Filling Open Positions as a Subcontractor

Congratulations! You've landed a spot as a subcontractor on a major program that promises to elevate your firm. But now you're facing a common challenge: filling the roles. Whether it's because another company secured the talent first, the required skillsets are scarce, or clearance issues abound, the difficulties are numerous.

Here are some strategies I've implemented with clients to successfully fill open positions and win new work:

1. Specialize and Focus
   Concentrate on a specific skill set or group of skills. This specialization brings several benefits:

   • Reputation Building: By consistently sourcing the same skill sets, you establish your firm as a go-to resource in that niche. This leads to increased referrals and a stronger brand identity.

   • Efficient Matching: Specializing allows you to submit candidates across multiple programs requiring similar skills, aligning your business development efforts with your core competencies. This approach can lead to more frequent "jump-ball" wins.

2. Pick your Battles
   Be strategic about the roles you pursue:

   • Avoid High-Competition or Low-Inventory Positions: Steer clear of roles that attract numerous applicants, like remote Systems Administrators or other low hanging fruit. These roles are often filled within a day or 2 of being posted. The same can also be said of positions with an extremely low number of available candidates such as those with "Developer" and "Poly" in the description. These are likely to waste your time and resources.

   • Target Niche Roles: Focus on positions that are medium to hard to fill but less competitive. These roles often offer better opportunities for success and can help you carve out a niche in the market. These positions may require someone to have experience working with a specific tool, or set of policies.

3. Think Like a Staffing Agency
   Your company has an amazing new AI product that is going to revolutionize the way the government does business for years to come. That is great! But save it for your prime awards. When competing with multiple companies for the same roles as a subcontractor on a large program, you need to think like a staffing agency:

   • Grade and Prioritize Positions: Evaluate and prioritize positions based on their likelihood of being filled quickly and successfully.

   • Active Head-Hunting: Proactively seek out candidates rather than waiting for them to apply or be referred. This means tapping into networks, leveraging databases, maximizing candidate outreach (call, text, email) and utilizing social media.

   • Candidate Lock-In: Engage candidates repeatedly throughout the hiring process, confirming salary expectations and other key details to ensure alignment and commitment.

   • Interview Preparation: Prepare your candidates thoroughly for interviews with the prime contractor or end customer. This preparation can include role-playing scenarios, reviewing potential questions, and aligning candidates' responses with client expectations.

4. Emphasize Speed
   As anyone who has played team sports knows: speed kills. Speed is critical when competing for talent, especially in high-demand markets:

   • Immediate Action: Begin sourcing candidates immediately upon receiving a new role. Delays of even a day can result in losing top talent to competitors.

   • Engaged Recruiting Partners: Maintain a network of recruiting partners who are ready and able to mobilize quickly. Their engagement and readiness to source candidates on short notice are invaluable in staying ahead of the competition. With this approach, less is more. Keep a good relationship with 1 or 2 agencies, that way they know when you call they have a great chance of filling your roles, instead of competing against multiple different agencies and companies.

4. Navigate the Submission Process Smartly
   Every large program has its candidate submission protocols, such as SharePoint portals or specific email formats. Here's how to navigate them more effectively:

   • Expedite Reviews: After submitting a candidate through official channels, follow up with an additional email/phone call to the Point of Contact (POC) or, if possible, the hiring manager. Highlight your candidate's strengths and prompt them to review the submission quickly.

   • Leverage Direct Communication: If the submission process involves emails, consider CCing the hiring manager. This can draw attention to your candidate's suitability and encourage the team to expedite the interview process.

By implementing these strategies, you can improve your chances of success in filling roles and standing out in competitive environments. Focus on your strengths, be strategic in your efforts, and don't hesitate to seek opportunities to showcase your candidates directly to decision-makers.

To discuss how filling more positions as a subcontractor can impact your business, or any other recruitment challenges you are facing, reply to the email or set up a call.

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📚 Continuing Education

Picking up on the topic of thinking like a staffing agency, The Finish the Year Strong summit will be discussing key recruiting topics and challenges, and even have a panel focused around GovCon recruiting.

STEM Solutions is proud to present this issue of the SF-86. STEM Solutions specializes in the recruitment of cleared professionals. The federal talent market is as competitive as it gets, and we’ll help you win by getting the best talent, faster. Schedule a time to speak with us today. **