On a recent breakout session call for NPAworldwide’s Engineering/Manufacturing/Operations practice group, one of our longtime members, Marcus Ronaldi of Marcus Ronaldi Recruiting in California, gave a presentation on submitting “In The Money” candidates. It was a really thorough explanation of why some exporters are successful, and why some can’t seem to land as many placements.
Marcus said: “Focus efforts on reaching out to and engaging candidates that are placeable and ‘in the money’ – this is the best way to be successful as an exporter in the network.”
But what makes a candidate ‘in the money’? This is a candidate that:
- Has the required skills
- Is within the job/client’s salary requirements
- Meets the location requirements (local or able to relocate)
- Within the experience level that the end client is looking for
- Not a job hopper and no lengthy unemployment gaps
- Has the proper work authorization
- Someone that the partner and the client has not already seen
Easy enough, right? But Marcus explained that many of the ‘wells’ exporters rely on (aka job boards) are not the right avenue to find these candidates because they are too saturated — you’re looking there, other recruiters are looking there, the client is looking there. The problem with job boards he says, is that if a candidate is active on the job boards, then:
- There’s a high probability that they have already applied directly to the end client
- The end client may have already seen them on the job board
- The partner firm probably has most likely seen them as well
One of the worst things you can hear after submitting a candidate is “We have seen them before,” Marcus said. So, to eliminate this cringe-worthy moment, always ask the candidate if they have applied or interviewed with the client. If they applied recently, then you shouldn’t submit them. If it’s been a year or longer, then it might be OK. Also ask the candidate if they have connected with the partner firm, and double-check on your network’s candidate-sharing platform.
If you see the candidate listed multiple times on your network’s candidate-sharing platform, then you’re probably going to be in a submittal race, and in that case, it’s likely that no one is getting paid. You want your candidate submission to be passive top-talent — someone who isn’t desperate, spamming their resume out and applying to every job listed on the job boards, and won’t be submitted by multiple recruiters.