While this may be to the shock and horror of recruiters everywhere, we’ve been using national and local Web boards, including annual contracts with Monster and HotJobs, for many years.
Some in our industry would have me believe this is “below the realm of real recruiting” or that “real recruiters don’t use job boards.”
This is all nonsense promulgated by those who are clueless how to use such technology effectively.
If I can succeed in getting qualified respondents to inquire on my ad, while the client’s ad languishes with no such traffic, then I have accomplished what we’re paid to do – attract qualified talent.
This does not mean we use such tools to the exclusion of “real recruiting.” No, we use them in conjunction with direct, cold recruiting.
Generally speaking, the entire annual fee for such services is paid by the job board within three to four weeks each time we renew. From there on, which usually results in 10 to 11 months more of activity and usage, the rest as they say is “all gravy” and profit above and beyond the annual contract.
Show me where on the stock market you can invest $10,000 and get back $20,000 or $40,000 before that same year is over?
This isn’t rocket science, folks. If a national account with a job board costs $10,000 and your average fee is $15,000, it goes without saying that just one placement ought to pay for the website for the full year. Make two placements and you’ve earned your cost back plus another placement you squeezed out that you may not otherwise have had that year. Quadruple those results, and you’re doing even better.
If you can’t get Monster or HotJobs to produce one candidate, you need help. Serious help. Preferably my help, of course. You know how to reach me.
What shocks me is how many recruiters claim “they cannot obtain dividends from Monster” or some other job board. To this my response usually is “Let’s take a look at your writing samples.”
For those with average to sub-average writing skills – and I know of numerous recruiters that fall into this category – the job board will return dividends in direct correlation to your ability to write compelling ads (as far as the job posting is concerned).
Of course these tools provide more than the ability to advertise. They generate continuous name/brand recognition as well as the ability to network. As one savvy recruiter who underwent coaching with me recently remarked, “I now get so much out of this job board I never previously thought of. Rather than focus on résumés, I’m now paying close attention to the valuable references on those résumés as well.”
She was making placements not using one single résumé. Instead she was placing the “references” listed on the dud résumés she deemed unworthy.
There’s a mother lode of gems in those mines, but you must know how to operate the mining equipment to produce consistent results. Operate the mine incorrectly and unsafely, and you can cause an unwanted avalanche of worthless dust.
I’ve studied how just ONE WORD re-arranged in a title can make the difference between such “gems” and dust over the years. One Word! But if you can “read” the mineralogy and study the rock formations, you can decipher where the gold lies. It’s not the job board that’s lousy – it’s the user.
To be fair, there are many industries that by culture simply don’t spend time on websites. Certain niches of the aerospace, nuclear, and power utility sectors come to mind (some of these industries expect recruiters to call!). Niches within the insurance industry are another example, or governmental/public service.
But for most corporate departmental searches, you ought to be able to get something from your job site investment if, and only if, you use it in clever ways that your client companies and competitors do not!
Frank G. Risalvato has been a staffing and recruiting consultant in the search profession since 1987. He has contributed hundreds of articles to various publications, has appeared on TV and radio, and has been called on by state and federal agencies for expert testimony. His recruiter training services, books, and kits are found on www.searchwizardry.com. Call (973) 300-1010 for an exclusive one-on-one experience with his training style. His new Charlotte, N.C., direct telephone is (704) 243-2110. Email: fris@iresinc.com.