How to get the most of your recruitment events.

If you’re in the recruiting business, you know finding good, qualified talent is no easy task. It can take months and hundreds if not thousands of dollars to fill those open positions. More frustrating is that these issues stem from simply not being able to get the one-on-one facetime that you need with a candidate. Recruitment events offer you a chance to meet and speak with multiple candidates while also letting them get to know your company and employees on an even deeper level before the interview even starts. But, the process of putting on such an event isn’t a stroll in the park either.

The competition that exists on social media and job boards between companies looking for the best talent make it tough to hone in on the candidates you want. But, there is something you can do: Participate in industry specific recruitment events. Recruitment events can be used for great talking points as well, again to engage, but also build brand and is the perfect way to start a continuing relationship with your talent pipeline. When candidates attend events they are more likely to stay connected and interested in the company, even if they aren’t the best fit at the time. This allows you to build your network while opening and deepening your relationship with current and future potential candidates.

In order to use this event to its fullest advantage, ensure that this process and information is available to your entire team. It may even be beneficial to conduct an overview meeting, and have everyone carry business cards and little notepads with them while they mingle during the event. Recruitment events give your company the opportunity to reach candidates like never before while also showcasing your abilities as a company.

If you are sending recruiters who don’t LOVE your company to recruitment events, it’s bound to show. Select people who are consistently engaged, who love their work and the company for which they work. It’s fine to have suggestions about how to make the workplace better, but an authentic voice who is excited about the company will attract more prospects than a mopey, disengaged recruiter. Don’t have any engaged recruiters? Explore that a little bit. Do they have a say in what kind of gifts they’re giving away? The application suite they use while on the road? Do your diversity or campus recruiters have a direct line to the head of talent acquisition or are their suggestions routed elsewhere (or completely ignored)? These are the folks that are on the road for much of the year. It’s worth it to give them a say in how they attract new recruits.