Pool Recruiting - Key to Great Programs

If you are able to understand the technical environment and the actual work accomplished on your company's project programs, you are on your way to being a good pool recruiter.  You don't need to be a technical wiz, but understand what is important.  Is it a solid background in infrastructure support?  Is it strong NT Administration or even the latest techniques in core Java?  Now recruit as many position roles as you can, but focus in on this technology.

After understanding what "kind" of people, can you now recruit a pool of good talent until they are needed?  Some recruiters find one candidate and then stop and wait until that candidate is placed.  That just doesn't cut it in Program Recruiting.  Most times you don't know when you'll need someone because of backfills or terminations.  Chances are, a single candidate will find something else before you need them.  Now, if you don't have others in the pipeline, you're starting at ground zero. 

A program recruiter will run numbers higher then most staffing recruiters.  By this I mean, they will recruit 7-10 candidates for everyone placed.  Normally, this would kill a staffing recruiter, but realize in program recruiting, you own company's management is usually making the hire decisions and the client interview cycle is drastically shorter.

Program recruiting isn't for everyone.  You must work in an assembly line fashion and continue to bring in candidates into your pipeline, even when you have no open requirements.  Your documentation and attention to detail must be strong to keep a number of candidates in different stages.