Most companies only think about recruiting when they have an immediate need. Over the past ten years, the recruiting process has changed drastically. Employers used to be able to post a job online, in a newspaper, at a career fair, etc., then sit back and watch the applications come in. This is what I call the pray and wait approach. It doesn’t work! The recruiting landscape is completely different today. In today’s world, recruiters are being asked to do more with fewer resources. This is where talent pipelining comes into account. If you want to be a leading employer in today’s market, you need to develop a pipeline of qualified and relevant candidates in anticipation of future hiring needs.

By building a recruiting pipeline, you can target talent that is both looking for a new job or currently employed. The key in this case is to build a relationship with people over time. You want them to know you, like you and trust you. This may take days, weeks, months or years, but by developing a pipeline of ideal candidates, you’ll have a pool of qualified candidates whenever your hiring need arises.

Recruiting pipelines are good for candidates too. The candidate knows they are being pursued for a future opportunity. Quite frankly, people like being pursued. It makes them feel wanted and despite the time frame and lack of an immediate need, the candidate will still feel good.

In my next blog, I’ll talk about how to successfully create a recruiting pipeline.