One of the best things about my job as a recruiter, is that I get to recruit for a software company that actually builds recruiting products! With that being said, I know there are a lot of recruiters out there that don’t necessarily have that same competitive edge. In fact, so many recruiters, talent acquisition professionals, and search agencies are approaching their sourcing and hiring process with outdated technology that only slows them down. Inflexible recruiting technology has become the new roadblock in a competitive job market, as well as a thorn in IT’s side. With slick new recruiting technology, recruiters can accomplish so much more—engaging great candidates and meeting growth targets.
I find that the will to win the best talent today is all about a more modern mindset. A completely fresh way of anticipating what your ideal candidate’s will ask and expect from their role and the company. Here are four key factors that every modern recruiter should be incorporating in their daily practices:
- Embrace social & employer brand- Visuals and perception are so important! Whether you are targeting job seekers, passive candidates, or university students, a genuine delivery of your organization’s culture and differentiators needs to be consistent and very consumable. The messaging on your career page should be reflected in your job descriptions, social media pages, and the approaches your recruiters take.
- Build a culture of enthusiasts- Conveying the importance of employee referrals is often a ’nice to do’ or ’something I’ll get around to next year’—this is a huge opportunity loss. The ability to hire and grow is based on the bench strength of your talent. It’s time to internally market your recruiting function as a contributor to the long-term success of your organization. Get your CEO or leadership team to plug employee referrals whenever they can (ie; Company meetings, quarterly newsletters, etc.) or have your employer brand reflected throughout company functions and intranets.
- Learn from your peers- In the realm of HR technology today, there are a lot of gurus out there writing some great articles on best/worst practices of recruiting. It’s a great way to validate that you aren’t alone in your challenges and that there are people out there who have creatively come up with solutions that make a recruiter’s life so much more effective. Some of my favorite content contributors (just to name a few) include: Jessica Morrell, William Tincup, Trish McFarlane, Craig Fisher and The Human Capitalist.
- Connect with key leaders/execs in your organization- Get to know the mindset and expectations of your executive team. This will be so handy when it comes to collaborating on the hiring process with direct hiring managers. Often the back-and-forth between recruiters and hiring teams becomes a bottleneck. It’s time to break free of this behavior and get face time with key leaders in your organization.
The difference between good recruiters and great recruiters is in their holistic approach to recruitment while embracing the right technology. It’s time to step up your game and choose modern technology that matches the way you work. Leveraging the best technology along with a modern mindset will get you there!
