I hesitated with the title of this article. In truth, I’m always recruiting. I’m always talking to possible new hires, hearing from clients about openings they have, and always offering advice to friends and family on interviewing techniques. That never goes away.

That said, recruiting is no longer something I focus on day in and day out. As such, I have some perspective on my time in the trenches that might provide some value to others who are presently working as a recruiter.

So here’s my top 10 recruiting best practices list… take from it what you will (and I do hope you will take something)!

We are always being evaluated, and evaluating others.

Remember this in your daily life. Too often, I forget this, so hopefully by writing it here, I can do a better job in the future myself.   Judge others less, and listen and understand more.

We’re all special.

Do you ever wonder why some people seem to have that ‘golden touch’?   They appear successful; everything they touch turns to gold. Chances are, they are just getting up earlier, and working later. As some smart person once said, “I don’t know much about luck, but it seems to me the harder I work, the luckier I seem to get!” There is no secret to getting that new job, landing that new client, or finding that great next hire. There is just hard work, due diligence, and trusting your gut.

Speaking of ‘gut’, I am a big believer in ‘the gut’.

However, as a self professed sales guy, I also know I tend to like most people! I want to hire almost everyone I meet! I cannot.   So it’s a good idea to rely on some established procedures, and ideally an evaluation tool (we like Wonderlic for our pre employment screening, to give them an unsolicited plug).

Hire slow, fire fast.

I’ve said this before (and I’m sure I stole that line from someone else), but it bears repeating, and at times, plastering on the walls.   You can never arrange too many interviews with different people or check too many references when evaluating a candidate. Yet remember if something ‘feels’ off, it is.   Similarly, I have never, in all my years of having employees (coming up on 30 years now), found ANY corrective action for a challenged employee, do anything other than afford the person on the corrective plan a chance to focus on finding that next new position. As soon as you think a correction is in order for an employee, it’s time to move on.

Hire as much for personality and ‘fit’, as for skill.

Occasionally, we will come across a candidate we just KNOW is someone we want to work with.   There’s chemistry or an attitude that just clicks, even if some of the required skills just don’t quite line up.   Hire that person! If this is for a client requirement, share this perception with them. I was never afraid to send a note to a client saying something like “listen, you know I rarely do this, but trust me, meet this candidate. You’ll thank me later”.   Do that as infrequently as you can, and it will pay off when you find the right candidate.

Make sure you understand the ‘pain’ caused by the position being open.

Whether this is a position in your company, or for a client, make sure you, as the recruiter, fully understand what led to this position being opened, not just what is stated in the job description.   Is a team understaffed? Is someone overworked and burning out because of this vacancy?   Has growth contributed to the position being opened?   The more you know, the more able you are to communicate this to candidates.

Be sure to learn what else your candidates have going on?

Did you catch them late in their search, and they have other offers? Does your timing line up with theirs, or are you early in the search, while they are late in theirs?   Recently, we had a candidate we liked, but we were just beginning to talk to candidates, while they were already fielding offers. We grudgingly passed on the candidate for that reason alone, as it would distract us from fully exploring the field of available talent.

If you’re recruiting for a client, focus on the reqs that are closest to the dollar.

These are usually the higher priority reqs anyhow, but not always.

Make sure you have business recruiting for the position.

I recently had an account manager come to me with a request from a client of ours to take on some reqs that we really weren’t well suited to fill.   I told her to thank the client for their vote of confidence in us, but to politely decline the requirements.   It might sound silly to turn down business, but we do it every day.   Focus on your strengths, and don’t dilute yourself.

Measure, measure, measure.

Make sure you have a strong Applicant Tracking System (ATS) in place (if you don’t, just fold up your tent and leave the recruiting to the professionals, seriously).   Most systems (most good ones anyhow) will produce very detailed metrics allowing recruiters to know where they stand on their teams, and allowing management to optimize their teams for optimum effectiveness

Some additional thoughts…

When given the chance, offer to help family and friends with their job search, resume polishing, and the like. It’s a nice thing to do, and keeps our skills sharp.

So, what did I miss? Drop your thoughts on the most important recruiting best practices below.