Recruiter News  >  September 2006: Volume 3, Issue 9

The best candidates always require more information as they move through the hiring process. It has been my observation that when a candidate decides they’re no longer interested in a job it’s because they don’t have enough of the right information. The recruiter is responsible for getting it to them.

Do not get upset when a candidate puts up the caution flag. Expect this to happen. In fact, anticipate it. By the time a candidate is ready to accept an offer, the recruiter (in conjunction with the hiring manager) needs to create what I call an “opportunity gap” for the candidate. The opportunity gap represents the difference between two job opportunities. This includes the job stretch, the differences in actual job scope, comparison of challenges to be faced, compensation differences, and the long term growth opportunities. The bigger the opportunity gap, the more likely a candidate will accept an offer. Done properly, the candidate should learn a little about this opportunity gap at every interview and during every phone call. Candidates get less interested in a job when they see this opportunity gap shrink in comparison to everything else they’re considering. Creating this opportunity gap is how you pull strong candidates through all of the steps in the hiring process.

As soon as a candidate tells you they’re no longer interested it’s time to act. Sometimes they won’t even tell you. Instead they’ll stop answering your calls. They might delay setting up the next set of interviews, or they’ll make odd excuses. These are all clues that something is wrong. First find out what happened. Most often you’ll need to rebuild or create the opportunity gap. (continued...)

One of the most vital skills that you can learn as a recruiter is how to zero in on those searches that give you the best chance of making a placement- and to only focus on them. Is this a skill that takes time to master? No, you can learn it the first time you hear about it. Is this difficult to do? Not at all, it’s simply a matter of having a workable rating system and acting on it. Is it time consuming? Of course not, matter of fact it takes only about five minutes a day. But these five minutes can exponentially increase your billings.

A Simple 5-Minute System
You have probably heard of the idea of classifying your searches as A, B or C. The purpose of this article is outline a simple set of steps that will make this classification system into more of a practical, day to day compass for you.

“A” searches have all three of the following components:

Cooperation: The client returns calls within 48 hours and is open about all details of the search.
Urgency: They need to get the search filled ASAP.
Marketability: The position is attractive to candidates.

The Search Assignment White Board
You need a system that makes it easy to prioritize your searches. The search assignment white board is simply a large dry erase board where you will write your current searches. The key is that you will visually represent them as either A, B or C.

Doing this will help you to remember that an A today could become a C tomorrow and vice versa. This board is a fluid, erasable, reminder for you and your team. Each morning, you should start your day by making any changes to the board based on new information.   (continued...)

Click on Miss J's photo to email your recruitment questions and problems to her!

Miss J is in a thoughtful mood; the quiet summer months are playing on her bank balance and she has her eye on a wonderful pair of size 11 lime green Manolos. A bead of perspiration (Miss J, like the Queen, does not sweat) appears on her finely chiseled forehead. She is starting to stress.

You know what? This recruiting malarkey is not easy, is it?

She thought she had it all worked out; She would sit by the pool dangling her palm painted toenails in the warm water whilst sippng tea as top-notch candidates called her on her Raspberry. In between calls from candidates, clients hungry to give her all their 35% deals would be on ‘call waiting’. She would retire by 30, own a house on the lake and just generally have an easy time of it while spending her squillions of dollars.

Ka-splash! %$@#! Hear that? That was Miss J falling face down in the bath tub where she had previously been washing the cat. Not a good looking dive either! Face first (bottom last) with legs akimbo, arms flailing, mouth agape, and eyes wide open and wild looking.

Dear Miss J,
It has been so quiet! I have worked so hard but nothing is happening following the summer. I keep thinking of the phrase ‘Mother told me there would be days like this’. Firstly why didn’t she say there would be jobs like this and secondly why did I not listen to ‘She Who Knows Everything And When Proved Right, Rubs My Nose In It In Public’.

I have so much to do! The business development, the recruiting, the admin, etc. Also all the calls with issues to deal with. It just goes on and on and on in to infinity.

I feel so stressed I just want to grab the Vodka bottle by the neck and drink it just like that, straight from the bottle.

Miss J I need help!

Overwrought from Oddville, KY

Dear Overwrought from Oddville, KY:
Ok, deep breath, move away from the bottle. Now sit down and take a deep breath. Feel a little bit better already?

While you are taking that deep breath why don’t you try this great little breathing trick:

Place your right thumb gently on your right nostril and breathe in deeply through the left nostril. Close your left nostril with your middle finger as you release your right thumb and exhale through your right nostril. Do it again in reverse. In other words, switch to the opposite nostril each time you breathe out. Sound strange? You betcha but it's a very powerful technique for calming yourself down. If you repeat the process for about 60 seconds, you'll feel great. Of course you could also get your nostrils mixed up, starve your brain of oxygen, keel over and then you wouldn’t have any problems any more would you?

So onward: Why don’t we start with a reality check?   (continued…)