Recruiters: ever have a day that makes you feel like you were in the ring with Floyd Mayweather for 12 rounds? The high volume daily grind can feel a lot like a boxing match, leaving us against the ropes, exhausted, and unsure we can take any more hits from our opponent’s powerful blows. Yet our teams and clients need us to go another round with time in order to win the fight against high volume expectations.
High-volume recruiting, like boxing, is a delicate art form. Both require technique, strategy, rigorous training and hours of dedication to exceed expectations. We need to be proactive and anticipate what’s next, which might include unforeseen hits, in order to achieve the goal. We move like boxers, dancing around the clock and deadlines in an elegant fashion.
Sourcing Strategies-How to Find Candidates in High Volume:
Before stepping into the high-volume recruiting ring, it is important to remember that no matter how many candidates have been sourced, there is always room for more. Do not rely on using a sourcing tool in one specific way. It is important to figure out how to creatively use each tool and contact numerous candidates that are seemingly difficult to find. Using a fee-based website is a great example of how to effectively combine creativity with sourcing techniques. For instance, when a candidate from the fee- based site seems qualified, you can input the name from their summary into Monster or social media, like LinkedIn, to try to find the candidate without membership fees. Rather than getting charged for sourcing search engines, the recruiter is investigating into the little information obtained to find talent.
Creating informative jobs posts is also a very important sourcing practice. Refresh and explore job postings every morning as soon as the work day starts to attract more active employment seekers. A series of posts that generate positive results help both the company brand and a recruiter’s personal brand become more well-known to potential candidates within the area. Posting sites such as Indeed, Jobvertise, ZipRecruiter and Craigslist offers recruiters free trials to post jobs, but are limited in some cases. Such posting sites have yielded great results in expanding my extensive candidate pool in the past. A recruiter may recognize a large amount of potential candidates in a specific company and add the name into the search terms after receiving active candidates. Using such posting strategies and sites can lead to broader search terms and search strings that may not have been considered before and can help sourcing efforts. Before building business relationships and conducting such calls, a high-volume recruiter needs to be ready with a significant list of potential candidates each day. Before making a post, check with management and client requirements to assess what statements must be used and required company branding.
Create A Sense of Urgency:
Before getting ready to move in on candidates, recruiters need to remind themselves to move with a sense of urgency. A talented recruiter, like an athletic boxer, is an expert in knowing the specifics that impact their performance. For example, if the first step of the hiring process is to complete an application, the recruiter should complete the application to get the candidate perspective. If there are more steps, try to go through each one. This gives recruiters the perspective to speak knowledgeably about the process and convey a realistic sense of urgency, all of which helps candidates feel more at ease.
Conducting Follow-up Calls- The Recruiting Fancy Footwork
As the hiring process progresses, a recruiter analyzes how the candidate moves, looking at how fast tasks are completed. If a candidate appears not as fluent, it is a signal to unleash the recruiting fancy footwork and fight against time. If the candidate has not completed the first step in one day, the recruiter need to follow-up, repeating the statement of urgency to make the first movement more effective. Here’s where the skill level in the art form comes in. When conducting the call, recruiters need to focus on keeping the relationship with the candidate solid. First, give a warm introduction and take an interest in their day. Recruiters care about the well-being of the candidate and should not act like a corporate robot with only their professional performance in mind. Ask about a candidate’s day, talk about the weather or other common ground discovered while establishing the relationship. After the welcoming introduction, inquire about the task, but do not assume the candidate did not try to complete the task. It’s a delicate technique, utilizing understanding and respect to keep the relationship solid. At the same time, exercise continuous fancy footwork, reminding the candidate of the sense of urgency required to keep up with the fast pace of the internal process. This procedure of follow-up calls should be done daily with all candidates in the pipeline.
Win or Lose, Ask For Referrals & Go Another Round
Great recruiters always put up a memorable fight and continue to push off the ropes. Whether the candidate receives an offer from the client, giving victory to the recruiter, or the recruiter has endured a tiresome defeat against time, the recruiter must always be ready to go another round. One particular sourcing technique that I find valuable in preparing for future opportunities is making it a rule to ask candidates for referrals. It is reasonable to assume that candidates like to be surrounded by people much like them. Using my own experience as an example, I recall several candidates that continuously gave me qualified leads for more than six months.
Recruiting and boxing require delicate technique and strategy to achieve victory before the opponent anticipates their next move. Ultimately, sourcing efforts and success are created by the technique and determination to continue to build professional candidate and client relationships, giving recruiters the ability to stay in the ring and go another round!