At the beginning of any new hire search, we go through a checklist:
Draft or update the job description
Gather salary data
Decide on the interview process
Set the minimum requirements
Whether you are searching for candidates on your own or you have partnered with a recruiting firm, hiring teams can sometimes get fixated on those minimum requirements. If you only interview candidates that check every box, you can miss out on the perfect candidate, both for your role and your organization.
If you have decided to work with an outside firm, trust your recruiting partner. A good recruiting firm will have an in-depth knowledge of what you are looking for in your next hire. By getting to know your company and the position here are three value adds they bring to the table:
1. Think outside the box to find great candidates.
Yes, the requirements say that you would like a minimum of 7 years of experience. In addition to candidates that meet that specific requirement, your recruiting partner also found a great candidate with 5 years of experience and their master’s degree. Plus, this candidate has two published articles that are relevant to the work your company does. That candidate gets overlooked when focusing only on the checklist.
2. Send you candidates that don’t check all the boxes.
Many times, recruiters do our clients a disservice by rejecting candidates for black and white reasons. Many great candidates fall into that grey space. For example, the candidate is perfect, but they are $10K over your salary target. Your recruiting partner should send those candidates to you and let you decide if they are worth what they are asking in salary. Maybe you are looking for candidates with experience using a specific software tool. However, they have a superstar candidate that is using a very similar tool and could easily transition. This type of candidate should also come to you for consideration.
3. Give you advice and be willing to encourage you to talk to all types of candidates.
Every hiring manager would love to have five candidates to consider that meet all the minimum requirements, are at or below the salary target and will be a natural culture fit. While your recruiting partner is also working towards that goal, they should be giving you advice and encouraging you to talk with candidates you may not have initially considered. Once you get a clear understanding of why the recruiter sent the candidate to you and what they saw in that candidate, you will consider having an initial discussion with the candidate yourself.
Sometimes the best hires and the best employees come to us through open-minded searches, discussions, and evaluations.
If you are having a hard time finding a hire for your opening, we can help you find the right candidate by partnering with you and evaluating your search. Feel free to reach out and connect with one of our human resource and recruiting experts. Contact us at info@talentremedy.com or 703-362-0175 to set up a time to discuss how our team can support you.