A recruiter with 12 open orders does not spend one-twelfth of her time on each order.

We understand that, right?

The truth is that not all job orders are created equal — some are far more ‘fillable’ than others. Many are not even real, approval to hire has not been given, or are in competition with four other agencies, or are just a process to benchmark already highly regarded ‘internal’ candidates.

A smart recruiter will ‘triage’ his job orders, and to do that you have to know your ‘fillability- factor’.

Your ‘fillability-factor’ is the sum of the criteria by which you judge one job to be more ‘fillable’ than another.

Oh, trust me. I know, ‘It’s obvious’, right?

Well, it’s not obvious enough to prevent thousands of recruiters all over the world today filling two jobs out of 12 they are working, instead of 7 out of 12, because they do not hone in on the low hanging fruit.

And as we hear daily from recruiters, there is a massive talent shortage. The smart recruiters understand that one essential skill in a talent tight market is to manage and massage the client’s expectations of what they can reasonably expect in the current hiring market. So that means coaching the client to work harder to appeal to candidates, and also to finesse the job description and criteria in the first place.

And that skill requires credibility. The recruiter is an advisor not a resume donkey. And that’s your opportunity. To work in partnership with your client. To make the job ‘fillable’ so the client gets an outcome, the candidate gets the job and you get your just rewards.

Every job should be continuously reviewed for fillability, because it’s a dynamic assessment. Today’s ‘low-fillability job’, escalates overnight to ‘high-fillability’ when the client raises the salary from $80,000 to $100,000, or drops the requirement for a double-degree in Mongolian throat singing.

The job is well-qualified: The client has given you a chance to ask critical questions, understand priorities, and manage and massage the job and person spec. And that is a dynamic, fluid solution to a fast-changing market. “Yes, Mr Client, you can’t get what you got 2 years ago. And certainly not at that salary”

The job is real and urgent: A client in pain is a very good thing. Also, you must have asked the magic questions!

Hiring criteria are reasonable. Aforementioned double – degree in Mongolian throat singing is not a requirement. Nor is some arbitrary ‘15 years of experience’. You know the drill.

The Client is committed to hiring: Are they? Have you tested? Asked the right questions? Have they even got approval?

The Client is working as a partner: Allows you to take a qualified order. Responds to your emails. Takes your call to discuss the shortlist. Provides feedback on interviewed candidates. Takes your advice!

The job is exclusive or retained: An exponential increase in ‘fillability’.

Repeat client: Ongoing clients tend to work in tandem, with you. You both have a track record with each other. Trust escalates, along with fillability

You have an available talent pool: You can fill this job. You have suitable candidates, or you know where you can find them. Even a highly cooperative client may be unable to assist if the pool of talent is dire.

The job is attractive to candidates. The actual role. The duties. The learning. The tasks. The potential. The mentorship. The career potential.

The employer is attractive to candidates: Of course, ‘fillability’ explodes if you are working with a hot company, with a strong EVP, in a cool location, with excellent benefits, a track record of fairness, equity and loyalty to staff, and a shiny employer brand. Offers will be accepted. And that is when we get paid

So, be smart, constantly triage and evaluate your orders for fillability. You are not going to fill every order, but your hit rate will boom if you develop the skills to assess fillablity in real-time, and spend most of your time on the most fillable jobs.