Professional recruiters use the term “candidate flow” to describe the depth and breadth of candidates a recruiting campaign generates. Candidate flow often gets the least attention in the hiring process but can have the greatest impact on the success of your recruitment effort. Are you getting enough of the right type of candidate resumes --¬ within your compensation range and timing needs -- in your search for new employees?
As veterans of the search world, we’ve learned how to increase candidate flow and offer here out top 10 tips.
1. Know what you want. Define with great specificity the requisite knowledge, experience and skills. And don’t forget to determine the behaviors and fit you want (as we discussed in our previous article).
2. Know what you need. Sounds repetitive but usually you will not be able to “get it all,” so review the position requirements and identify what is required and what is merely preferred.
3. Recognize trade offs. This is absolutely key! There will be trade offs. Variables include years and type of experience, quality of the individual and compensation, to name a few. For example, increasing candidate flow could turn up someone with less experience than you originally thought necessary but with far greater long-term potential. Would you prefer an average person with great experience or a great person with average experience?
4. Think, then do. Make sure you’ve thought through the trade-offs before you begin your recruiting campaign for the job. Many times clients pass on outstanding candidates early in a search because the candidate did not meet attribute requirements on their “wish list.” This is where understanding the behaviors and fit is crucial. As we discussed in our previous article, if a certain behavior is key to success in a particular position, are you making a wise choice passing over someone who has demonstrated that behavior in spades but is lacking the length and type of experience? Sometimes, that recognition comes too late in the process, after you’ve passed on a potential star.
5. Meet with the resume screener. This is especially important if someone in HR is doing the initial screen. Explain exactly what to look for in a resume and how to interpret technical experience. Describe the patters of success you’re looking for.
6. Know the market realities. What are the supply and demand implications? This is critical to your thinking in points 2 and 3. Supply and demand will impact timing, quality of hire and compensation. Supply may be more limited for lower level positions, especially those that require a certain specific skill set, or for a succession planning position.
7. Sourcing is an insider term that describes the process to generate candidates. Sources will include internet resume services (Monster, Career Builder), job positing sites (Ladders), social networking (Linked In) and industry sites along with the resume data base or files that your HR department maintains. In this fast changing technology environment, make sure you HR people know all the rocks to overturn.
8. Passive versus active prospects. There is a trusted theory among recruiters that the best candidates are passive, meaning they’re not looking for a job. The presumption is that they are doing well in the present situation and don’t need to be searching for a new opportunity, while “active lookers” are often unemployed or their performance is marginal. This isn’t always the case, certainly. But experience has shown that the best candidates are those not looking. Passive prospects are usually identified by calling personal referral networks, using internal contract recruiters or employing a recruiting firm. Simply put, you need more contacts making more discreet contacts.
9. Using a recruiting firm. No one wants to pay a fee; however, as you look at the market realities at the beginning of a search, you may have no choice. Know the differences between a retained firm and contingent firm and understand which service best meets your needs for this position. The retained firm requires an exclusive commitment by you and the firm. With the contingent fee arrangement you can simultaneously conduct your own search. If there are time constraints, then it’s important to be realistic: Get the firm involved early. And a recruiting firm can add value “reading” the resume. You don’t want a good resume; you want a good candidate. Recruiters can add insights on otherwise ordinary resumes of prescreened candidates, ensuring you don’t overlook an outstanding candidate.
10. Talent versus experience. The sports world uses the term “best available athlete” when judging and securing talent. This concept also applies to organizational hiring. How important is specific experience, especially industry related? Such a restriction reduces the pool of qualified and affordable candidates. Many times the best hires are highly talented and motivated people whose experience barely resembles the requirements in the original job specification.
Use this checklist as a guide as you plan the process for your next hire. With signs of a recovery in the economy, now is the time to be thinking about how you’ll get the talent you’ll need moving forward. Good hunting!
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