Members of our recruitment network have been sharing tips with each other about recruiting strategies during COVID, but the content applies anytime, not just during a pandemic. On a recent NPAworldwide regional call, members discussed an article about building client relationships as well as their own methods of business development they have found success with.

Here are some tools and resources recruiters can use to build business:

• Crunchbase – gives access to information on companies and funding and you can use it to identify potential clients in growth mode.
• Search Layoff directories, or subscribe to a layoff alert page, to keep abreast of people who have been laid off and companies that have laid off.  After all, those companies will likely need to hire back.
• Take advantage of the tools you have and spend money on. Sometimes we get so caught up in advanced sourcing methods, and forget to do the simple things that can yield quick results. For example…
• Set up alerts on LinkedIn for when a company posts a new job – you can do this with prospects, past clients, etc.
• LinkedIn’s #readytowork and #opentowork hashtags, and the #OpenToWork photo frame, can be used so you know who is open to new opportunities – help connect them! LinkedIn has also added a new “Offer Help” option on posts, to enable members to share with their networks that they’re open to providing assistance.
• Join a Resume Review Facebook group , which helps jobseekers with free resume reviews, and gives you the opportunity to give back and build relationships by being a mentor/reviewer.
• Utilize Reddit – the news/discussion website that has niche communities devoted to recruiting (https://www.reddit.com/r/recruiting/ or https://www.reddit.com/r/Recruitment/). This is a great way to pick the brains of other recruiters and ask questions or get advice.
• Bret Feig’s start.me page has a huge catalog of resources including trainings, resume groups, layoff lists, hiring lists, and more.
• Look local – join your local Chamber of Commerce or business organizations to expand your network, and look through real estate transactions to see what companies are leasing out, to find companies that are growing.

No matter what tools or platform you use, it’s important that your communication and reach-outs are effective. Here are tips from our members on how to build good relationships:

• Whether you’re dealing with a client/company, or candidates, or a trading partner, communication is so important. Stay in touch – even if it’s not about business… just saying ‘how are you, how are you coming with things’ etc., or send them a newsletter / relevant articles.
• Double check with clients what they expect to happen next year.
• Keep in touch with candidates – anyone who gets a new job, press them to find out who the hiring person is in this area, that area, etc.
• There is no substitute for getting on the phone and telling potential clients and candidates who you are. They are getting bombarded with emails and inMail, so if you can get them on the phone and build up credibility in the first 30 seconds, you’re in.

What business development and client relationship development strategies work for you?

With Covid-19 shuttering the doors of retailers and restaurants alike, many businesses are thriving by thinking outside the box – sit-down restaurants have shifted to carryout service, grocery markets and butchers are now offering home delivery, salons are selling do-it-yourself dye kits, breweries are now manufacturing hand sanitizer, and apparel companies have shifted operations to make masks.

As a recruitment firm, you have likely been affected as well. Maybe your clients have shifted to Zoom video interviews, rather than bringing candidates in. Or, they may have slowed the hiring process or stopped it altogether. This means that, like the businesses mentioned earlier, you might want to start thinking creatively as well.

During an economic downturn or period of turmoil, some organizations will innovate and make adjustments, from which they will see the success continue long after this pandemic passes.

According to this article about wholesaler retailers thriving during the pandemic, “a successful long-term strategy involves identifying the aspects of your operation that you simply cannot afford to lose and focusing on the big picture.” Instead of scrambling and cold-calling and pushing sales on those who may not be interested… focus your efforts on your top clients or candidates. Call your client to assist with ideas on how to manage the crisis. Start a conversation with them, even if they are not hiring now.

If your client is hesitant to bring candidates in due to social distancing efforts, offer to facilitate video interviews. If your client has instituted a hiring freeze, think outside the box and ask them if they would consider contract/temp hiring, which often comes from a completely separate budget. Or, offer to build a pipeline of candidates for when the economy bounces back. If you are in an industry where jobs have completely dropped off, ask your clients if you can help them in another sector that hasn’t seen a dip – you can be their ‘one stop shop.’ If there really is just no job reqs you can work on for them, offer them other services, like competitor assessments or salary mapping. For candidates, offer resume reviewing, social media profile tidying up, or a salary benchmarking chat.

