Who needs job fairs when you have children’s birthday parties?
I was just trying to wipe icing off of my 2-year-old’s face and there he was: the next person I needed to hire. In about two sentences, he went from “M’s dad” to the writer for a project I am working on. I hadn’t even gotten around to placing a job ad yet. Now, with any luck, I won’t have to.
Much has been written about the “hidden job market,” the estimated 70 to 80 percent of jobs that are filled without ever being advertised. Whole books have been written advising job seekers on how to tap into this network. Well, this is what it looks like in real life: happy hours, birthday parties, PTA meetings and yanking invasive plants out of a creek bed with a bunch of other volunteers.
But how can managers and recruiters make the most of this truth? Is it possible for us to be more strategic about sourcing when not on the clock? Perhaps. There are few steps we can take to help things along without seeming like we’re only there to fish for resumes between cupcakes.
- Be prepared. Always bring business cards with you, even if you don’t think you’ll need them. If the stars align, you’ll want to provide an easy way for people to get in touch with you. To add a warmer touch, whip out a pen and write your home or cell number and personal e-mail on the card. These are social contacts, after all.
- Know who you are looking for. Think about the combination of traits and qualifications you’re looking for in the next few hires you need to make. The clearer your own sense of that, the easier it will be to recognize the right people when you meet them — no matter where you meet them.
- Don’t bog down the party. As soon as it becomes clear that there’s mutual professional interest, exchange contact information and arrange for another time to discuss work. Don’t hijack a social event and turn it into a job interview.
- Care for your contacts. These people are in a tricky area. They aren’t yet colleagues, and nor are they solidly friends. You want to be especially careful not to over-promise the opportunity, and you want to make sure to keep them well-informed about the hiring decisions. I.e., they need to hear it from you if they don’t get the job.
All this partying puts us in the mood for a little reader contest.
What are some of the weirdest/funniest/most unusual places you’ve met people you’ve hired? Share them with us by next Monday, and our top 5 favorites will be featured next week in SmartBrief on Workforce, our daily e-newsletter read by 22,000 managers and HR pros.
Twitter
Facebook
Linkedin
RSS
I was in the water getting ready for the swim leg of a Triathlon and I met a Unix System Admin that we ended up hiring.
I hired a wordpress designer after he gave me tips on plug-ins on Twitter. The conversation built– and the next thing you know, he's redesigning themes for me. Not exactly an "odd" place– but an interesting look at how initial connections can be made via social media.
How about from the job seeker perspective? I needed my first-ever job for the summer after high school so I could save for college. I had no idea how to get a job since I had no experience. I was one of the speakers at my HS commencement ceremony and in a dull moment of the proceedings, the school board member sitting next to me asked me what my post HS plans were. I said, "I'm going to BU in the Fall (bear in mind I lived in Podunk, W. Texas), but I need to find a job for the summer to save for books and fees." We chatted briefly about my college plans and I that was the end of it.
He called me the following Monday to offer me a job doing general office work at his company (he was CEO/owner) for the summer. I worked there that summer and the following and over Winter breaks.
Lucky conversation (and seating arrangement) indeed!
I am always recruiting. Here are some my better stories.
I met a woman while standing in line at the grocery store who ended up coming in to interview for a receptionist job. We did not end up hiring her but she was our second best candidate.
A former client moved out to Utah to live the ski by day/code at night lifestyle. When I found this out, I basically e-mailed him every six months to ask him if he wanted to work for me. For 5 years he said no, then when he was ready, he called me first and I hired him on the spot. That particular job was never posted.
A neighbor was having brunch at our house. I mentioned that we were always looking for developers. The wife mentioned that her brother had just graduated with a CS degree and was looking for a job. We interviewed him the next week and ended up hiring him.
A random person sent in a comment on our Web site guestbook, not about a job, but about the technologies we use. There was something about the e-mail that piqued my interest. I had someone call her to meet with me. I ended up hiring her.
I was meeting a friend after work at a bar. He invited one of his friends, to whom I gave a lift home. We got to talking, I ended up introducing her to the president of our company and she was subsequently hired, and senior to me. We became good friends for the entirety of her tenure here.
When my son was about 5, I took him fishing about 60 miles out of town. On the way back the vehicle broke down and had to be towed thirty miles home. While chatting with the tow truck driver, he told me he was an AS-400 programmer and was only working part time and drove tow trucks to make end meets. I told him we were looking for an AS-400 programmer. I made some calls and checked him out when I got home and we ended up hiring him about a week later.
