Recruiting is an Art

Less than 5 percent of U.S. workers are unemployed, and that number is believed to be even lower among executives and other white-collar professionals. At the same time, the retirement of senior-level professionals and talent shortages are rising in industries like accounting, construction, engineering, logistics and IT. There are nearly 6 million jobs waiting to be filled right now, which is a record number since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking job openings in 2000. 

In short, employers are more desperate to fill jobs than employees are to find them. It’s a candidate-driven job market. 

The good news is that at least half of working professionals are open to switching jobs. But how do you convince them to leave a job they may already be satisfied with? And how do you decide who is valuable enough to spend time and resources pursuing in the first place? 

It’s at these moments recruiting becomes an art form.

At recruitAbility, we use a combination of analytics, relationships and expertise to pursue what we consider A+ players. Sometimes that means only one out of 10 potential candidates we identify is top-graded as a true fit. These top candidates are often being recruited by others as well, so the art of recruiting includes finding the right connection that will resonate with them. 

Asking questions like, “If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be?” is a great way to start. Knowing when and how to ask these types of questions, however, is crucial. I often tell clients that I find job candidates the same way they would. The difference is in how I engage the candidates once I find them. It’s a delicate balancing act.