Do You WOO!

Is Recruiting still Recruiting? Or are we just intermediaries, forging introductions between an individual and a company?

Hard core Recruiting to me is actively finding/locating, courting and convincing talent that our client or company is the place for them. You see it a lot is sporting fields. High level executives etc. It can't happen all the time I get that. But with all the talk of Talent Pooling at the moment. How do we look after our candidates?

How do you woo them? And when does the wooing stop?

I heard a story about Jerry Albright recently which inspired me. Jerry is one of my favourite Recruiting personalities and fonts of information. He gets it and keeps things real and has a great product verbalsummary.com (OK exit product placement). Legend has it he drove 6 hours to meet a candidate. He cared, he sensed he needed to do that for a long term relationship. Some people thought this was nuts! But seriously... isn't that what Recruiting is? The woo!

I recently hired a guy who I met for the first time over 15 months ago. A gun candidate, who my company needed to have, and in my opinion he needed us. But at the time... there wasn't the opportunity to formalise the relationship. I kept in touch, periodically, I set the expectation and then delivered to it. Then an opportunity turned up... BAM! Phone call, coffee, handshake, starting! DEAL! Oh I loved it. I'm sure all Recruiters will have stories like this.

You have to work the talent pool. Adding people to your database doesn't count. Your talent needs to know who you are, and what you'll do for them and vice versa... IT IS A TWO WAY RELATIONSHIP.

Then comes the tricky bit... Following through once to woo is won! You've sold an idea, a concept about your company, can you deliver on what you said. And then.... like any relationship you have to work it. You can't hire and then leave alone.

Retention is a huge issue with most companies, the woo must continue... remind people why they joined, help re-enforce their decision was right, and live up to the EVP you evangelised. Don't stop! If you do, you get comfortable, you concentrate on the new hires, new talent to woo. Guess what will happen? Other will come a wooing....

Let's face it... it is easier to keep than to find. Keep wooing