The Recruitment People Podcast is a groundbreaking series that delves deep into the heart of the recruitment industry, offering a wealth of insights for both employers and candidates alike. The podcast is a definitive guide through the world of recruitment, where industry experts and visionaries share their knowledge and experiences. In each episode, listeners will uncover the journey and principles behind The Recruitment People agency, led by the trailblazer Kelly Charity. From Kelly's inspiring recruitment journey to the challenges and successes in the industry, this podcast provides a platform for candid conversations, client-centric approaches, and a laser focus on matching candidates with the right opportunities. Join us on this enlightening journey to discover the keys to successful recruitment and how the right partnerships can transform businesses and careers. Subscribe now for a dose of recruitment wisdom and stay tuned for future episodes filled with valuable insights and stories from the forefront of the recruitment world.
Welcome to the Recruitment People podcast, the place where employers and candidates unite to uncover the art of successful recruitment. Hi, I'm Kelly Charity, a recruiter and agency owner with over two decades of recruitment experience. In this podcast series, I'm going to dive deep into the heart of hiring and job seeking, sharing actionable insights.
It's expert advice, and of course, a little bit of fun along the way, whether you're looking to sharpen your hiring practices or navigate your career path, we've got you covered. So let's get started and unlock the secrets to recruitment success together.
Hello and welcome to the recruitment people podcast.
Joining me once again is the owner of the recruitment people podcast. Kelly Charity And today she's going to shine a light on something the average employer doesn't really know how to access, and that's called the hidden talent pool. Now we'll explore how Kelly and her team utilize advanced technologies and innovative strategies to uncover and attract candidates that are not readily visible or accessible through conventional methods.
So if you're an employer looking to gain an edge in a competitive job market, then this episode Is for you, Kelly, welcome once again.
Good morning. How are you?
I'm very well. I'm very well. Now talk to me. What is this thing called the hidden talent pool?
Okay. So the hidden talent pool basically comprises of individuals who are not actively looking for work, but they possess the skills and experience for a particular job for, you know, that a company is hiring for.
Now, these are people that you're able as a, as a experienced recruiter, able to know where to look, where to find them, how to go about it, because look, let's wind this back a bit. So an employer looking for someone, generally they'll go and chuck an ad on, on, on seek, you know, if they're not using a recruiter.
So That's it. Thank you. Who are you getting access to when you do that? That's the people that are currently looking at that particular day at that particular time.
Correct. So an employer puts an advert on SEEK indeed or wherever they put it and they're accessing candidates that are looking on SEEK for that four week period.
And apply for the job or LinkedIn or wherever the advert is placed. So that's basically the pool of people they're pulling from is that pool of people that happened to be looking on that particular week that they're advertising,
which is small compared to the amount of small people that might be out there who would consider this and be suitable.
Absolutely. But just
aren't there at that particular moment?
Yes. So the hidden talent pool comes from people who are passively looking maybe, and that's where our technology comes in because our technology that we pay for gives us that data to say this person is probably looking now. Um, but maybe they're just looking and they're not going to apply at this stage, but if they're starting to look, If you capture them at that moment, you're probably going to get engagement, you know, so it's about outreach rather than them coming to you, you have to outreach to them, right?
So we have access to that data. And the other thing is where I suppose if you're not outreaching to candidates in your, You know, your networking groups or talent market, you're literally pulling from people who see your Seek advert for that period of time. That's it.
Right. You know, so it's almost, you know, thinking, well, can I be lucky here and get the right person at the right time, whereas come and utilize.
And well, we'll have a look, we'll attract those people as well, but we'll also be able to go and find the ones that, that you would actually miss. Absolutely.
Absolutely. And that's time for employers to do, which is why seek or advertising is the quickest and easiest way to recruit, but there's far more to it than that in terms of obviously outreaching to potential candidates that have the skillset for your business.
So, I mean, we, we look at the technology age we're in now and, When you actually say that, it makes me think that is just so, for want of a better term, old fashioned, isn't it? Place an ad and find the right person. Talk me through this technology that you, that you do pay for as a recruiter to use to uncover potential.
