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Finding Heaven in the Search from Hell follow this blog post

posted by on Aug. 14, 2007
We've all been there.  A search that refuses to be filled.  The hiring manager is cranky and wants resumes, lots of them.  But already you've gone through dozens, scores, even hundreds of CVs and nada.  It's the kind of situation that makes you want to pack up your toys and go home.
 
Well, take a deep breath. In fact, take a few.  (Staying calm is imperative.) If it gets personal, which it might, just step out of the way of the incoming barbs and let them blow past.  Irritability comes from the pain the client finds himself or herself in. The solution requires compassion in the face of that inevitable dysfunction that comes from having too few people to get the job done.
 
Your job, my friend, is to identify the disconnect, to consult and inform, and then to redirect the search.  Let's say the disconnect is an abosolute refusal to acknowledge a talent shortage, a labor crisis that demographically is growing by the day. The hiring manager implies that if you were really a great recruting, should simply be able to dial up and download a whole passel of great candidates. I've yet to meet Super Recruiter, capable of materializing candidates from thin air.
 
To find your own slice of Heaven in a search from Hell, you must define what it is that you are collectively looking for (must have requirements, nice to haves, and performance profile) and then you must find out how many of those candidates are available for the taking. Check job openings and note how many other companies are seeking the same people.  Network and find out how competitive your opportunity is when compared to the other openings. Contact industry experts to discuss the search and possible work arounds to find previously untapped pools of talent. Next, you sit down and write a market intelligence report, summarizing your findings and possible solutions for the hiring manager, which can include changing the requirements of the role, making the opportunity more competitive, and/or throwing more resources at the search. 
 
Of course, the hiring manager can decide to do nothing, except continue to yell for more resumes.  Only thing is now there's the report that demonstrates the many reasons why yelling won't solve the problem. And it makes it clear that you are doing your job.   It is time for the hiring manager to do his. 
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  • 1 point 2 years ago

    We are a third party and we work in narrow niches and these types of searches are more the norm for us than the exception.

    When a recruiter first comes to work for us, as I did when I first arrived 6 years ago, they need to learn how to deal with this.

    I like your suggestion so much, I think I will incorporate it into our process.

    The temptation is great to avoid the client, hoping that maybe tomorrow you will come up with something more positive. However, one thing we all learn pretty fast in life is that you can't ignore the realities.

    Communicate with the client every day, unless you set up a different schedule of contact. Even if it is just a quick e-mail to give them an update on what you have done for them on that day:

    "Hi John,

    I talked to 13 people today who have the skills and expeience that you are requiring. Most are happy in their position, but of the few that might be looking for other opportunities, they mentioned that the description and title of your opening seems like only a lateral move, and some consider it a step back."

    Sometimes a candidate may e-mail me with some specific feedback about the opening and why they are not interested. We can then cut and paste this into the e-mail to the client. This can be especially effective if the feedback is constructive and from a professional in the same field.

    I find that the client generally likes this, (though it requires discipline.) Also, the cumulative effect of these updates can strengthen your position for the eventual talk about their willingness to change the requirements.

    This talk should come sooner rather than later though. You can generally see some trends very quickly: "Hi John, you said you required ten years experience with the Clinical Module for the XYZ application, but in speaking with several people today, they have pointed out that the Clinical Module for that application was only released 2 years ago. I checked the software vendor's website and this is indeed true. We may need to clarify this before we go forward."

    Depending on how much experience you have as a recruiter, after about a day of talking to the best candidates you'll start to get a pretty good feel for how things are going to go. After a two or three days you should know for certain.

    Thanks for covering this topic.