Great people are hard to find. Betting on the fact that the perfect person is going to be available when you finally decide you need someone is more than a little bit risky.
There's a school of thought in recruiting (and marketing. And sales. And you know, business) that the ones who wear the smarty pants, are the ones employing an "Always be recruiting" strategy. They're always keeping an eye out for people that might fit your business.
This means looking for opportunities to engage cool people in conversations about working with and for you, and also being open to those pro-active types who love your business enough to approach YOU.
1. When you’re out at a bar having drinks after work, keep your eyes and ears open for people who you think would be great in your team or company. You might have the odd person come up to you and ask what you do? Don't feel cringy about chatting about your company and what you do - people want to know! Tell them why you love working there and that you’re always on the look out for great people who fit. Hand over your business card.
2. If you’re out shopping on a Saturday morning and the shop assistant gives you incredible service, take note of their name. When you meet people like this - ones with a bit of a spark who would make a great addition to your team, tell them. Give them your card and say you’re always on the hunt for new people who fit. Ask them to take a look at your website (or your Weirdly quiz) and see what they think.
3. Do you already have heaps of traffic coming to your website? Why not have an expressions-of-interest job open all year round? We reckon it demonstrates confidence in what you’re doing, shows that you’re looking to grow. Also, if you have a careers site with no jobs on it, it can look kind of lame.
4. Next time Aunty Phyllis mentions that "brilliant young neighbour" she thinks you should meet, or your friends and family ask if you’ve got anything going, don't fob them off. You answer could be “not at the moment, but take a look at our site and check out our job quiz so that you’re on file when we next have a role”. This goes for those people who send you messages through LinkedIn or via email.
5. You’ve gone to a meeting with one of your suppliers who you’ve built an really quality relationship with. The rep has really impressed you with their service over the years - they're really great at their job and also just a super-cool person. Wouldn’t it be great to have someone like this representing your brand/business? Get them to take a look at your website, or contact you if they’re after something new.
6. Next time you're settling into an airplane, don't grab your headphones and disappear into a House of Cards marathon straight away. First, spend a few minutes chatting to the person next to you. Who knows, it could turn out that they’ve just finished up with their last company and are treading water while they decide what to do next. It's the perfect opportunity to hand them your card.
Above everything else, make sure that the experience they have is a great one. Even when there isn’t a role. Even if these people aren't prospective team members, they're all potential customers. They’ll tell their friends and family about you and who knows, that perfect person might be just 2-degrees of separation away.
Keen to know how you can set up an always-be-recruiting quiz on your own website? Find out about collecting those warm approaches and the you-look-kind-of-interesting people with a Weirdly demo.
