Title:7 Ways to Be Easy to Hire
Author:Susan P. Joyce, © 2017 All rights reserved
Date:July 2017
Source:workcoachcafe.com
Recruiters are in a "war for talent" and have been for several years. That war is the competition to find candidates qualified for their job openings. Exacerbating the situation for recruiters is that most of them are measured and rewarded for their time-to-hire performance — how quickly they fill a job.
Consequently, recruiters are almost always in a hurry. If they run into an obstacle with one candidate, they may quickly move on to the next candidate.
So, we're back to that war for talent...
How to Be Easy to Hire
Contrary to popular belief, job boards are not usually the solution to the war for talent (read The Common Job Search Strategy that Kills Opportunities for the reasons). When the right candidate isn't in their network, they search for qualified candidates in Google and LinkedIn. So, for the future, you need to be findable and reachable:
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Be easy to find.
Because recruiters are always searching for qualified candidates, being find-able online is essential. This means being visible on a site like LinkedIn, and using the right keywords for your target job (and target employers) in your LinkedIn Profile and other online visibility. Also make examples of your expertise visible by writing and publishing articles relevant to your profession and industry.
[More: To Be Hired, Be Found: Your Best Keywords and To Be Hired, Be Found Where Recruiters Look.]
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Make your goal clear.
Being generic doesn't work today. You can't simultaneously be seeking a job as a customer service representative and executive assistant because you won't have sufficient focused visibility online to attract recruiters looking for someone qualified for the job you want.
[More: To Be Hired: Be Focused and Clear About the Job You Want.]
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Make your qualifications for your goal clear.
Focus your LinkedIn Profile and other online visibility as well as resumes and job applications on your accomplishments and achievements that prove you are qualified for your target job. If you are employed, don't release any of your employer's confidential information, but, respecting that limitation, describe your accomplishments.
[More: Smart Bragging Wins Your Next Job.]
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Be easy to contact.
Most recruiters don't have an interest in spending a lot of time tracking down contact information for someone they find on LinkedIn. So, make contact information visible on your LinkedIn Profile, in the large Summary section where someone who is not connected to you can find it. If you are employed, be sure to use contact information not related to your job.
In particular, provide a non-work email address. Many recruiters in a hurry prefer to reach out via phone so, if possible, also include a non-work phone number. Services like Gmail and Google Voice (Google Voice is a phone number from Google that can be directed to your private phone number and/or email) are very useful for your non-work email and phone.
[More: To be Hired, Be Reachable.]
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Be responsive.
Pay attention to the email account and phone number you have made visible (see #4 above) for the world to reach you, so that you can respond reasonably quickly when a recruiter reaches out to you. Typically, a recruiter who contacts you (fighting that war for talent) is in a hurry, so if you don't respond quickly, preferably within a few hours, they may cross you off the "possibles" list. Both Gmail and Google Voice can be forwarded to other email addresses and phone numbers you check often.
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Follow directions.
Demonstrate your attention to detail (an important skill and highly desired by most employers) in your communications with the recruiter and other members of the employer's staff. If you agree to call, contact, or meet a recruiter, be sure to do it at the agreed upon time.
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Monitor your online reputation.
As recruiters search to find qualified job candidates, they also research those candidates to verify information and to be sure they aren't referring someone who has a bad reputation. So, the best defense is to Google yourself at least once a week. I call this "Defensive Googling" — NOT "vanity Googling" or "ego surfing." You need to know, and to manage as best you can, what is found in a search on your name.
[More: Guide to Defensive Googling on Job-Hunt.org.]
Bottom Line
Recruiters frequently reference the "war for talent" they are fighting for their employers or clients because they have a hard time finding qualified job candidates. Make their jobs easy by being easy to find and hire.
