A few days ago I shared my first answer to “How’s the Market?” (Answer: Upside Down!) Today, I’ll share my second answer: You can’t just ‘Post & Pray’!
In a call this week with a potential new client, an exasperated VP of HR told me that her company could no longer rely on its recruiting strategy: “post and pray”. Their approach has been to post positions to online job boards and then wait for the candidates to apply. But in 2022 they are seeing too few on-point candidates, and an overwhelming number of companies are advertising for similar roles.
It’s no surprise that job boards are flooded. A Robert Half survey at year-end 2021 found that 65% of employers planned to add new, permanent positions in the first six months of 2022. Job openings are at a record high, yet job applicants are extremely low.
I did a quick search of LinkedIn Jobs last night and found that in the last 30 days alone more than 1,700 legal positions with Counsel in the job title have been posted in Texas! And, nationally, in the last 30 days, nearly 3,000 legal positions with Counsel in the job title have been posted for remote work!
Last week I attended an event where a leading trainer of recruiters shared that even though companies spent $2.1 billion on job boards in 2021, those postings led to filling only 15% of open positions. (h/t Barbara Bruno, CPC, CTS)
In a perfect storm of competition for talent, recruiting requires creativity and a fresh approach. What is your company doing to set itself apart? How will you get candidates’ attention? What opportunities for growth are you offering? Why THIS job? Why THIS company?
“Post & pray” isn’t enough anymore.
Stacy Humphries is President of Pye Legal Group, an executive search firm that specializes in recruiting and placing legal and compliance professionals with corporations and law firms. Before her recruiting career, she was a lawyer with Vinson & Elkins and the Vice President of Legal Affairs for the Houston Rockets and Toyota Center.
