This year has been a crazy year. You don’t need me to tell you that. After all, there’s been a global pandemic and rioting, and political discord . . . and don’t forget about the Presidential Election next month!
As a result, it’s been a tumultuous time in the economy and the employment marketplace, and that includes for agency recruiters and executive search consultants. Now that the fourth quarter of the year is here and the end of 2020 is in sight, this is the time to ask (and answer) some critical recruitment questions.
That’s because, no matter how rough 2020 has been, you still want to finish the year strong and prepare for what will (hopefully) be a better year in 2021. The good news is that there has been a rebound of sorts since the pandemic started earlier this year and just about everything was shut down. (Including your clients’ plans to hire.)
Recruitment questions for a COVID-19 world
Consequently, you should want to position yourself for the continuation of this rebound, which could very well include more hiring. Something else that you know well is that the recruiting profession is tied closely to the U.S. and world economies. If those are doing well, then the recruiting profession is doing well.
The important recruitment questions to which I alluded above come from recruiting industry trainer Barb Bruno, CPC/CTS of Good as Gold Training and Development. Barb’s training techniques have guided thousands to a higher level of sales and profits. She is best known for her methodical, easy-to-implement strategies that she shares with her audiences.
Below are 10 critical recruitment questions for agency recruiters and executive search consultants, courtesy of Barb Bruno:
#1—Have you dramatically increased your marketing presentations?
It’s always a good time to market. However, marketing becomes even more important during times like these, when you need more exposure in the marketplace in advance of what could become a period of more hiring. This is NOT the time to lapse in your marketing. Instead, it’s time to accelerate your efforts!
#2—Do you recruit for top talent on a daily basis?
This means actively recruit top talent. Every day. On the telephone. This is the “bread and butter” of what agency recruiters and executive search consultants do. So grab a loaf of your favorite bread, a big tub of butter, and the telephone receiver. Or your cell phone . . . any phone, for crying out loud!
#3—Have you branded yourself to highlight what differentiates you?
Differentiation speaks to value, and companies will not want to work with you unless they can plainly see the value that you offer to them. What value do you provide that other recruiting agencies and firms do not provide? How are you communicating your value to prospects? (Hopefully, through the marketing efforts that we just addressed.)
#4—Are you helping employers upgrade past “bad” hires?
So there aren’t as many new position job orders as there were a year ago? What about replacement job orders? Organizations still need top talent on their teams, and if they don’t have departments filled with nothing but A-players, then they’re in need of an upgrade!
#5—Are you placing retired Baby Boomers as contractors for their past employers?
First, if you’re not offering contract staffing services to your clients, then you should be! That’s because Foxhire (formerly Top Echelon Contracting) can serve as the Employer of Record for your contract workers and take all of the tedious back-office tasks off your plate. (And then you can put a nice, juicy steak there instead!)
#6—Do you expect a much better year in 2021?
If you don’t expect to have a better year, then . . . how do you expect to have a better year? This could turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. As a recruiter, the more positive you are, the better that you perform. Recruiting is challenging enough. No need to make it tougher with a negative attitude.
#7—Do you work at a level “10” every day?
Reaching your earnings potential as an agency recruiter or search consultant requires maximum effort every day. Without that effort, you’re at risking for “leaving money on the table.” And in this economic environment, that’s the last thing you want to do.
#8—Have you changed the way you do business to fit the needs of clients and candidates?
The pandemic has changed many things about the recruiting and hiring process, both from the perspective of the employer and the job candidate. This is especially the case with top passive candidates, those who represent the top 5% to 10% of the professionals in the marketplace. What have you done to accommodate your clients and candidates?
#9—Are you implementing new ideas and techniques to improve sales?
We’ve said this before, but recruitment = sales. Recruiting is a sales profession, one with people on both sides of the sale. Therefore, it requires sales skills and techniques in order to succeed, including the refinement of existing skills and the implementation of new strategies.
#10—Do you participate in training on a consistent basis?
Your answer to this question should be a resounding “Yes!” That’s because Top Echelon offers FREE training in the form of our Expert Recruiter Coaching Series of webinars, which we offer on the second Tuesday of each month. These webinars touch upon a variety of recruiting-related topics dealing with both candidates and clients.
Not only that, but we also offer an extensive library of equally free recruitment agency training courses. These courses are recorded versions of our Recruiter Coaching Series of live webinars, which we offer every month. As always, our goal with these webinars (and corresponding training videos) is to help agency recruiters and executive search consultants make more placements.
Answering recruitment questions with better software
So many recruitment questions needing so many answers . . . but one of the ways to increase productivity during these tumultuous times is with better recruiting software. And guess what? That’s right—Top Echelon happens to have such software! (After all, our official name is Top Echelon Software.)
Top Echelon’s executive search software has a ton of great features, including Job Order Pipelines, resume parsing, seamless searching, a robust and powerful Activity Planner, and Business Development Hotlists.
Not only that, but if you act now, you can get 15 days of our software for FREE! This is the full version of the software and you do NOT need a credit card to start the trial.
Click HERE to start your free 15-day trial of the best executive search software.
Top Echelon’s applicant tracking software for agency recruiters and executive search consultants is also one of the most affordable on the market, at a cost of just $59.50 per user per month with the annual pricing plan. However, we also offer a live demo of the software, if you want to check it out first before diving into the deep end of the pool head first. (We applaud you for your practical approach.)
Click HERE to request a live demo of Top Echelon’s leading recruitment agency software!
