Goin' Fishing ... for recruiters?

Goin' Fishing... for talent?

Have you ever had a great tour guide? A great fishing captain? How’d you find them? I bet they didn’t come from Yelp or Groupon. My guess is word of mouth. Probably a friend or mentor you trust implicitly. What makes them great though? They deliver a great experience and a great outcome. Do you still remember the feeling of your cheeks hurting from that smile after catching the big one your guide led you right to?  Did you re-use that person? I bet it was just as great the second time. 

Finding a great recruiter is no different than finding a great fishing captain. Anyone can write a job description. Anyone can post it on LinkedIn. Anyone can delegate that same task to an employee to message 1,000 people. Anyone can schedule an interview. It’s no different than buying a rod with a line on it and putting it in the water. 99% of the time, if you catch anything, it’s trash (read: Catfish). Catching dinner and catching fish are not the same. Finding great people and finding candidates are not the same either. 

Great fishing captains incorporate weather patterns, time of day, what bait to use, how to present the bait, how to tie the knot, what size hooks to use, how to hook the fish and how to bring the fish to the boat. They seem as if they are one with the water. Great recruiters do the same thing. They incorporate growth cycles, vesting schedules, different messages for each functional domain, different channels for candidates, guidance on compensation, strategies to excite someone to join your company and ensure that the candidate makes an impact on day one. 

If your company is serious about growing, maybe it’s time to think about your current recruiting processes and how you can be doing things better. The Headrace Talent Advisory System is the best place to get started doing things better. If you're interested in up-skilling your hiring, please reach out to us at grow@headrace.com and get started today.