The Re:Search Process (or why you cannot find the perfect hire in 24 hours)

I wish I had a nickel for every time a brand new client asked me if I could find them an ideal employee by the end of the week: "Can't you just pull someone off LinkedIn?" they ask.

In a word? No.

Believe me, I would love to find you a perfect hire by the end of the week. The faster I find you candidates, the faster I close the search, the faster I get paid, and the better the boat I can buy.

Did I mention I race sailboats in my spare time? Believe me, I like to move fast too!

The reality is, finding an ideal person to work in your company is a little like finding a life partner. Now, I could go online and find you a life partner in the next 30 seconds. 

But I'm guessing you would not like the result.

/image courtesy artur84/

The quality of your employees is essential to the success of your company. Not only do you need them to have the skills to do the job, but you need them to be a good fit for your organization. LinkedIn is a great tool but sadly it lacks the "Find the Perfect Employee" app (believe me, I've looked.)

Finding the right person takes time. On average, finding the best potential employees for your company takes four to six weeks. Good candidates tend to be busy people who enjoy their work. We do active headhunting, discovering who the best players in the industry are and talking to them about why they might be happier contributing their talents to you.

In addition to finding better candidates, the time we take to thoroughly research the market can give you valuable information about what is happening in your industry. The market data we gather gives you an assurance that you are hiring the best possible candidate on the market at the time. Some firms will offer to work with you on a contingency basis, firing resumes your way until you find someone who is good enough to hire. With our approach, we present you with the people we feel are the very best potential employees for you. It's true, you won't see resumes as quickly as your might with some other recruiting firms, but you won't have to spend valuable time meeting unsuitable candidates. And you won't always wonder if there was perhaps someone better out there if only you'd been more thorough. 

Good recruiting takes time and to shorten the process means you short-change yourself. Why just hire, when you can hire the best? 

When a Recruiter Reaches Out to You

As a recruiter, I reach out to a lot of people when I'm in the process of finding candidates for my clients.    Most of the people I reach out to are happily employed. Some politely tell me they are not interested. Some people are helpful and let me know what's going on in the industry (we love these ones!) And  some people never call or email me back.

Now, of course, I would love me to call you back. But here are some reasons it might be in your best interest to call a recruiter back even if you are not interested in a new job:

1. Market intelligence. I've likely been talking to all of your peers. I know who is hiring, who is shrinking, and what positions like yours tend to pay. While I might not be able to give you specific information about the job I'm searching for, I can let you know if you are in line with your peers.

2. Databases are forever. This is a digital age and most recruiters have information in a database. If you slammed down the phone and told us never to bother you again, we won't. And the next call might have been us offering you your dream job.

3. It's a small world. If I meet someone amazing, I tend to remember his or her name. If I hear about a colleague doing a search where you might be a perfect candidate, I'll call you. What's the worst thing that can happen? You'll have a reputation as a rock star with someone with access to jobs.

4. I am discreet. Believe it or not, if I immediately ran to your current boss and said "guess who I talked to," I'd be out of business." Recruiters know how to keep a confidence.

So next time you get a call from a recruiter, take a couple of minutes to be nice. You never know how it might help you down the road.