How to Recruit Leaders On-Line
The high tech industry, in its battle for human resources, has stagnated into a bidding war where the only winner is the company with the deepest pockets. “Shrimps wars”, gift baskets, three raises a year, beer fridges, pool tables, planes towing banners, booths set up at gardening shows, paid tuition, options, flexi-hours, and the list goes on – when does it all stop and at what point does on realize that a war, fought in this way, is lost already? Those companies with the highest profile – Nortel, Microsft, Sycamore – have already won. And they’ll continue to do so until a company like yours either changes the rules or plays the game differently.
For Real Leaders It’s Not The Money
They define who they are by what they do – and where they do what and they do. There is nothing they love more than to face a challenge and accomplish what’s never been accomplished before. It’s how they work, play and compete among themselves. The ability of a company to be structured in a way that will allow the individual to succeed, as part of a team of top performers, is the key to attracting Leaders, but how do identify them to begin with?
Who are Today’s Leaders?
Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics of our target audience, by tracking a typical candidate: In high school, “jocks” defined who they were by their athletic prowess, the “beautiful people” by their looks and charisma, and “geeks” by their seeming solitude, introverted nature, and tape-repaired glasses. Our geeks weren’t the fastest or strongest and they weren’t the most popular, but they were the smartest. They took pride in knowing that while the athlete was up collecting his trophy, the geek was the on who had to tutor him in math. When our geek, let’s call him Steve, moved from high school to university, he found an environment in computer science or engineering which embraced who he is. He was also, for the first time in his life, surrounded by hundreds of like-minded souls. Nirvana. Steve came to realize that this environment did come with a down side: the bar was raised. He wasn’t necessarily the “smartest kid in the class”, he had competition. Oddly enough. Steve thrived in this environment because in a way he really is no different than an athlete. He’s driven to improve his times, his scores; he’s driven to get around barriers; he’s driven to go places no one has gone before. University, and the work environment he was about to enter wants people who are competitive and Steve always pushed to find if he had what it took. Over the course of time, Steve evolved from being the introverted, technology obsessed person he was to a still somewhat quiet, confident person who realized that the interests he’s had for so long are now highly sought after. He realized that he could share his dreams, and his journey, with a company that wanted people just like him. Before he even graduated he was courted by the best. He chose wisely. His career rocketed forward. He loves his job. And now he is exactly who you need. How do you reach out to him?
Location, Location, Location
First, leaders define themselves not only by what they do but also where they do what they do so your company needs to be in an area he’s interested in. Second, people like Steve know that money will come. They know that they’re highly sought after, and that should they choose to leave a company in the morning often, that same morning, they’ll be hired by someone else. This is challenging because the leverage of money that most companies use to attract people doesn’t work with our group; they’re looking for more. Third, Steves intend to change the world with their technology. The power of individual accomplishment within an organization is one of the single most important strategic elements that must come through in a pitch. The people that we want to talk to, need to know, for selfish and unselfish reasons, that they can make a difference. Lastly, just because they aren’t reading “Career Ads” and don’t visit job boards doesn’t mean they’re not interested in advancing their careers. In fact these people are typically more in tuned with their industry than average people. They read more technical journals, follow industry news more closely and engage in more business events than their underachieving cohorts. This means you need to approach them. And you find them through their favorite Newsgroups. Newsgroups are the locations that are most trusted as job sources by highly qualified job candidates. As a bonus, Newsgroup information is not available on the Job Boards, so you can “step over” the current messy online data dumps to reach the best candidates.
Newsgroups are Different
Recruiting today requires: • Your job posting must make both a logical and emotional connection with the consumer • • The ability to micro-target the competition’s employees where they congregate, not where they work. A response system that treats each potential recruit as an individual, providing a customized response tailored to their needs.
. Your newsgroup posting like all good direct marketing pieces will need to: • Grab their attention with a good Lead-in or Title. (Avoid terms like world-class, pre-IPO – they’re clichés AND Passive candidates already have them. • • Treat your add copy like a novel or story with an introduction, a conflict and a climax (Have the President/Founder tell their story). Motivate them to action by telling them what to do next. (Get in touch with a real person).
And it’s absolutely critical to remember Leaders are Passive Candidates they will not have resumes so you will need to establish three to five gating questions to ascertain their suitability.
Next month: Taking Newsgroup Recruiting from Theory to Reality. David Perry is Managing Partner of Perry-Martel International, Inc. an international executive recruiting firm specializing in high technology. David can be reached via e-mail at: dperry@perrymartel.com