Today's blog post is brought to you by our Information Technology Recruiter, Marny Barnes.
I am sure you have heard the cliché, “War for Talent”. I hate to give wind to that sail but it is true. There is a war for talent and in the growing world of information technology it is made even harder by this digital, web-connected world we live in.
There are LOTS of recruiters out there doing the same thing I am doing day in and day out - directly headhunting potential technologically talented candidates straight off the internet. I have heard from many of these candidates that they get a number of calls on a daily basis. What I don’t hear often is that the calls are relevant or anything less than a nuisance. Not only are they receiving multiple calls weekly and even daily, they are receiving calls that are sometimes not appropriate to what they are currently doing. Too often I hear that the roles are way too junior, too senior and in some cases, not related to their current job description at all! I have been told by these same candidates that they have minimized their online presence to be “harder to find” specifically to reduce the number of calls from recruiters. So how could I be different?
Four years ago when I first started recruiting for Information Technology, I realized just how important it was to make sure I had a strong online brand and presence. I knew that I wanted to be the recruiter that my candidates and clients could trust, engage with, relate to and “know” before we have even met. I was in a meeting with a client that had gone pretty well but it was not outstanding by any means. At the end of the meeting the client asked if I was the photographer by the same name that he had found online. I hesitantly confirmed that this was true. The client smiled and started asking all kinds of technically related questions; what camera did I use, how did I come up with this or that idea. The conversation went on for about another half hour and at the end I felt we had truly connected – and I left with a new IT search.
The situation with the client above helped me come to the realization that in order to best connect with the IT community, I needed to be where they were. They are online and so I need to be too. Why shouldn’t I be giving them the opportunity to get to know me before I need them and more importantly before they need me? It was very apparent that I needed to focus on building a transparent brand that allowed my network to really understand what I do and to share with them just how excited I am to work with them. One of the most important parts of being a recruiter is getting talented candidates to open up so I can help them find the right job FOR THEM. Building a strong online presence as an IT Recruiter became a priority. I wanted to offer others the opportunity to learn enough about me, to talk with me, so that when we sat down in an interview, there was already a relationship formed. I wanted to offer common ground, similar interests and a relaxed open atmosphere.
Thanks to the online community I have been connecting with, my network of IT candidates is thriving. I love finally meeting clients that I have been conversing with online and I enjoy meeting IT candidates that know as much about me as I know about them. I am excited to be a part of the way we do business in this ever changing market. What makes my job incredible is the opportunity to share what I love about technology with these candidates and more importantly to learn as much as I can about what makes them tick! What are they passionate and excited about? What about their jobs makes and keeps them happy? As a recruiter, it is so important to me that both candidates and clients get exactly what they are looking for out of working with me; “The Perfect Fit”! I love my job and I want to help you love your job too.
This network is also a huge benefit to my clients. When I advertise a new career opportunity, my network has been integral to helping me spread the word. Twitter retweets and LinkedIn shares have brought me some of the most amazing clients and candidates I’ve had the pleasure of working with. From Skullspace to the Secret Handshake Society, Twitter to LinkedIn, I have been learning the best places where I can contribute and make connections. I understand the power of targeted recruiting but I now also understand the power of being visible, of sharing information, of engaging in conversations and the power of digital relationships.
There is no one magic formula to recruiting. It is a constantly changing recipe of targeted calls, networking and just being present in all the right places; physical or virtual. And speaking of virtual, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter @MarnyBarnes or LinkedIn.
~ Marny Barnes