I was in a wedding and I made a comment on how boring it was to the guy next to me washing hands in the restroom and now he is the law adviser of the company.
Many years ago I was unemployed and very much in need of a job. I was sitting in McDonalds with my 2 children, sharing a 10 piece order of McNuggets. I must have said something that let the lady at the next table know I was available because as we got up to leave she gave me her card and asked me to call to set up an interview. I was hired within the week at local transport company.
After a string of bad luck in searching for my first job post college, I was on my way to an interview with a temp agency and met a gentleman with his two dogs in the elevator. We struck up a short conversation and he ended up asking me for a copy of my resume (which I happened to have with me). Three months later I was contacted for an interview and got the job.
I was furniture shopping and the salesman had a new daughter-in-law moving into town. She ended up being one of the best employees I have ever had.
My husband and I went on a Crystal cruise vacation and enjoyed our table companions so much, that I offered the wife a job right there and then. Needless to say, 15 years later, she continues to be one of my brightest employees!
When I was publishing a travel magazine, I was looking for a good designer to work on the ads. I attended a child's birthday party at the local YMCA and got talking to the Mom next to me. It turned out she had been assistant creative director at a well-known ad agency and was looking to pick up design work she could do from home. She was fantastic to work with and while we had our design meetings, our daughters enjoyed playing together.
I was getting my annual check at my gyno and we started talking about what I was up to while he was examining me and ended up offering me a job to help his office implement a new software system. I think this might be the most difficult situation to keep focus on the business topic but I maintained
.
I was in the pre-op room getting prepped for surgery and was talking to the nurse who was inserting the I-V. During our conversation, she shared with me that she was thinking of leaving the medical field and wanted to go into the accounting profession. One of the job openings at my company was for an entry level billing clerk, so I gave the nurse the name and e-mail address of one of my assistants. She sent her resume and was interviewed, although we did hire someone else. My staff had some laughs at my expense, but hey, you always have to be on the lookout – right?
Our search firm's specialty is multicultural talent sourcing so we always search for great talent off the beaten paths. One of our favorite places to hunt is the Black Ski Summit where thousands of interesting, adventurous professionals from a variety of backgrounds take to the slopes. I meet heads of companies, VP's of Marketing as I tumble down the hill on my snowboard every year. The lift chair stories of amazing talent from across the country and the connections can't be beat. Who said black people don't ski!
I was looking for a chief systems engineer for a missile systems program and grousing in the locker room at lunch after some really strenuous raquet ball matches about not being able to find anyone. One of my opponents introduced me to a guy coming off the squash courts. I outlined the position, he accepted, and I headed off to the showers knowing my new chief engineer would report first thing in the morning.
I was drinking beer and playing pool in a bar on a Sunday afternoon in 1983. The bartender asked what I did. When I told him I was a petroleum landman and had recently started my own company, he told me his background and asked for a job. I told him I had drank too much beer to hire him then but for him to call me on Monday and we would talk about it. He came in for an interview and was one of the best landmen I worked with. We have stayed in touch and worked together again in 2007.
A few companies ago, we had a luxury box a the new Boston Garden. Our waitress was so outgoing, friendly and personable, I hired her for a sales position. She turned out to be a superstar. She went from schlepping pizza and hot dogs to closing multi-million dollar medical office deals.
I was at the spa. The lady behind the desk had great customer service skills…she started off in my company's customer service department and worked up to a management position!
I crashed into the rear of the car of a person who I later hired. She has turned out to be an exceptional employee.
locker room
ended up interviewing him
while i was naked
he got the job
i got dressed
The contest is now closed. These are awesome. Look in tomorrow's SmartBrief on Workforce for the first of our five winners.
I took early retirement from a major wholesaler where I had worked for over 25 years. I took a part-time job but was seriously bored. A former co-worker who had gone to work for another former co-worker that started her own company passed away. I went to the funeral home and ran into the lady who now owned her own company. She asked if I was working. After explaining my situation she asked that I come to her office to talk. A week later I was employed and have been here almost 5 years. May best advice to anybody – "Never burn a bridge – you never know when you might have to cross back over it!"
[...] I was just trying to wipe icing off of my 2-year-old’s face and there he was: the next person I needed to hire. In about two sentences, he went from “M’s dad” to the writer for a project I am working on. I hadn’t even gotten around to placing a job ad yet. Now, with any luck, I won’t have to.” SmartBlogonWorkforce [...]