If you find yourself wondering why you are not seeing the right candidates or any candidates at all, there’s a good chance your recruiting strategy sucks! The good news is that you can make some quick adjustments to get everything back on track and find that rockstar employee.
Know what you’re looking for
In my previous posts, I’ve spoken at length on the importance of a good job description. The job description is the marketing add for the role you’re essentially selling potential candidates. Before you even get to that step, you have to know what you are actually looking for.
Start with a list of top 3-5 skills that will serve as “the price of admission” for consideration of candidates. Be realistic about your expectations and spend as much focus on the acumen of candidates as you do on the minimum qualifications.
Know your market
One major reason why your recruiting strategy sucks is being unaware of the talent market. When I work with hiring managers, I spend time providing market research to help manage the expectations. Variables such as the depth of the candidate pool, competition and compensation expectations are all important items to consider to avoid later realizing your recruiting strategy sucks.
One of the components of Sprint Recruiting is the 48-hour feedback loop recruiter provide managers during the sprint. If we spend the first 48-hours searching, only to find a shallow candidate pool with salary expectations outside of our budget, we quickly huddle with the manager to reassess our recruiting strategy.
As an industry professional, you should have insight to help your recruiting partner know where to search for the candidate you want and can afford.
Be ready to move quick
Today’s marketplace is all about speed. If your recruiter finds a candidate for you, be sure to honor appointments for interviews. It amazes me how managers will blow off phone interviews or miss appointments with candidates who are interested in the position. There are no words for what type of impression that leaves with a candidate. And when you have met with them, provide feedback to both the candidate and the recruiter about next steps.
PULL THE TRIGGER!
So, you’ve interviewed several candidates, narrowed it down to the one you want… so what are you waiting for? Many times, I will have had to endure constant requests for updates and hounding about a particular position only to have the offer negotiation process drag out for weeks. If you know what you want, then you should know what you want to pay for it, therefore, you should be able to pull the trigger.
This is the last place you want to appear indecisive. If you are the bottleneck, then you are the reason your recruiting strategy sucks! Own it and fix it before you lose out on a great employee.
Your recruiting strategy sucks because it isn’t a priority
One of the primary reasons why your recruiting strategy sucks is because you are not making it a priority. With all of the turbulence in the market and in every industry, excellence in recruiting can sometimes take a back seat.
I would urge every leader to be wary of this common mistake.
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