Here's a bit of insight into my overall recruiting process -
DEFINE NEEDS | One of my favorite parts of the process is working with the hiring team/stakeholders to determine their current needs (vs what role they’d like filled). This is the time to really dig into the “why” instead of the “what” which leads to the “who” that I’ll eventually hire.
DEVELOP PROFILES | Once the needs are identified, it’s easy to begin to develop the profiles. (I wrote a blog post about them here.) Some key things to remember about profiles are that they are separate from a job description, but can/should be created in tandem with the job ad so that you know you’re targeting the right folks.
POST AND PIN | Now that I know who I’m looking for, I can post the jobs to relevant boards. One thing I learned from my time at the agency is that it’s important to get the word out. I always post to specialty boards when I can, but some aggregators are helpful in ensuring your postings show up wherever the candidates might look. When I say pin, I mean identify candidates. Before I start engaging I do a few searches to see how my pool looks. It’s better to pivot with saved candidates, than after you’ve messaged them all.
ENGAGE | This might be the most challenging part of the whole process. By ensuring that targeting is solid, part of the work is already done. I then create a template to use for each profile and do a bit of A/B testing along the way. Crafting the template in a way to make adding the custom message part easy (I usually just write the first few sentences and then use the template for the rest) helps ensure that everyone gets a personalized message. Engaging where people live (LinkedIn, email, other networks) also helps drive engagement.
EVALUATE | Even the best recruiters aren’t experts in every area. I evaluate candidates for fit against what I understand the role to be, as well as their interest. I then lean on the team I’ve helped assemble internally to continue the vetting as the experts in their areas. I work with the entire team to ensure the right questions are asked at the right time and that we have a full understanding of each candidate’s capabilities.
REFINE AND REPORT | All throughout the process, I’m adjusting based on feedback I see from candidates/our team. I’m also keeping a close eye on a variety of metrics to ensure we’re being effective. I leverage the ATS I’m using for tracking and reporting to make sure there is one source of truth and to keep information like that open to the hiring managers to see at any time.