The resignation was totally unexpected. There were no signs of any job dissatisfaction at the last performance review, and the significant salary boost seemed welcomed. Carrie had to smile as she held the letter in her hand as her soon-to-be-ex-employee left her office at 4:00 PM on that Friday afternoon.
“He chose not to have to worry all weekend about giving his notice on Monday, but he sure put a damper on my weekend,” Carrie thought.
Her six years as a supervisor taught Carrie that almost all resignations should just be accepted gracefully. Trying to convince someone not to resign – whether or not they had another job lined up – by offering a big raise or even a promotion rarely resulted in keeping the employee. If the employee did elect to stay, they were almost always out the door within six months for all the same underlying reasons they had decided to move on in the first place.
A Sense of Urgency
Experience also taught Carrie that she needed to move quickly. After notifying HR of the resignation and discussing it with her manager, an initial plan for transition came to light.
- Ideally, she would want to validate the position’s requirements and responsibilities before posting the position. Again, there was no time to waste. There were likely a limited number of available replacement candidates.
- She needed to access a pool of candidates now actively looking. Even if she caught someone’s interest with a posting this weekend, they may take a week to develop and submit their resume and cover letter, thereby further delaying filling the position.
Calling the Recruiter
For that last reason, her next call was to her Abel Personnel recruiter. Her inspiration for calling Abel Personnel:
- Staffing firms and recruiters specialize in talent acquisition and have extensive networks or candidates. They are well-connected within their respective industries and can tap into their pool of qualified candidates quickly. This saves Carrie time and effort in searching for a suitable replacement.
- Many top-performing candidates are not actively looking for new opportunities but might be open to considering the right offer. Abel recruiters reach out to these passive candidates and present Carrie’s opportunity.
- Since Carrie already had a full plate and was preparing to go out on vacation, she was relieved to have her recruiter screen resumes, conduct interviews, and assess candidates’ skills and qualifications to the specifications needed for the role. Streamlining the hiring process would ensure that only the most suitable candidates would be presented to her.
- Not only would this save Carrie time, but it would also save her company money in advertising on multiple online job boards – allowing her to focus on her core duties.
- Carrie’s Abel Recruiter had assisted her with placements in the past. They spent some time reconnecting and discussing the recruiter’s questions about salary, benefits, culture, and values which provided Carrie with the confidence that the candidate search would be tailored to her needs.
- The recruiter had taken the time to really understand Carrie’s company and its culture. The pressure to fill this position would be understood. The recruiter would be a great sounding board on how certain applicants might fit in, and could give potential candidates insights into the opportunities that existed within Carrie’s company beyond what was presented in the job description.
- The recruiter also had a unique understanding of the candidate environment in the Harrisburg, PA area. How likely would Carrie find a good candidate quickly? What requirements might be changed from “required” to “preferred” to increase the candidate pool? The recruiter would immediately have a list of possible candidates from the company’s database that could be scheduled for interviews next week.
Staying Proactive
- By the time Carrie finished her call with the recruiter, it was well after 5:00 PM. The recruiter had given her hope that they might be through first interviews toward the end of the coming week. However, the recruiter’s cautionary advice prompted Carrie to compose one more email to her manager before heading home to unwind:
- “The unexpected resignation is now being addressed with our outside recruiter from Abel Personnel. I may start seeing resumes as early as Monday. However, I have been advised that this position is a “hot job” in this labor market. Most candidates looking for this type of opening have multiple interviews lined up quickly… and offers. We need to be prepared to provide a proposal to a candidate within 24 hours of the interview. As the saying goes, ‘she who hesitates is lost.’ Let’s confer on Monday about what we must do to be proactive and produce a quick turnaround on an offer.”
With their every confidence in Abel Personnel’s advice, and a plan already in motion, Carrie spent less time worrying about the hiring process over the weekend.
