How do we find more candidates?

I get asked this question at least once per day. Sometimes I get asked this question so many times I think someone must be playing a joke on me. I start looking for the camera. Who’s filming this?!

If I don’t just come out and answer the question and I instead ask questions, I find that almost always the person asking the question already knows the answer.

You have a job. You need to fill the job.

Let’s break it down:

  • What do you need?
  • Where are those types of people in your market?
  • How would you let those people know you want them?
  • Any other questions?

The answer to the question is you go to where the people are that you need and you let those people know you want them.

If it’s so easy, why are so many people struggling?

It’s uncomfortable. The answers lead you to be in a place you don’t want to be.

Oh, the people we need work across town at our competition. Oh, we need to get in front of those people in multiple ways. Oh, we need to talk to those people and tell them why we are a better option.

Almost all of us have the answers. The problem is the answers aren’t what we were hoping to hear.

“But, isn’t there an easier way, that will cost the same or less and take less time and effort?” No. There are other ways that will be easier for you, but those will always take more resources. It’s a fairly simple equation. The more effort you want to give up, the more it will cost to replace that effort in other ways.

Want to find more candidates for your positions? You can either do the work or find someone to do the work.

4 thoughts on “How do we find more candidates?

  1. This is simple, straight forward and quite simply right on the mark. The truth is that the person asking the question really isn’t ready to hear the answer. There is no magic. You do the work or you pay someone to do it for you. Maybe we should make a poster!

  2. Many recruiters are “office creatures.” They are comfortable on the phone and behind a computer, maybe doing interviews. Recruiting in the community? This means getting out, being vulnerable and that’s tough!

  3. Agreed. I would add that transportation, drug tests, and a need for training are giant walls that many employers have put between themselves and great candidates.

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