Excellence in Recruiting
Online Recruitment Strategies & Best Practices
Keeping Candidates Warm
I have heard from family and friends who have dealt with recruiters and have been at odds to figure out why recruiters have bothered to call them. The expectation 
from the recruiter and candidate about how and when they interact, can often differ quite vastly.
I can only assume that the purpose of some calls made by recruiters to candidates is to either “keep them warm” or to fish for information about other jobs that candidates have heard about or applied for so that the recruiter can attempt to recruit for that job also.
This leads me to ask the following two questions:
For candidates – if you are going to get you to take time out of your day to speak a recruiter, what are your minimum expectations from them ?
For recruiters – what level of contact with candidates, whom you are not currently putting forward for open roles is necessary and what is just a waste of time?
To quote Glen Cathey “anything that doesn’t provide value to candidates, employees, and hiring managers is waste.”
It is very common practice for recruiters to call candidates for a “chat”, asking questions that seem irrelevant to them but still not providing them with any worthwhile to apply to. This leaves a negative impression and seemingly wastes time for both the recruiter and the candidate, so why does it happen?
Likewise, is there value in interviewing candidates who you will not place, just to have on your database?
There are of course apparently good reasons as to why this happens. Many recruiters will put forward some very valid arguments for why they do this and may very often have a successful track record in place to back their argument up. It is certainly an area where I am keen to raise further discussion on and hear some of the reasons why recruiters believe that their method is the best route for them to take.
I believe that any approach taken should also be in the interest of both the candidate and the recruiter, not just the recruiter.
There are a number of different approaches used by recruiters:
Keeping Candidates Warm
This involves lining up candidates in a particular niche, “hot candidates” so to speak with the idea developing close relationships with them so that when a suitable position comes up, recruiters can place them.
Positives of this approach: as you have already built up good relationship with them, when suitable positions arise, you can put them forward very quickly. If they have had a good experience dealing with you, they may provide references or if they become a hiring manager may use your services at some stage in the future.
Negatives of this approach: it leaves bad impression if you do not place them or find suitable positions to send them forward for. It can be a waste of time and effort for all of the candidates which a recruiter does not place in roles.
Just in Time Recruiting:
This is the approach recommended by Glen Cathey, the “Boolean Black Belt”. He states
“in recruiting, your candidate pipeline is your inventory. More specifically, your work-in-process (WIP) candidate inventory. Candidates who you do not place (or put forward for positions) are waste inventory.”
Recycling “Hot Candidates”
As outlined by Jonathan Campbell of Social Talent in a recent webinar, this approach involves using Just in Time methods to source candidates for an open vacancy, developing a strong shortlist. Then, rather than moving onto building a shortlist for the next role, more potential employers are found for this hot shortlist and they are also put forward to these potential employers.
Personally, I believe that both efficiency and providing a high level of service are very important.
What works best for you and do you feel that there is room for doing this better?
Tags: agency bashing, HR Recruitment, Just in time recruitment, recruitment agencies, Recruitment Best Practices, Recruitment Process, The Candidate Experience
4 Responses to “Keeping Candidates Warm”
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Super hot topic and one that seem to gather strength and relevance as we are to some degree seeing a return to ‘competition/war for talent’
The below from a candidate for the last 8 months, and experienced recruiter counting 10+ years from agency through to corporate in-house/on-site with leading global brands.
This topic can either be seen from a simplistic supply and demand perspective and what cannot be placed is waste, or from a more holistic perspective and in relation to the wider and more long term implications.
