Coughlin’s Laws of Internet Recruiting

Find the best candidate on earth, and hire that person before someone else does. The end-goal of recruiting is and will always be based around this simple notion. How then, can we stack the cards in our favor to make sure we make the best hire? We need to be able to learn quickly, keep track and make sense of vast amounts of information, and take advantage of the best resources available.

Helping companies streamline their recruiting process and strategy is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. Because SmartRecruiters has such a low barrier to entry (it’s free), we have the unique opportunity to work with organizations of all shapes and sizes, each with its own specific need: small shops, startups looking to scale, corpulent corporations looking to make a key hire in a specific vertical, and every combination in between. As a result, we accumulate a lot of information, both data-backed and anecdotal, into what makes hiring easy in some cases and challenging in others.

Whoopty Do, John. What does it all mean, and what can I do about it? Well, I thought you might ask. As such, here are some thoughts that may help you:

Coughlin’s First Law: You’ve met before, you can meet again.

You found them. You got in touch with them. You had a great phone call. The interview went swimmingly. Your offer was second to none. You’re excited. They seem excited… Everything is going in the right direction aaaaannnd your candidate says, “No.” Heard this story before? I thought so.

It’s OK. The candidate may be lost for now, but shouldn’t be forgotten. A year from now, you’ll be hiring for a similar position, and when that day comes, who is the first person you should call? Yup. In this way, whether you realize it or not, even though the candidate didn’t join the team today, you are building a network and a database that will serve you well over the long run. Even better, unlike in your parent’s day, you have tools at your finger tips to ensure that all the information that you are collecting about your candidates is stored and easily accessible at all times. Not just their resume, but the notes that you took immediately following your first phone call, the way she takes her coffee, anything. Make sure that you have a system and process in place that will allow you and your colleagues to build a talentpool and store all the information you need to be successful in the long run.

Coughlin’s Second Law: Always be iterating.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Your sourcing strategy. Your interview process. Whatever. If you aren’t getting the results you want, try something new (If you’re still reading this post, chances are that you know deep down inside that you need to try something new). If you’re trying to hire a developer, try advertising to developers (on a site like RubyNow), or ask a developer you know to reach out to his or her network, or search a developer database, or attend developer events. You must be always looking to improve your recruiting process. If your Applicant Tracking System sucks, and your hiring managers are complaining to you, try looking at newer, better options. Whatever changes you need to make, make them today. It will help you fill your open positions, and heck, it may even get you excited about coming to work again.

Coughlin’s Third Law: Use social media.

I couldn’t think of a witty header on this one. It’s simple. Recruiting is a social activity. Social media is, well, social? 1+1=2. I am always surprised at the amount of people that I talk to that are still apprehensive about using social media to find candidates. If you have Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. you are connected to thousands of people. Let the world know that you are hiring, and I promise you will get a good response. If your company has a Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin etc. page, take the example that I just calculated and add a couple zeros to the end of it.

Now, take what you’ve learned here today, and go make the world a better place…

John Coughlin believes Internet Recruiting is not an option, it is a necessity. To learn more about SmartRecruiters, email John@SmartRecruiters.com.