Recruiters Work in Reverse, Too!

I stumbled across a post by Amber Singleton Riviere entitled “4 Strategies for Getting Unstuck.” Her third point on working in reverse resonated with me, and perhaps it will with you, too. I’ve included the entire section, adding bolding to help you understand my point.

#3 Work in reverse. In the recent month or so, I decided to hire a couple of interns, in the hope of finding motivated and talented people I could add to my team permanently. I started the process of locating prospects through several university job posting boards, as well as a few privately-owned sites, but the pool of potential new hires was slim.

At first, I was a little discouraged, and in an effort to fine-tune my job postings, I started searching for terms like “what interns do” and “how to be a good intern” and began stumbling on blogs of actual interns who were exactly the type of candidates I wanted: aggressive, enthusiastic, eager, etc. Of course, these interns were already more than busy, but I started paying attention to the people who were commenting on their blogs, and it turns out, many of them were considering doing internships. As I followed the links back to their owners’ sites, I started finding unique, highly talented and motivated students who were perfect candidates for the job.

Instead of going more traditional routes for solving particular problems, try to think of other ways you might connect with the solutions you need.

Now I am not suggesting you hire an intern. I am suggesting that recruiters are using this same methodology to find top-notch talent. And companies and recruiters use it to seek out and connected with those Chief Financial Officers and Finance Executives who are subject matter experts.

Google yourself, with your name in quotes (i.e., “Cindy Kraft”) and see what’s already being said about you. If you find nothing, that is saying something! Next, Google some key word phrases that are applicable to you, your industry, and your unique marketable value proposition. Again, what are you finding about you? And, what are you finding about your competition?

If you are in a job search or anticipating a move in the next 6-12 months, move away from the “job board” mentality and adopt a “web 2.0” mindset. Having great positioning long before you need it is a smart career management strategy!