Do you Woo?

Is Recruiting still Recruiting? Or are we just intermediaries, forging introductions between an individual and a company?

Hard core Recruiting to me is actively finding/locating, courting and convincing talent that our client or company is the place for them. You see it a lot is sporting fields. High level executives etc. It can't happen all the time I get that. But with all the talk of Talent Pooling at the moment. How do we look after our candidates?

How do you woo them? And when does the wooing stop?

I heard a story about Jerry Albright recently which inspired me. Jerry is one of my favourite Recruiting personalities and fonts of information. He gets it and keeps things real and has a great product verbalsummary.com (OK exit product placement). Legend has it he drove 6 hours to meet a candidate. He cared, he sensed he needed to do that for a long term relationship. Some people thought this was nuts! But seriously... isn't that what Recruiting is? The woo!

I recently hired a guy who I met for the first time over 15 months ago. A gun candidate, who my company needed to have, and in my opinion he needed us. But at the time... there wasn't the opportunity to formalise the relationship. I kept in touch, periodically, I set the expectation and then delivered to it. Then an opportunity turned up... BAM! Phone call, coffee, handshake, starting! DEAL! Oh I loved it. I'm sure all Recruiters will have stories like this.

You have to work the talent pool. Adding people to your database doesn't count. Your talent needs to know who you are, and what you'll do for them and vice versa... IT IS A TWO WAY RELATIONSHIP.

Then comes the tricky bit... Following through once to woo is won! You've sold an idea, a concept about your company, can you deliver on what you said. And then.... like any relationship you have to work it. You can't hire and then leave alone.

Retention is a huge issue with most companies, the woo must continue... remind people why they joined, help re-enforce their decision was right, and live up to the EVP you evangelised. Don't stop! If you do, you get comfortable, you concentrate on the new hires, new talent to woo. Guess what will happen? Other will come a wooing....

Let's face it... it is easier to keep than to find. Keep wooing

Comment by Dan Nuroo on December 1, 2009 at 4:25am: Ohhh just noticed... that rythms Do you Woo by Dan nuroo... Ok it made me smile :)

Comment by Will Branning on December 1, 2009 at 12:56pm: Good article. I agree that finding a balance in adding value and developing relationships with candidates versus just filling jobs is very important. The extra time and/or help provided to candidates often leads to referrals and that is very significant for long term success...

Comment by Becky Metcalf on December 1, 2009 at 1:58pm: Hey Dan! Great post!

I find that now that since putting my inner bully aside, the "woo" is a favorite part of my job. I love forging relationships with folks, and giving more than you might stand to receive is sometimes the key to developing a long lasting and real connection with people. Going out of your way, whether that means driving 6 hours to meet a candidate or simply doing the things we all stress on a daily basis like living up to our word and doing what we say we will - these things turn around ten fold if we invest our efforts wisely.

I recently closed a similar deal where we'd been in long, drawn out conversations with someone who was so "woo-ed" by us that he held on for months until we were able to make our move, even as he was very actively on the market. It was so rewarding to finally be able to deliver on a stellar match that would never have occurred if left to "business as usual" in the hiring process.

For better or worse I'm personally invested in my candidates and new hires - even after anniversaries with the company begin to come and go. I keep the lines of communication open through remembering things like birthdays, start dates and try to stay abreast of the successes they are having in the company so that I can reach out with congratulations. I had a manager recently who appeared puzzled when I talked with him about how excited I was about a new hire joining his team – he seemed surprised that I shared in the candidate’s enthusiasm at having been selected to join our company. It would be quite sad to me if I signed off on the paperwork, turned folks over to HR for on-boarding and just went about my business as having the chance to share in this big life change and the resulting happiness at having gone through it gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies. Nothing was better than a hire who sent me a note more than a year after starting with the company about a particular sales success, thanking me for my part in making it possible by convincing him to consider the position with us. Just makes me smile… But I digress, thanks for the post Dan!