Would You Like Fries With That? Recruiting versus Talent Acquisition

You pull up to a Drive-Thru window at your favorite eatery and order. A semi-bored voice asks a series of questions from a rehearsed menu … ”medium or large” …. ” curly fries or regular” … ”do you want to add a dessert for .99” …. pull forward. They hand you a bag through a window and more often than not, the order is wrong, but you’re hungry and don’t want to deal with parking and going back inside to fix it so you drive away unsatisfied with the experience and eat what they gave you.

Your choices are constrained and neither of you go out of your way to do anything other than place an order and fulfill the order. When you order fast food, you know you aren’t getting the best meal of your life. It is biologically sustaining intake, but it is unremarkable and won’t solve a long-term problem. In many cases you may not even like the particular restaurant but it was fast, cheap, and easy so you pulled in.

This is similar to the experience many have when using a recruiter to help them hire. Most recruiters are little more than fast food workers who take a job order from a manager, ask a few clarifying questions from an either/or menu, and try to fulfill the order from a limited pool of ready-to-go people or via job postings that tend to attract low hanging fruit rather than the cream of the crop. Some call this the “spray and pray” approach to hiring since often there is a many to one relationship between recruiters trying to fill a job and the manager who is receiving resumes.

There is a better way.

You are out for a night on the town and go to the top steakhouse in your area. Once you are seated your server appears, and rather than merely taking your order, tells you the specials for the day in a way that makes you salivate. They speak from their experience and overall knowledge about the restaurant which allows them to recommend things to eat and drink that tell you they understand the value of what they are about to serve you. They take your order but take time to point out options and suggestions to enhance the experience like a special vintage of wine that would pair well or a bourbon that is well suited to the steak you ordered.

You feel special. You know your needs will be met and are already thinking about coming back to this place for your next milestone event. You’re laughing and having an actual conversation with this person who was a stranger just a few minutes ago. This server has strategically turned your thoughts to a better experience than you had anticipated when you walked in – you thought you were having steak, you didn’t know you were going to have one of the best meals of your life that would set you on a path to becoming a bourbon aficionado or steak gourmand. They have become your trusted advisor and the next time you walk in you immediately ask “what do you recommend today?”

Remember the order taking recruiter? This is not that person. This server is a talent acquisition professional. They don’t just take orders, they help you decide what you need based on the overall talent landscape in your market. They point your attention to the best talent that they have attracted via extensive research and outreach to only the most qualified people who will not just fill the empty chair left vacant by the person who just left but who will be a key player in contributing to the success story of your business. They don’t “spray and pray” but instead take a “bullseye” approach to get you exactly what you need in as few iterations as possible. They coach and advise you on things that will solve your immediate hiring needs but also shape your workforce for years to come by thinking about culture fit and helping hone your talent brand. This is a one-to-one relationship between peers who have each other’s best interests in mind. They become your trusted advisor.

When you need to hire, which experience do you want? The fast food meal or the fine dining experience? The “spray and pray” or the “bullseye”?

Polaris Talent is your strategic talent acquisition partner no matter what stage your company is at or how many hires you need to make. Our mission is to make you enjoy the recruiting process by focusing on superb candidate experience while exceeding hiring manager expectations for hiring timelines, quality of candidates, and communication. Hiring technical talent, sales professionals, and leadership up to the C-level is our specialty.

Contact us today to set up a consultation to explore how we can help you can focus on running your business and delighting your customers while we help your organization grow and thrive.