Getting Results With Outbound Recruitment

Rachel Connor, Author and Talent Advisor, The Source and Recruit Company

I graduated from Johnson and Wales University in 2006 with an MBA in Hospitality and decided to relocate to Portland, Maine. I was moving to a new city without an established professional network and this was before the days of LinkedIn.   I found a Portland-based hospitality headhunter and we had coffee at a local Tim Hortons.  

A couple of weeks later the headhunter had a lead for me to interview with the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Portland for a Director of Sales position.  I took the interview knowing that I was not qualified but hoped this opportunity would open some doors for me.  Barbara Whitten was the executive director at the time and after one look at my resume said, “You are pretty green for this position”. I said, “I know, I just wanted to meet you.” Barbara was connected and influential and I wanted her to know my name. Sales 101, right?

She took the time to have a conversation with me and sent me on my way. I followed up with a handwritten thank you note and continued my job search. About a week later, my headhunter called back and told me the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau had an entry-level sales position that they wanted me to consider.  In the end, it took six weeks for me to get a job in a new city with the help of a headhunter.

Fast forward to today and I am now a headhunter, though we don’t refer to ourselves that way anymore.  We are known as recruitment researchers, executive recruiters, talent advisors, recruitment consultants, talent scouts or sourcers but our objective is still the same - to find interested, qualified, and affordable candidates for job vacancies.  The Source and Recruit Company, where I work, specializes in outbound search through a fractional recruitment model with the belief that every organization deserves affordable talent acquisition to help them succeed and reach their full potential.

For an outbound recruitment strategy to yield efficient results you need a combination of technical know-how, technology, and consistently applied effort.  The Source and Recruit Company has spent a decade refining a best-in-class process, technology stack, and training system to help its people learn how to attract and engage with top talent. We actively reach out to potential candidates through various means and methods to introduce them to the idea of a new job opportunity.  Nearly all candidates contacted in an outbound campaign are passively looking and the majority are flattered to be approached.  Glen Cathey, a Global leader in sourcing and recruitment recently said, "The entire talent management lifecycle is completely dependent upon discovering, identifying, and engaging potential talent in the first place. You simply cannot build a relationship with someone you haven't found." The challenge with an outbound recruiting strategy is time. Most organizations just don’t have it.

There are many benefits to an outbound recruiting strategy. Outbound recruitment allows companies to target candidates who may not be actively looking for jobs but may still be open to new opportunities.  By reaching out to candidates first, companies can beat their competitors to the best talent, giving them a competitive advantage. Outbound recruitment allows companies to identify and target candidates who have specific skills or experience, increasing the chances of finding the right fit for the job. Candidates who are approached through outbound recruitment tend to feel more valued and appreciated, leading to higher retention rates.

Looking back, I wonder if Barbara Whitten was anticipating an entry level vacancy or if she recognized a talented candidate and created one. I would like to believe it was the latter.  Regardless, I got my first job and that job laid the foundation of my career. The people I met, the skills I learned and the experience I had were more than I had ever anticipated.  It was an amazing experience that would have slipped by without the help of a headhunter.

Throughout my career, I have learned that opportunities are either discovered or delivered.  If you are an organization with challenging hiring needs, an outbound recruiting strategy is likely the answer you’ve been looking for.

If you are interested in learning more about The Source and Recruit Company and our on-demand recruiting services, salary and labor supply intelligence, or pre-hire assessments, send us an inquiry and let’s chat!