Technology innovations surround us. On a daily basis, I am bombarded with emails touting the best new way of identifying and hiring top candidates-all taking no time and effort at all. It must be magic! The old-fashioned recruiter in me is curious to know what I am missing, so I explore each option eagerly. Sometimes I find a golden nugget, but more often I find more of the same, dressed up slightly different, but never the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that has been marketed.

In a world of increasingly impersonal emails, on-line marketing campaigns, and technology innovations we tend to forgot one of the key golden rules of recruiting - This is a people business.

People like to be touched, talked to personally, courted, and wooed. Do not make the mistake of not giving this fact your full appreciation. This is why candidates drop from our process when a hiring manager doesn’t show up for an interview or three weeks pass by with no call from anyone when a candidate is expecting an offer.

Another golden rule of recruiting deserves some recognition here. The top 10% of talent is always hard to get, especially in this economy. These people have always required a long courtship, and then the moon, sun and stars all need to line up at the right time in order for you to have success with them. These candidates will never respond to an on-line advertisement or an impersonal blanket solicitation email. They delete these without even thinking about them. A good recruiter will always incorporate these top echelon candidates into their recruiting strategy.

Focus is really required to develop a successful strategy. Time management will also help tremendously. The millions of tools available to you as recruiters can cloud your strategy. Pick your tools for success wisely and utilize them to their fullest potential. Do not buy into the false belief that if you aren’t using every tool out there, you are missing out. There are many ways to skin the proverbial cat. Nothing will ever replace picking up the phone and talking to people (thankfully, or we wouldn’t really be needed). Some people will require multiple “touches” to develop a relationship, but it all starts with a call.

When I find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, I’ll be the first to let you know, but I may win the lottery sooner! Either way, you can expect a call from me.

Amanda Gill is a Senior Director for Oracle Recruitment in North America and has been with Oracle for four years.