People in this hidden, you know, talent pool, how does it, how does it work
with algorithms these days? You know, the Googles of this world, if somebody searches jobs, what jobs are available in my sector, or they're starting to look on seek perhaps, or starting to look on indeed, but they're not looking to apply.
They're just sort of maybe thinking about asking for a pay rise, or they're just looking or searching for keywords, or maybe even on Facebook, hovered over. a job or hovered over what if I want to change my career? So these sorts of things, we get that technology that then says to us, we believe this person is ready
or potentially ready.
So when we go to the market to headhunt and reach, do the outreach that we do as part of the recruitment process, we can see, get this candidate now, cause we have access to many, many candidates to outreach. Yep. But it will, we can, we can filter people by, are they actively looking now? So they're the, they're the top people, right?
So yeah, are they looking now? Are they readily available for work or are they passively looking? So then they're the top candidates that we're going after because they're starting to think about it. They're starting to maybe have a little luck, you know, and so we target those people first.
Sure. So they're doing things online that, that this technology picks up that, that are basically signals.
They could very well be interested. Look, it's just funny. I was talking to someone this morning and this has just sort of made me think he. He's about to sell something that he never thought he would have for sale. It wasn't for sale, but the right price came along. It was a massive price for this thing.
And we joked and said, everything's for sale at the right price, even if you don't, don't think so right now. And so that sort of made me think in terms of this, you know, are there ways and do you look at people, even that this technology isn't picking up that All right. They're not actively looking.
They're not, it's not even on their radar, but hang on. We've got,
we've got access to them. So let's, yeah. So they're perfect
for this. Why not? Are they for sale is what I'm saying. And
the other thing from, I suppose, a recruitment perspective in terms of this hidden talent market is that a talent pool, sorry, is that we, we have, um, Access to candidates, for example, that may be suitable for your job on our database that we've spoken with and they've said, I'm not looking right now, but I'm going to be looking soon.
I just need to get through this end of financial year. I've got a lot of deals going on, so they're not available right now. But we know they're going to be available in two months time, et cetera. So we have access to those people. We know these people. We know what they're going to be doing in the market.
So they're not on seek. They're not on LinkedIn looking at your job advert, but we know that they are suitable for your job. And I suppose working with long term clients, that's when we can have that conversation, say, Hey, we've got someone in your sector who's going to be looking. In a month or so, so keep this person in mind and having those conversations where actually then that comes on to the hidden.
Job market, because if I've said to a client, I have a candidate, they're going to be available in two months time. The candidate, the client is waiting for that candidate. So they never advertised the job. So the candidate isn't even getting access to, there's a hidden job market as well. Absolutely.
Absolutely. So it's, yeah, there's this whole hidden stuff that's going on between, you know, networks, relationships, clients, candidates, you know, and some candidates, they don't want to be actively looking because it's confidential.
Yep.
So they come to a recruiter to say, I don't want to be seen on seek. I don't want to put on LinkedIn that I'm looking for a job because my employer will know.
So they come to us to do it. Confidentially. Yep. Because we're in their industry or, you know.
I love this. It just again exemplifies why there's just so many benefits to using an agency that just aren't available to, to an employer just going to market with a job. And I mean, that gives me, gives me even other ideas.
You might have candidates who are totally 100 percent happy. I don't know where they are, but at one point six months earlier said, and I am, but hang on if you ever get a job with this one particular thing, give me a call.
Absolutely.
Now they're not going to be on sick. They're not, but you know, the one thing that might, you know, be uncommon, but suddenly that job comes in or you even say to the employer, hang on, can you offer this?
Because if you do
correct, I can go after this guy and I
think he would be that, you know, Absolutely.
Absolutely. And I suppose that outreach is being able to represent the brand of the company with a candidate that is passively looking. And so they don't respond to the job advert. We get it a lot where they go, Oh, you're recruiting for so and so, so and so.
