Playing Hardball: Recruiting During Windows of Instability

We often talk about what we need to say to prospective talent. What are the job attributes (Corporate Leadership Council members only) that are likely to lure them to our organization? How can we make our pitch more compelling? And, those are important questions. Too often, though, we focus on the “what” at the expense of the “when” – that is, when to reach out to prospective talent. When are passive candidates most receptive to hearing from recruiters? Are there unique windows of opportunity that we should target?

Turns out that the answer is yes. Our most recent analysis demonstrates that “when you connect with candidates” matters just as much as “what you tell them.” And, one of the most significant factors that can change the receptivity of passive candidates is organizational stability (or a lack thereof). Destabilizing organizational events can make passive candidates up to 32% more active; as an organization moves from stable to unstable and employee job security comes into question, employees become more active in the labor market – and far more open to our outreach.

The best recruiting organizations recognize this, and they (ethically) play hardball, targeting candidates at other organizations during windows of instability. Doing this well, of course, requires knowing when these events occur – largely through competitive intelligence (CI). We’ve just developed a simple framework (Recruiting Roundtable members only) to show you how to bring the discipline of CI into your recruiting organization.