FDE Express | The 4 Ways to Improve Your Staffing & Recruiting Firm Without Over-Relying on AI

Kortney Harmon [00:00:00]:

Your best hires often come from people already within your network. Offer incentives for employees to recommend people they know for open positions. Referred candidates tend to be a great fit. So to boost that employee referral, create a simple submission process for recommending people in their network.

Speaker B [00:00:21]:

Hi, I'm Kortney Harmon, staffing and recruiting industry principal at Crelate. Welcome to FDE express a short and sweet format of the full desk experience. We'll be diving into specific topics to how you can grow your firm within ten minutes or less. Each episode will cover quick hit topics to give you inspiration and food for thought for your talent businesses. Hello, and welcome to another episode of the Full Desk Experience podcast. I'm your host, Kortney Harmon.

Kortney Harmon [00:00:56]:

Today I want to talk to you about four ways you can improve your staffing and recruiting firm without being completely reliant on AI to do it for you. AI is certainly a big buzzword in the staffing and recruiting industry right now. There are new AI driven tools and technologies popping up all the time, promising to automate parts of the hiring process. However, while these innovations can provide value, they shouldn't be viewed as that magic bullet for your firm. At the end of the day, successful recruiting comes down to human connection expertise relationships. No algorithm can fully replace the intuition of a seasoned recruiter when assessing candidate fits. AI is ultimately just a tool, and focusing too much of your energy on that tool risks neglecting the core fundamentals that make placement firms thrive. Many firms really fall into the trap of getting over enthusiastic about AI before they've really mastered the basics.

Kortney Harmon [00:01:56]:

Think about sourcing interviewing onboarding. It's really, truly about the processes. Do you have those established? They assume AI is going to fix any of those problems rather than taking the time to create the processes and train the people. But AI cannot replace solid execution of proven recruiting strategies and principles. So let's dive into four things to ensure you have mastered before you sprint off to the next tool in town. First, focus on genuine relationship building with both candidates and clients. Taking the time to really get to know them, understanding their needs and goals, what truly motivates them. And look for ways that you can add value beyond just filling an open position.

Kortney Harmon [00:02:43]:

Candidates and clients and prospects want to work with recruiters who truly care about them as people and not just transactions. On building relationships, it's truly important to foster connections with both sides of the business. For clients, check in regularly to ensure their needs are being met. People on site are executing the tasks at hand if there's someone rolling off of an assignment, what other needs they might have. But I want you to think about asking thoughtful questions about their pain points and their business goals. Show them that you're invested in their success. For candidates, it's frankly the same. Maintaining contact even after they've been placed.

Kortney Harmon [00:03:22]:

Seek their feedback on the hiring process. Stay in touch as they grow in their new role. Small gestures go a long way. Now, after you've created that relationship, don't forget about them. The number one complaint about recruiters is they call too much. The second is they don't call enough. They don't follow up. They don't get in contact after the recruiter gets the transaction that they want in the first place.

Kortney Harmon [00:03:48]:

So if you want to use AI, take this step and move back. Use automations so you don't forget about these amazing candidates or clients that you want warm in your pipeline, ready to go or you don't want to forget about. Don't rely on AI to do it completely for you. Your relationship building is key to your success in this business. Second, get creative with your sourcing strategies. Don't just post a job ad hoping candidates come back to you. It's not post and pray. Be proactive about seeking qualified people, even if they're not actively job searching.

Kortney Harmon [00:04:23]:

Check LinkedIn. Tap into your professional network. Attend industry events. Cast a wide net to find the best people at Staffing World. One of the quotes that stuck with me is Your network is your net worth. That is true. That is especially true in recruiting. So if you want to use AI, here's an idea feed AI your job descriptions and have it write a boolean code for you so that you can use all the tools with the best boolean code.

Kortney Harmon [00:04:51]:

Without the extra brain power to find the best candidates, I promise it's going to write a better boolean code than you will. So use that in your sourcing strategies to find the best candidates. Now, take it one step further. Get even more creative with your sourcing. Take it outside of the box. The virtual world we're living in has really put us out of touch with personal events. Attend local startup events. Tuck meetups to connect with, pass to talent.

Kortney Harmon [00:05:19]:

Reach out directly to people at competitor companies who may be open to a new opportunity. But do it differently. Do it through LinkedIn Video or LinkedIn Audio messages. I've been preaching this for years to stand out from the competition. It's nothing crazy, but it's not a common practice amongst most firms. The options are endless. Third, leverage employee referrals. Your best hires often come from people already within your network.

Kortney Harmon [00:05:46]:

Offer incentives for employees to recommend people they know for open positions. Referred candidates tend to be a great fit. So to boost that employee referral, create a simple submission process for recommending people in their network. Offer incentives like gift cards or extra PTO for successful placements. Publicly recognize those referrals through company newsletters or awards. Reach out to happy hires, asking them who else they would recommend. The more you promote referrals internally, the more they will think of your firm. When networking.

Kortney Harmon [00:06:21]:

You want AI's help here. Set up an automation to send a text or an email to those you just spoke with to ask for a referral. Don't miss out on the talented people in their network. Oftentimes, we do not get referrals merely for the fact because we don't ask. And fourth, invest in professional development for your recruiting teams. Send them to workshops, bring them in speakers. Encourage them to get certified. Well trained recruiters are better able to source talent, assess skills, onboard new hires, and so much more.

Kortney Harmon [00:06:54]:

Make learning a priority. Upskilling and reskilling is going to be a huge focus for 2024 and beyond, and it's time to get a head start and invest in your team. And for professional development, take advantage of all the excellent recruiter associations, online education platforms that are out there today. Get input from your teams on workshops or certifications that they're interested in. Bring speakers in from high performing teams to share their secrets to success. Listen to podcasts like this one to make sure that your learning is an ongoing priority and woven into your regular company activities. There you have it. Four impactful ways to improve your staffing and recruiting firms without being completely reliant on AI and really, truly focusing on the human elements.

Kortney Harmon [00:07:40]:

So we're focusing on relationship building, creative sourcing, professional development, and referrals. Get these right and your firm will thrive. I hope these tips provide value to all the hardworking recruiting professionals that are listening today. This wraps up this episode of the Full Desk Experience Express. I'm Kortney Harmon. Thanks for tuning in. We'll see you next time.

Speaker B [00:08:04]:

That's all for today's episode of FDE Express. I'm Kortney Harmon with Curlate. If you have any questions or topics you'd like for us to cover in future episodes, please feel free to submit them to [email protected] or ask us live next session. And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast wherever you listen and sign up for our monthly events to keep learning and growing your business. Thanks for tuning in to FTE Express, a short and sweet format of the full desk experience. We'll see you next time.