Silver Medalists

Hi Recruiters,

I’m still thinking about the Paris Olympics. In particular, two things that are just absolutely astounding to me.

First, the power, grace, and grit of all the athletes (well, maybe not Raygun, but she gets points for bravery.)

The second is the concept of winning and losing, and how it’s episodic, and not particularly helpful in the long run—unless, of course, you’re a gladiator.

Think about the podium for the women’s floor exercise, where the silver and bronze medalists honored the gold medalist with a touching display of sportsmanship, camaraderie, and humor.

There are multiple contests within the context of the Olympics, and today’s bronze or silver medalist could be tomorrow’s (or, 2028’s) gold. Olympians may be separated in how they place or perform, but the reality is there’s an enormous sense of community, interaction, and mutual support among these athletes and teams. Everyone knows that anyone competing on that stage (again, maybe with one exception…that rhymes with Schmaygun) is one of the very best at what they do, regardless of whether they take home a medal.

You could run an awful first leg in the relay and have your teammates dig out the win. The point I’m getting to is that they still made the team. And, I think that idea applies very directly to hiring.

Wasted Talent

Here’s what I mean: Say you’ve found the perfect candidate—an absolute match to the job specs and then some. You coached them through the hiring process well; their interviews went even better than expected, and they left the hiring manager and team utterly impressed. And then, when it became time to extend an offer, they didn’t accept. Or, maybe they do say yes, but then you find out they bounced for a competing offer after two weeks on the job. It happens all the time.

What I see way too often is that when the hiring manager delivers the bad news, the job req goes back up, and the recruiter and hiring team start the entire process over—as if the second or third option couldn’t have been a great hire.

Instead, too many orgs have grown accustomed to sending all candidates—even silver and bronze medalists—an auto-generated rejection notice as soon as the decision has been made. What an awful waste of talent who might have been ready to go the distance for your business.

If you ask me, those candidates, whose experience and skills match up, are a good fit with the team and demonstrate that they are easy to work with but unfortunately get edged out of the running are not to be treated the same as an applicant who is truly out of your league. No, treat your silver and bronze medalists like gold medalists, and you’ll always have a winner in your back pocket.

If you are handling high volumes and worry about keeping track of these folks, tools like hireEZ’s Rediscovery feature do that work for you, so silver and bronze medalists are top of mind when future opportunities arise.

Today’s Silver, Tomorrow’s Gold

Like the relay race example, those runner-ups (and likely even the golden candidate you wanted to hire) would be on the A team, and all of them represent some of the best at what they do. This might not have been their day, but that’s how life goes.

Think about Sha’Carri Richardson, the favorite in the women’s 100m who lost to Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia. Did coming in second by .15 seconds diminish her talent or get her kicked off the team? In fact, she went on to win gold in the 4x100m relay.

Or Yusuf Dikec, the Turkish shooter who won silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. You’ve seen the photo of him wearing regular clothes, without special equipment, simply aiming his pistol, his left hand in his pocket. (Now that’s one cool mf’er). He’s 51, and his sights are set on gold in 2028. Would you bet against him? I wouldn’t.

Nobody is always the best. But, those at the top of their game are consistently very good.

How to Compete

Because good advice rarely gets old, I’ll close with a passage from an article I came across that dates all the way back to 2016, by David Smooke . He just really hits the nail on the head:

“When we come across these ‘as-close-to-perfect-as-possible’ candidates, but end up not hiring them, it’s important to show that you recognize the value of the candidate. Keep tabs on how they add value to the company they do end up working with. Stay personally engaged with their career journey. Like their status updates. Invite them to your events. Pick up the phone and catch up.

When recruiters do this effectively, they can change the nature of their relationship with the top echelon of their candidates. Respect talent like friends, and they’ll be willing to work with you, creating new opportunities for you and, most importantly, the company.”

That’s how you set yourself up to win.

What else is happening in hiring?

• Navigating the New Gauntlet of Professional Interviews by @Pamela Cohen
• This TA Leader’s Finance Backgrounds Help Him Align Recruiting &? Business Practices
• How to Get a Job at Apple, According to Career Experts featuring commentary from Daniel Harten

Aaron’s Corner

Aaron Iba?ez here! Today is the final day of hireEZ #RecruitCon2024. It's been an incredible three days of sessions by some of the top voices in the talent acquisition industry. (It's not too late to join us for Day 3.) Kudos to Dan Harten for organizing and executing such a HUGE event! ??

Tell us what your favorite part of RecruitCon has been using the hashtag #RecruitCon2024 and be entered in a drawing for a chance to win some free hireEZ swag. ??

And mark your calendars for our next conference!

Our F.R.B.R. Conference is making a big comeback on October 8th at 10 a.m. CST.

Register today for more opportunities to share knowledge and connect with other passionate talent acquisition professionals.

See you there!

— Recruiters