The Recruiting Blog | People First Recruiting

Blogging, tweeting, Facebook, and LinkedIn are really quite new to me and People First Recruiting.   Yet more often now, we are getting questions and requests for advice about how individuals or firms can begin their own social journey.   I can’t tell you how surprising this is to us given how new we are at this.  Yet maybe, just maybe the hard work and energy we have been putting into this is starting to pay off - because people are noticing.  Besides it’s great that we can help and when it comes to social media, that’s really what it is all about.
In fact, that was one of the first lessons we learned about social media – be helpful to others.  Share and help others with tips, knowledge and at times advice in the business you consider yourself to be good at.  In our case it’s recruiting.  Helping others by sharing information online (for free) is the essence of this fabulous new way of recruiting candidates and growing our recruiting business.

So for this blog I want to give a shout out to a few of the organizations and individuals who have helped us along the way:

• Matthew Shepherd, a Social Media consultant.  He was our first  “live instructor”.  He showed us the way and set us on the path by teaching us about the various social channels and the ones that are the most appropriate for our business; @MatShepSEO
• Colleen Holloway and Colin Whitney at ThinkShift, our creative, energetic partners who helped us bring life and identify to our brand as well as our beloved Purple Squirrel; @twistntoad and @ColinWhitney
• Content Marketing Institute and the Content Marketing World conference in 2011 – this is where Annette Kohut (our Social and Content Leader) and I had our AHA moment.  This place was where the reason for us taking this social journey in the first place all came together;
• Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion.  A passionate business owner that embraced blogging a few years ago.  He was a speaker at a conference I attended and gave me the inspiration I needed to begin blogging myself; @TheSalesLion
• Sociable! A book authored by Shane Gibson and Stephen Jagger.  First book I read which put social media and content into perspective for me.

The reality is we are beginners still in training, we’re taking risks and learning through trial and error.   We receive great, and at times not so great feedback and comments yet we remain fiercely committed to this because we believe it is essential to our clients, candidates and our overall business success.  Plus, it’s fun – we wouldn’t be doing it otherwise.
One of the most frequent questions asked is “how do you find the time” and honestly we are still working at this every day.  For me though I am lucky I have a fabulous Social and Content Manager who is also our Talent Sourcer, the amazing Annette Kohut.  Take some time to visit her post Newbies on the social recruiting block, about her experience and thoughts.

Karin

If you are involved in the recruitment of staff for you organization, then the scenario below should be familiar to you.

• The need for a new recruitment is identified in your organization.
• You assemble the stakeholders, have several meetings and discussions concerning the ideal candidate’s qualifications and experience.
• You develop the job profile, bring together the recruitment and selection team and begin preparing your search strategy.

Then, the search begins

• You look under every stone to find people who have the skills you and your stakeholders desire.
• Several promising individuals get pre-screened, interviewed and qualified.
• The qualified individuals have now been narrowed down to a short list of 1, 2, 3 or more.
• Stage two interviews start and a finalist begins to emerge!

You have found your Purple Squirrel, you are sure of it.

But you’re not quite done.

Now the “courting” phase begins – a time of getting to know each other, of not wanting to look too eager but also not playing hard to get. A time of uncertainty and excitement as you imagine how well this candidate will fit into your organization. Yes, it might sound like dating but in the world of recruitment the courting phase is the moment of truth, the point where the rubber meets the road. You might want 'The Candidate', but will they want you?

So you meet again to discuss the position, you answer questions, you talk about career and advancement opportunities, training plans and on-boarding plans and compensation. Corporate information is given, company tours occur, more meetings with supervisors and colleagues, and finally a lunch or a dinner meeting. You are convinced this candidate is the one.

After a de-brief with the stakeholders, it’s unanimous, they agree with you and an offer is drafted. You are thrilled to extend an offer to the candidate and so you wait with bated breath for them to accept and a day or so later the candidate calls you and…

respectfully declines.

Never mind the disappointment that sweeps over you because right now you have to deal with the panic that’s setting in when you realize you have no one else.

And why is there no one else? Because you stopped looking as soon as you thought you had found 'the one'.

This scenario happens more often than many of us would like to admit. It is what we like to call the euphoric stage of the recruitment, where everything is sunshine and lollipops and the possibility of a no doesn’t exist so we aren’t prepared when it happens. It’s what leads us to stop the recruitment when we shouldn’t have. Now you have to start all over again.

However, it doesn’t have to be this painful. Sometimes these simple reminders can help you avoid intense frustration, disappointment, time and money.

• It ain’t over ‘til it’s over - even if an offer is extended.
• Dedicate time everyday to focus on the search. Even if you have a shortlist of great candidates.
• Be creative and willing to ask for help.  Involve everyone in your organization – creating awareness ensures a solid candidate flow.
• Don’t rely solely on job postings yet don’t remove any until the position is filled – potential candidates should always be encouraged to apply.
• Keep your stakeholders advised along the way – help them with these reminders as well. They too can get caught up in that euphoric stage.
• And the last reminder?

Happy Hunting!

Does your organization work with a recruiter?  Have you always wanted to?  To learn more about getting the most out of the recruitment process download our whitepaper:

The Groundhog is the most famous member of the Sciuridae family who gets world attention one day a year.

We decided to have some fun here at the office and take this moment to shed light on the more elusive, lesser known cousin that we recruiters celebrate not just one day, but every day:

The Purple Squirrel.