The Reality of Timing in Recruitment: How to Use It to Your Advantage

One of the biggest challenges both recruiters and employers face again and again is the reality of timing in recruitment. Since we are primarily reaching out to passive candidates, we are all too often met with responses like, “This sounds like a great opportunity, but I am currently finishing a big project,” or “This would have been the perfect position for me, had I not just started with a new company.” Although objections like these are frustrating, being experienced recruiters, we know that our outreach efforts are never a waste of time. This is because a candidate who wasn’t interested yesterday could be interested tomorrow because something changed in their personal or professional lives. Yes, timing is an ongoing hurdle in recruitment, but you can use timing to your advantage by doing these four things.

1. Build and Nurture Relationships?

As an employer, one of your best tools in hiring extraordinary talent is building and nurturing relationships. Recruitment is like business development in that you rarely ever close the deal on the first introduction—it takes many touchpoints to form a strong partnership. The majority of the time, the best people are already employed and aren’t looking to move. It’s important that you don’t let that discourage you from developing a connection with someone you can see thriving in your organization. As an employer, it pays to be mindful of how quickly things can change for employees—that amazing mentor they were thrilled to be working with could resign tomorrow, or that promotion they were counting on could be given to someone else. By staying in touch, there’s a good chance your organization will be top of mind when the timing is right for an outstanding employee. ?

The best way to build and nurture relationships with potential candidates is to create a system for follow-up contact. Whether it be checking in on important dates (e.g. project deadlines, company acquisitions, etc.), going out of your way to say hello at industry events, or interacting on social media platforms, making time to stay connected is key. If it’s appropriate and there are no conflicts of interest, asking someone to coffee or lunch, or inviting them to an industry event are some of the best ways to develop a deeper connection.???

With all that said, relationship-building and nurturing efforts are time-consuming, which is why we recommend focusing on candidates that strike you as a particularly good fit for your team.?

2. Don’t Wait Until You Have a Need to Connect With a Recruiter?

Many employers make the mistake of waiting until they have a hiring need to connect with a recruiter, not realizing they could be missing out on some of the best talent in their industry. Since recruiters spend their days building their talent pipeline, they are often the first point of contact when great employees are looking to leave. One of the best ways to use timing to your advantage is by partnering with a recruiter who can keep you up to date on the current candidate market and notify you when good talent becomes available.??

Ask yourself this: Would you want to hear about an employee who has 10 years of experience working with your competitor, even if you do not have a need for them right now? Most of the employers we work with appreciate the sense of security knowing they can upgrade or top-grade talent if necessary. In an industry plagued by an ongoing talent shortage, having a specialized recruiter by your side could be your biggest competitive advantage.??

3. Recruit Proactively, Not Reactively?

Use timing to your advantage by recruiting proactively rather than reactively. Often, when new clients approach us for recruitment services, they needed someone yesterday. They express their urgency to fill a position and leave us with a 1-2 week window to fill the job opening. Being specialist recruiters, we can often pull this off for clients due to our strong network of industry professionals and recruitment resources. However, we always recommend providing recruiters with as wide of a timeline as possible to cast a wider net and—ultimately—ensure you secure the best possible fit for your organization.??

When you work with a recruiter and you need someone in short order, you can only secure the best candidate available within that short timeframe. However, if you work with a recruiter proactively and have a 1-3 month safety net to hire, then you have the opportunity to hire the best candidate available within that 1-3 month window. In recruitment, it is common to have candidates who were unavailable in weeks 1-2 of the hiring process become available a month or so later due to a sudden change in their employment or personal circumstances. It is also common to have candidates respond to our outreach efforts 3-4 weeks into a search due to busy schedules. Thus, if you limit your time window to hire, you also limit your talent pool and could potentially exclude high caliber candidates in your industry. ?

Though it is not always possible to extend a hiring timeline, it is important to be mindful of the benefits of recruiting proactively. With that said, it is crucial that when you find the right individual, you speed up the hiring process, so they feel valued and wanted. Candidates who feel valued are much more likely to join your team. ?

4. Develop an Employer Branding Strategy??

One of the best ways to engage and attract passive candidates is to focus on your employer branding strategy. Your employer brand is all about what you offer to employees, and what makes your organization a great place to work. A successful employer brand strategy will enhance your visibility and reach to both active and passive candidates, allowing them to get to know your business and the benefits of being employed by your organization. It is crucial that you show potential candidates who they will become when they join your organization. Nail your employer branding, and you’ll have top talent vying to get a foot in the door with you when they’re ready to make a switch. ??

Summary?

The reality of timing is a challenge both employers and recruiters face, and it is not going away anytime soon.? ?

Timing is everything—but you can use that to your advantage by building relationships with extraordinary talent, by not waiting until you have a need to connect with a recruiter, by taking a proactive approach to recruitment, and by developing a strong employer brand strategy.?

Using these four tips we discussed, you will be top of mind when “A” players are considering a change—and being top of mind is a force multiplier for adding talent to your organization.?

Did you find this blog article helpful? To learn more ways to secure top talent and improve your hiring process, check out our recent blog posts !

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