The art of recruiting

Software Magazine, Sept, 1998 by Janette Mandell

You already know that filling your vacant IT positions is a competitive, if not impossible, task. Did you ever consider that you're also competing for your recruiter's attention?

For Christina Kazis Dow, a recruiter at Career Concepts in Andover, Mass., getting a client is easy. Finding the applicant is the challenge. So, with a glut of positions that need to be filled, and a limited supply of candidates, Kazis Dow admits that it's impossible for her to meet the needs of everyone who wants her help. Her preferences dictate which company she'll refer her star applicants to.

Similarly, executive search specialist Alan Glou, president of Glou International Inc. in Needham, Mass., has walked away from placement assignments because of the client's actions.

But don't get discouraged. These two pros are willing to tell you what it takes to get the best service from a search firm. And they're willing to share their secrets to help you do your own recruitment.

Both Kazis Dow and Glou say the keys to a good working relationship between search firm and company include accessibility to the company, detailed information about the position and the desired candidate, and quality feedback.

For Glou, a client's directive to "just go do it," made him decline to take the client's case. Such vague instructions, Glou explains, set him up to fail.

Kazis Dow says talking to the manager, as opposed to human resources pros, helps motivate her. "When the manager takes the time, the head-hunter feels a bond, and is almost obligated," she says. "By talking to the manager, the head-hunter gets a better idea of the position, company, group dynamics, culture, and specific technology. Generally, HR doesn't have all that information."

And, don't underestimate the role of the top brass in active recruiting. Glou says enlightened companies send their most senior people to open houses and other seminars. Instead of feeling such appearances are beneath them, these executives know they can make the most powerful impact.

In one of Glou's search efforts, it was actually the executive's wife who captured the candidate's interest. Glou arranged for a dinner meeting between the hiring executive, the applicant, and their wives. The company used the unusual tactic to demonstrate its people-oriented focus.

Creativity certainly helps, but no company can afford to blunder. Unfortunately, Kazis Dow sees prospective employers make the same hiring mistakes over and over again. The biggest losers are often those firms that take too long to make hiring decisions. A good candidate is off the market in a week, she says. Other companies put all the onus on applicants to sell themselves. The company forgets that they, too, must do some convincing. After all, it's likely for the candidate to get several other offers.

Kazis Dow says it's not hard to figure out an applicant's desires. An MIT graduate, whose friends are starting their own companies, may be looking to hit it big fast, and equity may be the company's selling point. A job seeker who previously worked for a start-up that went under in six months may want stability.

And she suggests: "Bring in the applicant one last time to put your arms around them. Make them envision working there. Tell them where they will be sitting. Companies tend to underestimate the value of doing that. A lot of times the last voice wins.'

But don't sell a position to just anyone. In this climate, it may be tempting to settle, and fill a job with a warm body who seemingly has the requisite technical skills. But hiring the wrong person can do more harm than good. You may be heading down that road if you ignore your company's culture and fail to consider how the prospective employee will fit in.

While good recruiters will take such factors into account, not all search firms are created equally. Some considerations include:

* Preference in approach -- whether the search firm sends a low volume of carefully screened applicants or sends a high volume of resumes.

* How much of the firm's business comes from repeat customers.

* What references have to say.

Glou says the use of a search firm is most appropriate when you need confidentiality, other methods have failed, or you just don't have time. But, you may want to skip the search firm altogether when:

* You have a network of people to tap into for recruitment.

* You have to spend a lot of time and money to train the new hire.

* The salary of the position doesn't justify paying costly recruitment fees.

Finally, in this tough market, it may be easy to get discouraged. "Don't quit," Glou says. "Hard work, positive thinking, solid marketing, and confidence will get [you] to the top."