As a recruiter, what do you do to be successful in a high volume role – yesterday?!
The last thing on your list is letting your client down, even if the task gets your adrenaline pumping and raises your heart rate. You can minimize the stress and, even better, gain rockstar status (of course, you probably have that already, but still!) by dazzling them with your well-planned, ongoing search strategy. This shows that you understand their need to ramp up quickly, and you’re ready to do the same thing.
Use these surefire techniques to prepare for high-volume recruiting, whether you have a day, a month, or a year to make it happen:
Build and maintain a candidate pipeline
This is your bench strength. You’re like the manager of a baseball team whose pitcher suddenly tanks. With minimal warm-up, you can pull an ace reliever from your lineup. You can even customize that pitcher to the RBI leader at the plate. Right versus left-handed? Strong curveball versus knuckleball hitter? Not a problem. You get the analogy. And even if you don’t know a passed ball from a concession stand hotdog, you get the idea: It’s all about meeting your clients’ talent needs. Right on and right now. Build relationships with the candidates in your pipeline, know what they are good at and what they want to do in their career, and when you have that role, the best way to reach them quickly. We have said it before, but we will say it again… Pipelines Get Placed!
Always be networking
Online networking is critical, but even the latest technology cannot replace face-to-face interaction with in-demand candidates. Attend job fairs, industry conferences, meet-ups, and professional association meetings and events. Join boards and committees and be an active participant. You will not only connect with job seekers but also other industry professionals.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, these face-to-face networking options are temporarily unavailable. However, many of these events have gone virtual. For instance, the SourceCon Conference has moved 100% remote. Their main focus this year is to provide the best peer-to-peer learning in a more intimate knowledge-sharing environment virtually.
Optimize job boards
There are millions of resumes on job boards, so you need to drill down and specialize as you search. For instance, seek out different industries, candidate experience levels, and geographic areas and preferences. Use a Boolean or string search for the right combination of keywords and phrases to match job descriptions.
Work with your clients to keep job descriptions current and compelling
Be proactive in reviewing JDs periodically and keeping them up to date. Your job descriptions are where you start marketing your company and your job to your future hire. A compelling job description is concise and tells the candidate what they will be working on and why this position and company is unique.
Put LinkedIn to work for you
LinkedIn remains a go-to resource in recruiting, largely due to its ease of use. You can search for talent based on work history, job titles, alma maters, and other criteria. Join or create relevant groups. Recommendations from candidates’ connections can also be very helpful, as can endorsements. A word of caution on endorsements, however: It is very easy to click “yes, this person has these skills” on LinkedIn. So, don’t take them too seriously. They are, however, another research tool to open talent possibilities.
Use referrals
Find prospects via employees at your own company and those where you have made previous placements. Referrals tend to be strong candidates because they are reliable enough that another person is willing to vouch for them. After all, that person is putting their reputation on the line, as well.
Develop your recruitment career with Search Wizards
Need more tips for self-development in your recruitment career? Read our related posts or give our team at Search Wizards a call today. We are recruiters – and we recruit recruiters and match them with leading opportunities nationwide. We will help you keep your career on track and make sure you never stop learning and growing.