South Carolina has been under a winter weather emergency, and because of the icy conditions, our offices have been closed for two days. In the IT staffing and recruiting industry, however, office hours are relative.

Exchanging emails may work for initiating a conversation, or scheduling and confirming interviews, but when it comes to qualifying a candidate, there is no substitute for a real-time dialogue. Most candidates who are currently employed are not able to have an in-depth conversation during normal office hours. The recruiter who believes they have found the right candidate — the one with the skill set, who is a good culture fit — will make the time to talk to that candidate when it is most convenient for the candidate.

A snow day can turn into the perfect opportunity to have the conversation that lands the “ideal fit” candidate. The enterprising recruiter knows how to take advantage of those opportunites — snow days, weekends, holidays, evenings — to really get to understand the candidate and to determine if they will be a top pick for an interview.

So like the postman, of whom it is said, “Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds,”¹ a top notch recruiter will look at a snow day as an excellent opportunity to spend some quality time on the phone with a local candidate.

Yes, our office is closed due to the snow, but I can pretty much guarantee our recruiters and account managers are watching out for snowballs and making phone calls.

¹ Often mistaken as the motto or creed of the USPS, this quote is attributed to Herodotus. It was engraved along the frieze of the James A. Farley Post Office Building in New York City.

~Catherine Buck Morgan
Corporate Media Specialist, DPP 

Image: Flickr