In our blog, Why Dinosaur Recruiters are Heading for Extinction we condemn the bad practices that are still being carried out by old-school recruiters averse to change. Whilst it’s important to us to highlight these out of date processes and the consequences they have when sourcing talent, it’s also necessary to praise the innovative and modern recruiters, using methods that are adapting to the changes in the market.
Though dinosaur recruiters are still the prevailing variety, there are other ways to approach staffing in the modern age, and some recruiters are adopting these new ways of sourcing, attracting, and engaging top talent.
Sourcing in the digital age
Above all, the recruiters of today and tomorrow should be experts at modern sourcing in the digital age. This is partially a matter of skill, and partially a matter of knowing where to look.
LinkedIn’s MAU percentage has been in free-fall for several years, and the industry’s most qualified and experienced professionals are looking for alternatives. In the digital space, top candidates are engaging with likeminded individuals and congregating on sites like SpiceWorks; offline, they’re networking at industry events and meetups.
The need to broaden and diversify the general search area has never been more urgent.
Branding
Never underestimate the power of reputation. A recruiter that can rely on their company’s brand, is a recruiter that has an immediate competitive advantage over others.
Some of this is to do with rethinking the way in which social platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are used. A staffing professional who establishes a reputation as a pest only undermines their company’s brand, but if they (and the organisation) are creating and sharing helpful content, they enhance it.
The very best, however, are also conscious of the image they are personally conveying both online and offline. The candidate is king, and candidate experience is key to making them feel like one. The overconfident, oily, salesman like tactics of yesteryear aren’t going to cut it, so concentrate on forging meaningful connections with candidates. Recruiters who practice this, know that if they treat each potential hire with humanity and respect, they stand a much better chance of gaining that crucial referral.
Community and talent management
The most successful modern recruiters have access to unique candidates, people who are not only not looking for jobs, but are also unwilling to talk to any other staffing professional. They’re the lynchpins of online communities.
Again, it’s a matter of engagement – these recruiters have built and now manage communities of top rated talent, forging connections and speaking to these passive candidates as equals. They get them to share their plans and ambitions, and work with candidates to help them achieve their most coveted goals.
There’s nothing transactional about the way these staffing professionals work. They’re looking to create a network of skilled, qualified professionals – a group of highly desirable hires who treat them as their first port of call.
Influencing
Where the dinosaur recruiter attempts to use charisma to win people over, the modern recruiter must deploy these skills with more finesse. Industry knowledge is critical, as is personalisation. Mass InMails or emails aren’t going to cut it, and neither is a vacancy listing filed thoughtlessly to every major job board. Getting to know what candidates want and how to give it to them is crucial.
Truly modern recruiters don’t try to crowbar professionals out of their present roles or wear them down via attrition. They build a rapport, they influence, they create a vision of a happier, more fulfilled future, and ask the candidate if they’d like it to become a reality.
Art and science
Success in the dynamic, digital labour market requires a range of core competencies and skills, and a good deal of effort. The best recruiters balance sophisticated human influencing skills with technological nous. They understand the highly specific HR needs of their companies, and they develop and implement complementary resourcing strategies to make the right hires.
These recruiters keep an eye on their brand equity and they make sure they’ve stayed up-to-date with the latest developments in their target niche. The modern recruiter strikes a fine balance between the art and the science of it all – because talent management of the future requires no less.
The world of staffing has changed, and change can be a little uncomfortable. However, with the right attitude, the right skills, and the right strategy designed for the digital age, you can certainly make a success of sourcing, attracting, engaging and securing the top talent that your business needs to thrive.
