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Recruiters spend so much time leaving voicemail messages for passive candidates. Every day, every week, every month of the year – and many continuously use the same version of their message. But is the ROI there?  Passive Candidates are hard to reach. Most of the time they don’t pick up the phone. So voicemails can serve a purpose, but only if done effectively. Top candidates receive phone calls from recruiters almost daily, so what is it that you can do to at least get on their radar when they aren’t picking up your calls?

Many companies are experiencing difficulty bringing the right Millennials on board and keeping them happy for the long-haul. According to a recent survey from Elance-oDesk and Millennial Branding, more than 50% of surveyed Gen X hiring managers said that they’re struggling to find and retain millennial talent. With the ever growing increase of millennials in the workforce, they will make up about 40% of it within the next 5 years according U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

In our last post we busted some myths about millennials in the workforce. So why is it so important to hire them?  Your company’s ability to recruit millennials and understand them is critical as they will develop into leadership positions within the near future. So here’s why else you should hire them NOW!

Oh millennials. The generation is an enigma to many, including (or maybe especially to) those in the workforce. Although this isn’t all that unique to this generation, since older generations are always confused by the ones after them. This generation has stigmas attached to it that can be concerning but easily debunked if you take the time to understand the generation better. IBM conducted a global study that aimed to separate fact from fiction so that we can learn what millennials are really all about. Here are five myths busted about millennials.

  Everyone has moments in their career where they are desperate to get out of their current role and move on to bigger and better things. They actively respond to job board postings and make their resume available for potential employers. They anxiously wait to hear back from the hiring managers for an interview that can rescue them from their current role. As for the rest of the workforce, it’s filled with happy employees who love their jobs and the company they work for, and have no burning desire to leave. Right?

We’ve all heard about the importance of building a strong company culture for your employees. But what does that even mean? Hanging ironic posters on the wall and eating pizza on Fridays in the break room? Company culture can mean many things; but an easy way to explain your company culture would be to simply identify a few words that define the company.Not what your company does, but what it stands for and what is important to your company. In other words, the core values of the organization.

What’s up TechJammers? The annual block party for networking in a fun and creative way is back and bigger than ever. Grab a drink, bring your team or just bring yourself and “Get your inner geek on.” Take a look at what other pioneers are doing with technology that will change the world. That’s right, the world! Talent Retriever will be there, and we have Hammer, the mechanical shark swimming to find his next prey — oooh scary! How long do you think you can last? Find out and grab some free SWAG while you’re at it. But not without visiting some fellow developers, marketing and biz dev pros, founders, tech execs and others who love to get downright “Geeky!” and see innovation in action. Come join us June 11th from 4-9PM at Government Center in Boston, because the blood is in the water and the tank is filled with sharks.

  Today I received an email asking me to buy someone’s services. They went to the trouble of personalizing their email pitch by using my name – it was even spelled correctly. All great until I go to the second sentence where they referenced my company, “XXX Bank”. Um, no, I do not work there and I don’t work in anything related to banking. So just like that, they lost all credibility before I even gave them a chance. No clue what their offer was because I automatically tuned out.

Hold up cowboy. Just because someone is talking to you does not mean they want a job at your company. So — you have intrigued a passive candidate enough to open them up to a conversation. Great work! Now proceed carefully. I recommend you don’t take that as an offer to start grilling them with questions and coding tests just yet. Instead, look at it as the first step in relationship building. Strategic recruiting takes patience. Who has time for that, right? Good, solid and well-respected recruiters – that’s who! Be a People Reader – Take notice of the candidate’s communication style. Whether over the phone or in person, pay attention to the cues you are receiving and communicate accordingly. If the person is a fast talker, stay on point in the conversation. If they are more casual and seem to prefer a bit of an ice breaker, perhaps you can share something non-work related with them. It can be as simple as mentioning something you did over the weekend, referencing an upcoming event like a wedding, or even a quick comment on the weather!

A few years ago an article was released indicating that nearly 50% of all hiring managers who use contingent labor only knew of one or two staffing agencies. This data was met with skepticism followed by the questions of how could