Back to Basics Recruiting

Does recruiting top talent feel like a never ending process?  If you are looking for the next big technique to make this process quicker and easier, STOP!  By going back to the basics of recruiting, you will not only attract the better talent, but will also seal the deal more quickly.  This week we will discuss how new-and-improved does not always equal better.

Enjoy!

Gary

Every day there is a new article, blog post or tweet proclaiming the next big thing in recruiting.  There are so many new and improved recruiting tools and methods available that it is hard to keep up with what actually works.  All of this chatter is creating chaos.  In that chaos, nothing great is happening.

It is time to step back, abandon the newest, shiniest objects and return to the basics of recruiting.  It has become incredibly easy to rely on technology for everything.  Since technology has become so prevalent, the very basics of communication have been forgotten.  Recruiting has become a victim to this trend. 

Online job boards with point and click application processes have been a great enhancement.  However impersonal auto responder communications and computer screening of resumes have turned off or turned away countless top candidates at nearly every company that employs these systems.

Nothing will ever replace personal communication.  In the age of email and text message, a simple phone call can convert a passive candidate into your next top team member.  In the end, recruiting is the cultivation of relationships.  Those relationships will bring more referrals, more resumes, better hires and better retention. 

Instead of chasing the next big thing, be brilliant at the basics and integrate one or two new ideas. 

What are the basics?

1.     Questioning and listening skills that show curiosity in the person.  Ask customer-focused questions that will help cultivate the relationships.  Remember, the BEST talent is probably not actively looking and/or is being aggressively pursued by your competitors.  They need to be “sold” on your opportunity as much as you need to be sold on them!

2.     Managing objection throughout the recruiting process.  Salary conversations need to be managed.  Understand that salary is not always the biggest deciding factor for a candidate to make a move.  Never ask for desired salary.  Simply ask for the current salary and increase that figure by 15%.  Possess the ability to deal constructively with salary objections.

3.     Possess commitment and influence skills.  Have a clear vision of the desired end-result and follow-up plans.  Address questions and objections from the candidate as they come.  Never be afraid to ask the candidate where they are in the decision-making process.

Alternative methods of engagement such as Facebook and LinkedIn can enhance your brand, but should not be the primary means of recruiting top talent.  New technology and trends can be beneficial, but should be enhancements to the basics of recruiting.

Next time we will continue our discussion with a deeper look at job boards and the application process.

Gary Vice is sought out by leaders in Software and Services who recognize the need to attract the industry’s best talent.  Through Strategic Recruiting Partners’ extensive network of relationships, they are able to identify high level opportunities for well qualified candidates.  To discover how this process can benefit your job search, simply reply to this email or call Gary at 469.402.4008.