“PICKY, PICKY, PICKY…”
I know that this is the recruiter’s lament. Is it just us or have our clients gotten so picky? Be reassured it’s not just us. When I was recruiting in the Clinton years it was like shooting ducks in a barrel. Why? Because there was a ton of jobs to fill and very few candidates to fill them with. Recruiting was fun, back in the day, because our clients were willing to think more out of the box to hire talent. Things have changed drastically. 9/11 taught our top notch candidates that always moving for the next best job was perhaps not the right move for their families. The crash in 2008 taught companies that they have to be very careful with every dollar they spend. What does that mean for recruitment as a whole? It means our job is more challenging. But, hey, we love a challenge! These hiring companies have a right to be picky. They have figured out the cost of a bad hire. They believe they are entitled to a perfect match, especially if they are using a recruiter. And you know what? I can’t blame them. It’s our job to find them the best. That means a longer time on the search, better screening and reference checks, using every resource you have at your disposal. That means old fashioned phone calling and research, passive recruiting, active recruiting through Linked In and your database. It also means you have to know the company culture and that your candidate fits well in their environment. Bottom line it means more work for you. It’s your job to sell the “picky” company on your candidate. Even, if you are recruiting in healthcare or technology where you are going to have lots of jobs and fewer candidates you must “sell” a company on your candidate because they have the qualities they want in a leader. For our companies who are picky, picky, picky we have to be the same way. Source the best and then sell them the best.