Strategic Relationship Building

Success in staffing is all about the relationships you build. But relationships take time, and they take work to develop and maintain. With the right approach, though, you’ll find that all the effort you put into relationship building pays back tenfold, and then some.

Here are our top tips to connect to and with the candidates that will deliver unrivaled success in your career.

Connecting to Candidates

Networking. That’s the name of the game, and it’s all about connecting to potential candidates. This is the crucial first step to developing a growing and loyal candidate bank. Here are the tactics to employ to make the connections that will drive your success.

Be a Social Media Star

Spend 20 minutes each day on social media. Post relevant information for current and potential candidates. Over time, you’ll find that people start following you. They will start commenting, and asking questions. You’ve become a valuable resource, and with every post, every view, and every share you expand your network of potential candidates.

Go Live Online

Once a week, go live on social media. Talk about what has been happening in the staffing world and in the industries that you serve. Discuss what the week ahead holds, the exciting initiatives you are working on. Help people with great advice, and expect nothing in return. Show people you love what you do, and they will love what you do.

Meet Them on Their Turf

The best place to meet people is where they hang out. Life is not lived only on the internet, so get out there. Meet potential candidates at events, trade fairs, charity dinners, coffee shops. Anywhere they will be, you should be.

Reach Out

All the connections you make through these efforts will be wasted if you don’t reach out. Let people know you appreciate their comments on your social media posts. Always answer questions. Use every interaction as an opportunity to make meaningful connections.

Very few of these connections will be actively seeking a new role. But guess where they will come to when they are considering a move? The person who knows the business. The one who has proven themselves to be a valuable source of information. The one who took time to answer their questions.

If you are connecting to them as a potential candidate for a role, or they have approached you to help them find their next career move, how you connect with them is crucial.

Connecting with Candidates

You’ve made a new contact. You got connected. Now it’s time to get personal and make a real connection. Here are a few great habits to get into.

Respect A Candidate’s Expertise and Learn From It

Listen to what you candidate says. They are highly knowledgeable in their area of expertise. By listening more, you give yourself the opportunity to learn more about their specialization, their job, and their ideas. Every piece of knowledge you accumulate increases your value to all your clients.

Be Genuine

Never try to wing it. Be honest about your knowledge and your capability. If you try to pull the wool over a candidate’s eyes, they’ll smell the BS. Remember, just because you don’t know, doesn’t mean that you don’t know someone who does!

Connect with a Candidate’s Outside Passion

You’ll want to learn about your candidate’s personality. What makes them tick? What gets their juices flowing? Make a personal connection by learning about their interests outside of work. Making a connection with a shared passion will help you bond.

Be Interested in Them

It’s key to get to know a candidate. The more you know about them, the more opportunities you will create to connect. For example, send them a virtual birthday or anniversary card. Congratulate them on the birth of their child. Chat about how well their team did in the final game of the season.

Use previous conversations to spark new ones, and, when you do connect, use the message you send to make them feel special.

Make the First Move

You know how you are always thinking about calling a friend or family member, then life overtakes you and the call gets put on the back burner. Then another week goes by. And another… Before you know it, you haven’t spoken for months. Don’t let that happen in your professional life.

Gather candidates and connections like they are your family. But connect with them way more often! Be the first to move. This way, you’ll stay in the front of their thoughts.

Connecting Your Candidate to Your Client

Before presenting a candidate to a client, it’s essential that you know them. You’ve got to understand their goals, their likes and dislikes, and the sort of person they are. It’s important that you understand the role they do, their duties and responsibilities, and their knowledge and expertise. This is why it is important to connect with candidates after you have connected to them.

No one said it was easy. It takes effort, and a strategic, disciplined approach. After a while, you’ll find that connecting becomes a habit. You’ll also find that it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s what will set you apart as a star in your sector.

There’s one more relationship that is crucial for your success in the staffing industry. The one you have with EnabledForce. What do you mean, you haven’t connected with us yet? Be part of our family. Contact EnabledForce today.