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Here’s what I've learned. 

Like many recruiting agencies, I first tried the passive approach to recruiting, relying on job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and LinkedIn to do the heavy lifting. This method produced a lot of candidates but very few were a match for my customers. 🙈 

Next, I tried a mix of job boards and direct outreach through LinkedIn Recruiter. Over time, I realized nearly all strong candidates were coming from my direct outreach. 

Seeing that job boards and candidate databases rarely produced results, I made the decision to take all the 💰 I was spending on job boards and advertising and put it towards tools that helped me become an expert at sourcing and head-hunting. I also took the time I was spending reviewing candidates that applied and put it towards mastering those sourcing tools. 

This approach was more challenging, but it paid off! I went from being disappointed with the poor quality of talent that applied to being excited about every response I received from direct outreach. I knew those responses were from candidates who were the right fit for the positions I was trying to fill. 

As always, putting in the work and being on the offensive pays off!

If you’re planning to work with a recruiting agency, do yourself a favor and ask how they find strong talent. If it’s through job boards and “databases” then keep looking. If it’s through strategic, direct outreach, you could have a winner. 🏁 

Are you having a hard time finding the right talent for a specific role? 

Consider trying this. 

Send me the job description for that role.

I'll send you qualified candidates through Paage.io. 

Neil's software is 🔥 for quickly viewing and letting me know which candidates are a fit. 

If you like one or all of the candidates, you can choose if you want to engage with me to start interviewing. 

There are no upfront or monthly costs to work with Narrow Gate. Instead, a fee comes into play only if a candidate goes through the entire interview process and receives and then signs your offer. 

Try before you buy. 🤓 

If you like Paage.io but not my candidates, let me see if Neil has an affiliate link before you sign up. 🤣

My boys wanted to go to a local antique shop.

They had gone with their mom a week prior and it was a big hit.

Off we went so I could see what the hype was about.

I didn’t expect to see anything exciting.

I was wrong.

After going down several aisles, we came across a 1971 Hemi Cuda model car. 

Mint condition.

I personally love the Hemi Cuda. It’s my favorite muscle car. 🏎

I did a quick Google search to see what year was the rarest.

It appears to be 1971.

We had struck gold!

It was $25.

The boys love it, but they can’t touch it.

Unless someone tells me it’s worth $25 or less. 🤣

This reminded me of what it’s like when you find the perfect candidate.

The excitement you feel knowing the candidate is a home run!

You reach out and learn they’re interested in the opportunity.

Everything is going exactly how you planned.

So you submit the candidate to your client.

Their response: “Not a fit.”

🤦‍♂️

I love hard-to-fill roles. 

Roles that have been open for months and sometimes a year. 

Roles that internal talent teams and most recruiting firms can’t fill.

I've never been given a role I couldn’t fill. 

Yes, maybe I'm good at what I do.  

But there’s something else.

Many times, a company benefits greatly from a recruiting expert/consultant who can help them define exactly who they’re looking for and how they know when that person has been found. 

If you’ve had a role open for several months, it’s time to get a fresh perspective. 👀

I'm happy to provide my thoughts based on filling countless hard-to-fill roles.

Please reach out anytime. 📲  #recruiting #talent #hiring

I get it. 

The market is a bit uncertain. 

Finance teams are looking through all company expenses. 

What can be eliminated and what has a strong return on investment? 

For recruiting, there is 1 model where finance can tie spend to results.

Where the cost of recruiting matches how many people are hired. 

No hiring = No cost. Some hiring = Some cost. Etc. Etc. 

This is the contingency recruiting model. 

#Winning!

1️⃣ Planning on 𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐒 of growth and hiring 🚀

2️⃣ Planning average hiring similar to past years

3️⃣ Planning to hire only when absolutely necessary

I’d be willing to bet that unless you're in category 1️⃣, 𝐍𝐎 𝐎𝐍𝐄 at your company has considered using a contingency recruiting agency to support hiring efforts.

Why is that❓ Let me share a misconception Narrow Gate has heard.

Many companies seem to believe that working with a contingency recruiting agency should only be considered if your company is 💥 with #growth and you’re NOT receiving the candidates you need from job boards and/or the efforts of your HR/Talent team.

Yes, I help companies in the above situation, but let me share other ways clients 𝐖𝐈𝐍 working with me.

1️⃣ 𝐍𝐨 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐑/𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬: One of my clients doesn’t have an internal Talent/HR team or advertise on job boards. I handle their entire recruiting process. They enjoy being able to budget an exact cost/hire. Whether they’re doing a lot or very little hiring, they know their recruiting expense will match how many 🔥 employees they’ve hired. I’ve helped them fill 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 20 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐄𝐒.

2️⃣ 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜/𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬: Many of my clients have an HR/Talent team but use us when they need to make a strategic hire. They want to be sure they see the best talent. They understand the Narrow Gate targeting and outreach approach is 𝐔𝐍𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃❗

3️⃣ “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞”: Have you ever had a role open for 𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐀 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑? I built a long-term relationship with a client who started using me to fill a role that seemed impossible. They needed several very specific Solution Architects but hadn’t been able to find even one in over a year. I ended up helping them find 4️⃣ and continue to help with many other roles. 😎

Most clients start working with me because they can’t fill a specific role.

They continue working with me because I make hiring 𝐀+ talent effortless.

1. Cost-Effective: There are NO upfront or monthly costs to work with a contingency agency. Their fee is a percentage of the employee's salary and is earned only when a candidate they present is hired. On the other hand, the cost of an HR/Talent team is fixed regardless of how much or little hiring a business is doing or how successful they are at filling positions. Also, advertising roles on job boards can be somewhat reasonable but many times candidates aren’t a match and someone (HR or hiring manager) still has to take the time to manage the listing and review candidates.

2. Time-Efficient: The best contingency agencies can handle the entire recruiting process so businesses don’t have to - sourcing, screening, interview scheduling, and verbal offer presentation. They quickly learn your culture and experience needs and present candidates based on quality over quantity. Unlike job boards, submitted candidates have been fully vetted. 

3. Expertise and Specialization: Contingency recruiting agencies often specialize in specific industries or job functions, giving them a level of expertise that can be valuable for businesses looking to fill specialized positions. Their professional advice is included in the fee so utilize it! 

4. Access to a Wide Candidate Pool: Contingency agencies often have access to a large pool of candidates, including those who may not be actively looking for a new job. They also utilize the best tech to find and engage with strong talent. They are expert head-hunters.

5. Reduced Risk: If a hired employee does not work out (typically within 90 days), the business can simply return to the agency to find a replacement, rather than finding and hiring a new employee on their own.