In the recruiting world, our product is people. Finding top talent is hard enough, and guiding candidates through interviews to hopefully result in a placement is even more challenging. 

Recruiters are human and as such, are prone to mistakes like everyone else. If you want to increase your number of placements this year and start fostering better long-term relationships with strong connections, be sure to avoid these common mistakes.

#1 Not being strategic in sourcing talent

Strategy = efficiency when it comes to recruiting. Speed can be your greatest ally when searching for the best candidate for a position.

Make sure you have a process to follow so that when you experience success, you can “rinse and repeat”. It saves time to duplicate the steps that led to victory rather than try and reinvent the wheel with each new job assignment.

Your process should include contacting “warm” connections, or candidates you’ve worked with previously, and exhausting referral sources before “cold calling” and sending mass emails to those you’ve never spoken to.

This can also include strategizing and tailoring your approach based on location and job type. Sourcing candidates isn’t a one size fits all solution. A management candidate will likely prefer a personalized and thoughtful message where others may prefer a short note.

#2 Not qualifying candidate thoroughly

After sourcing candidates, you should have another process for qualifying them.

Based on the job assignment and client, you should brainstorm what questions this manager would find most valuable. The answers will help you to further verify that a candidate has the required skills and help to make a more attractive submittal.

Nothing is worse to a Hiring Manager than receiving multiple resumes that a recruiter hasn’t properly vetted or in some cases, even contacted about the current opening.

It’s important to learn as much as we can about a candidate’s work history, goals, financial expectations, frustrations and if they are genuinely interested (or not) in a particular job.

When we don’t properly understand these details, we leave ourselves vulnerable to turned down offers, interview no-shows, and candidates quitting shortly after accepting new positions.

#3 Poor Communication

Recruiters often get a bad rap for not following up with candidates, and part of that is due to the enormous volume of applicants, thanks to digital job boards, “easy apply” features, and electronic communication methods. Most recruiters are juggling hundreds of candidates at any given time, but we must strive to be better communicators in 2020.

There is nothing worse in the candidate experience than learning the details of an exciting opening, being interviewed, only to never hear from said recruiter again.

If your aim is to grow a network of connections for the long term, you owe it to candidates to give them clarity and closure as much as you can. This is a necessary step in showing that you value the individual and appreciate their time, regardless of any final decisions.

Some recruiters skip this step and that is always a mistake. It reflects poorly on you and your firm, and candidates remember.

Remember, high activity does not necessarily equal productivity. Work smarter in 2020.

By stepping up your strategy when sourcing, thoroughly vetting and increasing communication with candidates, hopefully, you will be off to a great start this year!