WHO PREFERS TEXT OR EMAIL, YOU OR YOUR CANDIDATES?
Many recruiters believe candidates will only communicate by email or text. As a result, these same recruiters are often ignored by the top talent they want to represent.
Let’s step back for a minute and view what we do through the eyes of a candidate. Too often, candidates are emailed by numerous recruiters they don’t know, who pitch jobs that don’t interest them and quite frankly they see no benefit, in responding.
It’s much easier to ignore an email or text, because there is no human interaction and there is nothing different between you and every other recruiter reaching out to them. The same holds true for in mail on LinkedIn. Candidates are inundated with requests to connect and unless they know you or understand how they can BENEFIT they often ignore your request.
To successfully connect with top talent, initially set up a conversation to discuss their career goals, not a specific job. You may initially call someone on their job, but set up a time around their working hours, when it’s most convenient for them to talk.
At a recent IT Conference, many attendees said they are more than open to talk about career advancement, when they get home from work. Recruiting is a career, and you must be willing to talk to talent when they can talk, which is often not between the hours of 8-5:00
Once you’ve established rapport with a candidate, every third contact should be a conversation always focused on the benefits of them talking to you. However, when you need quick response, texting is often the fastest way to communicate.
Recruiting is a relationship building Profession and candidates want to work with a Recruiter they like and someone they can trust. This can only be accomplished if you show your candidates the value of using all means of communication.
Technology has made us more efficient, but top talent has learned to hide behind the technology. Bottom line: Candidates will talk to you, if they feel you can benefit them and help advance their career.
Senior Recruiter - Talent @ Recurly | SaaS | Subscriptions | Payments | Revenue Recognition
4yFor reach outs - I always call - if I don't connect, leave a voice message, then send an email, then I text. I never text first or text only unless speed is of the essence.
Small Business REMOTE Solutions’ Strategists & Career Transition Experts- RETIRED.
4yThis has been and will continue to be a people business so I thoroughly agree! This has never been a 9-5 role for recruiters, whether you are in corporate or if you are a search firm recruiter. If you love what you do and have passion to connect great folks with top notch opportunities, it is easy to do.
Regional Recruiting Manager at Leaf Home Solutions
5yThe initial conversation is crucial; as stated one cannot build a relationship via text. After the connection is initiated, emails and texts can be more efficient.
Founder at BizBuddy
5yNice article @Barbara ... Do you know if recruiters ever consider creating custom web pages for top talent? The reason I ask is my preference when being solicited is email ➡️phone call. I do a lot of outreach myself for a personal YouTube channel where I have to convince businesses to part with free products that can cost thousands of dollars (so not the easiest ask). One of the things that has worked well for me is to create a custom web page that explains what I'm trying to do. For example, I was trying to get free inflatable kayaks: ➡️https://ericworral.com/pitch/inflatable-kayaks/ ... the first company I contacted ended up partnering with me and they shipped out a couple grand of free kayaks. After talking with them they said they get a lot of people reaching out asking for free product but that the webpage and video on the page sold them on me. I'm just thinking if I was in tech recruiting (working towards this) and someone sent me an email with a good subject line and then a good call to action to click a link that said www.acmerecruiting.com/eric-worral/ ... I'm clicking that link 10 out of 10 times because someone thought enough of me to create a custom webpage for me and we're all a little egotistical and want to click on our name to see what it says. Then on the page have a 90-second video (not custom) about who you are and why you're reaching out and include some custom content on the page that speaks specifically to them (could just be a highlight of some experience they have). Then offer a form to collect their information and their preferred outreach method and on a thank you page you could create a calendly link or something of that nature. Thanks for the LinkedIn course on Technical Recruiting by the way... I'm learning a ton from your content.
Senior Accountant/Analyst with 15+ years of increasing experience in areas of SOX compliance, General Ledger, Reconciliations, Financial Analysis
5yI think it all depends on the generation. I prefer a phone call, but will communicate via e-mail. The intern I work with is all about text. Know your audience.