You have to sell to stay in business. To have steady sales that generate steady cash flow, you have to develop a strong sales pipeline. It takes time, attention and skill, but the goal is to build a pipeline full of leads that get converted into customers and produce cash flow.
Why not approach finding future employees the same way?
Most small and mid-sized companies only think about recruiting talent when they have an immediate need. When an opening or new position comes up, they initiate the process of posting on job boards, getting the word out to their networks and employing recruiters.
What if you pursued prospective employees like you pursue prospective customers?
What if you built a strong pipeline of great talent that you wooed and cultivated even when no job openings were within sight? When an opening does arise, how much more effective and enjoyable would it be to simply assess who in the pipeline is the best fit rather than starting the search from scratch?
By focusing on building a recruiting pipeline, regardless of present need, you can pursue talent that is both looking for a new job or happily employed. You can focus on developing relationships over weeks and months, not hours during an interview. As you review your pipeline and observe gaps in skills, perspectives and the like, you can address those gaps in advance and at a measured pace.
The recruiting pipeline is good for the candidates too. They know they are being pursued, not for a current opening, but for a future opportunity. People like to be pursued. People like to be wanted. You have an opportunity to build loyalty and allegiance before they are even a part of your team.
In my next post, I will explain how to successfully build such a recruiting pipeline.
Question: Do you think building a recruiting pipeline would help you land better talent?
Need help? I help companies improve their organizational health and culture, which often includes redeveloping their recruiting process. Contact me if you would like to discuss how I could help your team.
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4 Comments
In my day job, I recruit brand management execs for some of the powerful consumer products companies in the world. If they took your advice they’d be a lot better off. But, then again, they wouldn’t need me nearly as much as they do now. I guess I’ll just keep cultivating their recruiting pipeline for them and collecting five to six figure fees. : )
At least they’re taking the advice in a round about way, outsourcing the work to you! Just finished up the follow-up post with the list of how to’s for companies. Would value your reaction in the comments for fellow readers.
http://www.itsworthnoting.com/leadership/how-to-create-a-recruiting-pipeline/
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