Let Robots Be Robots

I have seen a disturbing trend in my beloved field of Talent Acquisition and I almost feel a sense of duty to address it.  As you may or may not know, I spend a great deal of time interacting with TA professionals and studying my craft.  This brings me to my grumpy old man rant - there seems to be a large number of individuals that seem to think that 1) Posting jobs is a form of recruiting and 2) You cannot function in this space without a LinkedIn license.  I’ll let you take a moment and digest that….

Ok, moving on.  I’ll start by saying that correct placement and verbiage along with the mere presence of job postings has its value, especially as it relates to promoting your employment brand.  Let me also say that LinkedIn is an awesome tool.  If I told you that I hadn’t had a great deal of success utilizing that particular tool in the past I would be lying.  However, I find myself saddened because as many of us know, there is so much more to our profession and so many unique and creative ways to locate and engage talent.  Even better, many of these methods or tools are free.  They just take some “want to”, a little ingenuity, and the ability to think on your feet.  As Glen Cathey put it at SourceCon earlier this month, the ultimate recruiting hacks are critical thinking and people skills.  Boom.  I’ll let you marinate on that for just a second….

So let’s talk about some of the things that I feel are a lost art and some of the things that are absolutely free.  That’s right, free.  That’s my gift to you.

Open Web Searches

Remember these?  Long Boolean strings put into your favorite search engines?  Well, although the whole idea can seem rather archaic and I am not personally a big fan of the 800 character Boolean string, that’s not to say that there is not still a wealth of information that can be extracted by honing your skills in this particular trade.  X-ray searches, flip searches, limiting searches, nesting, etc.  All of these techniques can yield good results.  If you feel that you are not as proficient with these skills as you need to be, consult the internet.  There are a ton of free resources out there to educate you on how to better yourself in this area.  If you’re still struggling then feel free to reach out to me directly; I’m glad to help.  




Chrome Extensions

I will talk about this until I literally pass out. If you want to know more about chrome extensions, feel free to review my earlier post entitled "Chrome Extensions for a Sourcing Enthusiast". These can be so helpful, so effective, and they are less than a penny.  They are free.

Clean yourself up, take a walk, and smile

There was a time (I’m dating myself again) when networking could only be done in person.  I have news for you - it still works.  If you find yourself focusing in a particular area of recruiting then do some research.  Find associations and events that are related to the areas that you spend your time in, grab some business cards, and go shake some hands.  There is nothing more powerful in recruiting than a strong personal network and no matter how long you function in the world of business, personal relationships are key.  

Research, ask questions, be curious 

I’m a big proponent of being a student of your craft.  Research the latest tools.  Subscribe to blogs from industry experts.  Go to conferences.  Network.  I am constantly blown away by the amount of tips, tricks, and free information that I pick up when I find myself surrounded by other Talent Acquisition professionals.  Be curious, do some homework.  Again, the internet is filled with web pages like this one that can help you be a better recruiter.  You will notice that the common theme is that they are free.  

While many of these ideas are simple, I think it's important to never forget the basics. Invest in yourself, dedicate time to becoming better and you will continue to evolve as a recruiter.