(UHF Series 3/6) The Hidden Talent Pool That Holds Loyal, Qualified Candidates

Welcome back to Contractor Evolution and episode 3 of our Ultimate Hiring Funnel Series.

I want you to think about your current recruiting strategy. How much of it relies on lucking out and having the right person see your posting at the right time? Are you actively recruiting for top talent or passively waiting for a needle in a haystack?

Making a great hire is impossible if you don’t have anyone good to choose from. This is why 90% of the hiring problem is fundamentally “Top of Funnel”.

You can practice your interviewing skills all you want (and we will go over this in the next episode), but if you don’t have a great pool of candidates to interview, where does that leave you?

We’ve all at some point felt the frustration of posting an open position on a job board only to find that a few days later, only a few completely unqualified people have applied.

This ‘hope and pray’ strategy has led many lesser entrepreneurs to all but abandon the search entirely, comforting themselves with stories and excuses that often blame lazy millennials, COVID, or government policy.

But that’s not you. As an evolved contractor, you know the promotion of your job ads and your employer brand is the missing link in this all-important chain.

We’re excited to have Asad Zaman on the show to speak in-depth on active tactics and promotional recruiting. Asad is the CEO of Sales Talent Agency, an international recruiting agency that has helped acquire talent for over 1,500 companies – some of them you may know: Harley Davidson, SAP, IBM, Salesforce, and Sonos, to name a few.

Toronto Board of Trade named Asad Toronto’s Young Professional of the Year for 2019, and you’ll see why in this episode. This guy is seriously dialled. There is a good reason why we chose to bring someone from outside the trades and construction space in for this topic – because the level of sophistication in recruitment, employer brand, and all things hiring – is much more evolved in other industries like tech, where he plays.

There is a ton that we learned from today’s conversation. In today’s episode, we explore:

• The three talent pools available to any entrepreneur and why most of us just barely tap into one
• The way to think with “strategic empathy” and how placing yourself in the shoes of a candidate will lead to way better results
• Some specific ways you as an employer can stand out in a highly competitive market
• The best way to make a compelling offer to your target candidate
• The (incorrect) common belief systems that hold most contractors back
• How to integrate a talent acquisition mindset into your company culture