Think Your Dream Job Doesn't Exist? Create It!

 Many an article has been written by recruitment experts aimed at encouraging clients to talent pool. They usually cover the same breadth of topics - don’t wait for that inevitable resignation; meet candidates on a regular basis; have a contingency plan; a shortlist of names ready to go to if you are given more budget to add an extra head. These are all relevant points that are seriously undervalued. Every day, I speak to clients about talented candidates we have met with or contacted that would be a good fit for their teams. They have the right skill set, personality, systems knowledge or are based in the right location – they tick the boxes on a hiring manager’s wish list. What of the talent, though? Should you, as a potential candidate, just wait for a job to appear online? Should you just apply and hope to get a call? You’ll keep your fingers crossed you prepared as best you could, read interview technique websites, researched the employer’s website, read press releases - everything you possibly could to nail that interview and get the job. The problem with that is you have made a commitment - you have shown your hand, so to speak. Maybe you’ve resigned from your current role, perhaps an issue with workload is putting your position under pressure or you are just not happy in work. You are just looking because you need a new job and it’s too late to change your mind - and now you are taking a job for the sake of it. Why don’t you “talent pool”? Have you sat down and identified who you want to work for? Well, why not go and get them? I speak to candidates every day who tell me that they aren’t looking and would not be interested in meeting with any of my reputable clients because the dream job does not exist. Who says? Why don’t you create an employer pool? Go along for a meeting with the client and see if they are what you are looking for. What have you got to lose? The client reserves the right to meet a variety of candidates and ultimately decide not to hire any, so, what do you have to lose by meeting with the “competition”? You might learn a thing or two on how the competition works, but you also may stumble across that dream job you did not think existed. By going for that employer pooling meeting, you might just secure your dream job. It is possible, of course, that you could go to a meeting, only to discover that the vacancy they are recruiting for is not the level you are looking to move for just now. On the other hand, you could also give a great interview, hit it off with the interviewer and, who knows ... Now you are on the hiring manager’s radar. Perhaps the next senior role, manager role, implementation role, has your name on it. I have a substantial amount of candidates who ask me to get in touch if a certain role comes up or a certain employer is looking. Absolutely, I’ll keep my end of the bargain, but it would be brilliant to get a call from the employer, saying that they remember a candidate who came in for a speculative meeting and now they want to create a role exclusively for them. By taking the chance and going for a meeting, you’ve just created a shortlist wherein you are the only candidate. You already know you’re interested in the employer and that it would be a great career move. You created that chance. We know what our clients look for in hires, what they offer when it comes to career development, ongoing training, educational support, flexible working - all the things they offer to try and secure the best talent available. The clients I represent know what they are looking for and we know our clients so well that we are able to determine “best fit” in our candidates. Give me a call to confidentially discuss some of the exciting opportunities and clients we have looking to make relevant hires … Or simply just to talk about what a dream job looks like to you. You never know where that speculative conversation might lead … To get in touch with me about the Payroll market - UK wide - call 0141 353 8381 or email amitchell@hrcrecruitment.co.uk