Why the right person hasn't applied
A $185K seat. Posted 60 days. Still empty.
The superintendent you really want is not on a job board.
Posting reaches people who are looking.
A network reaches people who are working.
If every resume looks the same, it may not be a talent shortage — it may be where you are looking.
of contractors say they cannot fill open positions.
A position has been posted for 60 days and is still sitting open.
There is a reason.
The superintendent you really want is probably not on a job board and is not applying to your posting.
He is on somebody else's project right now getting the job done. His phone is probably on silent, and he may not have updated his resume in years because he has never needed to.
That is where companies get stuck.
Most companies are all looking at the same group of people—the candidates actively applying for jobs.
But after more than 40 years in recruiting, I can tell you that many of the best people I have ever placed were not looking for another job.
They took my call because they knew me, knew Metro Associates, were referred to me, or were willing to listen when the right opportunity came along.
That conversation would have never started from a job posting.
A job posting reaches people who are looking.
A real search reaches people who are working.
There is a big difference.
One waits to see who applies.
The other goes out and finds the person you actually want—the superintendent, project manager, engineer, executive, or technical professional who is already successful and who other people would gladly work for again.
If you have had an important position posted for 30, 60, or 90 days and the same type of resumes keep coming in, you may not have a talent shortage.
You may simply be looking in the same place everybody else is looking.
That is where a recruiter with a real network makes the difference.