4 Common Misconceptions Recruiters Have About Job Candidates

Recruiting is a field where “gut instinct” and keen intuition are important to help you know at first glance what people are made of. However, recruiters should be careful not to jump to irrevocable conclusions. When it comes to assessing talent and hiring, doing your due diligence is critical, no matter how intuitive you are. Recruiters can too often hold some fair misconceptions that can lead to missed opportunities.

“Workers with sweet gigs are un-recruitable”

That’s not necessarily so! Don’t assume that just because someone works for a company on everyone’s “top ten places to work” list that your potential recruit is happy. Sometimes what’s thought to be a “great job” is just a job. Unless that job represents that a particular employee’s concept of their ideal situation, they may very well be open to other opportunities. So, if you have your crosshairs focused on top talent, but you’re reluctant to ask because of who they work for, drop your preconceived notion and go for it!

• Find out what they want and what they’re not getting in their current position
• Tailor your approach to serve unmet needs, or provide new exciting challenges that appeal to the prospect
• The worst that can happen is they can say no

“They haven’t replied to my email, they must not be interested”

This one is clearly misguided. Nearly all of us have had experience with crossed wires and missed communications, even among our closest friends. Perhaps your prospect didn’t see your message, or read it, but had other things to deal with.

• Look through your own email and take note of interesting messages you haven’t returned. Now, try again.
• Personalize the message and add value for the prospective recruit. They’re unlikely to be at their current job until retirement, so to build rapport, start a real conversation.
• If you want to have a conversation, attempt to engage in more than one way. Send a hand-written note, a text message, find your target on social media, and/or arrange to deliver them some small item that will pique their interest.

“Direct contact is the only way to get a recruit’s attention”

No one likes cold calls. Every salesperson worth their salt knows that a well-qualified lead is worth dozens of cold calls. So, how do you got about helping prospective recruits find you, instead of the other way around? In today’s economy, the secret to success is building an audience, no matter what business you’re in.

• Interact on social media to get your “brand” out there. Sites like LinkedIn offer many opportunities to rub shoulders with talent and let them know you’re actively interested in recruiting top people.
• Make your presence felt on a regular basis. Start a blog about recruiting, or contribute regular guest posts on other blogs that have the readership you’re interested in.
• Pave as many paths to your front door as possible. The more opportunities a candidate has to come across your information, the more likely they’ll be to find you. You will also train yourself to be open to opportunity in the process.

“They already said no once”

Lots of people like their jobs, but not so much that they wouldn’t jump at the chance to leave their current employment for the perfect opportunity, or even just for the “right” opportunity. Things change, and staying in touch with top talent is the best way to be their first call when they decide to make their next career move.

• Don’t spam anyone. Make sure that a relationship with you offers something your prospects can use, even if they don’t take you up on your offer.
• Keep it positive and supportive. People want to deal with people who make them feel good. Don’t ever stop to scare tactics or negative campaigns.
• Create engagement by requesting a response. Use surveys and other interactive media to get feedback, even from “happy” employees, on what they’d look for in their next opportunity.

Avoiding those erroneous bits of “common wisdom” and thinking about recruiting in new ways will ultimately be of great help both to you and your candidates.