The Importance of High-Touch Engagement with Candidates and Clients – Interview with Client Marketing Manager, Moriah DeJacimo

Let’s dive into the bustling world of recruitment and staffing, where “high-touch engagement” isn’t just the latest trend—it’s the cornerstone of building meaningful connections. Ever wonder what this term really means or how you make it work for you, especially when you’re trying to stand out to both eager job seekers and companies desperate for talent?

At the core of any successful staffing firm is the strength of its relationships. Whether it’s bridging the gap for professionals searching for their perfect role or helping companies fill their urgent talent needs, mastering high-touch engagement is key to not just surviving but thriving in this competitive space. We sat down with Moriah DeJacimo, Client Marketing Manager, to get into the nitty-gritty of what high-touch engagement looks like in the staffing world. Consider this your insider’s guide, tailor-made for recruiters and HR pros who believe in the power of genuine, human connections in their work.

Unraveling High-Touch Engagement

High-touch engagement, in its essence, is the practice of being deeply involved in the hiring process for both candidate and client, providing an experience that is more personal and supportive than simply transactional. It means going beyond the routine, establishing trust through proactive communication, and ensuring that everyone in the recruitment cycle feels valued and understood. However, it is quite a demanding approach – one that requires time, effort, and a genuine investment in the people you work with.

Connecting With Candidates on a Personal Level

High-touch engagement with candidates transcends the mere process of interviews and placements. It involves being a source of support and guidance, allowing candidates to feel secure throughout the hiring process. For them, this entails providing frequent updates, responding to their questions, and even engaging in negotiations. In short, it’s about understanding their aspirations and being the navigator on their career path, even after the placement is made.

High-touch engagement with Clients

Your high-touch strategy extends to clients as well. That means thoroughly understanding their needs and the roles they want to fill and ensuring that the candidates you present are not only qualified on paper but also aligned with the company culture. Therefore, regular communication and updates, genuine care and effort, and being an advocate for the quality of your candidates are all elements of high-touch client engagement.

Crafting High-Touch Strategies

Creating and implementing effective high-touch engagement strategies is challenging, but the rewards in terms of successful placements and client satisfaction are immeasurable.

Structuring Your Approach

Moriah’s approach to high-touch engagement is methodical. She advocates creating a structured process, almost like a checklist, to ensure that every interaction with a candidate or client is deliberate and thorough. Moreover, this involves stages like initial interviews, skills assessments, regular updates, and post-placement follow-ups.

Beyond the Process – The Human Element

But a process is only as good as the people executing it. Accordingly, the essence of high-touch engagement is genuine care for your clients and candidates. Consequently, high-touch strategies need to prioritize building lasting relationships over making quick placements.

Navigating Challenges

Navigating the road to high-touch engagement is not without its hurdles. The industry treats CVs like commodities instead of the stories of people’s careers, which is a common challenge. How does a recruiter restore human connection in a vast pool of resumes?

Shifting the Mindset

To rise above this challenge, recruiting professionals first recognize the inherent value of each applicant’s story. They also challenge the industry’s normative practices and encourage a shift towards more personalized and empathetic approaches.

The Future of High-Touch Engagement

The future of high-touch engagement in staffing remains a critical, if not an urgent, topic.

Balancing the Human and the Automated

There’s no denying the efficiency that artificial intelligence brings to the staffing industry. However, Moriah’s insights suggest that AI has to serve as a complement to the human touch, not a replacement. Therefore, high-touch engagement will depend on striking a delicate balance between cutting-edge technology and human interaction. If you are not in the driver’s seat and AI is in the passenger, then you are doing it all wrong. This metaphor emphasizes controlling recruitment to ensure technology enhances, not detracts from, human connections.

High-touch engagement is not just a value proposition for clients and candidates—it’s a competitive advantage for staffing firms. By committing to more personal, supportive, and proactive recruiting strategies, staffing professionals unlock new levels of trust, satisfaction, and success. Advanced technology can’t fully replace the impact of timely calls, thoughtful emails, or genuine relationships.

Navigating the staffing industry’s future requires a profound understanding of the human element within the digital environment. Leaders must reassess engagement strategies and reaffirm our mission: matching talent with opportunities exceptionally.

Our tailored marketing solutions provide a competitive edge for staffing companies in dynamic markets. Reach out today to ensure this year marks a pivotal point in your journey towards unprecedented success.

About S.J.Hemley Marketing

S.J.Hemley Marketing is a marketing and sales consulting firm focused on driving tangible results for
professional services firms. Brand matters, but not without ROI. With over 20 years of sales and
marketing experience within staffing and recruiting, we have helped to drive successful branding, sales
training, lead generation activities as well as defining marketing strategy for top organizations.
www.sjhemleymarketing.com.