Hello {first.name},
I viewed your profile, and based on your experience I think you'd be a great fit for {role}. It's a hot opportunity at a well-funded startup, working with social analytics and advertising in a mobile, cloud-based platform. We offer competitive salary as well as an equity component. Please let me know if you're interested, and we can set up a few minutes to chat.
Have you ever sent the above email or InMail? Please do me, other recruiters, and top talent a huge favor, and never do it again. I know I'm not suggesting anything revolutionary by condemning the indistinguishable-from-spam mass message, and what use is commenting on a problem without offering a solution? Rather than sending mass emails, I'd like to suggest a different approach. Obviously, the more personal you can make outreach, the better, but even in the event of a carefully tailored message, you can't get away from the truth that you're selfishly looking to fill a role for your company. Choosing between careless spam and curated selfishness is no happy dichotomy, so instead, why not try an approach that genuinely seeks to help people? I'm talking about a brief exploratory call where you focus on the candidate's ambitions for their next move and their long term goals. In short, being a Career Recruiter.
Hiring For Long-Term Fit
If you've been around the recruiting block a few times, you know that building a team doesn't end at full desks. Highly qualified candidates do not equal engaged employees, and if your open role doesn't offer a real shot at development and a future for your hire, they're not sticking around. Hosting a no-pressure call is a great way to determine if your open req actually represents a step up for your candidate. People don't like to take a new job for the sake of a lateral move, and if you come right out telling them what a hot opportunity your open role is, even if it doesn't represent progress, they're going to resent you. As you discuss where a candidate wants to end up, you'll learn whether it's appropriate to present them with your role, or, perhaps equally valuably...
O Brave New Network, That Has Such People In't
If you arrive at the realization that your candidate's goals do not align with the opportunity presented by your open role, candidates will appreciate you mentioning it and not forcing your role on them. Instead, contrast their experience with the experience that would more closely align with the role, and ask if they have any contacts that fit that description. If this ask feels unseemly, you'll at least have built up the rapport to make a LinkedIn connection and mine their 1st degree connections for talent.
Have you had luck recruiting for careers, not for roles? Leave a comment!
