Placing a candidate is lot like winning the Super Bowl. A lot of good teams make the playoffs, but only one of them wins it all.
In the same vein, you have a lot of good candidates involved in your client’s hiring process, but only one of them is going to get hired.
There is no “consolation prize” for losing in the NFL playoffs. However, what if there was a “consolation job” for your candidates who did not get placed? What if . . . you were able to get them placed in a job that was just as good or better than the one they did not get?
Welcome to the concept of split placements. Well, I shouldn’t say “welcome,” since I’ve already written two blog posts about splits:
In this blog post, we’re going to expand upon one of the times it makes sense to make a split, and that time involves a situation where you have plenty of quality candidates, but not enough job orders. Specifically, it involves the time frame immediately after you have made a full-fee placement.
Winning (multiple times) with split placements
How could that possibly be a great time to make a split? After all, you just made a full fee. Why are you thinking about splits? Simple:
The candidates who did not get placed at your client are still open to a new employment opportunity.
Think about it. Their career pump is primed. Even if they’re passive candidates, they’ve shown enough interest to be part of a company’s interviewing and hiring process. There’s a good chance that their interest level is as high as it’s going to be. Not only that, but also consider the following:
- You’ve already screened them.
- You’ve already prepped them for the process.
- The quality of their candidacy has already been verified (via the most recent placement process)
So what should you do with them? Forget about them until you have another job order in which you could place them? Who knows where they’ll be by then?
No, the answer is to place them in a job order that’s held by another recruiter. That’s how you win again . . . with split placements.
Why not? They’re ready for a new job and they’re ready for the process! They were hoping to get that job, but what if you said to them, “Sorry, the company decided to go in a different direction, but I have THIS job opening for you, too.”
They might just think to themselves, “Oh, cool. Let’s check this one out.”
The best time to strike is when the iron is hot. Don’t let the iron cool off with quality candidates who are interested in a new opportunity. Be open to working with other recruiters in a split placement situation and place those candidates who didn’t win the Super Bowl.
You can’t win the Super Bowl more than once. But you can win more than once with split placements. Place the candidate your client wants, and then place your other candidates in the job order of another recruiter.
And keep in mind that the Gatorade shower is optional.