What 7 Years Running a Dating Advice Company Taught Me About Recruiting

Rob Kelly
Latest posts by Rob Kelly (see all)

Recruiting is like dating. Before Ongig, I had a great job as CEO of a dating advice company. We helped millions of single men (and some single women) become more successful at dating.

Here are a few ways I found that recruiting is like dating:

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken”

Oscar Wilde is famous for that quote.

Dating Advice: There’s a great mate for everyone

Recruiting Advice: There’s a great candidate for every role and a great company for every candidate. Don’t copy your competition. Focus on how you can wow your best candidates by being yourself.

 

You’re Most Attractive When You’re Doing What You Enjoy Most

Dating Advice: I had a friend (let’s call her Karen) who was single for a long time. Her friend asked me to talk to her…give her some dating tips. Here’s what transpired:

Me to Karen:  “When are you at your very happiest?”.

Karen: “When I’m skiing.”

Me: “Who do you ski with”

Karen: “My parents”

Me: “Have you ever considered getting a ski house with your friends…one that has room to invite some guests?”

Karen: “Great idea”

12 months later: Karen gets engaged to a ski house guest.

Recruiting Advice: Figure out when you and your company are doing what you enjoy most…or are at your best. For example, do you put on any events (including an annual one) that you’re proud of…where there’s great energy? If yes, perhaps you invite your top candidate prospects to that event.

Where or when are your hiring managers at their best? How can you show that off to the candidate?

 

Playing Hard to Get (Scarcity)

Dating Advice: Playing hard to get is a proven way to better attract a mate.

Recruiting Advice: Scarcity works in recruiting too (of course). For example, if you’re trying to recruit a top talent, you can give them a deadline to respond or a deadline by which you’ll fill the role. That’ll either get them to move or not move (either is valuable input for you).  Think of what is scarce about your roles (e.g. the only lead position on a team that you’re filling this year?).

 

Don’t Be Boring

Dating Advice: We found that being boring was arguably the #1 deterrent to men attracting women.

Recruiting Advice: Be a leader (not a follower). Make your career site and job postings stand out versus your rivals. Buy your top candidate a book. Do something not boring.

 

Social Proof

Dating Advice: Meeting through a mutual friend can often have a high conversion rate. If a good friend who knows you and another person thinks you 2 will get along, that meeting is likely a great idea. If you meet someone at a group event then you and that other person automatically have something in common (someone else at the party). We’ve heard countless stories of marriages stemming from that type of introduction.

Recruiting Advice: Employee referrals almost always yield higher quality candidates than other channels. Reward referrals handsomely. And consider adding 3rd party ratings to ALL of your career/job pages. Between Glassdoor, Comparably and other employer rating sites, you’re bound to be able to show that you are an awesome workplace by some measurement.

 

Make “the Ask”

Dating Advice: You meet someone who’s interesting…ask for their email address or phone #…or connect on social media with them right there!

Recruiting Advice: If you’ve got a hot candidate you’re targeting, ask someone for a referral. If you think an exec contacting that candidate will help you close them, ask that exec for help. Ask, ask, ask! If you don’t ask, you’ll never know what results you might have gotten

Recruiting is like dating.

 

Why I wrote this?

Ongig’s mission is to transform your job pages to attract you the best and most diverse talent. Our job description software employs principles like the ones above to attract you top-tier talent. Ping me for a demo by clicking the demo request button above. You see, I just made “the ask”.

by in Recruiting Strategies