This is the time to think creatively and offer solutions, when most everyone else is scared and panicking. When this pandemic is all over, people will remember those recruiters who reached out and offered help.

Here in America, it’s the day before Thanksgiving, and a time to reflect and express gratitude for things that give your life meaning. In the recruiting world, this may be a time where candidates assess whether their work gives them satisfaction and if they find it meaningful. With the start of a new year coming up, candidates may be at the point where they want to make a change if they don’t feel they are making a positive impact in their current job.

I recently read a great article that suggests steps employers can take to help keep employees satisfied with meaningful work, which ultimately will help ensure the retention of top talent: https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2019/11/27/how-to-make-work-more-meaningful/

Similarly, recruiters can take this time to reflect and express gratitude for all the people and tools that help make you successful. A quick email blast with a Thanksgiving wish can help remind candidates that they aren’t just a number to you… and it will reinforce that personal connection that makes your work meaningful.

Recruiting can be stressful and time-consuming, but take the time to remind yourself of the success stories of finding a candidate their dream job, or fulfilling a difficult need for your client, or sending a lead to a trading partner that helped them land a new client, and it may help you appreciate the hard times and realize how rewarding this line of work is.

Be thankful for your candidates, clients, and trading partners; when you make your next placement, they’ll surely be thankful for you.

Global recruitment leader Greg Savage of the Savage Truth recently posted a video stating that the recruitment landscape is littered with “yesterday’s heroes” – recruiters who don’t evolve and are stagnating.

Here are some of Savage’s warning signs you are becoming one of “yesterday’s heroes”:

•    Hide behind email – If your default action is to send an email, you miss the opportunity to influence the outcome of those little moments of truth that allow recruiters to really consult – the opportunity to send a candidate to a client, to qualify a job order. While email is easy and efficient, it’s not as good as picking up the phone or meeting face-to-face to help build relationships.

•    Job board addicts — If your default action is to whip an ad up on a job board, you might be on your way to becoming one of ‘yesterday’s heroes,’ Savage says. Be proactive, not reactive.

•    Only focus on active candidates – Along with that, if a candidate to you is somebody who comes to you, you’re missing out. The ‘modern recruiter,’ as Savage calls them, will go out and hunt candidates down. “They’ll be skilled hunters, talent magnets, seducers of candidates who will find those candidates that are not actively looking and engage people before they start looking,” Savage said of the ‘modern recruiter.’

•    ‘In real life’-phobic – If you steer away from opportunities to sit opposite a client or candidate, and would rather send an email or text, you may be on the way to becoming one of ‘yesterday’s heroes.’ Recruiters who are scared to actually get in front of a person because they lack confidence or they think it’s not important enough and is a waste of time, are going to miss that moment to influence, to make a difference, to be consultative, and to build relationships.

•    “Spray and pray” resumes around town – The reason clients come to you is because you are a specialist. You want them to believe that only you will find that “purple squirrel” for them. If you are just throwing resumes against a wall to see if they’ll stick, your client will lose trust in you for wasting their time and not catering to their specific requirements and company culture. Just because you talk to 10 people doesn’t mean you have to send them all along – pre-qualify them and solidify that trust and relationship with your clients.

•    Social media-phobes / time wasters – If you think social media is irrelevant, or, on the contrary, if you waste time on social media, you might be heading down the wrong path. Build a brand, and use content effectively. Don’t resist change.

•    Treat candidates like cattle – If you herd candidates into your office or schedule calls and interviews with them, only to never follow-up with them or talk to them again, that will breed negativity. Keep good relationships with your candidates, as they might be, or might know someone who would be, the perfect fit for your next job order. Even if they aren’t a fit for this specific job, follow-up with the candidate and keep in touch – they’ll be appreciative for hearing back from you, and you never know, you might get a referral out of it.

Times have changed and the industry has become relationship-centric. It’s all about candidates and it’s about serving your client. Modern recruiters know the importance of adding value and showing what you can do for a client or candidate, not just focusing on how much you can bill. Long term relationships are what keep you in business.