In my previous blog post in the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, I presented “7 ‘Universal Truths’ About the Recruiting Business.“ As promised, I’ve returned with more such truths about our profession.
Below are seven MORE “Universal Truths” about the recruiting business.
#1—If you think it’s more important to you to fill a job order than the hiring manager, it probably is.
We’ve all been there before. Pour our heart and soul into a search, and the hiring manager stops returning calls. It becomes apparent that filling the job order is far more important to you than to your client. What can you do? Be firm. If communication slows down or ceases completely, it’s time to reset expectations. To do this, leave a voicemail or shoot them an email:
“Due to the lack of response from you on this search, it seems as though this is a higher priority for me than for you right now. Anytime that happens, it becomes a no-win situation for us. Until I hear back from you and we reassess the urgency of this search for you, we are not going to make any further investment of time and money. Let me know when your sense of urgency changes, and we can get back to this in the future.”
#2—Time kills all deals.
He who hesitates is lost in recruiting. Once a candidate expresses real interest in joining a firm, move. Take decisive action. This “White Heat” zone is only sustainable for a limited time. An offer needs to be made. No one maintains a strong, constant interest level for long . . . unless there is no real interest in the opportunity. Interest fluctuates like the stock market: up and down. Other factors will influence the candidate that can blow the deal quickly.
#3—If you don’t cover the counteroffer early and often, you will lose most candidates to them.
Demographics. A big word that means big changes for our industry. The supply of qualified candidates continues to dwindle as the demand increases for top talent. Shifting populations, aging professionals, and a growing economy mean that counteroffers will get better and better as employers fight to keep A-players. That is why recruiters must address counteroffers early and often. Role play with your candidates. Make sure they understand that counteroffers are not a ticket to the corner office. Explain that in your experience, once a firm knows you’ve been looking elsewhere, the trust is gone. The best move for the candidate is to move on. Educate every candidate about counteroffers, giving them skills and strength to address them head-on.
#4—If the candidates sleep on the job offer, they will dream up reasons not to take it: the recruiter’s nightmare.
Many recruiters and hiring managers think it’s okay for a candidate to think about an offer overnight. It isn’t. The candidate has already been in the interview process for a long period of time, typically two to six weeks. The potential change has been mulled over and discussed many, many times. If you’ve done your job right as a recruiter, all the pertinent issues have been covered by you, including compensation, benefits, etc. If you have already successfully addressed possible concerns, the only remaining question should be start date. There’s no reason to sleep on it. The additional time will only lead to self-doubt, i.e., dreaming up reasons to resist change. From the beginning of your relationship, make it clear there will not be a night to think about it. There will be no need. You will make sure the candidate has all the information necessary to make a sound decision before the final interview.
#5—You get what you pay for.
You don’t visit your doctor and start arguing over fees, and your clients shouldn’t devalue your professional worth that way, either. Yes, we are in a service industry, but if a client company tries to negotiate fees, what are they really doing? They are saying very clearly that they don’t value your services. The more a client does this, the more difficult they will be to work with, and they often present collection problems. If you have a client who won’t accept a fair fee agreement, it may be time to end the relationship.
A few years ago, I haggled back and forth over fees for retained searches with a company president. After three days, we finally inked a deal that was more beneficial to the client than to me. I worked hard and made three successful placements. He refused to pay the agreed-upon fees. I had to get my attorneys involved to finally receive payment. The bottom line is this: the more a company negotiates your fee down, the less they value your services and the more problems you will have. Recognize the real professional value you offer and respect yourself enough to insist your clients do, too.
#6—In recruiting, nothing should be left to chance.
New recruiters may think that you put a hiring manager and a candidate together . . . and magic happens! Nothing could be further from the truth. Placements do not simply appear out of thin air. The reason our clients pay us the big bucks is to make sure every detail is taken care of and that no mistakes are made. Recruiters who aren’t on top of every aspect of a search will find themselves out of a job quickly. It is imperative that we immerse ourselves in every search. Get to know every detail about candidates, from hot buttons to reasons for leaving current positions. Our clients rely on us to take the stress—and the risk—out of the hiring process. It is up to us to make sure the things happen that are supposed to happen. Period.
#7—Your integrity will determine how long you stay in business.
It’s simple: do what is right, all the time and every time, not just when it’s convenient. We must live by the same rules we ask our clients and candidates to live by. If it’s the end of the month and you need a placement, it’s not okay to take a candidate from a client. If you discover potentially damaging information about a candidate, but withhold it from a client to earn the placement fee, that is dishonest. Your integrity, your standards, must be inviolate. This is the biggest factor in determining recruiting longevity . . . and long-term success.
Recruiting Standards:
1. Always call candidates back to let them know where they are in the process.
2. Never take a candidate from a client.
3. Do not share confidential information with others.
4. Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Our industry is about people. And if there is one similarity we all have, it is that we are all different. But the “Universal Truths of Recruiting” give us the courage of their convictions: confidence based on these unshakable tenets. These industry truths allow us to live lives we love and help others to do the same.
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Jon Bartos, a guest writer for the Top Echelon Recruiter Training Blog, is a premier writer, speaker, and consultant on all aspects of personal performance, human capital, and the analytics behind them. In December of 2012, Bartos joined trustaff Solutions as the president. Founded in 2002, trustaff Solutions has been distinguished nationally five times by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in the country. Click here to visit Bartos’s website.