Trendspotter: The Power of Candidates

With economic growth on the upswing, there has been a shift in the dynamics of the company-recruiter-candidate relationship. Power has shifted from the companies and recruiters to the candidates. It’s pretty simple math — more jobs, more opportunities, more choice for elite candidates.

According to The Recruiter Sentiment Survey by the MRINetwork, 83 percent of the surveyed recruiters acknowledge this trend. But what are the implications and how do you adapt?

• Recognize that top talent is busy kicking butt at their current job and needs your help to conduct a job search. You still have a ton of value to offer, you just need to help them understand how you can help them.
• Increase your focus on passive candidates. Elite talent may be content in their current role, but are usually always open to hearing about an opportunity that helps them take their career to the next level.
• Utilize the best tools like Loxo. Never miss another candidate hidden in your database again with Deep Database Search and Talent Mining.
• FASTER! Elite talent is likely being courted by several companies. It is important to ensure cultural fit, but the days of taking 9 weeks and 6 rounds of interviews will only leave you in the dust. And be careful of the impression you are giving the candidate — if you can’t seem to make up your mind after a few rounds, they will certainly favor a company that has decisively shown interest and that the candidate is wanted.
• Be holistic. Candidates today are about so much more than salary. Don’t forget all of the selling points of the opportunity — work/life balance, quick advancement, strong mentorship, ability to rotate and gain different skills within an organization, valuable benefits and retirement plans.
• Invest time in relationships. When bombarded with multiple opportunities, it’s human nature to default to the people you trust, whom you know have your best interest at heart. Despite all the benefits of technology, don’t forget this is a people business its heart.

What else would you add? How have you adapted to this new dynamic?

Interested in trying Loxo? Just click “Get Started” at the top of the page to get a demo and get ahead of the curve!

Image Credit: Free Digital Photos