Here are the top five recruiting practices to building a strong candidate pipeline;
11)
Never say never. While that stellar resume in front of you
does not fit your needs today, it doesn’t mean there won’t be some future value
in knowing that person. High caliber
candidates are busy too, so no need to offer a 30 minute interview, a quick
phone call acknowledging receipt of their resume, and an offer to exchange contact
information, can make a lasting impression and offers both parties an
opportunity to enjoy more dynamic networking later on.
2
22) Doing reference checks as a matter of course,
and sourcing: Don’t ever miss out on the
opportunity a reference check can offer a hiring manager. Not only is this a critical aspect to your
interview process in validating the candidate, it’s a fantastic way to identify another future employee OR
employer. People love to talk about
themselves, what they do, and the good work others have done for them. These conversations can lead to incredible network building. Not only could this reference be a good potential candidate for you, but you may also find the conversation leads to job
prospecting for yourself. Striking a good rapport with that reference can help you gain early insight or competitive leverage on an interesting role you may otherwise miss out on. Don’t forget to
stay in touch on email or scheduled call once every six months or so.
33)
Use Social Media to Advertise a Challenging
position: Tweeters and bloggers make a great audience, especially
for an industry expert. But if you don’t
use social media to tout your professional thoughts and ideas, you can research
relevant tweeters and bloggers who have an active following and ask them to
post information about the job you’re trying to fill. Some may draw a hard line on what they are or
aren’t willing to endorse, but it never hurts to ask if they would consider
mentioning to their audience a great opportunity for which you’re struggling to
source candidates. With the job market
still deep in the recovery phase, most people are willing to help bring people
and jobs together.
44)
Use the “3
Touch Rule” to Reach a Strong Candidate:
If your HR department has been unsuccessful in connecting with a “passive”
candidate who you know to be a top notch professional in your industry, ask
them to be persistent and patient. Most
hiring managers will try only once, sometimes twice, to contact a
candidate. Go for the 3-touch approach;
A phone call, followed up within 24 hours by an email, and a follow up call
within one week. Additionally, if that person has a Twitter or Blog, you may be able to get their attention by posting directly to them. We know people are busy, and
even though they have the interest and best intentions to get back to you, they
may forget or have put it off until they’re in a position when they can talk to
you….like back from vacation or after finishing a project. Often if they have gone too long without
responding, they may not return the call because they expect they’ve missed the
window. Don’t let them get away! Follow up a fourth time after several more
weeks, you may be happily surprised at how glad they are to hear from you again.
55)
Network in Unexpected Places: In today’s world we often hear a newer cliché
“Everyone Knows Everyone”. While this
isn’t physically possible, there is technical truth behind this idea. We are all connected, one way or another, to
a universal network offering innumerable routes for people to reach each other. Celebrity Kevin Bacon proved this philosophy
through his own pet project, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, demonstrating an
intricate web of complete strangers who were but five or fewer people removed
from direct contact with him. Today’s
advancing uber networked society allows us to find people in unexpected ways, perhaps through that guy you met at a two day workshop, the twenty-something who details your car, your
hairdresser, the woman who makes those great cookies for the church social hour
each week, and even the bartender who is the only person in the world you trust to make your
martini just the way you like it.
Everyone knows someone. And sometimes, you get really lucky. Maybe the right person to know is right now sitting
next to you on the train. Today’s
socially-charged recruiting professional knows that the gift of gab pays dividends,
and shyness is a liability. So stop
hiding behind your Android and strike up a conversation with your commuting
buddy…you never know who she knows!