ZipRecruiter is a job marketplace that provides a platform for employers to get high visibility for their open job positions. Jobs posted to ZipRecruiter are pushed out to hundreds of other job boards, potentially reaching millions of job seekers. It’s a low-cost model for companies looking to fill vacancies, but as easy as it may seem, ZipRecruiter — and other online job boards — isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for finding and hiring talent.
There are some benefits to using this platform. For companies looking to hire shorter term, entry-level or trade jobs (i.e. manufacturing, retail or entry-level to mid-level tech jobs), it can be a great tool to build a pipeline of interested candidates. Employers who post their jobs to ZipRecruiter will no doubt be served up a high volume of resumes, but is it quantity you’re after, or quality?
Why “Post and Pray” Doesn’t Always Work
Employers looking for longevity, to fill high-level or executive positions, or that have had hiring problems in the past aren’t likely to find the quality of candidates they’re looking for on ZipRecruiter. The idea of “if you post it, they will come” is enticing, but this strategy isn’t necessarily effective or efficient for all employers.
Why? Here are a few reasons:
- The talent you’re seeking is currently happily and gainfully employed. Candidates with the expertise you’re looking for may not be searching for a job. Rather than candidates coming to you, you’ve got to hunt them down, recruit them, and sell them on your job.
- Resumes you’ll get on ZipRecruiter come from either under or overqualified candidates. When you’re looking to fill a niche position, or a high-level leadership position, you’ve got a very specific skillset in mind. Finding ideal candidates on ZipRecruiter is quite literally like finding a needle in a haystack. Do you have the time to sift through hundreds of resumes to identify a handful of qualified candidates?
- Hiring executive-level talent is highly personal and critical to your company. ZipRecruiter is run by computers and algorithms. As impressive as technology can be, it is still limited and lacks essential human discernment and discretion.
Executive Recruiting Requires a Hands-On Approach
When the “post and pray” strategy doesn’t work, turn to LINKED Executive Search to fill your executive job vacancies. Perhaps you’ve spent months waiting for the ideal candidate to apply to your job posting and are ready to have someone with “boots on the ground” — a recruiter who has both the network and experience to target and reach out to the best candidates, rather than waiting for them to come to you.
Or maybe you’ve tried ZipRecruiter, and now you’ve got a hundred or more resumes but no time to weed through the stack. LINKED Executive Search recently worked with a commercial real estate company that received 95 resumes in a single day on ZipRecruiter, but had nobody available to spend the time sorting through candidates to identify the one or two worth interviewing. We did the legwork and when that initial search failed to return a candidate with the exact qualifications our client was looking for, dug into our network to identify additional candidates.
“We spent a lot of time with other recruiters and posting jobs on the Internet — I don’t know where Kurt pulls these candidates from. It’s like he pulls them out of a magic hat! We’ve always had a good experience with the people he has found for us and they are still working for us.”
– Tom Frick, Paper Mart
In January, unemployment had reached record lows in the U.S. The tables have turned. Not only are more highly qualified people looking for jobs, but employers are redefining job roles and expectations to find candidates who aren’t just qualified but also flexible enough to adapt to this rapidly changing environment. Our personalized approach to recruiting brings results for our clients. Contact us today to learn more.
