Gatekeeper
For most, the word “gatekeeper” conjures up an image similar to the Cerberus, the mythological Greek creature employed as Hades' loyal watchdog guarding the gates granting access and exit to the underworld. If you think about it, this negative association with receptionists seems slightly unfair; remember that this individual is being judged on their ability to accurately assess who deserves to be put through and who to keep at bay. You have a job you’ve been hired to do, and so do they – it just so happens those two jobs can appear conflicting at times!
Recruiting Objections
There are three areas to overcoming resistance – knowing when an objection has been raised, knowing how to deliver your response, and knowing what specifically to say in your response. Remember that your audience is hip to the game – they can sometimes predict your rebuttal even before you have a chance to deliver it.
I’m Happy!
Ever noticed that if you give those you are close with the opportunity to open up about how they are doing in life, in their career, with their spouse, with their family, or financially, that they can immediately rattle off numerous things they wished were different or that they are dissatisfied with? However, when making recruiting calls into your market, all of a sudden – everyone is happy!
What Does the Position Pay?
"How much or what does the position pay?" is one of the second most voiced objections that you as a recruiter have to learn to address with candidates. Most would suggest to never disclose a compensation range early on, because no candidate ever views himself or herself as average. Therefore, when you throw out a salary range, the candidate will only hear the top end of the spectrum.
Where Did You Get My Name?
How easy is this question to answer? “Our database” or “the Internet” or “it’s confidential” all seem like straightforward responses, but take a moment and consider the possible missed opportunity that exists if you simply declare the originating source. Review the responses in this NLE Library section and recognize that in most, the answers are delivered in a way that could elevate your level of being perceived as in industry expert, as well as pat the candidate on the back at the same time.
I Can’t Make a Move Until…
This response can take a variety of paths – it could be completed with "…until I get my promotion, or raise, or bonus, or the current project I'm working on is complete, or until my kids graduate this year, or until my spouse finishes his assignment…".
Relocation Concerns
The reasoning behind not wanting to relocate can be backed by many logical explanations! These could range from health or family obligations, to a destination that is not in alignment with what the candidate wants or needs, to a misunderstanding as to the types of opportunities that exist within the current location.
Other Recruiting Objections
Perhaps the best way to help a candidate overcome the objection of "having had a bad experience with recruiters in the past" is to encourage due diligence. This clip highlights the possibility that a simple investigation and verification about someone or something can easily validate making a correct decision.
Approaches to Recruiting Overview
Now that you’ve secured your first or first few clients who each have real requisitions, job orders or search assignments, you now need to be able to successfully execute against those searches by placing uniquely qualified candidates – thus establishing yourself as an experienced recruiter and justifying your service charges to your clients
Direct Approach
The Direct Recruiting approach is a rapid fire approach to making calls which can be used when you quickly need to get to a yes or a no decision from a candidate to the question of “are you interested in this opportunity?” or "what are your thoughts on this personally and professionally?”.
Indirect Approach
At the core of the Indirect Approach to recruiting is asking your prospective candidate for a referral, recommendation, or the name of someone else having the level of expertise and experience to match the role you just described. By intentionally using a variation of the take-away close, you are enticing the individual on the other end of the phone to either buy-in to the opportunity themselves, or to let you know who they know that could be a match for your need.
Market Mastery Approach
The Market Mastery Approach is based on having a level of in-depth industry insight and knowledge above and beyond your competitors and then applying it to your everyday conversations with candidates and clients alike. This hyper-level of insight and knowledge comes from developing a true expertise in a very specific industry or niche.
Reference Check Approach
Reference checking is a great way to make a warm call to a prospective candidate. The process begins as a reference check call but with a dual purpose to ‘flip’ into either a recruiting or marketing call for new business. The call itself is one that is easily executed, because you will not encounter much resistance when you are calling to facilitate a reference check.
Pillars of Presentation
There are four primary pillars that can comprise the structure of a strong recruiting presentation: the company, the boss, the position, and the compensation. Some opportunities will be stronger in certain pillars and it is not necessary to try to cover every pillar in a single presentation; the bottom line is to remember to always look at your client through the eyes of a candidate.
Name Gathering
As an executive recruiter, part of our mission is to identify every prospective candidate and every prospective client in your niche. All industries are constantly evolving. Candidates enter into the industry, others retire, individuals move from organization to organization, firms merge or close, people get promoted, new companies are formed; it’s a constantly moving target. Accept the fact that nothing, when it comes to the status of candidates and clients in your marketplace, is an absolute truth.
Web-Based
Doing industry research off-hours is an essential priority for all recruiters. It is a recruiter’s responsibility to leave no stone unturned, and social networking, professional association, and niche specific sites or publications are a must to master. There are copious amounts of industry and niche-specific sites that exist, should be saved as “favorites” in your browser, and revisited on an ongoing basis.
On the Phone
Since the majority of a recruiter’s day is spent on the phone, this is the most obvious tool by which to gather new names and referrals! Conversations can include both direct solicitations for referrals, or indirect referrals due to asking a variety of specific questions that lead to the right individual. Of course, the most obvious question to ask a candidate is “who do you know?”
Additional Techniques
In addition to gathering referrals on the phone and using the Internet to source for new leads, there are a number of creative additional ways to continually name and information gather within your market. This section of the NLE Library provides supplementary techniques that can be combined with primary methods of name gathering throughout the day.
Candidate Data Sheets Overview
Before presenting any candidate to your client, it is necessary is to prioritize this candidate and move forward only with those candidates you have a high likelihood of placing. Just because a prospective candidate volunteers him or herself for consideration does not necessarily mean that you can, or have to, help them. Developing a discerning nature will not only allow you to brand yourself as a true professional, but you also will elevate yourself in the eyes of your clients, who appreciate you presenting them with only the top tier of talent in their organization.
Condensed CDS
In some circumstances, taking an hour to get to know a candidate may not be the most effective use of time. The individual could perhaps be only moderately interested in other opportunities, or is locked in where they are an extended period of time due to a large bonus or contractual stipulations, or be outside the scope of your defined niche but still possibly a placeable candidate in the future. The Condensed Candidate Data Sheet (CDS) form allows you to ask the most critical information, in five to ten minutes, that you can then keep on file for future searches and conversations.
Solid CDS
Using a comprehensive Candidate Data Sheet (CDS) will allow you to thoroughly screen a candidate to ensure that there is a strong match with the criteria your client initially stated they needed. It is essential to understand your candidate’s primary duties and responsibilities in their current role, you need to comprehend their background and what specific benefits they bring to your client organization, and you need to understand precisely their reasons and motivations behind being receptive to making a change.
