As a recruiter, I find great satisfaction in placing the best candidates in their ideal roles with the right companies. It’s a win-win for the people we proudly serve — job seekers and our clients.
Getting to the end goal can be a long, meticulous process, however. In a nutshell, here’s how it typically goes: Company A posts a job opening (internally, externally or both); HR pre-screens potential candidates and then schedules and conducts several rounds of interviews; an offer is eventually made; the candidate becomes an employee; and this process is repeated time and time again with each opening. If the company needs help finding candidates, they may outsource to a recruiting firms such as ours — and we do our part to find the best match in a timely manner.
Our work actually begins long before a company requests our services, because we anticipate — and strategically plan for — openings before they are ever posted. Some recruiting firms take a wait-and-see (reactive) approach to openings, while others believe in high-volume flesh-peddling. But the smart money is on those that are proactively seeking and identifying top talent day in and day out. Why? Because it makes sense to have a stable of high-quality candidates ready to interview at any time. If you’re not already doing that, there’s no time like the present. And here’s how to achieve that:
Start with Passive Recruiting
According to LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends, a whopping 70 percent of the existing global workforce would change jobs for a better opportunity. And the main reasons they are accepting new jobs is because of compensation (49%), professional development (33%), and better work/life balance (29%), the report shows.
Take a vested interested in these highly valuable “passive” candidates, who are not actively looking for new jobs but are still receptive to something new. They are less likely to exaggerate on their résumés, plus you know exactly what you’re getting if you’re looking for candidates with a certain skill set. And for those in specialized industries, passive candidates offer a larger talent pool to draw from.
Scout Out Niche Job Boards
It’s no secret that there is still a lack of top-tier talent in most industries. In fact, that is the chief complaint among recruiters, according to the 2019 State of the Recruiting Industry Report by Top Echelon. So where do we find exceptional candidates? LinkedIn and word-of-mouth referrals continue to be the best source for high-quality candidates, but don’t sleep on niche job boards, such as those maintained by professional organizations.
Go Where the Talent Is
High-quality candidates typically attend industry-related conferences, seminars, trade shows and even job fairs. They may also be featured speakers at these events, so invest some of your resources to attend and network with the best of the best. You might also want to join a few niche organizations if, for example, you are looking for diverse candidates. As I mentioned in a previous column on diversity and inclusion, the National Black MBA Association, National Association of Asian American Professionals, or the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers could very well have your next great hire among its members.
Jeff Chaponick is CEO of MAC Diversity Recruiters, an international search firm that partners with companies of all sizes, including companies such as Deloitte, Nike, and Marsh & McLennan, to help them reach their diversity talent goals. Jeff is on the Board of Directors for the Texas Diversity Council and the National Diversity Council. He is also a member of various professional organizations that help address the disparities in hiring among traditionally underrepresented groups. Make sure to check out my last post.