As a candidate been through 60 job applications and/or job engagements, I can say that the overall candidate experience out there is at best average. This appear to be a common denominator worldwide and apply to anything from agents through to multinationals. One could say that this is just how it is and accept it, or one could say this is too lousy and much room for improvement. I am an advocate of the latter. What is the most annoying is that there appear to be a widespread level of indifference and absence of ‘duty/responsibility of care’ across the recruitment community. It has been argued that the sheer number of applicants for each role has created this situation, – to that I say BS. As known by any good recruiter, good recruitment is predominantly (60%!?) about process and ensuring and following this. It does not take the brain of Einstein to either ensure that an ATS or whatever means used is set up to provide some sort of response and/or communication. Even an e-mail send out using a template can do this, by which any communication and/or update/news can quickly be sent out. With 22 of my beforesaid 60 applications never acknowledgement of receipt (all roles applied for were on paper 80%+ match!) , and with others where promised feed-back upon initial contact made (details found upon agent making contact) it shows that not even this basic is being done right. On other occasions promised follow up call or slipped deadlines that never was. It does not take unreasonable time doing these things, and if a process/system established then there ought to be no excuse. Even a 2 liner message to say, ‘still awaiting hiring manager news’ will suffice, yet is more or less never seen. Failing to d this is like the boy/girfriiend never uttering the magic words or showing what they mean. We humans and the societies we live in are all built on interaction/acknowledgements and some kind of confirmation or interest. Without that we wither and interest is lost and we move on to the next subject/person/scenario.
I blame the failure and lack of above on the mind-set by recruiters and/or their managers that have this indifference and belief that it doesn’t really matter. – nothing could be further from the truth.
Apart from those that apply for roles totally out of touch with reality (plumber for an IT role) be they 60 or 75% match we need to understand that seeing matters in a holistic perspective might actually benefit us. Having worked in a recruitment capacity in a location of 5 million people where there is a good chance that someone knows someone, or at least indirectly so, I have first hand experiences of what this is about. It is about the message that you send out as a potential employer, about the fact that you do not know if the 40% match candidate has a relative or friend that could be a 100% match, and that by providing a professional service and being courteous you may (I repeat the word may) benefit from this. It is about rings spreading in the water, about the connection between what you say and do reflects on your brand and image and that people are much more conscious and connected than you may think.
So my bottom line is to show a substantial higher level of understanding and acknowledgement that everything at different levels matter and are connected, to change the mind-set from indifference to one that show true understanding that recruitment is about people, and that this is something that you care about, that you have an interest in and that you act within in a professional manner.
How about this scenario-Tell corporate HR to get there act together and actually understand how to read a resume!! Tell them to also realize there are great executive search firms out there who mean business, don’t try to compare, nor for that matter, care who there competition is, but rather, focusing on what firms they are working with, how much control managers these days actually have when it comes to hiring the best rather that dworky Human resources going through friends of theirs who work for these corrupt recruitment firms that are the very essense that is these days hurting not just agencies, but candidates. There is a disconnect it seems between what the reality of what’s occuring when it comes to the agency being the liasion between client and candidate. The recruiters are the ones these pathetic corporate chronies like blaming. To the candidates out there seriously looking for jobs who have great skillsets in whatever area of expertise they specialize in-Talk with various recruiters. Don’t judge them simply for their job functions but rather as individuals. If you want to bunch everyone who works as a recruiters together as these unethical, uneducated, people who do not know on any conceptual level what someone they are trying to target for a specific job does, than guess what. F off!!! These articles provide nothing but BS crapola that tries to promote hatred towards recruitment firms when many including mine are suffering badly do to the corporate chronism that has recently become worse throughout the course of the past two years. Thanks to social media sites, there has now become a total lack of building interpersonal relationships, and mutually rewarding ones for both clients, candidates, and recruiters..
@Dan
First off – you really should improve your grammar!
Secondly you have just done to HR professionals, exaclty what you claim some candidates do to you – which is bunch you together and assume you are all alike!
Having come from an external recruiter background of many years and now moved into internal recruitment within a corporate company, I can whole heartedly say that for one, I know how to read a CV – I have 15 years experience in reading them. I can also say that as an internal recruiter I know my company a lot better than you do and therefore if I tell an agency the CV they have sent is not suitable – then its not suitable.
I cant speak for other HR departments and how they work, but I can say that in the same way that you don’t appreciate being tarred with the same brush as all recruiters…neither do we.
@Dan
If you provide relentless best in class service and execution, have an in depth knowledge of market and the candidates you work with and can answer questions asked in this: http://www.recruitmentmillionaire.com/why-recruiters-all-sound-the-same/
then I see nothing but success ahead for you
If on the other hand not, – then perhaps something to be looked into
Please be advised that the Mark Whitby video is not a plug, simply that I think he asks some rather interesting questions.