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. Think about the principles of reverse psychology which are at work here. Anyone who is a parent knows an effective way to ensure dinnertime compliance is to challenge a child; “don’t eat any more of those peas – I know you can’t finish them” can be a successful approach as people cannot resist the urge to prove someone else wrong when the opportunity to do so is served to them this way! The psychology behind this approach it is that your prospective candidate could be more interested if they need to nominate themselves or share a referral, versus being in a position to be able to turn down an opportunity that is presented to them.
The Indirect Recruiting Approach comes with advantages and disadvantages. The Indirect Approach is great for fostering a collaborative conversation – a chat with the intention of getting to know the candidate beyond just seeing if they fit into your current opportunity. This approach also works well when you don’t have much information on the individual you are calling so you aren’t sure if they are a potential match for your opportunity or not. Finally, consider using this approach when recruiting people in roles which are famous for having big egos or having Type A+ personalities as it adds control to the process. When a candidate has to request consideration, most people will sell themselves harder when they have to volunteer and also tend to screen a little less.
Disadvantages to the Indirect Approach? The referrals that you receive may not be qualified referrals; they could be individuals who are unemployed or underemployed but still not a match for your client’s opportunity. If your need is to get the candidate on the phone, determine mutual interest, and move on to the next prospect if there is no mutual interest, the Indirect Approach may not be the recommended approach to executing the recruiting call.
Scripts
Indirect Approach Script 1Indirect Approach Script 2Indirect Approach Script 3Indirect Approach Script 4Indirect Approach Script 5Video
This clip from NLE Foundation Training discusses the Indirect Recruiting Approach; this approach is great for setting the stage for collaborative conversation with candidates.
In this video clip from the NLE TV Recruiting Training Episode, “The Art of Attraction Based Recruiting,” Greg Doersching delivers a tried-and-true example of an Indirect Recruiting Presentation.
Jeff Kaye delivers a great example of an Indirect Recruiting Presentation in this video clip from the NLRT DVD series, and introduces another reason why broccoli is essential for a recruiter’s daily diet!
In his NLE TV Big Biller episode, Bradley Richardson explains how using the Indirect Recruiting approach has been a key strategy towards his recruiting success.
Articles
Knowing What to Sell by Terry Petra
Indirect Recruiting – It’s All About Their Comfort Zone by Terry Petra
Recorded Calls
Click the play button to start audio playback.
You will hear gaps or beeps when names or identifying details are shared.
[two_thirds]
[/two_thirds][one_third_last]
Call notes[/one_third_last]
[two_thirds]
[/two_thirds][one_third_last]
Call notes[/one_third_last]
[two_thirds]
[/two_thirds][one_third_last]
Call notes[/one_third_last]
[two_thirds]
[/two_thirds][one_third_last]
Call notes[/one_third_last]
Additional Indirect Approach Resources
Indirect Approach Voicemail Script
Indirect Approach Email Script
