“The Recruiter’s Handbook is a strong addition to any recruiting professional’s library and, with its mix of easy-to-comprehend deliverables and high-level case studies, it will serve countless recruiters and leaders for years to come.”
That’s exactly what I said to industry friend, Sharlyn Lauby, when I was done pouring through the advanced copy of her latest contribution to the HR and Talent Acquisition industry. And I might have been underselling it.
Sharlyn, also known in the Twittersphere as @HRBartender and @Sharlyn_Lauby, has done a terrific job of delivering something that in roughly 250 pages will act as an impressive roadmap for new recruiters while serving up powerful reminders to hiring managers and even veteran recruiting leaders. In her new book, The Recruiter’s Handbook, she deftly covers nearly everything in the recruiting world ranging from attraction to succession planning. This includes a strong look at employment branding, candidate care and experience, onboarding, and even how interviews are conducted. But it doesn’t stop there… Lauby delivers some food for thought related to the “how” and “why” we recruit in the first place from a strategic perspective and even encourages development and training over simply opening new requisitions and bringing in new headcount.
I found the book to be high-level enough that I didn’t get stuck in the minutia all the while finding value in the various case studies that were shared throughout the content. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen something I might refer to as a “Recruiter’s Bible” but if that phrase were something I was going to resurrect, it’d likely be for The Recruiter’s Handbook. Put plainly, I believe that this little gem belongs in most recruiter’s library and I’m happy to recommend it to both our CXR members and readers alike.
Here’s a direct steal from the preface to give you an idea of how the book’s eight sections are broken out among its 17 chapters;
- Recruiting Responsibilities:
In this section, we will focus on the recruiting function itself and its importance to the organization. If companies want their recruiting teams to be successful, they need to fully understand their role. We’ll also talk about ethics and recruiting. - Candidate Strategies:
A common piece of advice when you’re speaking to a group of people is “know your audience.” In recruiting, that means “know your candidate.” This section focuses on building a candidate experience that achieves your recruiting goals. - Organizational Recruiting Strategies:
Successful hiring doesn’t mean throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing if it sticks. It’s about having an intentional plan. In this section, we’ll discuss how to develop the company’s recruiting strategy. - Sourcing Strategies:
The number one question in every recruiter’s mind is, “Where do I find the best talent” Everywhere is not the answer. It’s all about finding your niche. This section offers suggestions for sourcing qualified candidates, the key word being “qualified.” - Selecting the Best Candidate:
Remember that the candidate is interviewing the company. Organizations need to create a hiring experience that makes people want to work for their firm. The goal is to hire the best. This section outlines how to create the right selection criteria. - Extending the Offer:
There’s more to finding talent than the interview – background checks, drug screening, and social media have become part of the process. This section focuses on the do’s and don’ts of extending job offers. - Onboarding:
A new hire’s welcome to the company happens before his or her first day. Organizations can no longer separate the recruiting and onboarding processes. In this section, we’ll talk about how recruiting, training, and operations can partner to build a successful onboarding experience. - Evaluation:
Once organizations have a recruiting strategy, it’s important to regularly monitor outcomes – both in terms of the process itself and the candidates being hired. We’ll discuss the metrics and how to make adjustments based on the numbers.
