We’re continuing to answer some of the most common NPAworldwide membership questions. Today’s question is, “There aren’t a lot of posted jobs or candidates in my niche. Am I going to be able to make any splits?”
The short answer to this question is yes, you’ll be able to make splits. Here are a few things to consider:
Not Everyone Posts Everything
Some members only post jobs. Other only post candidates. Others post infrequently. Members who are working on a retained search might not post at all, because they don’t want multiple recruiters trying to source candidates. Some members only share jobs directly with pre-vetted trading partners. The point is, everyone works a little differently. The trick is to find a handful of partners whose work style meshes with your own. Because most NPAworldwide members are very relationship-focused, you’ll need to spend time building relationships as opposed to looking for transactions. The relationships are what leads to the splits.
Posting Is About Marketing
Posting candidates and jobs is an exercise in branding. It helps other members learn who does what. We encourage all members to post candidates and jobs on a regular basis because it creates brand awareness. Many members have search alerts that deliver new records by email, so posting is a great way to increase visibility, even if someone never fills a job with a candidate they found in our database.
Develop a Strong Niche
Some members are extraordinarily successful in NPAworldwide with a narrow niche and minimal trading partners. They become the “go-to” source for a certain sector and help their partners solve “one-off” solutions from their clients. It’s important to really think about what kind of “coverage” you are bringing to the network and then making sure others are aware of it.
Use the Job Board
Our job board is another way to make placements if you have a unique role, a one-off situation, or a role where there aren’t any available trading partners to help you find candidates. It’s free to post your jobs, there is no employer access, and you only pay if you make a placement.
Be Open to Working in New Ways
New members sometimes join NPAworldwide with a preconceived notion of how it’s going to work (or how they’re going to use the network). Sometimes that doesn’t pan out. You may find that you need to think differently about how you can find success. For example, your network partners can help you make placements outside of your normal specialty. So when a valued client comes to you with a role that you normally could never fill, you just might find there is a perfect partner who can help. Or, if you think you are only going to fill jobs, you might find an opportunity to provide candidates. Be open to lots of options.
Do you have an NPAworldwide membership question you’d like answered? Drop a comment below!
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