“Location, location, location.” It's a phrase best known in real estate that could be better known in recruiting. Just as a great location can add value to a home's asking price, geographical insights can add value to sourcing and recruiting efforts. Recruiters can use these three tips to get their opportunities on the map:
Take the Road Less Traveled
Most recruiters have already honed in on the top cities for sourcing talent in their industries. It's no secret that San Francisco is teeming with tech talent and that Washington, D.C. is lined with lawyers. But who wants to compete for candidates in a crowded hiring market? At Seven Step, we take the road less traveled to find new talent first. Watching the moves of top industry players is a great way to chart your course. Top players are moving out of industry hubs in search of new cities that are – or soon will be – playing host to untapped talent. Follow them to destinations like D.C., where technology talent is expected to cross over from the public to the private sector as government employment declines. Or skip the major metropolises altogether and head to Binghamton, New York or Virginia Beach, Virginia, where engineers are abundant and competition is in short supply. Paying attention to where the top players are opening new offices or announcing layoffs can lead to big pay offs for your sourcing efforts.
Vet Jobs On-Location
It's one thing to read a job description, and another to experience a position firsthand. The majority of job descriptions don't offer a completely accurate depiction of the jobs they seek to fill. Seeing a comparable employee in action in their typical work environment allows a recruiter to uncover nuances of the position that would not be apparent on paper, and revise a job description accordingly. It also offers the opportunity to ask questions of the people on the front lines. In industries like engineering and IT, where employer demand for talent is growing more rapidly than talent supplies, understanding the core skills required of a position and thinking creatively about where to find candidates who have them can make all the difference in filling the role quickly.
Use Location to Make the Sale
Recruiters should take a page out of the real estate agent's playbook and use location to sell a position. We've touched on this before– selling a candidate on relocating can be very challenging, yet as demand rises for hard-to-find talent, it is becoming an increasingly integral part of the recruitment process. Candidates face many barriers to relocation, including selling their homes, their spouse's employment situations, and their children's school plans. The recruiter with ready answers to candidates' questions on everything from school districts, to local culture, to weather patterns is the one who is most likely to make the sale. Recruiters should sell location to candidates with the same panache they would the position they are looking to fill.
How are you using location to your advantage?
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