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In 2021, the hardest part of recruiting: every candidate seemed to have multiple great offers.Â
The salary inflation era. What a time.
That was a middle-of-the-funnel problem. Everyone was open to looking. But they had a lot of great things to choose from.
đCompanies had to âsellâ against each other to get people to join.
And they did. Not all, but a lot. I donât recall another time in my career where so many hiring managers and execs understood the challenges and put their best foot forward. Active involvement in the attraction and interview process.
In 2023? The hardest part of recruiting: getting candidates motivated enough to leave their jobs.
The layoff era. (With any luck the âpost-layoffâ era.) Where those who remain standing are like ânah, Iâm good.â
Itâs a top-of-the-funnel problem. Companies can only cut so deep. The more people let go, the more essential those who remain are. Workers know it. And theyâre content to wait it out.
đCompanies need to âsellâ against a candidateâs current employer just to get them in process.
It seems like a classic ârecruiting is always hardâ dichotomy. Except thereâs a huge difference.
In 2021, the product (the candidate) was in front of the buyer (the hiring manager).
In 2023, theyâre not.
It's way easier for someone (the recruiter) to sell their product (the candidate) when itâs in front of the buy (the hiring manager.)
đAnd thatâs the fundamental disconnect right now. Execs and hiring managers see all the bad news in the market and think it should be easy. But getting people to leave their companies is actually harder.
If youâre hiring right now: congratulations! (No sarcasm.) Youâre killing it. Running a profitable business. There are some skill sets (e.g. internal recruiters - sorry guys) that are in fact âeasyâ right now.
But for most in demand skill sets? If youâre wondering where all the candidates are, pretend itâs 2021 and youâll find them.
(Also give the people who were laid off and open to work another look.)
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