Recently, we put together a list of tech recommendations for independent and lean internal recruiters called, “The Agile Technology Guide for Modern Recruiters.”
While technology has certainly changed the recruitment industry in many ways, the magic of recruiting still happens in relationships. The ability to facilitate meaningful interactions with both candidates and employers will make or break any recruiter.
The tips we expand on below are included in the e-book as well as 40 technology recommendations to get you started on building a tech toolbox that will support your efforts if you want to jump ahead and get all of the recommendations at once.
The strategies here are based on one fact we know about successful recruiters: Rockstar recruiters conduct outreach like marketers. Let’s jump in.
1. Utilize multiple touchpoints
If you want to make sure you’re getting in front of someone, be sure to have several options to reach out to them — email, phone number, SMS, paid advertising, and social media profiles are common. You can get more insight on how to reach out through multiple media channels in our recent blog post showing independent recruiters how to get contact information at scale.
2. Be human
This should go without saying, but remember your candidates are busy people with career aspirations to either move beyond their current role or to find satisfying work. Remember candidates are people too so focus on building a relationship with them — if they’re not a good fit for a particular role you have available at the time, you never know what may change in the future.
3. Target and personalize your messages
Remember Bart Simpson’s famous chalkboard punishment? Make one of your own in your mind that says, “I will not copy/paste.” It’s that important. While you can templatize details of the role or your own introduction, be sure to personalize each message to speak to that candidate. It may take a bit more time, but ultimately, a standardized message will take more time if it doesn’t resonate with any of the recipients enough to respond.
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4. Create an impressive email signature
One tip from our recruiter community came from Danny Powell — be sure your email address and signature look professional. It may seem logical, but you would be surprised. If you don’t have your own domain, that’s okay, just don’t use AOL or MSN for your email address as those senders have an association of being out of date. Instead, use Gmail (or sign up on RecruitLoop to get your own personalized email address).
5. Run small experiments and test often
Not sure if you have the formula right for outreach yet? Start small and reach out to a few people using what you have today and course correct as you go. If you’re seeing a low response rate or you don’t seem to be getting through to candidates, adjust and test again with a small group.
6. Leverage automation where possible
So much of modern recruiting is in finding hacks and tools that increase efficiency so you can focus on what you do best. Wherever possible, use automation hacks to simplify your workflow — just be sure automation doesn’t interfere with personal relationships. There are many hacks online about creating your own email auto-responders based on a selection of criteria, using filters to keep your inbox organized, and more.
Get the E-book
Next, we’ll be covering the tools you can use to support your candidate outreach efforts, but if you want to jump ahead, download “The Agile Technology Guide for Modern Recruiters” today and see how modern tech can change the way you work.
In this 60-page e-book, you’ll find:
- Seven stages in the modern recruiter’s workflow;
- Technology recommendations for each stage;
- An overview of features and benefits for each platform recommended; and
- A printable, at-a-glance technology matrix of all of the tools included
Author
Paul Slezak
With over two decades of experience in the recruitment and human capital industry, Paul Slezak has established himself as a transformative force in the realm of leadership and career coaching, group facilitation, and talent acquisition. His unique perspective, drawn from his early career as a leader in global recruitment firms and his entrepreneurial success with his own start-up, has enabled him to make a significant impact on leaders, teams, and organizations across the world. Paul's passion for helping others achieve success and high performance is evident in his commitment to transforming leaders and their teams at local, national, and international levels. He specializes in promoting the importance of human-centered intelligence, focusing on soft skills such as authenticity, transparency, and trust to complement business-centered acumen and drive better workplace outcomes. As an impartial facilitator, Paul brings his expertise to team offsites and strategy days, ensuring alignment on goals, values, and culture while keeping participants on task. His engaging and energetic presence, coupled with his unique "entertraining" and "edutaining" delivery style, enables him to connect with audiences both large and intimate, sharing personal and professional anecdotes that inspire and energize.
