Combining Old & New Recruiting

How to combine "old fashioned" recruiting tactics with new technologies (Excerpted from Lou Adler's article on Linked In)

By embedding old-fashioned, high-touch concepts earlier into the process, technology can be used to hire for performance and fit rather than skills and efficiency. Here are some ideas our clients have used to successfully make this transition.

1. Use compelling multimedia stories instead of boring job descriptions. This is story-based job posting but imagine it with a video by the hiring manager.
2. Add a two-step apply process. Change your apply process to require those who want to be “official” applicants to submit a short write-up of an accomplishment most related to real job needs. Here’s the legal basis for this. This two-step process will self-eliminate 90% of all candidates resulting in huge cost and efficiency savings.
3. Talk to fewer pre-qualified prospects. Narrow your sourcing to people who are performance-qualified, those who possess the Achiever Pattern and who see your role as an obvious career move. This increases the odds the person will respond to an email and ensures hiring managers will see these people and likely make an offer that will be accepted.
4. Nurture and network. Sell the exploratory discussion, not the job. By removing the time pressure, using multiple contact techniques and going slower, you’ll actually speed things up and get great referrals in the process.
5. Phone screen everyone without video. Use this validated phone screen to determine if the person can do the work, fit with the culture, raise the talent bar and shift the conversation to career growth over compensation. This is the heart of the high-touch process and. when implemented successfully, it improves quality of hire while eliminating wasted time, noise, bureaucracy and overhead.
6. Assess performance and potential vs. skills and presentation. Use this one question to determine if the person can actually do the work, not just talk about it.
7. Recruit on long-term growth, not short-term compensation and convenience. Don’t hire anyone until you get the right answer to this question, “Forget the money, why do you want this job?” The right answer needs to consist of a complete understanding of the performance requirements of the job and why it represents a career move.

Making this transition is not easy but it starts with the idea that the best people don’t change jobs the way the technology wants them to change. That’s what makes them the best people. As you’ll discover, this concept is as true today as it was in the good old days when quality of hire was #1.