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The LLoyd blog: hidden talent.

Recent Grads Welcome?

Rick Delin, CSP, Executive Director, LLoydIT – Technology Sales2016 racetrack

Having recruited for Sales and Marketing professionals for the Technology space for more than 16 years – the recruiting industry never ceases to amaze me and I enjoy witnessing successful new trends and surprising twists in traditional hiring relationships.

We know that in both good economies and bad, employers reach out to their trusted recruiting partners to find experienced industry talent. But, what happens when the company proposes that perhaps hiring a recent graduate may be an effective answer to many of their talent challenges?

Why would a company pay a recruiter’s placement fee to find candidates that possess absolutely zero industry experience? And, why might a recent grad vs. someone with more experience be the smarter hire?

Both good questions. After all, we often think it must be pretty easy to find entry-level college graduates ready to enter the workforce. But it’s often not that simple.

Let me give you two examples of companies that saw the advantages of the “newbie hire” and achieved their desired results.

Scenario 1:
An international mobile marketing solutions company was looking to expand into the U.S. marketplace. They planned to hire one or two National Account Managers who would do the following two things simultaneously:

  • Make calls into prospects (i.e. consumer/corporate brands and media agencies to communicate the value proposition of their service offerings.
  • Work with these brands to provide a constant, local presence and increase relationships within the accounts.

The company described their need as bright, energetic candidates possessing NO FEAR, individuals who could only see upside potential for a new company looking to create an American presence.

Now this is where the decision to use a recruiter and paying a fee comes in.

My client, the Mobile Marketing company’s Managing Director was looking for the best and brightest and knew that I would never just refer “bodies” responding to a recruitment posting. There is a science to sourcing the right candidate. The due diligence of any search would be applied regardless of years of experience required.

We were able to actively screen out those candidates that we felt would not rise to the occasion. The selected candidate was a recent Mechanical Engineering grad from a top engineering school who immediately saw a career opportunity. She realized that although it had nothing to do with her degree or major – it offered uncapped potential and growth within an exciting and emerging industry. More importantly, she had that all-important NO FEAR trait essential to the hire and she fit their culture and hiring criteria. They are very satisfied with her hire and she has subsequently been tasked with identifying and onboarding more candidates like herself in a “Peer Hiring” program.

 

Scenario 2:

A ten-year old Technology Value Added Reseller was looking to expand their NY Sales Team.
They realized that hiring more experienced and expensive candidates out of their competitors was simply not giving them the increased revenue they expected.

The decision was made to go after recent graduates and then train them in both the technology and sales process.

My firm was able to place two candidates that were able to get Sales Certified within the first 45 days of employment and are now well on there way to careers as technology sales professionals.

Hiring new grads is not a new concept, but involving your recruitment partner in the process is a little outside the box for companies who have been traditionally unwilling to let go of that component for building their workforce.

I can share that there are plenty of advantages for hiring someone fresh out of a 4-year college or university. After all, Jimmy or Sally (and/or their parents) embarked on an investment to the tune of let’s say $80,000 (public school) – $250,000 for a private university to get a degree. That’s a solid investment that must generate a profitable return.

The reason that colleges and universities continue to be busting with more applications than spots available, despite the exorbitant costs, is that they continue to offer the opportunity to teach young adults the latest technologies and curriculums of their respective degrees. This creates very sharp minds, able to absorb all the knowledge that a new career requires and corporations big and small are rewarded – if they can hire the best and brightest. It’s why internship programs have become so competitive.

These candidates bring energy and enthusiasm, and are open to new ideas; they carry no baggage from negative experiences and are eager to learn about a fresh new industries. They can provide valuable input both internally and externally with new and potential clients and identifying them as prospective hires is something I suspect recruiters like myself, will be taking on more and more in 2016.

For more info:
Rick Delin, CSP, Executive Director, LLoydIT – Technology Sales

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