Never thought you'd see this coming on a Recruiter's blog right? Without further ado....
1. SALARY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FIT - If money for this particular hire is tight....then stop. Don't call a recruiter to help you if you are worried more about your salary range than you are about finding the right fit for the role. Don't get me wrong....salary and budget parameters are important, but many companies worry so much about "fitting a range" that they miss the best fit...over pennies. Recruiters are trained to find the best fit - period. Is it okay to have restrictions?... sure...but be flexible. I realize many hiring managers that don't work with recruiters regularly will automatically assume that a recruiter is just trying to "push the price up" to get a bigger fee...honestly, the benefit of pushing a salary up is minimal for most recruiters. You need to remember that (especially in IT), there is more demand than supply...you'll need to entice the "best fit" to leave something good.....for something better.
2. YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DONE AN EXHAUSTIVE INTERNAL SEARCH - Nothing will kill your workforce's drive to succeed and loyalty like hiring from the outside without first searching inside. Make sure that you've looked at all possible candidates internally that might be ready for a new role and new responsibilities. Also - make sure you have a referral bonus or some type of program in place to provide incentives for your own workforce to share their network. If they like working for you, they'll want their friends and people they trust to work there as well.
3. THE DECISION MAKER/HIRING MANAGER ISN'T ENGAGED IN THE HIRING PROCESS - If the decision maker doesn't have the time to take the following steps, then the position isn't ready to be filled yet: describe the position in detail, speak about the daily duties and goals for the next person to fill the role, review resumes within 24 hours of receipt, interview qualified candidates within 48 hours of reviewing resumes, provide feedback on interested candidates. If there is no time set aside for talking with candidates that might be interested, you will do more damage to your company's reputation than anything else. Good candidates not only have more than one option, they also look for potential employers that make good impressions. Who wants to work for a company that can't respond to a request in a timely manner?....it screams "hi, come work for us...we are completely disorganized and/or disinterested".
4. THE POSITION IS JUNIOR OR ENTRY LEVEL - You should rarely spend money on a recruiter to fill entry-level or junior level roles. Save your bucks to hire a recruiter when you have a mission or time critical role that needs an expert. Refer back to #2 - you should have internal people that love to work for you....each of them have a network of friends that can fill those roles. If that doesn't seem to work, try developing an internship program - or speak with your local colleges and other educational organizations. They are always looking to help place people that they've trained - usually with no charge.
5. YOU DON'T HAVE A VALUE PROPOSITION - Why should someone come to work for you? Why is it better than what they are already doing? What will they gain from this role? If you can't answer these simple questions, then you'll struggle to find the right person...and so will a recruiter. Again, the market is run by supply/demand and most people aren't looking to make a lateral move....it's much easier and less risky to stay put....unless there is a value to a move. Your job is to show them the value in joining your team. Value is not just compensation....it could be growth opportunity, cool projects/technology, great team atmosphere, special benefits and perks, stability, risk.....all of these will entice good candidates. Remember, people typically don't change jobs on a whim....they do it to gain value!
