On the surface, recruiting is a simple process: A company has a job opening, and a recruiter tries to find the best possible candidate for the role. Many recruiters work at that surface level, submitting candidates for consideration if they have similar job titles, work in similar companies, or have relevant keywords on their resumes. The problem is, none of those things are actually going to help a recruiter find the best person for the job — because in reality, recruiting isn’t that simple.
Career-Driven Recruiting
A company is more than a list of employee names, policies, or project-specific needs. It’s a dynamic environment with a culture, goals, and market expertise. And when a company hires someone, they’re not hiring a resume, a set of skills, or a project list — they’re hiring a whole person. People come with personal and professional values and behaviors that will impact a company’s culture, as well as career histories and aspirations that will affect that person’s tenure and success within a role.
Any decent recruiter can match a resume with a job description, but a great recruiter matches people with companies. And to do that, a recruiter has to take the time to truly get to know the company and prospective candidates. This is best accomplished through career-driven recruiting, an approach to recruiting built not on short-term goals like filling one job opening, but on long-term relationship building with both companies and candidates. This is the heart of executive search.
How Career-Driven Recruiting Benefits Candidates
Many candidates assume that they should only connect with a recruiter when they’re on the hunt for a job. However, the goal of a relationship with a recruiter should be long-term career management, not simply finding one job.
A relationship with a career-driven recruiter can start at the beginning of your career and last for decades. So it’s important to make sure you find a recruiter who truly has your long-term career success in mind. Career-driven recruiters might talk to dozens of candidates a day — and very few of those conversations will be about a specific job search. Instead, career-driven recruiters proactively check in with candidates to genuinely ask how they're doing, listen to what's going on in their lives, and share insights on compensation and industry updates, establishing themselves as trusted advisors.
Even if you’re not on the market for a job, connecting with a recruiter can have numerous short-term benefits, as well as setting you up for long-term success in your career. The longer a recruiter has to get to know you, the better they can understand your values, how you define success, the kind of culture you’d thrive in, and your short- and long-term career goals. That way, if and when you decide the time is right for you to make a career move, the recruiter can introduce you to opportunities with confidence that you’re the right person for the job and it’s the right job for you.
How Career-Driven Recruiting Benefits Employers
When a hiring manager partners with a recruiter to fill a role, time is almost always of the essence. Some recruiters can deliver quick hires by passing along dozens of resumes that look promising on paper – but too often, those surface-level matches result in quick turnover and leave the hiring manager back at square one within a matter of months.
A career-driven recruiter works differently, in ways that can save companies time and money during the job search process. Career-driven recruiters build relationships with companies as well as candidates, so that they understand your company’s culture and what kind of employees would best support your short- and long-term goals. So having a relationship with a recruiter even when you don’t have any job openings can help ensure that when needs do arise, you have a true partner and advocate in the market who is representing your company well and identifying candidates who aren’t just technically qualified but are also going to be a great cultural fit.
Then, instead of simply sending you resumes, career-driven recruiters can introduce you personally to top candidates with whom they have long-term relationships. They can give you a much more thorough overview of a candidate’s career goals, background, and personality than you’ll get from any resume. So when you meet with candidates, you’re not starting from square one – you’re already several steps ahead of the curve, and you can be confident that the candidates you meet with are going to be able to do the job and contribute to your company culture.
When career-driven recruiting is at the heart of a job search, it increases the likelihood that a candidate and a career opportunity are the best possible fit. This type of recruiting helps ensure that new hires will grow into high-performing team members who will contribute to the continued success of a company, and that companies will provide growth opportunities that will keep employees motivated, engaged, and fulfilled over the long term.
