You’re a trained recruiter with an eagle eye. Your nick-name is ‘The 007 of cleared careers,’ and you’ve got recruiting skills and know how to use them. But even the best talent wranglers need a little help sometimes. Especially when you’re tracking down those ultra elusive secret squirrel candidates. You’ve probably heard of a ‘purple squirrel’ – those candidates so elusive they don’t exist in nature. Secret squirrels are even harder to spot and hire – because they don’t want to be found. Passive candidates who are also obsessively security conscious? How can they be lured? Here are four tips to help you, agent of destiny, in your quest to find the perfect secret squirrel.
1. Develop a strategy to catch a moving target.
A secret squirrel is most likely happily employed. The cleared workforce has been reduced by 15 percent over the past several years. Attracting talent, particularly IT talent with a high-level clearance, is incredibly difficult. A security clearance was once described as a golden ticket – we’ll call it the ‘golden nut’ for the purposes of this analogy. You may have short-term needs, but you need a long-term strategy if you want to catch these stealth targets. Perfect your pitches and create a process for keeping your talent pipeline warm. Personal changes – a new baby, a desire to relocate, stress – these can all be triggers for a new job that you won’t know about if you’re not paying attention. Automate where you can (calendar reminders of when to touch base), and personalize wherever possible. Secret squirrels are cagey candidates. They take time to warm-up to, but taking that time is worth the effort. Once they decide to make a move, they’ll do so quickly – and you want to make sure you’re the recruiter who’s there when they decide to take their golden nut to another tree.
2. Don’t wear camouflage.
You can trick some candidates into returning your follow – but not a secret squirrel. Any attempt to feign a relationship will be met with a slammed door. If the truth is you know nothing about them other than the resume you just scanned, make that clear. ‘Hi, my name is Lindy Kyzer. I’m a recruiter with ClearanceJobs.com. I saw your profile on the site and noted that you have a CCNA and you’re currently working in Alexandria. We have a new opportunity available at a…” The more brief, yet detailed and specific your introduction – the more likely you are to get a response.
3. Follow OPSEC.
What’s the best way to scare away a secret squirrel? Blow your own OPSEC. Revealing PII – whether it’s a candidate’s or your own – is a sure fire way to incur some secret squirrel wrath. Discretion is valued in this industry, and a secret squirrel knows how to read between the lines. Things you can and should reveal? Your name, your company name, and the specific opportunity, if you can. If there are details you can’t reveal, a secret squirrel is likely to be more accepting than most, particularly if you’re up front where you can. If you can’t share the client name in the initial email, indicate some contract terms or background, work-site location, or other details.
4. Search in their native habitat.
These folks likely aren’t actively engaged on social media. If they are, they may use an alias or first-name only. Getting an unsolicited call from a recruiter is most likely to be returned via their company’s security officer. That’s, of course, if you can find their phone number at all. Where do these elusive squirrels make their home? When it comes to online interactions, they probably have a clear distinction between professional and personal. So if you want to make a career offer, stick with a secure, password protected career networking site. If you’re able to find them on a more public facing site, by all means, make an introduction, but make sure you clearly state who you are, your company, why you reached out, and how you found them in the first place.
