The Hidden Recruitment Market: Here’s Why You’re Struggling to Find Talent

The recruitment market is a big fat mystery really, talent is hard to find, and talent that sticks around even harder. Mike Richards, CEO and founder of the Treasury Recruitment Company, here discusses with CEO Today some top tips on how to optimise the search for those ideal individuals, the ones you hope will be the best addition to your business family.

As the summer comes to an end, many employees will be back from their holidays, sitting at their desk and asking themselves the question “am I still happy in my role?”

Some may decide that they don’t want to actively seek a new role, but if a new role comes knocking – they could be persuaded. And this is where we begin to see a market of passive candidates, or in many ways, the ‘hidden treasury talent’ who we love to work with. It’s essential that businesses spend time building individual relationships with all levels of professionals, as it may take time to find them their perfect job; and this is something we’ve found to be key when it comes to engaging this passive audience.

So with that in mind, what is the best way to communicate with passive candidates who aren’t looking for a new job, without becoming boring, unfollowed or even worse… blocked?

The answer is simple; you must become a trusted advisor to these candidates, and ensure that you contribute to their working life whenever they need treasury career advice, not only when they need a new job.

For example, maybe they need some friendly advice on dealing with a challenging boss?

Perhaps they want to ask for a pay rise, but they don’t want their boss to feel threatened, or to rock the boat so much that their manager thinks they’re a flight risk who is looking to leave.

In these instances, that’s where recruiters can step in.

As a recruiter, rather than an industry peer, you can be more open and honest on social media. This way, clients and candidates know they can trust you to tell them like it is, and dispel any worries they might have.

Ultimately, your online presence is key; so keeping your content regular, relevant, concise, and interesting – with the odd slice of humour, here and there is a must!

It’s also important to try and keep your blogs and posts on LinkedIn original, thought provoking and well written, so that passive candidates feel comfortable and able to have an open discussion with you when needed.

Another consideration when approaching passive candidate is ensuring that they do have a reasonable chance of being considered for a role, should they decide to throw their hat in the ring.

Imagine the frustration if after a cold approach to a candidate, they apply, get excited, only to be told: “Sorry, we need someone with xxx many years’ experience and expertise, so actually we cannot progress your application now.” The fact is that you’d be likely lose them as a potential candidate forever.

Unfortunately, taking care of candidates and clients doesn’t come easily to some businesses, but there’s no denying that it does yield results! Anyone can post a job on LinkedIn, but you need to attract the candidates who aren’t seeking a job; not necessarily those who need a new role.

A directly relevant message / email to a member of our LinkedIn or Twitter group often leads to a far more interesting and fruitful conversation. Even if a role isn’t suitable for someone today, at least you understand what will fit their profile next time, and you’ll have made an impression with them.

No matter what social media platform you use, content should be regular, reliable and generate conversations so that you can grow your network and earn trust; t/his is what makes the difference between a ‘pushy’, sales-based recruiter and a trusted treasury recruitment career consultant.

Without the trust and respect of your candidates and clients, you simply wouldn’t be able to run your business, and that’s why we always appreciate the faith that our clients and candidates place in us.