I’m not really a good button-pusher (nowhere in the league of the Canadian Headhunter). But Dr. Sullivan would probably give him a run for his $$. Just to get a little Friday afternoon debate stirring, I’d like to post up an excerpt from one of the good Dr.’s past posts on ERE – “The 17 Dumbest Things in Recruiting.”
#6 – Reliance on job boards…
"I know they are easy and cheap and that everybody uses them, but that's also true of dental floss. Large job boards contain, almost without exception, resumes from active job seekers. The chances that the best person for the job is cruising www.iamaloserwhoneedsajob.com at the same time you need a top performer is pretty slim. What's even more troubling is the fact that most boards give you nothing more than an aging resume limited in its scope by the design of the online application process."
"Job boards tell you nothing about the candidate's interest in your firm or what it would take to get them to say "yes" to a job offer. If you're goal is to recruit a workforce made up of the very best, you won't find them on job boards. If you don't believe me, run a test using your own top performers. Have a colleague at another firm search the major boards for your firm's top people. You will immediately find out that the resumes of your very best performers resumes are nowhere to be found; the resumes of your malcontents and weak performers may in fact be the only ones you find. Recruiters must learn to use the tools that produce the best results. In the case of recruiting top talent, that would be referrals from existing top performers, not job boards."
My words:
My point here is not to argue the validity of large job boards – of course they are valid; we all use them (they are a tool in my recruiting tool belt and always will be...just like one of my fave's ... Jobster). But here’s my challenge to you as it relates to this article:
"Do you know the names of the top performers in the functional groups for
#6 – Reliance on job boards…
"I know they are easy and cheap and that everybody uses them, but that's also true of dental floss. Large job boards contain, almost without exception, resumes from active job seekers. The chances that the best person for the job is cruising www.iamaloserwhoneedsajob.com at the same time you need a top performer is pretty slim. What's even more troubling is the fact that most boards give you nothing more than an aging resume limited in its scope by the design of the online application process."
"Job boards tell you nothing about the candidate's interest in your firm or what it would take to get them to say "yes" to a job offer. If you're goal is to recruit a workforce made up of the very best, you won't find them on job boards. If you don't believe me, run a test using your own top performers. Have a colleague at another firm search the major boards for your firm's top people. You will immediately find out that the resumes of your very best performers resumes are nowhere to be found; the resumes of your malcontents and weak performers may in fact be the only ones you find. Recruiters must learn to use the tools that produce the best results. In the case of recruiting top talent, that would be referrals from existing top performers, not job boards."
My words:
My point here is not to argue the validity of large job boards – of course they are valid; we all use them (they are a tool in my recruiting tool belt and always will be...just like one of my fave's ... Jobster). But here’s my challenge to you as it relates to this article:
"Do you know the names of the top performers in the functional groups for
which you recruit? (This question is directed mostly to my in-house counterparts).
If you do not, it’s time you find out."
(Disclaimer: this might seem like basic old-hat to my senors & senoritas in private search, but my experience tells me that it’s rarely pursued in-house).
Start today. Seek out the top stars – even if you have to ask the VP or Director who they are.
Get 5 names – the top 5 stars in their respective discipline. Meet with them and ask for the names/phone numbers of the 5 best people they know who do what they do (the rock stars).
Using these names, start a “Most Wanted List” - today. This top-tier talent may not be interested in joining your organization, but they might know the name of the person who is interested.
Are these folks on the job boards? Maybe - maybe not. But I’m not going to sit around and wait until their credentials pop up on www.pickmepickme.com. I’m calling them today; before you get the chance.
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