I am still on my journey of setting aside a part of my CEO responsibilities and spending some time as a recruiter to develop a deeper appreciation for the recruiter's craft. Here are more of my key takeaways.
Week 5: job boards aren’t that evil
They may get frustrating, however.
I understand why people are often hesitant to advertise on job boards. Posting a job ad yields many applications from unqualified candidates.
As you get through a pile of unprocessed applications, you become more and more discouraged. So did I.
I heard some recruiters say that job boards aren’t the place for top candidates - they can’t be located by the keyword search and they don’t hang out on job boards.
I disagree. I realize how easy it is to overlook a quality candidate in the stream of applications, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
As I connected to job boards with a single interface, things got clearer. I still had shortlisting to do, but at least I had every candidate in one place. I wouldn’t mind precise CV parsing to eliminate the chance of A-grade candidate falling through the cracks.
Recruiters, are job boards your friends or foes?
Week 6: you’re not as understaffed as you think
I often heard from agencies and in-house teams how their recruitment lacks people, therefore placements remain stagnant.
While in some cases it may be true, it’s largely a myth.
My last 3 weeks as a recruiter taught me: recruiters are surely busy. We often think “busy” means “productive”– it doesn’t.
I certainly was busy fighting job boards and screening resumes, but I was far from productive. The need for extra hours in the day became obvious.
I was wrong - it’s the efficiency of those hours is what matters, and the right technology makes a big difference there.
On those days when I “cheated” with tools, I not only found my tasks more enjoyable but got through them faster without sacrificing the quality. And it’s just one recruiter - think of what difference optimization would make to a whole department.
Recruiters, how do you work smarter - not harder?
Week 7: candidates want you to reach out on their terms
Today’s candidate is highly mobile, owns three or more devices and expects recruiters to understand their needs and engage appropriately.
Think of them as digitally empowered:
- Candidates openly share personal information expecting recruiters to use it for better personalization and to anticipate their needs.
- Candidates demand faster response times, they are quick to share good and bad experiences through social media and review websites.
- Candidates expect consistency in responses.
The challenge is that most candidates I spoke with prefer multichannel engagement over traditional channels. When I asked why candidates choose to call if they prefer another channel, they often said their preferred channel was not offered.
Phone calls and emails are the dominant touchpoints, but options such as live chat, messaging, SMS are usually among candidate preferences.
Companies that are winning the hearts of applicants prioritize one critical aspect: how they communicate.
Recruitment platforms that break away from only providing the traditional communications channels and adapt to multichannel engagements win with the best candidates.
How do you prefer to be engaged with?