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Post and pray recruiting is more common than we like to admit.

We recently spoke to an organization that was actually spending $50,000 a month on Indeed ads…

They had a HUGE volume of openings that they simply could not fill fast enough. They wanted to get the message out to as many people as possible…

But unsurprisingly, they were seeing very little results while losing money fast.

Click here to view our video on this topic!

Is Post and Pray Recruiting Really That Bad?

The above example sounds extreme on paper. If you’re like us, you can’t imagine EVER going that route.

But on the other hand, if you’ve been in recruiting long enough, you’ve probably been there. We’ve all been pressed for time and posted a job ad hoping for the best.

And at the end of the day, isn’t that the same strategy? That’s post and pray recruiting in a nutshell.

Praying that the right person will see the right ad at the right time and go out of their way to apply?

The only difference is that this company was putting a ton of money behind it.

The point is posting and praying is way more common than recruiters want to admit.

Why Recruiters Post and Pray

If you haven’t been forced into this situation, rest assured it comes at you fast!

Your hiring needs spike – seemingly out of nowhere – and your team is suddenly swamped with open reqs.

You get unlucky and you have several tough, time-consuming reqs at once. No matter the size of your recruiting team or the size of your company, hiring needs can quickly get out of hand.

These situations happen all the time in recruiting, even if it hasn’t yet occurred at your business. So the next question is – what the heck can you actually do to avoid the post and pray recruiting trap?

To Avoid Post and Pray Recruiting, Prepare for Whatever Comes Next

It’s easy to get tunnel vision in recruiting. More often than not, we resort to post and pray recruiting when we’re not well prepared.

Between interviews, sourcing, etc., we can get really caught up in our current searches and present needs. But if you’re serious about making quality hires in a timely fashion, you should always be anticipating where your company’s hiring needs will be tomorrow.

Talk to leaders in other departments about where they sense their hiring needs will be in a few months. Ask about new initiatives – what talent will we need to add to execute on new goals?

Look, no one has a crystal ball. You’ll never know exactly what hiring will look like tomorrow. But you should talk to enough people to have a pretty good idea!

The better you can anticipate TOMORROW’s hiring needs, the better you can prepare today. Which leads us to our next point…

Maintain a Strong Talent Pipeline

Recruiting is all about timing. It’s crucial to connect and maintain relationships with quality talent regardless of whether they’re a good fit right now.

For example, say you’re not hiring commercial lenders today, but you know that your company will have a need for them at some point. You can do yourself a huge favor by maintaining relationships with skilled professionals in this area today, regardless of your current reqs.

Likewise, if you have an all-star candidate who turns down an offer, you owe it yourself to stay in touch.

There’s a very high probability they will be more receptive to another offer in the future. It can be hard to make the time to check-in and say hi to candidates who don’t match today’s needs.

However, putting that time and effort in now makes your job WAY easier down the line. It’s the only way to avoid the trap of post and pray recruiting.

When your next hiring boom hits, you’ll look like a rockstar hitting the ground running. You’ll be able to quickly deliver quality hires when your team needs them most.

Tap Outside Support if Need Be to Avoid Post and Pray Recruiting

If there’s one thing we learned in 2020, it’s that no matter who you are, your hiring needs can change on a dime. Same goes for the talent market as a whole.

The reality is recruiting is one of those jobs where you can do everything right and still come up short. No matter how much you prepare, you may still find your team is outmatched by your hiring needs.

In these situations, there’s nothing wrong with getting dedicated outside support. In fact, dedicated outside support can be an incredibly effective way to get as much or as little assistance as you need.

It allows you to gracefully manage a hiring boom without hiring and laying off recruiters, managing temps, or paying overhead costs.

In 2021, the ability to flexibly manage rising and falling hiring needs could be one of the biggest pieces to leading a successful recruiting team.

The key is to be smart about who you hire and the terms of the agreement!

Recruiting Success Starts With You

99% of business success starts with recruiting the right people and building strong teams.

If you see an issue with your process, whether it’s post and pray recruiting or something else that’s getting between your team and quality hires, you have the power to make a difference.

The first step in solving a problem is acknowledging the issue and brainstorming solutions. If you’re considering your options for dedicated recruiting support, watch our latest video to learn about our outsourcing solutions.

And of course, don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel today!