Recruiting Animal

Long-Term Recruiting Conversations

Source: Rachel Saunders interviewed by J.T. O'Donnell (edited)

To get the best people, a recruiter has to start lots of dialogs and earn the trust and respect of the talent she wants to hire.

The process can take months but ensures the candidate takes the new job with enthusiasm.

There was a software developer we were very interested in.

One of our recruiters is a nerd who reads blogs that discuss the cutting-edge projects being worked on at various companies. He saw that this programmer was involved in a technology we were using and contacted to her to hear what she thought of the technology and learn more about her projects.

She wasn’t considering a move but the recruiter stayed in touch with her by email for two months, exchanging articles and insights.

Eventually, he invited her to tour our facilities to see what we were working on.

Several months later, she called him and said it was time for her to find a new role because she wanted to work on projects she cared about and had recalled the ones she saw during the tour.

She was hired shortly after. It’s that kind of nurturing that helps us find and hire the top talent with the best superpowers.

https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/2015/04/personalized-outreach-yahoos-secret-to-talent-acquisition-success

How To Contact Candidates

Source: Ryan Leary

I spent a lot of time at Sourcecon listening to presentations talk about how to use the phone over email -- or email over phone -- and the best ways to say hello to a candidate.

It's a silly conversation and a waste of time. If you inherently do not know how to call someone or have a conversation then recruiting is not the job for you.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/recruitersonline/permalink/10153603591138567/

First Recruiting Contact - Send Personalized Email

Source: Rachel Saunders, Yahoo recruiter interviewed by J.T. O'Donnell (edited)

I invest a lot of time researching candidates b4 contacting them.
This helps me customize my email.
And that differentiates me from other recruiters.
And that's important.

The more personalized the email, the better the response rate.
When I send a mildly tailored email, I get a 25% response rate.
When I really customize the response jumps to 60-70%.

When they respond, they say, “It’s so refreshing to be contacted by someone who has done her homework.” That’s important because it makes the candidate more willing to hear what I have to say.

HOW I CUSTOMIZE EMAIL

I begin by finding something personal about the candidate that they’ve shared on a social media profile, like a hobby or passion.

I’ll then find an article or resource they might enjoy that ties to it and share it with them. Starting the email with something more personal helps the candidate see that I'm the kind of person who likes to get to know people.

Next, I get specific about their skills. I highlight the exact skill sets that drew me to their profile and I tell them why.

Finally, I ask if they’d be willing to have a brief call so I could learn more about their career journey.

I make it clear that I understand that now might not be the right time for them to make a move -- but that I’d still like to get to know them better and earn their trust in the event we are a potential fit in the future.

https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/2015/04/personalized-outreach-yahoos-secret-to-talent-acquisition-success

Don't Take No For An Answer on Cold Calls

From: Lou Adler (edited)

When you recruit passive candidates, have an instant rebuttal for every type of no.

If the candidate asks about the compensation, say that's not the primary issue for a career move.

If the candidate says she is not interested, say that’s why you should talk.

If the candidate says she is happy where she is, say that’s the frame of mind you need to evaluate an opportunity objectively.

 

Recruiting Cold Call Opening Line

From: Lou Adler (edited)

1. Would you be open to chat for a minute or two about a potential career opportunity?

2. I’m leading a search for a number of executive-level positions. Would you be open to chat for a few minutes if one of them represented a career move?

3. Joe Blow indicated to me that you are the best person he knows in the field of structural finance.

Joe didn’t say you are looking -- just someone I needed to contact.

But let me ask you a question. Would you be open to explore a situation if it represented a significant career move?

More than 90% will agree to a short discussion.

 

Questions For a Recruiting Cold Call

From: Chadd Balbi (edited)

If a corporate recruiter is looking for someone very niche or has a high volume of positions to fill, she will call a 3rd party recruiter even if she would prefer not to.

But who she gonna call? The agency that has built a relationship with the company and understands their hiring needs.

You need to be talking about this stuff on every call you make.
If you are just asking to be kept in mind you are going to be left behind.

Why would they use an agency?
What do they look for in an agency?

When was the last time they used an agency?

What kind of candidates do they typically hire?

Is their business cyclical?
Is their current time to fill a problem?

How do they identify candidates?
What is the impact of an open position?

What are the current positions that are more difficult to fill?
Would they benefit from having access to your network?

 

COLD CALL CHIT CHAT

The Psychology of Cold Calling

I just published a short ebook on Amazon. It sells for $2.99.

It's called The Psychology of Job Hunting but it's really about the fear of cold calling and networking.

It's focus is self-image and boundary issues. That doesn't sound interesting but I tried to make it very colloquial and enjoyable to read.

I've been reading it myself again and I think some areas could use improvement so I'm interested in getting feedback from readers who disagree with what I've said or the way I've said it.

You don't need a Kindle to read it. You can download free software that allows you to read it on any device.

I set up a web page for it at Psychology of Job Hunting. com

You can read the first dozen or so pages for free on Amazon. Click Look Inside!

PS: I got my first review. Read it here

 

Cora Mae on Cold Calls

The other day I saw a posting by Greg Savage on Recruitingblogs.com. It was called: The Golden Rule of Cold Calls. Don't.

That prompted me to post a transcript of my interview with James Bowmer on Recruitingblogs.com. It's called Hot Tips From A Cold Call Machine.

Ironically, both of these guys are CEO's of successful recruiting firms and both of them are Australian. There is one difference though: Greg's article got a number of approving comments and Jimmy's got none - until Cora Mae Lengeman came along.

Cora is a very successful solo headhunter. Her comments (slightly edited) are below:

From: Recruitingblogs.com, Cora Mae Lengeman, May 18, 2012

You simply have to pick up the telephone and make the calls, knowing that each no is getting you closer to a yes.

Cold calls for finding new clients are fun. I love sorting the companies that will be my sourcing companies and the companies that may become my clients.

I don't do it as often now but the exercise is a good one to get you back into the excitement of recruiting.  It keeps the edge (and fun) in the recruiting process.

Yeah, it's interesting that when you write about someone that is successful doing something that most recruiters don’t like or want to do that it gets no comments. 

They are probably embarrassed to admit someone can be successful doing it because that means they could also if they stepped out of their comfort zone.  Scary!!

Work safe = not as much success

 

Cold Call

Hello. Is Rick in? "Yes. May I tell him who's calling?" Sure. Jerry Albright. "Can I tell him what this call concerns?" No thanks. I will. Mon May 09 22:37:27 +0000 2011 via ÜberSocial Jerry Albright
@Jerry_Albright