Best Practices of Top-performing Recruiters

Best Practices of Top-performing Recruiters

With over 15 years in the Executive Search industry as a Consultant, I have interviewed, coached, and trained many recruitment consultants. Though local differences must be taken into consideration, the characteristics that make you a top performer works everywhere. Based on what I saw, heard, and learned, here is my quintessential list of the 5+1 habits that make a top-performer in any economic cycle or market:

1. Work close to the money: We work in a very dynamic environment where priorities can change many times during the day. One call from a Client saying the job is filled or one email giving us a new job order can change how we spend our time from one second to the other. “Close to the money” is probably the best indicator that will tell you if you are currently working on a) the right things and b) in the right order. Ask yourself constantly “What am I doing right now and will this action get me a bonus?” Think in a binary way: when the answer is “yes,” this means “yes”; “no” is “no”; and “maybe/ not sure” — is “no.”

2. Stick to the knitting: Focus on your core jobs and core markets. It is here that you can make a difference, have the domain expertise you need to succeed, and the most credibility with your client and candidate. Don’t lose focus as it will most probably not work out.

3. Look for a) similarities and b) inconsistencies: Some candidates are lying to us. The “safety net” I use is what I call the “Lieutnant Columbo technique”: in one episode, Columbo says “I always ask the same questions — but I often get different answers.” Make this technique yours by asking the same question again throughout the process. If the answers are different (often on the last salary or the reasons for leaving), this can mean that the candidate is not telling the truth.

4. Create a sense of urgency: time kills all deals. It will always work against us. I see too many recruiters who are reluctant to set deadlines to their clients. Yet: we are paid to deliver a result. Always go for a close. Explain why (“Mary, my candidate is very committed, but there are other jobs around. We do not want to lose her, do we?”). Whatever date your client suggests, shorten the process. When your client says “I can see your candidate Friday PM,” answer “Great, and what about Thursday AM?” If your client suggests “I will have a look at the resumes and call you back,”respond “Good, thanks. When will we talk again? If you don’t call me by the end of this week, I will call you.”

5. Control your business or your business will control you: Surprises are a good thing for a kid’s birthday party — and they are nasty in our business. You must be the one who drives the process, the client, and the candidate. You should be the one calling up the candidate to fix interviews, ask feedback — and make the job offer. Do not ask your client “This is what I suggest. Is that OK for you?” You decide the process and not the client. Asking your client to confirm the process is as if you ordered a rib-eye steak for Rs: 3500/- and the chef came to your table to ask how to prepare it. 

1. Bonus best practice: Don’t over-complicate the business: Peter Drucker says: “Successful leaders (and successful recruiters too) don’t ask “What do I want to do?” They ask, “what needs to be done?’” Make this philosophy yours. Don’t ask too many questions but do what has to be done to get the money in: call and meet people in your core business and core market, talk to them, and ask what you can do for them and what they can do for you. Understand what makes them tick and how you can add value. Do it once. Do it again and again and again.

Effective And Ineffective Recruiters

.

If recruiters are so helpful in finding a person a job, why do they get such a bad rap sometimes? We’ve all heard the stories: a candidate’s resume ended up on his boss’s desk, or the current company was called for a reference without the person’s permission. The recruiter misrepresented the candidate to the company or vice versa and wasted everyone’s time.

Too often candidates aren’t any more selective about the recruiters with whom they work than they are about the companies with which they interview. That’s understandable considering candidates often buy into the myth that all recruiters are omniscient and omnipotent. When you don’t know how a recruiter works, it’s easy to assume they know what they’re doing.

So how do you tell if a recruiter is adept at their profession? Here’s a hint: don’t bother asking them how long they’ve been a recruiter. It’s irrelevant. Instead ask them a few questions about the position they’ve brought to you. If the only thing they know is the salary range - and they tell it to you – proceed at your own risk.

If a recruiter fails to take an in-depth search assignment from a client, how does the recruiter know what the client is looking for? More than that, how will the recruiter know if they come across that person? Without a detailed profile of the position, the company, and the hiring authority, all the recruiter is doing is faxing resumes and hoping something will work. It’s tantamount to shooting arrows at a target in a dark closet.

You can expect a multitude of questions as well, and a lot of them are very personal. If they’re to present you to a client, they need a total picture of you: career, family, salary history, job search strategy, what you’ve done, what skills you have, what you want, and where you envision your career going.So when one approaches you with a position and you show some interest, do they dig deeper to learn who you are? Or do they just get your resume and pass it on to the employer? Do they grasp over time what you’re suited for? Or do they continue to run things by you that have no appeal at all? Is it about your career or their commission?

There are subtleties to the business that too many recruiters miss. The most basic is that every company is unique, and every individual is unique. The good ones understand this. The others think that if they just throw out enough lines, they’ll eventually catch a fish, They’ve completely missed the point of why a recruiter exists. They rarely make a placement, except by accident. They function more as a resume service and less as a recruiter. They’ve likely been beaten down on their fees.

Unfortunately, because of the internet, the number of these recruiters is increasing. Any contingency recruiter can call an employer and join the race in the first resume to the finish line. They find your paperwork posted on a job board, and you – who are more likely passive than active in your search and haven’t carefully thought out your requirements for your perfect job – are easy picking. Off to the interview you go, most likely with unsatisfying results for everyone involved. The internet means a recruiter doesn’t actually have to work at recruiting.

An effective recruiter can make a difference in your search by fully understanding the depth of what’s involved in bringing a company and an individual together long-term. These recruiters are in it for the long haul. Their rewards are repeat business with client companies, referrals from relationships they’ve developed with individuals, and the joy of a candidate who’s ecstatic about the new opportunity.

It’s your career. When you’re looking to further it, shrewd discernment will always bring you closer to what you want, while universal optimism will often result in discouragement..

Ref: Article.com