From Recruiting Robots to Relationships

Creating the shift from... one job : one person : one filled order

To....a candidate centric model (imagine that, right?)

I have always been fortunate to love what I do and keep on the path of "uncomfortableness" to learn and grow. It makes me think about the fundamental shift that needs to happen in the world of recruiting. We need to shift from the all too well known open job order, find body, fill order to a two-way conversation from both the client and candidate perspective. I wrote about trusting your instinct in a previous post and it's really important that to trust the instinct you have to have all of the right information to make the perfect match. Too often recruiters get stuck in the reactive mode and cannot gain back the ground to edge into the proactive mode. Proactive mode means building relationships with candidates so you know what they are looking for and when a position needs to be filled, you have the right candidate ready, locked and loaded. This type of recruiting takes time and of course, it always takes time to build your network, but the net result is you fill more jobs, faster, better, quicker with a higher caliber of candidate. I challenge you to build relationships and get to know your candidates and clients and what they are looking for both monetary and culturally.

Think about this...We are a society built on relationships and if you have not heard it before, everyone is screaming and taking a stand that it's time to focus on the individual. Look at where we have gone in recruiting, social recruiting is one of the biggest and hottest topics. It's centered around the individual. Also, look at clouds, it's another individual centric based concept. If you are not taking the time to know your candidates, START. No one wants to talk to a robot that is impersonal and has asked the same questions 10 million times. Know your candidates; know your clients become a relationship recruiter.

Comment by Stuart Musson on April 9, 2010 at 7:48am: Great topic Jenn and I agree with you wholeheartedly. It is always time well spent speaking with candidates that we may not be able to help right now but knowing we will be able to find them that perfect career opportunity in the future.

However I hope that you agree that being honest and open with the candidates right from the start is the key to establishing that strong long lasting relationship. Let the candidate know right up front that you do not have something for them today but would like to get to know them better for when that right opportunity arises.

I realize that some recruiters reading this post will say they do not have time to interview everyone and I also agree with that but will it hurt to spend 15-20 minutes and let the candidates talk about themselves, stroke their egos as everyone likes to talk about themselves! Then keep in touch with short calls or e-mails periodically. You never know who they know for referrals.

They will remember you if your remember them!

Cheers,

Stuart Musson
President
Precision Recruiting Services Inc.
LinkedIN: www.linkedin.com/in/stuartmusson
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PreciseRecruit

Web: www.PrecisionRecruiting.ca

Comment by Jenn Francine on April 9, 2010 at 11:51am: Great feedback Stuart! Absolutely!! You can generate a ton of referrals when you are totally open and honest with candidates that you do not have something for them today. When I recruited for recruiters and they were not a good match, I would tell them up front and asked if they knew of anyone who met the criteria I was looking for. I filled 100+ recruiter positions just based off of referrals from qualified and unqualified candidates in a little over a month. It's amazing the influence you can gain just by giving someone who you were talking to anyway a few minutes of your time to help put them in the right direction for their career.