I have been involved in recruitment since the fall of 2000 having enjoyed recruiting for multiple disciplines. I have supported both corporate and third party; first attracting the best and most qualified Architect, Engineers, Interior Designers, Bankers and now IT folks. I have spent four years recruiting in corporate for one of the top ten banks nationally and four years on the agency side; one of those was supporting the second largest parent agency in the world. I cannot guarantee you an extraordinary amount of success but I am willing to put a wager that if you try to incorporate a few of these techniques into your daily regimen you will increase your bottom line over time.

Let’s look at recruitment from the prospective of the potential applicant. She/he has a lot of choices out there; so what are you doing differently than your competitor in order to distinguish yourself from the herd? No, it’s not the boards- that is low hanging fruit. You can usually eliminate about 50% of the recruiters out there since they usually stop there. But what if you are part of the other 50% group? What are you doing different? How about the phone? Use it before and after the traditional hours.
There are either current clients (do not pull from) or source clients (have at it) out there. If you want for me to stop recruiting from a particular source than become a client! If you happen to identify that one of your source companies puts their phones on overnight answering service or general roll-over into the directory- you are in. Simply write down the names and extensions into a list. This usually goes a little easier over a bowl of ice cream in the evening. Rotate in 5-7 sources for your target calls over the next few days. Use the names as a means to the end till you hit your target PASSIVE recruit. They won’t see it coming...

What if I told you that you could recruit 66% of the folks with whom you have had contact? Sounds too good to be true? Well actually it isn’t. Thirty-three percent of people will say no thank you- ask them for referrals and touch base every other week until you catch them on a bad day and then you might be able to convert them over. Thirty-three percent of people will say yes- duah, that’s the goal; you’re in! Now what about the other 33%? Since you are good at your craft and know your client inside or out, use the art of persuasion and sell yourself as an expert in the industry. Also sell the sizzle of the company AND the manager. Too many people forget that we all work for a manager not a job description! He/she would want to work with you since you are going to take the consultative approach with them until you either place them or they are no longer available.

I see myself as an order taker if they don’t fit my immediate need. Simply use your applicant tracking system or Outlook to stay in touch with that individual on a regular basis. Remember, the people that I connect in this manor are not on the boards, nor are they getting calls from your competition. I tend to stay in touch with someone usually 3-4 months prior to making the placement. During this period I pick up industry knowledge, leads for my sales team for additional business development, and those elusive referrals so that I can take it to the next step with other prospective applicants. Who knows, if you have a successful sales team bringing in orders on a constant flow it’s just a matter of time that you will get the match and THE PLACEMENT.

Please keep in mind that I recruit to a specific profile and industry. This way my sales team knows that I can and will deliver in force in order to help keep the competition out when they bring in the next menu item. They in return also proactively suggest the skill-sets that are in our current inventory. I always ask the candidate’s permission to release a resume to any client. Happy hunting!


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