by: Yin Lo | Client Relationship Manager
It’s cliché and true to say a resume doesn’t always reflect a person’s ability. I’ve seen top notch resumes with little more than mediocre personality behind a nice linen sheet of paper; while other times, an almost sloppy resume proves to be a hard and driven money maker. I often spend several hours in one day laboring through resumes. There has to be a more effective way of sourcing candidates, right?
During my first week at a recruiting firm we had an open house to pool entry-level applicants for one of our clients. I was amazed – we had a flood of people show up, coming from all different professional backgrounds. Within three hours, over 50 people had completed an application! I thought - what a great way to knock out so many people in so little time! However, one flaw I noticed was that we targeted a specific applicant profile and were unable to utilize the remaining applicants; many of whom may have been a great fit elsewhere. Because so many people were in and out in such a short time, the recruiter was unable to create a personal bond with each individual and resulted in a loss of what could have potentially been great talent!
One major benefit of an open house is that you can target a specific skill set to fit your needs. Also, if you have high volume fills an open house is a perfect recruiting method. Unfortunately, for every five applicants, you may only find one qualified candidate. Some candidates come to an open house just to get their foot-in-the door but it proves to be ineffective due to the lack of personal connection between the recruiter and the candidate.
I’ve been holding open houses recently to target high volume fills. With one open house, I target anything from specialized warehouse and manufacturing workers to customer service and sales professionals. I try to reconfigure and adapt my approach for optimal efficiency and effectiveness. Here are my top three tips to conduct a successful open house:
1. Target a specific applicant pool with specific skills. High volume fills that require minimal skills or experience is a great reason to have an open house. However, keep in mind that there will always be applicants that don’t fall within the skill set range.
2. Conduct a quick 3-5 minute interview (if time permits) on each candidate. I’ve tried large group, small group, and individual interviews. Pending your position(s), one or the other may prove to be more effective. I’ve found that by conducting a quick 3-5 minute individual interview with each candidate I get to see the personality behind the resume. Someone with little or no experience may have outstanding drive and ambition, proving to be a great fit for the client.
3. Call a candidate back for a more formal interview. It’s difficult to remember all applicants but there will always be the few who will stick out in your mind. Even if a more formal interview is required at a later date, at least you know this candidate already has potential for a client. Now, it’s just a matter of figuring out if they’re a good fit!
It’s a learning process and each time I have open house, the outcome is different. The candidate pool always varies but by preparing yourself to handle a diverse crowd, the advantages are really on your side!
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