I did see that advert, but I didn't apply because of X, Y, and Z. But we've outreached to them and said, well, there is movement in the salary, or it is going to give you career progression that you want, because now they're getting a bigger picture of what that company looks like. Whereas when you read an advert, they go, Oh no, I'm not.
I'm really interested in that, you know, so it's, it's a representation of the brand. There's all this behind the scenes stuff
that, that you as a recruiter handle and, um, and make things happen that on the surface just wouldn't any other way.
Correct. Correct. And I suppose, you know, even for employers that perhaps can't use a recruiter, you know, don't have the budget to use a recruiter to be able to tap into that talent pool.
You know, there are ways to tap into the hidden talent pool without The technology probably not going to be as in depth as a recruiter, because we do have access to that information, but also as an employer, you know, you can go networking, you can start building your own talent pool by speaking with people in your network, speaking with your competitors, staff, having a relationship with people so that when they want to move or when you've got a job, you have your own talent pool that you're ready to go.
You know, that's, that's So beneficial, but it's time, you know, people don't have time to build relationships with candidates that they're, when they're not hiring yet. But actually, if you did do that, you've got those relationships ready for when you need somebody.
Absolutely. Yeah. So Talk, give me an example.
Tell me a time where you have found the perfect candidate for, for one of your, your clients, an employer that you absolutely know, had they not used you, they wouldn't have, wouldn't have found them.
It's mostly through the hidden talent pool. So a candidate on our database, you know, reaching out to that candidate that we knew.
Like we've spoken with before for another role, but it wasn't right. So then you've got a candidate on your database. So we reached out to a candidate on our database for a role in a warehouse, a warehouse management role, because they weren't suitable for a different job. And she, we knew the money was right for this role, but it wasn't right for the other role.
And so we didn't have to advertise. We just went straight to her and said, do you want, you know, would you be interested in this? Put the two together. Because when, you know. your client and what they want, you can go to this candidate and put them, put them in the mix first, you know? And yeah, just went forward, got the job straight away because you just, you know, as a recruiter, we just know.
When you know, you know, you know,
it's just a bit cliche, but it's true.
Fantastic. All right. What advice would you have to. Employers who, you know, aren't using a recruiter, but want to be able to do the best they can to access this hidden, hidden talent pool. What advice would you have for them?
Yeah, I suppose it is about building your networks and building your own talent pool.
So, you know, utilizing the tools that are available to you. You've got, you know, You know, social media groups, maybe that are specific to your industry, connect in those groups, have conversations in those groups, start to build relationships with people, utilize LinkedIn, having conversations. Who's liking your posts?
Is that somebody that could work for you in the future? So you're starting to build up a talent pool of your own. Even if you're not actively looking for someone right now, you have, you know, in your mind, your business is going to go really, really well. They're there. So in the future I'm gonna need, you know, a sales person and account manager or et cetera.
So you start looking at those networks to start getting people on your LinkedIn profile, for example, connected with you. They might not connect with you because if they seem to connect with you as a competitor, their employee's gonna go, what's that all about? Yeah, yeah. But you're there pending in the background.
Yep. You know, you make a list of who you've reached out to, and then when a job becomes available, you then, you can target these people or you can utilize DARA and bundled services for us to target those people for you. Yeah,
absolutely. So headhunting. So
yeah, a bit of a headhunting for you.
Fantastic.
Well, look, fabulous advice. It really is. And I guess that, that probably brings us to the end of this episode on the hidden talent. Pull here on the recruitment people podcast. But look, thanks again, Kelly, great advice. And again, just always comes through the great reasons to be able to reach out to you and your, your team to, to find that perfect new staff member.
So, uh, look, the recruitment people are using. These methods every day to provide such an outstanding service to their clients. So be sure you subscribe to, to this podcast on your favorite platform, or they're available to watch on YouTube as well to never miss these valuable insights that can transform your hiring process.
So until next time, continue to seek out those hidden gems in the job market and elevate your recruitment efforts to new heights. So thanks for joining us, Kelly, and goodbye for now.
Thank you.