Don’t believe the hype!
I’ve seen a lot of different ‘gurus’ on LinkedIn and Facebook pushing random strategies that don’t really seem to move the needle. Given that I need to continue to communicate and share content, I thought I would share a couple of strategies I see over and over that don’t get it done….
1) Write great job descriptions!
In modern times, reading a job description is like reading IRS paperwork. Many believe if you change the layout, change the verbeage, change the focus – you will have a pretty nice job description that everyones interested in.
The only issue is you don’t want everyone to be interested in it, you only want qualified candidates interested. In our process, we ditch the job description (for the most part) and create a job invitation that doesn’t look anything like a description to filter and entice the right kind of people to opt-in for a conversation.
2) Buy a job posting on LinkedIn/Google/Indeed!
This is a fair strategy if the role itself isn’t of a critical focus. Typically, paying for job postings does not get a good return if you’re looking for someone at the top of their game. Reason being, typically the best candidates aren’t surfing the web for job ads, they’re too busy knocking the cover off of the ball every single day. They may not even be answering emails or calls from recruiters… You won’t typically find your best candidate on a job board.
3)Post status updates on LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter that you have an available job!
Now, this is a great action to take, but not what we would call a full strategy. Many gurus are espousing that if you just update your status every day eventually the right person will show up on your doorstep. Wrong. It does move the needle a teeny bit, but a social update action should really be one step in a huge outbound process you’re creating.
4) Host a Periscope/Facebook Live to Recruit Candidates!
This one is actually kind of funny because I can only imagine how a hiring manager would feel after attempting this one if they aren’t from a Fortune 500 (or more likely, 100) company. For those that don’t know, Periscope is a live streaming platform. You can get on and stream a video of yourself and interact with commenters.
This would be great if you are Coca Cola, Gucci, Apple, or gigantic names that would end up driving a lot of traffic by name alone. If you are a local or regional distributor, you will likely spent 15-30 minutes sitting in a room of 5-10 people that have nothing to do with what you’re looking for.
5) Make a Recruiting Video and Post it to LinkedIn/Facebook/Youtube!
From this list of five, this suggestion is actually very good if you make a high quality video. I have seen companies phone it in with their recruiting video where its either a person talking into a camera for 2-5 minutes, or its a Windows Movie Maker edited introduction of the office that just looks terribly low effort.
If you’re interested in employing this tactic, it’s really all about showing who your company is and why someone would want to work there. This is effective because it gives a direct look at your firm internally and could possibly end up going semi-viral depending on the quality. The issue is, most people phone it in.
If you’re interested in getting some strong recruiting process that will work time and time again on a long-term recruiting horizon. Check out our Recruiting Blueprint located at www.legacysearch.net/elite-talent-blueprint
