Using the Right Methods: Hiring Talent in a Competitive Job Market

Congratulations on realizing this is a candidate’s market, not an employer’s market! Ten years ago, even a hint that a company had an open position garnered more qualified candidates than recruiters could screen. Thousands of applicants click on the opening on various job boards before the first hour of a posting had passed, but that was in the depths of the recession with unemployment at record high levels. Now that unemployment is at the lowest level since the post-war boom, and recruiters need to identify and recruit candidates with strong skills sets, it is harder and more expensive to get the right people.

Here are steps to help staffing agencies in Miami, and elsewhere, as you navigate and hire the best recruits:

Step 1 - Identify the skills set the perfect candidate would possess versus those skills of an acceptable candidate.

Do not search for a unicorn when a horse would suffice and be truthful about these requirements. If you need highly skilled workers, then you will have a more difficult search. If you need candidates who can fog a mirror and show up sober occasionally, the search is simple. Unskilled labor pools are easy to locate through local ministries and job assistance programs.

Step 2 - Work your own network. After all, you are a professional recruiter.

Who is in your first, second, or third level contacts that you know might be acceptable candidates?

Step 2.5 - Offer a referral bonus to employees at your company.

If the position requires a skilled resource, make the other employees aware of the need and offer enough bounty your own highly skilled resources will take time and think about it. If the requirement is for a less challenging recruit, the reward can be scaled back. A typical bonus scale would be 10 to 20 times the person’s hourly cost. The more talent needed the more bounty should be placed on them.

Step 3 - A social media search on sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.

Start the search with terms for acceptable candidates as the filter, and then add "unicorn qualifications" until you narrow the pool down to about 10 to 15. Remember to select people, who are looking for new opportunities as a filter, it is easier to convince someone who is open to a change.

Step 4 - (Optional) Post the position on a job board.

It is recommended you ask for "adequate "skills set to not discourage a "not quite perfect" candidate. Be careful not to ask for the impossible. Mandatory years of experience can be a deal breaker for a highly skilled person who has not been in the field quite as long. This is important if you are using software screening, but again, if more candidates appear than you can screen, you can add "unicorn criteria" until you narrow down to a manageable number.

Side note - If a person takes the time to send you a resume, you should at least acknowledge that you received it. The longer your application process lasts, the more grateful you should be applied. A second notification that they were not is an even more professional action. Remember, these are skilled people, they may not meet this week’s requirements, but they will not attempt to apply to next week’s request if they feel it is a waste of time.

Step 5 - Make real contact.

You have identified a manageable set of recruits who meet the basic criteria. Now, take the time to read their profiles, experiences, and references before contacting them. Think like a recruit for a moment: What makes your request for a screening call stand out? Answer: you invested time to learn something about them before emailing them.

Step 6- The candidates are looking at the recruiter as a salesman for the company and you must sell them on joining your company because recruits are looking at multiple opportunities. They are not going to beg for an interview, they will not wait on the conference line, and you lose points any time you reschedule. If you say you will call them by ______ day, you better call them even if you have no update yet.

Step 7 - Hiring managers are notorious for being too busy, but top candidates are considering multiple offers.

In today’s business world, you have 2 to 3 weeks from initial contact to offer before the risk of the candidate accepting another option.

Many companies complain they cannot find people with the skills they need, but truthfully those companies are not attracting talent because talent has other options. If a recruiter is going to hire top talent candidates, they need to act like a salesman: professional in relationships and always pushing to close the sale.

Cary has been working on more than 20 years of expertise in job services. Nextaff is no stranger for employers or job seekers around the Overland Park area as they have been assisting with all staffing needs.