March Madness is here! It is that time of year where everyone starts picking their brackets and the winner of the NCAA tournament. Basketball fan or not, it is fun to watch teams you have never heard of make the sweet 16, Elite 8, or even the Final 4. Do you remember Jimmy Valvano and North Carolina State winning the NCAA tournament in 1983 when no one expected them to win?
It seems every year there is some story. There are always the schools you expect to see as top seeds, but there are teams that do well that you would never expect to make it very far. How does this happen?
There isn’t one simple answer. As a recruiter for a highly recognizable organization, I am always looking for the person that no one else is looking for.
I AM LOOKING FOR THE “CINDERELLA” STORY
Why?
- The Market is saturated. Every recruiter is looking for the same person!
- The same schools are getting calls! The smaller, less known schools aren’t getting any attention.
- Recruiters are all looking at the same companies to find their talent.
- Recruiters are all using the EXACT same tools. They are all sending the SAME inmails on Linkedin.
- There could be a cost savings on finding “hungry” talent opposed to those who come with a huge price tag
What Needs to be Done Differently
IT IS A 3- WAY STREET
Recruiters : The best recruiters look EVERYWHERE for talent. They need to be a bit more creative. They aren’t just on LinkedIn. They may have a resume that is outdated on Monster from 3 years ago. They may be on Facebook. They may be on Github. They may have their contact information listed when they registered for the marathon they ran.
The information is out there the recruiter just has to seek it.
The best candidate in the world may be someone that no one has ever heard of. Do you think baseball scouts are looking at every nationally recognized school. No! They are going to Puerto Rico. They are looking at High School Students.
We need to find the talent that no one else is seeking.
Companies: Need to build for long term growth. They need to find individuals with all of the tangible skills that may not have all of the EXACT experience.
Companies need to do a better job of making employees WANT to stay at an organization with growth opportunities. Do you know there are STILL companies that have employees who never leave? Have you ever heard of National Instruments? If you haven’t, you should!
Companies need to have something so cool that people are begging to come to work for you! Do you know that Hootsuite does not pay ANY referral fees? People are begging to go to work there!
Candidates: Think about American Idol for a minute. The worlds largest singing competition. As a candidate you may have all of the singing ability in the world, but if you never leave your apartment, no one may ever know about you.
If you have the skills, but you didn’t go to the most recognizable school or aren’t on social media- how are we going to find you?
Recruiters are detectives, but wouldn’t it make sense to make yourself easier to be found?
In Conclusion
There are many Cinderella stories out there. The world needs you! Recruiters and Companies, it’s is time to find the talent that no one knows about.
Will Thomson writes weekly for Bulls Eye Recruiting. Please Subscribe to his updates and send a tweet by clicking below!
