Real Recruiters Don't Post Jobs!

I just picked up a new recruiting project and one of the first things the client said was, "Will you post this job?" And I immediately said, "NO!". I don't think I even let him finish the sentence. I am a real recruiter! I don't post jobs, I hunt for my candidates! Posting is for inexperienced, slacker recruiters. Seriously, if my candidate comes from a posting, what value have I brought to the client?

I pride myself on finding the ideal candidate whether they are looking for a new job or not. I search my database, search LinkedIn and contact my network. I search for conferences and seminars that potential candidates would be interested in and I look for the names of speakers and for the attendee lists for these events. I search for associations that my candidate would belong to and I scour those websites for names of potential candidates. If I am really lucky, I will find a member list! At the very least, I can usually find names of people that head up committees for the association, serve in leadership roles or write articles. I look at the website for my target companies and search the "About Us" and "In the News" sections for the names of employees.

Why am I telling you this? Because, if you are looking for a job and your strategy depends on responding to job postings, you are missing out. You have to be visible where the REAL RECRUITERS can find you. Here are some tips for making youself easier to find:

Add your email address to the "Contact Settings" section of your LinkedIn profile to make it really easy for recruiters to contact you.
Write recommendations on LinkedIn for friends and colleagues. When a REAL RECRUITER comes across your friends and colleagues, they will find you also! AND - your email address will be right there at the bottom of the page, so it will be easier to contact you!
Join professional associations and attend meetings, chair committees and write articles. This will broaden your network and increase your visibility.
Work with recruiters, even if you are not looking for a job. Try to offer them referrals or information when they call you. Collect and save their contact information so that you can ask them to return the favor when you need help.

Comment by Marsha Keeffer on May 1, 2010 at 3:02pm: Candidates just hurt themselves when they don't understand how real recruiters work. Job postings are too far down the funnel - instead, if you're a candidate you want to work the top of the funnel. Making it easy for recruiters to contact you is part of that. Staying in the loop with hiring managers is another. In an ideal situation, the recruiter has candidates in mind before the job description is even written!

Comment by pam claughton on May 2, 2010 at 7:43pm: I'm with Sandra. I actually think you may do your client a disservice by not posting the job. Why? Because the best recruiters use every tool in their toolbox for a search, they search their database, they cold call recruit, they work referrals from existing candidates and they post the opening. This ensures that all bases are covered. You never know where your next 'star' candidate will come from, and if you write a fantastic ad, one that shows that you know the client inside and out and that sells the sizzle on the opportunity and company, you may be surprised at what great candidates might respond....and often these are the otherwise 'passive' stars who were not looking, but something about your ad and the opportunity made them act. By not posting for your client, you run the risk of missing out on this person. Your job is to find the best person for the search, and your client really doesn't care how you found them, only that you did and that they benefit from the work you did.

Comment by pam claughton on May 2, 2010 at 7:45pm: Also meant to add, that by posting intriguing searches, you are also building your online brand. I've had many candidates reach out to me or take my recruiting call because they already know who I am from seeing the types of searches I have posted and by following my Twitter and Facebook streams where I talk about each new search that comes in.

Comment by Thomas Patrick Chuna on May 3, 2010 at 10:27pm: "ideal candidates" are whoever the hiring authority likes..where they come from doesn't matter, and how I find them isn't the clients business anyway.

besides, if a recruiter can't write a job ad that 1) Isn't intelligently written and is in their own words, 2) attracts the right candidate with the right information, and 3) figure out where to put the ad for maximum impact, can you be sure they really understand what the hiring authority wants?

Ignoring a tool that is effective and useful because of pride doesn't make much sense..good recruiters are open to everything, IMHO.