Recruiting tip: How to keep your pipeline warm
Whenever any recruiter starts a search for a position, we all start with high hopes and intentions to build a robust pipeline. Then a week into a search the reality of today’s market creeps in and quickly deflates those high hopes and expectations and converts them into prayers to the recruiting gods that we MIGHT get 2-3 really great candidates interested.
The reality of the market, which we have all painfully lived through, is that candidates will change their minds, get counteroffers, or have a random opportunity to scoot in and cut your place in their personal lineup. Leaving you scrambling to find another candidate. This is why there are a couple of very important factors we have to work towards with every search.
- Continue to work a search and build that pipeline until you feel like there is a winner, 1st, and potential 2nd runner-up in the mix.
- Continuously WORK your pipeline until a hire is made.
We work so dang hard to find those perfect candidates for our clients, do NOT let them fade into the background due to lack of communication.
After I have identified a promising candidate I become their new best friend. I want to be in their head at all times to truly understand and know:
- how they feel about the opportunity
- the connection they are making with the team
- how we compare to other opportunities
- timelines
- and gut checks
These 5 factors are questions I ask on every intro call, prep call, and debrief. If there is a bit of a lull between interviews, I am also checking in to see how things are and if anything has changed.
Partially this is of course to make sure that the candidate is still interested and this is still in line with their wants and needs for their next career move. We can not forget that we are dealing with people’s livelihoods and career changes will make a huge impact on their day-to-day. Understanding how they feel and think is just respecting that fact.
We are also doing these detailed check-ins for our own personal reasons. Is this still a viable candidate or should I be putting more time into this search because it doesn’t feel like they are all in?
These constant check-ins with your candidates in the pipeline, will not only keep them warm and interested in your opportunity regardless of how much time goes by, but it will also foster a loyal and trusting relationship between the two of you. At the end of the day recruiting is a relationship business, and that’s what you are ultimately doing when you are keeping your pipeline warm. 🙂