Many recruiters believe candidates will only communicate by email or text. As a result, these same recruiters are often ignored by the top talent they want to represent.

Let’s step back for a minute and view what we do through the eyes of a candidate. Too often, candidates are emailed by numerous recruiters they don’t know, who pitch jobs that don’t interest them and quite frankly the candidates see no benefit in responding.

It’s much easier to ignore an email or text, because there is no human interaction and there is nothing different between you and every other recruiter reaching out to them. The same holds true for InMail on LinkedIn. Candidates are inundated with requests to connect and unless they know you or understand how they can benefit they often ignore your request.

To successfully connect with top talent, initially set up a conversation to discuss their career goals, not a specific job. You may initially call someone on their job, but set up a time around their working hours, when it’s most convenient for them to talk.

At a recent IT Conference, many attendees said they are more than open to talk about career advancement when they get home from work. Recruiting is a career, and you must be willing to talk to talent when they can talk, which is often not between the hours of 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

Once you’ve established rapport with a candidate, every third contact should be a conversation always focused on the benefits of them talking to you. However, when you need a quick response, texting is often the fastest way to communicate.

Recruiting is a relationship building profession and candidates want to work with a recruiter they like and someone they can trust. This can only be accomplished if you show your candidates the value of using all means of communication.

Technology has made us more efficient, but top talent has learned to hide behind the technology. Bottom line: Candidates will talk to you, if they feel you can benefit them and help advance their career.