarded. Recruitment technique in the security sector amounts to expensive yet unimaginative adv

Agencies or recruitment agents that allow themselves to be lead in this direction are grasping desperately for business. In reality, they'll drop the client the moment a better opportunity shows itself. While fee negotiation is a vital part of the process, huge reductions are only superficial victory.

Effective time management
Effective time management is what distinguishes between success and failure for the recruitment agent. He/she will often have several assignments running concurrently to ensure that those high sales targets are achievable. Statistics show that for a mid-calibre recruiter to make a successful placement, he or she will have had to speak to approximately 20 candidates (of which 10-15 will be interviewed on a one-to-one basis). A shortlist of five CVs will then be presented to the client, from which three will be interviewed and one person selected for the job.

Consider for a moment the time required for each of those stages, and then multiply that by up to 10 separate vacancies. To achieve mediocrity alone, the recruitment agent needs to be very busy indeed. They're often seen as the pushy salesman, always urging the client to make a decision or to move on to the next stage. It's obvious why this happens, but it can be avoided by the client agreeing to timeframes and then sticking to them.

Currently, the security recruitment market is immature in comparison with those in other business sectors. It's unsophisticated, ill-disciplined and thus ill-regarded. Recruitment technique in the security sector amounts to expensive yet unimaginative advertising which (historically, at least) throws forward generic job seekers. These individuals are typically pushed from one organisation to another. When the advert is not successful, the immediate response is to re-advertise.

For many years other business sectors have demanded and received much, much more. Modern recruitment methodologies are built upon technology-based solutions and then mixed with flexible pricing strategies, resulting in success for all concerned. For these enlightened business sectors, the recruitment agent is undeniably a friend. Yet the security sector still regards the recruiter as a foe.

The security sector is an arena in which low margins and low profits are commonplace. Organisations are judged on their pricing as opposed to their ability and/or performance and, as such, the support services to the sector have been pressured to constantly cut costs. Based upon all of the recruitment agent drivers that we have discussed, the inevitable result of this is low quality, poor service and bad results.

It doesn't have to be that way. With increasing Government interest and legislation, the launch of the Security Industry Authority and its strengthening grip on the private sector, the security industry will be forced down a path of improving standards – and this will reflect in the services that support them. Security professionals will be licensed, and as such become something of a valuable commodity.

Approved companies will need to budget realistically for recruitment costs and, as opposed to haggling over a few hundred pounds, they will understand that quality costs and thereafter look to structure relationships with the best provider.

Friend or foe?
The security recruiter is currently a foe – because end users have made them that way. They're currently regarded as nothing more than an agent – a middleman that pushes generic job seekers from one company to the next. There is no allegiance because he/she receives none. There is little process because it's stifled, and there's little professionalism because it's prevented.

The professional recruiter can develop into a business partner, a consultant and very definitely a friend. He or she can enable you to attract and hire the calibre of security employee that will ultimately help your business growth and add real strategic value.