Webinar Recap: Standing Out From the Crowd
On July 14th we hosted the first in a new series of webinars on the Future of Talent Acquisition. To kick off the series, we wanted to talk about something that was timely and would add value to the broader talent acquisition community. We saw a number of layoffs at the beginning of the summer, many of which directly impacted recruiting and people teams. Over the years we’ve hired more than one hundred recruiters and interviewed hundreds more. We thought we could add an interesting perspective to what recruiters look for in other recruiters which led to our discussion - Standing Out From The Crowd: Optimizing Your Online Presence As A Recruiter.
“Over the years we’ve hired more than one hundred recruiters and interviewed hundreds more. We thought we could add an interesting perspective to what recruiters look for in other recruiters”
If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry! We’ve got you covered. We have a quick recap below to fill you in on all of the great insight we gathered from our incredible panelists. Or you can do a re-watch here.
To start, THANK YOU to our wonderful panelists:
Jen Stoural - VP of People at Smartsheet
Cassie Bradley, SPHR - VP of People at Ladder
Megan Conlon - Recruiting Leader at Miro
Now for the good stuff! Here are a few of the takeaways:
1. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and includes the info hiring managers are looking for
“In addition to the standard position descriptions, hiring managers are looking for your personality and what sets you apart from other recruiters.”
Resumes are great, but LinkedIn profiles are key! In addition to the standard position descriptions, hiring managers are looking for your personality and what sets you apart from other recruiters. Do you have a great story about how you got into recruiting? Do you have a specific mentality or philosophy that guides your recruiting? Share those in your About section.
If you want to attach a copy of your resume to your LinkedIn profile it is vital that the details match - the dates, position titles, and other major milestones. Consistency is key and any mismatched information can lead to doubts.
Additionally, your posts matter! Hiring managers will see how you’re using LinkedIn and interacting with the community.
And finally, a surprise! You don't need a LinkedIn profile picture. According to our panelists, your profile picture isn’t that important.
2. Know your metrics
Whether it is on your LinkedIn profile, on your resume, or discussed during an interview, hiring managers want to know your metrics. They want to know that you know your metrics. What are your response rates? Conversion rates? Time to fill? Average number of positions you work on concurrently? Knowing your numbers signals to the hiring manager that you’re data-driven and understand the impact of your work.
“Knowing your numbers signals to the hiring manager that you’re data-driven and understand the impact of your work. ”
Not every company tracks data like this so you may not have it off the top of your head. Take the time to reconstruct your work with some of these common metrics in mind. And if you’re looking to transition into recruiting and don’t have these specific metrics, speak to the metrics of your previous positions. Hiring managers are looking for people with a data-driven mindset so showing that in your other work can be just as helpful.
3. No typos!
This one probably goes without saying, but watch out for typos! How you show up on LinkedIn is how hiring managers will think you will show up to work each day. If the formatting is off on LinkedIn, it will probably be off on emails to candidates.
4. Be specific about your why
“Your conviction can say a lot about how you will perform on the job. ”
Once you land an interview, the hiring manager will inevitably ask you what you’re looking for in your next position. They’re looking to understand your intention and hope to hear a clear answer. What are you looking for in your next role and from your next manager? Why do you do what you do? What keeps you motivated? Your conviction can say a lot about how you will perform on the job.
And remember, you are interviewing the manager as well. Write out what exactly you are looking for and truly think about if the next company aligns with your desires. When you are interviewing you’ll have the questions prepared to interview them as well.
5. Avoiding a layoff
“The more flexible you can be, the more value you can bring to an organization.”
Near the end of the webinar, the topic of recent layoffs came up. The panelists advised that recruiters lean in with and explore where else their skills can be useful in an organization. Could customer success use support? Could marketing? The more flexible you can be, the more value you can bring to an organization. Advocate for yourself and be sure your manager and the business know the other skills that you have and how they can be used.
Conclusion
In summary, the webinar was eye-opening, entertaining, and educational! We learned so much, and we can’t wait for the next one!
You can watch the full webinar replay here.