I came out of a system that encourages the use of a Most Placeable Candidate (MPC) as the vehicle they recommend weaving into their marketing presentations. This system’s MPC approach contributed to its growing into the world’s largest (and most profitable) contingency recruitment firm—a title they still own to this day!
Obviously, their marketing approach works.
The MPC
The MPC usually possesses the following five qualities:
- They have a marketable skill.
- They are realistic about everything—title, salary, commute, etc.
- They are reference-checkable.
- They will interview when you say and start within two weeks.
- They exhibit mutual respect with the recruiter.
Once we identify this individual, who admittedly is difficult to find, we can prepare to attack our marketplace. But first, we need to have something to say, and this is where The FAB Presentation comes into play.
The FAB
Here’s the “Reader’s Digest version” of the Feature-Accomplishment-Benefit presentation—The FAB. The definitions are as follows:
FEATURES—Facts about the candidate.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS—Significant “measurable” results the candidate obtained for their current and past employers. These are “concrete” and can consist of numbers, fractions, dollars, and/or percentages.
BENEFITS—Educated guesses of what the candidate can do for a new employer based on their accomplishments.
The target of your call
I am often asked how “contingency” recruiters can act more like “retained” recruiters. I always answer the same way, “ACT more like retained recruiters.” Retained recruiters always “enter” a company at the highest level. This means, if you want to be treated like a CEO, you need to call at the President/CEO level.
A critical rule of thumb to remember is: You will always be treated at the level you penetrate a company.
If you penetrate at the CEO level, you will be treated like a CEO and will receive JOs at the VP level and below.
If you penetrate at the VP level, you will be treated like a VP and will receive JOs at the Director level and below.
If you penetrate at the Director level, you will be treated like a Director and will receive JOs at the Manager level and below.
If you penetrate at the Manager level, you will be treated like a Manager and will receive JOs at the “worker bee” level and below.
And if you penetrate at the HR level, you will be treated like a clerk.
When you complain that you are being treated like a clerk, it is because you are acting like a clerk. Sorry, these are just the recruitment “facts of life.”
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Bob Marshall of TBMG International, founder of The Marshall Plan, has an extensive background in the recruiting industry as a recruiter, manager, vice president, president, consultant, and trainer. In 2015, Bob is celebrating his 35th year in the recruitment business. Marshall can be reached at bob@themarshallplan.org or at 770.898.5550. His website is www.themarshallplan.org.