Carefully Crafted on July 25

Want to recruit top talent? Be smarter.

Not too long ago, a local agency tried to recruit someone who works with me at Geben. Now, I’m really proud of the work we do at Geben, and I know that the quality of work is a result of the quality of the people who make up the company. So, of course, I wasn’t surprised that someone would try to poach my people. It was only a matter of time.

Their “recruitment” method of choice? A generic LinkedIn message. No customization. No personalization. Not even a quick glance through the individual’s tweets to find something relevant to reference. How did my employee respond? She laughed. And told me about it.

Here’s the thing: if you want to recruit top talent, you need to up your game. Sending a generic LinkedIn message with zero personalization isn’t going to cut it. As PR people, we’re trained to customize outreach, to build relationships before making a pitch, and to understand our audience. Those skills should apply to more than just pitching media or influencers. When I’m hiring, I don’t respond well to applicants who send generic cover letters. The reverse is true as well: If you’re trying to hire someone, they, too, won’t respond to a cookie-cutter message. Think about that before you try to recruit your next employee. You’ll be more effective. (Just don’t try to steal my team …)

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