Shake off recruiters & hire best-fit talent for your team while drinking a beer.

Today’s leaders need relief from the endless barrage of not-a-fit resumes!?There’s nothing more frustrating than paying a high price for results and being disappointed.?

I wrote a post a few days back that spoke to protecting yourself from hiring poor performers by using hiring strategies that are proven to deliver.

I was asked to expand on “outbound sourcing techniques”, which is a bit too involved to address in a single comment. Frankly, I can’t even fit it into a standard 600 word post, so I’ll apologize in advance for the length.?

This question was from an engineering leader, so to be concise, this advice is for leaders, not recruiters, our sourcing stack is a bit different.

It’s not uncommon for me to coach engineering leaders that either lack recruiting support, for whatever reason, or just want to be more proactive.?

Many don’t ever want to feel stuck depending on someone else who doesn’t have the same priorities when they need to make a key hire.

So, If you’re a hiring manager and find yourself in this situation.. here’s a few techniques that will give you back control.

Long term sourcing – Easy and fun.?Requires very little effort, just intention.

• Get out of the office and meet other like-minded people at events like meetups, tradeshows, or even standing in line at lunch.?Then, when you meet someone with a great mind, compelling to talk to, invite them for a beer after the event an talk more (5-10 hours per month).
• Show interest in what they are doing (which is not hard) and make friends.
• Shoot them a LinkedIn invite a few days later (don’t rush). (5 min)
• Show respect at the next event by remembering their name and where they work.?(10 seconds)
• Be intentional, make a list of people you meet, and actively find a way to engage occasionally. (15 min)

?(e.g. if you’re both working with ruby, share a particularly insightful post you found, or wrote)

Social – do the same online. Meet and follow a few engineers that have something interesting to say.?(1 hour per week)

• And seek out a few that are not vocal, read their profile, and check out their github, etc.
• Offer a connection (Don’t get stupid and over-think this.?It’s not weird, and doesn’t have to be awkward. Coming across people we have something in common with and engaging with them is natural.?Doing this intentionally is simply proactive.?Showing someone you have interest in a acquaintanceship with them because of a shared interest is a complement. Don’t overthink this)

Both are longer term approaches. These will be great people you hire in 2025-2030.. or they may hire you.

Direct (but not rushed) – If you’re preparing to make an immediate hire, and aren’t seeing qualified candidates… you’re allowed to use some of the same techniques recruiters use daily.?I learned this from a proactive hiring manager, so don’t think you’re in untested waters.

• Create a shortlist (1 hour), find 10 candidates that based on LinkedIn profiles (and perhaps other sources, github, stack overflow) that you think might be worth a conversation.
• Invite them to connect. (10 min)?(personal invite or generic is ok. Test which gives you better results).?Personally, I like to be direct and transparent)?I’m careful with my selection criteria, so I get over a 50% acceptance ratio.
• Understand, many will accept via mobile (which means they won’t actually see your personalized message; so to make sure they see it.?Respond with a short DM, then the full text of the original invite will show up in the DM and they can scroll up to see it)
• Now, deliver a casual message via DM (1-2 hours). I’ll give you a generic example, but you should write something completely personalized for each individual.?

?(e.g. Hey Rob, my team is consistently growing, and I’m always expanding my network.?Loved the article you recommended that compared dolphin communication to immutable linked lists in Scala.)?

• For those who respond to your DM. Engage in conversation.
• Some will ask you if you have an open position.?Engage them!
• Others won’t.?If they don’t, DM the following day (write the DM now and put it on your calendar for 1pm tomorrow). Something like this.

?(e.g) Rob, great connecting.?Let’s stay in touch, and if at any point you’re considering a potential upward growth move, let me know.

• If you want to take it up a notch (advanced tip).. invite them to a meetup you’re attending later this month or next that you think they might enjoy (not within 2 weeks-too soon). If they respond yes, put a reminder on your calendar to DM them the day before, and ask them to find you at the meetup so you can put a face with a name.

Then, just follow up in a natural way.?Monthly, quarterly, 2x per year. Whatever fits you and your hiring plans.?

High-impact – need to make a hire, and the pressure is mounting.?You don’t have time for diplomacy.?Here’s where you just decide to be a recruiter for a few days.?Here’s how.

• Create a shortlist (1 hour), just like described under “direct”.
• Send LinkedIn Connect Requests x10 (2 hours)

(e.g. Hey Rob, I’m the Platform Engineering Manager for Y. I’m hiring a key role for my team. Can I DM you?)?That’s it.

• If they say yes, then DM them with a SHORT, compelling message (two short sentences max-YOU WILL NOT talk about your open job in this DM. Only talk about them).?

(e.g. Hey Rob, on your profile, X caught my attention.?Bob/VP for XYZ’s recommendation gave me the impression that I would want you on my team, are you open to a 5m call?)

With both the direct approach and high-impact you’ll need to start with an “explore” conversation instead of an interview.?If you need guidance on this, shoot me a note and I’ll drop you a pdf.

There’s two types, a 5 minute call which is the best.?Or, if you talk extensively via DM first; and they are clearly interested, jump straight to a 30mn explore call.

This is easier to learn while doing. I was considering doing a 60 mn interactive webinar for 10-12 leaders to model these two techniques. If interested, DM me or comment and I’ll put it together.

Hope that helps. Shake of the shackles and build incredible teams!