How To Find Your Gift In the Recruitment Industry

How To Find Your Gift In the Recruitment Industry

Have you been working in the staffing industry for decades, yearning to do something new to inspire the next generation of staffing professionals? If you feel out of touch in the staffing world, you may not fully realize your power in positively influencing, and empowering the current wave of staffing professionals making their mark in the field.

Recently in the The JourneyUP podcast, we interviewed Sharon Hulce, president and CEO of Employment Resources Group (ERG), a multifaceted staffing firm dedicating to helping others define their purpose, attain goals and become integrated into an organization. With over 20 years in executive search, Sharon founded ERG with a mission to go beyond traditional recruiting, putting the emotional intelligence side of a new hire at the forefront of the placement process.

As a veteran in the staffing world, Sharon’s expertise lies in many areas of staffing leadership. In our discussion, we spoke with Sharon about the many major changes taking place in the staffing industry, particularly about how today’s staffing leaders can effectively grow their teams and lay the foundation for long-term company success. So, what truly resonates with today’s leaders? According to Sharon, CEOs must lead from the heart about their company’s purpose and mission, communicating their impact on the lives of those served.

If you’re a long-time staffing leader, you have the unique opportunity to impact the future of staffing and empower the next generation of staffing leaders to reach their greatest potential, if you learn how to find your gift in the recruitment industry. Here’s how:

Discover your employees’ natural gifts.

As Sharon explains in the podcast, everyone has a natural DNA gift and “if you can find out what a person’s gift is, you can place them in a job where they will enhance that natural gift and will be a rock star. Because they’re naturally good at it, it isn’t something they’ll have to work hard at learning.” Harnessing your employees’ natural gifts will allow you to capitalize on their strengths and help to boost their own confidence when overcoming major staffing and recruiting challenges.

To truly discover an employee’s natural gift, you must tap into what they’re most passionate about. Do they love to socialize? Are they a top-notch researcher? Are they a social media maven? Using the interview process to learn about your potential recruiters will not only help you determine their abilities but give you a chance to place them in the best capacity at your firm. From there, you can grow a team of staffing pros who can capitalize on their core strengths and thrive on their own unique talents, giving them opportunities to apply their natural gifts to their day-to-day work.

Invest in your employer brand.

As the staffing landscape has evolved dramatically over the years, it’s become even more critical to maintain a sense of trust, value and mission within your company. Sharon explains it’s time to make a departure from selling “clean facilities” and “good jobs,” as these things aren’t resonating with incoming leaders. To truly build a leadership team that’s driven by core values, Sharon discusses the importance of conveying your company’s impact. She illustrates this need with a shocking statistic: 70-75% of contractors can’t remember the employment agency they are working for. This finding, among many others, demonstrates the importance of establishing a strong company brand that connects with your team and gives them a sense of community and belonging.

Now, as you may think, developing a robust brand that connects with your employees is easier said than done. Sharon explains this process must start at the beginning – from your first point of communication with a candidate all the way through the onboarding and training stages.

• Ask yourself, how can you implement elements of your culture into your hiring?
• How you interview, onboard and train new hires will set the stage for how they perceive your company and its leadership abilities.
• For instance, do you train your new employees on messaging and how to communicate with clients?
• Are they instructed on the types of content to share on their social media pages?
• Do they know how to tell your company’s story?

Use training and development to reinforce your brand to employees so they’ll become your company’s best ambassadors.

Establishing a personal brand.

Unfortunately, many staffing CEOs of today still haven’t fully embraced the value of having a strong personal brand. While your company’s brand should always be at the forefront of your marketing, a personal brand is just as paramount for attracting top recruiting talent and positioning your company as an industry expert. Now in her 23rd year of executive search, Sharon explains, “If I had to say what makes or hurts a company brand, it’s the CEO. I had to go through a very personal journey of looking in the mirror and understanding the role of my actions in creating a good or bad experience within ERG’s walls.”

As a CEO, it’s your responsibility to craft a personal brand that positively reflects on your company, illuminating its mission and values. You can build your personal brand through various digital platforms, including your company’s website, social media, video and in more traditional ways, such as speaking engagements. The key is to make a sustained effort to showcase your expertise in the media and your community, as your personal reputation will have a direct effect on your company’s reputation.

Braced with new knowledge, you can unleash your staffing team’s natural talents and propel your company to new heights. Most importantly, you’ll foster an environment in which your recruiters can perform their best and, therefore, provide the greatest value to your clients and candidates.

Are you searching for top-of-the-line recruiters?

Learn how we can help you grow and retain your staffing workforce. Get in touch today and let our team create a plan that meets your needs!

TrackerRMS is a leading applicant tracking system designed for the SMB Staffing company. Our industry-leading ATS technology will help you recruit faster and more efficiently. With over 20 years of experience, our ATS System is built with you, the staffing professional in mind.