It’s boom time for recruiters after U.S. job market tightens. According to Bloomberg, “there’s hardly ever been a better, or busier, time to be a recruiter in America.” A high-quality recruiter can make all the difference in an organization’s quality of hire. But hiring that person can be tricky. You won’t be able to tell if they’re any good because their recruiting skills are going to be determined based on their ability to deliver a high-quality candidate. However, that is something that doesn’t come instantly and you won’t know until you’ve worked with them for a few weeks. We all hear about those “rockstar recruiters,” let’s talk about how you can recruit those rockstars who can deliver those high-quality candidates and make hires. Here are some ways I go about trying to find the best of the best.
- Who do you know?
Start with your network. Rockstar recruiters work and know other recruiters that are also rockstars. A great team can become a magnet and pull other great people to it. Leverage the best of your network in order to build a strong team or pool of recruiters and use them to recruit more recruiters through their networks. I’ll get into some more specifics about social media next, but for now, connection requests! I can’t remember the last time I sent a connection request on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter that was denied. Of course, I keep it personal so the request isn’t spam. It’s amazing how many recruiters I have been able to network with simply by taking a moment to learn a little more about them and ask them to join my network!
- Social Media
If you’re not using social media, you are missing out on great talent! There are so many Facebook groups about sourcing and recruiting, I can barely keep up. Check out groups like SourceCon, Community for Recruiters, Staffing and Talent Acquisition Professionals, Recruiters Online, Sourcers Unleashed. This is where your peers are going to get information. Oh, and don’t forget about Recruiter Job Ads. In this group, you can post ads and job requests only for recruiting jobs. Perfect example: I asked a recruiter friend of mine to post to his network that I was looking for a few recruiters and so he did. The resumes came pouring in! It also helps that he’s an amazing #dadjoke teller. A simple post to these networks can work wonders!
- Put Yourself Out There
If you’re trying to get the next best recruiter to join your team, show them who you are with a great profile photo and an awesome headline and summary on your social profiles. If you are reaching out to recruiters, you can bet they are checking you out. I always take a moment to review a connection request before actually accepting it. If I see that they have an engaging profile that describes who they are and what they do, I am more inclined to accept it and I think others feel the same way. Showcase what you’ve done and include those links to the blogs you’ve written or the videos you created. People like to see other people’s work. It shows them that you’re active and engaged in the community.
In summary, when it comes to recruiting recruiters, you need to do a few things. Make sure you are using your network to build a magnet that can pull in some amazing recruiters. Continue to learn and grow by joining social groups. Remember, there are so many out there. Take a moment to research them and see which ones are best suited for your needs. And finally, put yourself out there. People don’t like spam. Or at least that’s what I think. Having an engaging social profile with some real photos and content can go a long way. Try these things and you’ll soon be able to find some great recruiters for your organization.