Do Great Candidates No Longer Exists: Getting Out of your Recruiting Slump

You have had an open position on your team for weeks now and it seems that every candidate who you have interviewed has been a complete dud. Can it be that all the great candidates are already taken up? Not likely, but it could be that you just aren’t reaching the right candidate for the position. Recruiter marketing is just as important as consumer marketing if not more so because the right employee can boost the brand to new heights while a bad employee can break the bank. But fret not, there are ways to get out of your recruiting slump and find a true rock star.

1)     Re-imagine the Position
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Top-tier candidates want to be challenged and continue learning throughout their career. If they are ready to leave their current position it often means they have grown complacent and don’t feel like they are growing anymore. That is where you come in. When defining what the role will look like avoid consolidating tasks that mirror every other job posting for similar positions. Marketing is about making your position stand out, differentiate it by creating a unique position the candidate cannot find elsewhere. This may entail creating a lively company culture, investing in new revolutionary methods, or encouraging out-of-the-box solutions. If money is the only differentiator you have for your position, then be prepared to replace your employees quickly once another company comes and offers them a bigger paycheck.

2)     Drop the Outdated Job Description

Useful tip: Never reuse your job descriptions. The world is constantly changing and thus so are the tasks and challenges that your employees take on. If you reuse a job description that was written the last time the position was open five years ago, then you are going to get a candidate who is equipped to deal with the challenges you faced five years ago rather than today. Similarly, updating an old job description is just as bad because it limits your scope of what the position could look like to what the candidate’s predecessors have already done before. Create a new and unique job description for each position that becomes available that builds upon current team strengths, fills team limitations and takes into account current and future challenges, changes in the workplace, and new technologies. It may seem like a lot of work, but it will help you stay true to your vision of the company and current needs.

3)     Stop Posting on Job Boards

Posting a job on a job board is the equivalent of trying to catch a big fish in a crowded pond. Sure you may get a lot of nibbles and bites, but more than likely they don’t possess the qualifications you are looking for. You want an employee who is dedicated and passionate about your company and who seeks you out. You deserve an employee who has a proven record and is proud of the work they put forward. Well, it turns out most people like that already have a job. They are the passive candidates who are happy with their current jobs but might be persuaded with an interesting and challenging opportunity. That’s where 3rd party recruiters can help out as your company ambassadors and their vast network.

4)      Team Up With an Outside Recruiter

The number one excuse that hiring managers say for not choosing an outside recruiters is that the HR department already utilizes in-house recruiters. That’s fine for roles that are easier to fill or may be filled internally. However, the biggest drawback of in-house recruiters is that they are company branded meaning their network is limited to only people who have thought about working for you in the past or people they have already reached out to. Third-party recruiters have a broad network of candidates and can introduce your positions to a whole new audience of candidates from various different backgrounds whom in-house recruiters would have never known existed.

5)     Personify the Job

A job posting shouldn’t just stay on the page. Like a story, the candidate should be able to see themselves in the position and feel invested in the outcome. Job descriptions that simply outline day-to-day duties fail to intrigue a candidate to apply. However, job postings that outline current challenges, company direction, and past or present projects allow a candidate imagine possible solutions and what it might be like to one day get to present these solutions to you as their future employer. The candidate is now more invested in the challenge you present in addition to the job, salary, and benefits that the job will offer.

​If you are in a recruiting slump don’t fret. There are ways to get you the rock star candidate you have been searching for. Albert Einstein said, “insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Try a new recruiting strategy or team up with DCAProSearch as your recruiting partner and see how it changes the caliber of the candidates you receive.