Hello Recruiter – Tap all Channels!
Many times I had to face the challenge of losing a smart recruiter and then trying to find an equally good replacement. Finding a good Recruiter is akin to a blessing. My team would meet many candidates to find the right person to fill the role. I would like to recount my meeting with an individual who claimed to be a smart recruiter. This is how the conversation transpired:
On Sourcing Strategy:
Jay Menon: What are the sourcing strategies adopted by your team in your current company?
Recruiter: Easy Sir! sourcing strategy used is to try various strings in job portals. Whenever we get a JD from the business team or the Customer, we discuss internally within our team and arrive at various strings for searching resumes. Sometimes, even my boss helps us with some good search strings.
JM: So is using search string your sourcing strategy?
R: Yes we are very unique Recruiters because very few are good in searching.
On Social Media usage:
JM: How is social media helping you in recruitment and what is its proportion in your overall sourcing strategy?
R: Sir, ayyo! I don’t use social media. Utter waste. Our Delivery Manager generally demands 10 resumes for each position and it is possible only through job portals. Sir, how can we get resumes quickly through Social Media sourcing? We never get any contact number or can even judge whether the person suitable to the JD will really be interested in an opening we have. So, spending time on Social Media is a waste.
JM: But which are the Social Media Channels you would normally like to use?
R: Sir, I had Facebook and LinkedIn Accounts. But I am not using them for any official purpose now. Total time waste. And we are not allowed to use FaceBook and LinkedIn in the office. Even if I post jobs on LinkedIn and Facebook, no one applies and if at all I get a response, it will not be useful.
JM: If Social Media is not helping, how come Companies are claiming that 30% – 40% sourcing comes from Social Media channels?
R: Sir, it’s all just marketing techniques. How can we get resumes from these channels easily Sir. Very difficult!
On Career Plan:
JM: Why do you want to pursue this role – as a Recruiter?
R: Sir, Recruitment is the stepping stone in HR. I want to explore the entire HR field and want to become an HR Head. Without knowing the first step, Sir, how can I become a good HR Head?
On Education:
JM: You have done very well in school and in Engineering, so why do you want to become a Recruiter?
R: Sir, frankly, I feel recruitment is very light. No pressure. And no need for any deep knowledge in any subjects. We need to understand JD, get resumes from Portals and coordinate. It is very easy Sir.
Companies spend enormous time and money to create the right strategy for recruitment, but in reality, this is what happens at the ground level. You will come across many in the recruitment field who would have started with this on some other such reason. Recruitment is an art and at the same time, a very intelligent game. Everyone cannot continue and grow into a good Recruiter.
A good Recruiter must understand all sourcing techniques i.e. using Portals, Social Media, Networking, Headhunting, Referencing and using their own database. Using Social Media is very effective to get the right candidates and Recruiters must learn all avenues of Recruitment. Same time, there is a need to stop the volume game and Hiring Managers should focus on quality rather than quantity.
I would strongly say that it is high time we engage and coach highly passionate people for Recruitment; otherwise, Companies will face enormous loss in revenue and in identifying the right candidates who can aid their growth.