Don’t get lost playing the activity game by the wrong rules.
Very simply, recruiting is about connecting well-matched dots.
When you start in a new market—or a new industry—your map is empty. No clients. No candidates. Zero dots.
Depending on where you work, you might have certain goals set for you that cause you to frantically meet anyone who will say “yes” to a conversation.
Believe me: This is a recipe for dilution and disaster.
If your dots are too far apart, they will never touch. Here’s how to make sure every dot you add is easier to connect:
1. Identify High-Demand Roles. Use your research tools and LLMs or *gasp* conversations with candidates/clients to find the “heat” in your market. What are the most in-demand roles?
2. Stick to the Ideal Candidate Profile (ICP). Focus your time only on these candidates. Earn your exceptions by making placements first. My advice to new recruiters remains: no purple squirrel hunting in year 1!
3. Reverse Engineer the Client List. Ask yourself: Who hires these specific candidates? Categorize your outreach by those with immediate signals (hiring now) and those with future potential (news alerts or business journal articles suggesting growth). PS, this is what most sales leaders mean by ICP (Ideal Client Profile).
4. Align Your Outreach. Spend 100% of your time speaking to clients who would love to hire the exact candidates you just spoke with in step 2.
The Result? Very rapidly, the dots on your board become a close match. Your pattern recognition kicks in. You develop a level of subject matter awareness that can’t be faked.
Your credibility increases, and connecting those dots becomes significantly easier.
Don’t be chased by numbers. Lock in your strategy. Trust the process. Chase your goals.
