As a talent recruiter, you’ve got to have great instincts. It’s probably one of the reasons you fell into this career path. You rely on these instincts on a daily basis to not only build relationships with candidates, but also attract them to your organization. But as you’re probably well aware, instincts can only take you so far.
In order to present yourself as a top-notch recruiter, you also need insights. Insights driven by data can tell you who your candidates are in ways your intuition simply cannot, and the only way you can tell if your messaging strategy is sound and your hunches are correct.
Check out these data driven insights to maybe tailor your message to any candidate outreach going forward. And remember, the recruitment process is a curious two way sell, candidates want to be sold to and they also will want to sell themselves at some point. In fact, as soon as they start selling themselves you know you’ve succeeded in your slaes efforts.
Starting the Conversation
Let’s start at the beginning. What potential candidates want most is to hear from you! Studies show that 90% of young professionals are open to embracing new opportunities and 63% of them feel flattered when recruiters take the time to reach out.
One LinkedIn study showed that while 20% of the workforce is looking at any one time, another 50% is passively looking. Another study by Indeed indicated that about 60% of people in the salary bracket of $100-110,000 a year were checking out other job postings within 28 days of starting at a new company.
They also want to hear from the hiring manager. Potential candidates feel like hiring managers have more authority, so they’re much more likely to reply. In fact, 56% of candidates say they are more likely to respond when a hiring manager reaches out.
Remember, this isn’t typical email marketing, the potential candidate is immensely flattered that they get a note from somebody, it’s validation for the job that they’re currently doing as much as anything and most people like the ring of “I was headhunted in to this role”.
Give Lots of Information
Candidates want to hear lots of information in your first message. Here’s what they find most important. Use this to prioritize your message content.
· Job Details 89%
· Salary Range 72%
· Company Overview 69%
· Why I Fit 54%
· Job Title 54%
· Company Culture 40%
· Company Mission 27%
The key to accomplishing a great first message is (1) making it all about them, (2) personalizing it with details, and (3) don’t give them everything. Finding a balance with the right information is hard. Add intrigue by holding back a few enticing pieces of information. For example, summarizing the job description role in the company but not mentioning the salary.
As a matter of course we don’t share a job description with anybody until we’ve spoken to them, that way we can manage the contact initially and it prevents the candidate from self selecting. And of course, everybody wants to know who the hiring company is!
Don’t forget to sound human and let them do the talking. Find a common ground. Remember, people want to work for and with other people not big bland companies.
