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Hi Recruiters,
I just have to say… This week, I'm feeling incredibly grateful for the amount of brilliant people who make up this crazy industry we're in. The level of sheer talent and care was really on display during our first-ever F.R.B.R. event, hosted online this past Monday.
For those who couldn't make it (and for those like me who can't help but want to take another bite of the goodness), I want to highlight some of my takeaways. And because there's just too much goodness to jam into a single newsletter, we'll make this a mini-series over the next couple of weeks.
Luckily for me, it's my newsletter, and I can do whatever I want with it!
Let's get into it.
That's how Paul DeBettignies kicked off the event, noting that it's perfectly OK for our mood, circumstance, or outlook to be less than perfect.
In fact, Paul took it one step further to share a very important message that all recruiters should be able to relate to. He said, "We're not perfect. We need to remind ourselves that candidates are not perfect either. We need to give candidates the latitude to be a little messy too." It's true. A lot happens between a first impression and an offer letter. When evaluating whether someone is a good fit, let's focus on the things that matter.
I just really loved how he set the tone for the entire event. But he wasn't done there.
Paul proceeded to visualize the amount of change we've seen over the last four years and how that surely has netted out in personal change for each of us. He then asked, "Has your recruiting changed?" And suggested that, if not, it would be a good idea to audit your recruiting process — from sourcing to an employee's first day or even beyond.
It's such a great point: The world is different. We can't be going about things the way we did four years ago.
If you're not sure where to start, Paul suggests first trying to identify what is different about your process now than before, and for everything else, make some change.
Vanessa Raath 🌍 👩🏼 🏫 followed up to encourage folks to improve their situation by putting themselves out there — but in very intentional ways. She said, "Have something to give back, something to share. What you put in is what you get out."
I can't agree with Vanessa more. Whether you're trying to stand out in the job market, open up new types of opportunities for yourself, grow your network to connect with better pools of talent, or move up in your current role, offering up value (in an authentic way) will never do you wrong.
Vanessa shared three ways to get started today:
Love it.
Towanda Yancy is a sharp strategist and understands the long game. Somehow, she offered up a piece of advice that not only gives recruiters a competitive edge in their outbound motion but also helps to soothe weary talent and set everyone up for success later.
Two insightful practices (of many) she shared to ensure you don't forget your humanity when hiring:
Number 1 — End candidate ghosting and Open to Work banner bias.
Why? Towanda dropped the mic when she said, "When you go after someone who is ‘Open to Work,' you get rid of a lot of the noise. Things like non-compete agreements or candidates leveraging your offer to get a counteroffer from their current employer do not become obstacles."
Number 2 — Deposition candidates as they apply. For candidates that don't make the cut, Towanda suggests leaving them with something. She shared, "It can be a resource, it can be LinkedIn groups that are part of their industry, etc. Your personal brand, and your employer brand, are at stake with every candidate interaction. Many candidates today feel they have nothing to lose — there's not much stopping them from putting you on blast online."
Carmen Hudson, CSM then jumped on to share a very personal story that has driven her to encourage more voices to come through in the industry. Referencing her own experience of feeling unwelcome, Carmen shared, "I never want to leave someone sitting in a lobby wondering if they were discriminated against."
Because she kept seeing all the same people saying all the same things, she decided to get her own voice out there in a big way by writing a fabulous book, sharing advice and insight for recruiters to hire at their best.
For Carmen, writing was her way to bring her perspective and expertise into the conversation. She encourages anyone who's interested in doing the same to just start writing. Once you have a draft, get some feedback from your peers and then do a second draft. Before you know it, you'll have something to share with someone out there who needs it.
You can order her book, The Corporate Recruiter's Playbook: Strategies for Hiring Top Talent, here.
Ever find yourself hitting a wall when sourcing for candidates? Maybe you're trying the same tactics over and over, unsure how to break through to a better selection of candidates. Well, 🔎 🎤 Mark Tortorici 🎹 🎶 hit the nail on the head when he talked to the group about how our overreliance on best practices can wall us off from high-quality talent.
As a Boolean geek myself, I thoroughly enjoyed Mark's advice on how to stop overusing filters in order to increase candidate search results. Mark articulated the problem clearly: "When you're counting on every [candidate] profile having complete info, you lose out on candidates that could be a fit. Also, thousands of other recruiters are going to find the same profiles as you. Instead, write a good search string, and only use filters if you have to."
If you're not sure what that could look like, see below. Instead of this:
I honestly don't think I've ever seen so much insight squeezed out of a few hours — and I only got through half of our wonderful guests. Next week we'll share more from Monday's event.
If you missed this week and want to get in on the action, sign up here for the second round of the F.R.B.R. Conference, happening April 2nd. We're using this one as an opportunity to showcase TA professionals looking for work. It's free! And so, so good.
Monday was incredible! The power of community continues to grow stronger, and we want to do everything we can to help.
Listed here are some free recruiting resources. Whether you need a place to network or learn new skills, we've got you covered.
Until next time!
-Recruiters
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