Silver Medalists are Gold
Recruitment is a highly competitive arena, with recruiters constantly seeking the best candidate for the job. In our quest for the perfect fit, we often overlook the immense value of staying engaged with silver medalist candidates – those individuals who were runners-up but showcased exceptional potential. In this piece, we challenge recruiters to consider the silver medalist - and the untapped benefits of staying engaged with them.
Consider this: you’ve done the work of sourcing these candidates, prepping them, and then marketing them to a client. This work is validated when the hiring manager’s interest is piqued, and they are invited to a phone screen or interview. At each successive round of interviews, the quality of the candidate is confirmed and increases. But often, they don’t get the offer. This could happen for any number of reasons. Maybe there were two top candidates for a role, but only one position. Or the employer decides not to fill the role immediately, or to hire internally, or pivots to a restructuring that makes that role redundant. The fundamental truth remains: that candidate was a terrific choice – which means they will be the right choice for another role, whether at that company or elsewhere.
Here are a few other benefits to staying engaged with your silver medalist candidates.
Building a Talent Pool: Engaging with silver medalist candidates allows recruiters to deepen their talent pool. These individuals are often motivated, highly skilled, and possess a strong desire to succeed. By nurturing relationships with them, recruiters can build a network of top-tier candidates who can be considered for future job openings or even refer other talented professionals to the organization.
Enhanced Diversity and Inclusion: Silver medalist candidates often bring diverse experiences and backgrounds to the table. By staying engaged with them, recruiters can promote diversity and inclusion within their talent pool, ensuring a broader range of perspectives and ideas. This enriches the organizational culture and fosters innovation.
Fostering Candidate Loyalty: When recruiters stay engaged with silver medalists, they demonstrate respect, recognition, and investment in their growth. This fosters a sense of loyalty, even if the candidate was not selected for a specific position. Silver medalists who feel valued and supported by the organization are more likely to consider future opportunities within the company or even advocate for the organization externally.
Let’s say you know the value of silver medalists. How do you keep these candidates’ interest up after the disappointment of not securing the sought-after role?
Regular, meaningful communication is key, but we’re not naive. We all know time and resource constraints impact your ability to stay in touch. And staying in touch with a silver medalist (without an open position) may feel like it takes you away from your current priorities or even sets a false expectation for the candidate.
It’s time to reimagine the recruitment paradigm. Maintaining relationships with silver medalist candidates is the strategic investment for recruiters and agencies. With an effective communication strategy and technology to bring automation and consistency to the task, recruiters can unlock the untapped value of silver medalist candidates and create a talent pool that drives long-term success for their organizations. Embracing this approach allows recruiters to nurture exceptional talent, cultivate loyalty, and propel their recruitment efforts to new heights.
And that’s where Springboard Technologies comes into the conversation.
It's time to reconsider the potential that lies within the silver medalists and seize the opportunities they bring.
Interested in a demo? Drop us a line!