Today’s economy has flooded the labor pool creating more of a labor ocean; there are more people available to work than there are available jobs.  On a very basic level, this means recruiters are inundated with applicants all vying for a handful of opportunities. The already-difficult task of finding the “needle in a haystack” just got a heck of a lot more daunting.

All in a Day’s Work

In the past, not-for-profit employers relied on executive recruiters and other professionals to lure top talent to their organizations.  When jobs were plentiful, prized executives and others were hand-picked and courted to accept new challenges.  Today, this is often not the case.  Good recruiters understand that candidate interaction begins far beyond the first phone call; rather, it begins on social media sites, company websites, job postings and word of mouth. They know that highly skilled and credentialed executives are reviewing web postings and are networking with popular social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Given this knowledge, good recruiters do not think of themselves as simply recruiters. Instead, they consider themselves marketing and public relations experts. They are more than willing to leverage new technology and networking platforms for the greater good of their strategic candidate search. They work to ensure that all candidate interactions are memorable.  Good recruiters are brand managers working tirelessly to increase brand awareness and to provide excellent customer service to clients, hiring managers and candidates.

One Bad Apple Spoils the Whole Bunch

It is clear that the job function of recruiters has expanded to encompass a variety of venues, and candidate expectations of them have followed. As the candidate pool swells, and as candidate expectations broaden, there seems to be a widening black hole between potential employees and recruiters in terms of their ongoing relationships.  In an industry that thrives on cultivating relationships, this could ultimately mean big trouble.

In the industry, we hear a lot of gripes about the job search. One frequent candidate complaint regarding recruiters is that once a search process begins, they never receive feedback from the recruiter. Candidates are often not able to get in touch with anyone after the initial interaction, and sometimes, there is no contact after a first, a second, or even a third interview!

The lack of communication is not intentional. Rather, the current organizational system supporting candidate maintenance simply isn’t able to keep up with the number of available applicants actively seeking employment!

GASP

Now is the time for employers to streamline the candidate search process and get to back to customer service basics. A recruiter’s number one priority should always be to ensure a positive candidate experience.

Back to Basics Guide for Nonprofit Recruiters

1. Do your research: Identify and understand your candidate pool and what is most important to the individuals: location, compensation, being hired quickly?
2. Write a detailed job description.: With the opportunity of social media acting as a casual liaison between candidates and recruiters, there is no longer the need for stuffy, buttoned-up job descriptions. Be clear, candid and detailed about the desired qualifications of a position. Include information regarding company culture, compensation, job responsibilities and position requirements.
3. Use Internet Job Boards:  Job boards help cast a broader net for non-profit candidate searches and can easily identify candidates in specific geographic locations or industries.
4. Interview: Maximize interactions during the interview process. Seek informal interaction opportunities with the candidate in addition to the standard interview.
5. Keep in Touch: Always provide feedback, and never burn a bridge! A 30-second email could yield a promising referral. Contact your candidates how they typically communicate — email, telephone, text messaging or social networking.  This is key to building relationships with your candidates and for leaving a positive, lasting impression.
6. Communicate: Dedicate specific pockets of time in your day for checking voicemail, email and social media sites as well as for responding to inquiries.  TIP: Set up recurring calendar reminders.
7. The Golden Rule: Do unto your candidates as you would have a recruiter do unto you!
8. Trust Your Instincts

Understand that good recruiting is a marketing function and not merely an administrative role. Good recruiting increases your brand awareness, attracts top talent, protects your organization’s reputation and always pays dividends.

Last updated on November 11th, 2009 at 11:48 pm