I challenge everyone to pick up the phone when anyone calls you at all times!
Today I want to post about "talking" as a sourcing tool. Recruiters often tell me that they have searched every paid resume board, all the freebies, LinkedIn. That is when I typically recommend that they try a low tech tool - the telephone! Call everyone, call their references, call someone's mother and talk with them about a job! If you have checked every site in your arsenal and can't find anyone - maybe there is a true shortage or maybe there is something wrong with the way you are searching or the pitch you are using. But you won't know for sure until you start talking to the people that would really know - the people that work alongside the people you are trying to recruit.
Now, don't expect gainfully employed, busy people that you have never spoken with to drop everything and call you back, that is not what I am recommending. Rather, call the people that you have spoken to in the past, people you used to work with, candidates you have placed or people that already work for your company. Good people know other good people. But you won't find that out unless you pick up the phone!
Be upfront and honest, tell them that you are not calling to recruit them, and tell them that you need their help. Explain the challenges that you are facing - whether it is finding the right combination of skills or getting people to call you back. Ask them what they think of the position as you describe it and tell them what you are saying in your pitch. You will get immediate feedback on what is important to your target candidates, where they network, how they like to be contacted, why they are in high demand and you will probably even get some referrals!
So, next time you are frustrated with the results you are getting and find yourself searching for the latest and greatest Internet sourcing tool, try picking up the phone and see what you get. And, if you have success with this approach, please comment here so we can all learn from each other!
Just remember recruiters, those who survive this will come out stronger than ever! Be innovative, underpromise and overdeliver.
The smartest and the best recruiters are out on the street having coffee with those inquiring about their employment; attending every trade show, association, and conference possible, reading functional magazines with hiring managers and contacting people who write letters to the editors, paying restaurant managers $10 at the end of the week for the business card bowls, and most of all, collecting lots of data - lots of it. This is so much harder than running ads and pulling resumes off job boards.
Pick up the phone! Money is calling you.