What can HR learn from recruiters

By: Lloyd Gordon business director/board director

One of the key things that the human resources can learn from recruiters is the treat the process of scouting for new talent as a marketing exercise.

More people than ever are constantly on the look out for a new position. Unlike years ago, where changing a job was uncommon, and considered as big an upheaval as moving home, nowadays people are willing to change.

The constant stream of social media and the fact it's often used as a recruiting tool makes accessibility to the jobs market a daily feature. It streams in, like the news. This creates awareness and competitiveness. Marketing positions becomes a more creative task. Organisations need novel ways to hook and secure the best talent.

Reach out further

Building a unique career site on the company webpage is a good idea, as is casting the job opportunity out into the social networks. Attracting a maximum number of applicants is the ideal, and this is not always achieved now with a straightforward jobs board. Having a larger pool of talent to pick from increases the chances of finding the candidate who is the best fit.

Use of analytics is another key tool that recruiters utilise to better understand their clientele. The more information on the candidate the better. Skill set, salary expectation, career ambition, geographical location and willingness to move, are all significant data.

Interest and friendship groups are not irrelevant. The right person is not always the one who sounds good on paper, they have to really want the job, and to see it as a progression. HR will all too often select on basis of suitability without taking in the bigger picture. This can soon lead to a brain-drain as the talented start looking again.

Learning curve

This creates an opportunity to learn from past mistakes. Why did that person not stay with the company? Are you reaching out to a wide enough spread of applicants? How much traffic comes to view the career page? Can you improve it? The tools are there to find and engage, it is a matter of using them.

Recruiters go in-depth into an individual’s circumstances and find out what they really want, including money. HR need to do likewise. Everyone is their own 'brand' these days and recruiters take pains to fit that to the company’s brand and style.

Cultivation of the relationship is at the core of the discussion. A good receuiter will keep a strong candidate in mind, even if the right position is not immediately available. HR should do this too, by maintaining precise databases and being able to recall previous applicants.

Work both ways

Perhaps the major lesson HR could learn from recruiters is not to sit back and let people come to them. Actively searching in the vast pool of talent out there is by far more effective. A recruiter has a two-way relationship - with the client and with the job-seeker. HR need to position themselves in the same way. They are not just 'the company', they have the interests of the applicants at heart too. It is symbiotic is the two can match. Many candidates are creative and clever. It is time for HR departments to live up to those criteria too.

Diary of a Recruiter

By:  Lloyd Gordon, business development director at Maximus

Today's topic: Getting past the gatekeeper

The fact is, I didn't become a million pound biller by waiting for people to call me. Sales calls are a bread and butter activity for every recruiter, but so often fail to reap rewards. It's important that you learn to love sales calls, and that means developing nifty techniques for getting past common blockers. Think of it as a challenge, with you as the intrepid explorer, attempting to navigate past a range of fiendish obstacles.

Firstly, motivation and persistence are key. No-one ever achieved anything worthwhile by being half-hearted and easily put-off. Whenever you call, be aware that you're likely to hear the usual array of instant knock-backs: 'We don't use agencies', 'we have a preferred supplier list', and 'there is no recruitment budget'.

Feel free to make a bingo card for yourself and silently tick off the top knock-backs if it keeps you cheerful. But immediately spring into action. It's vital that you are prepared to hear these responses, and that you have a range of subsequent strategies up your sleeve.

'We don't use agencies'

If you encounter a reception gatekeeper with a great line in no-nonsense brush-offs, go to evasive tactics. This individual has years of knock-backs behind them and won't be charmed or wheedled into playing nicely with you. Neither will they put you through to the decision maker. So ask to be transferred to an unlikely department. The warehouse is ideal. These guys (or girls) will usually then transfer you to the decision-maker without query. They simply won't care. Three cheers for the warehouse teams - the inadvertent friends of recruiters!

For your back-up plan B, pretend to be someone else. Yes, this is particularly crafty, but you are on a recruitment mission, and no administrative gatekeeper is going to thwart it. Pretend to be a solicitor and you'll be whizzed through instantly. Remember, however, that impersonating an officer of the law is an offence...

'There's no recruitment budget'

You should have done your research here. If the target company has implemented a new project, or are advertising, then a 'BUDGET' alarm will be ringing in your head. Find out more. Google their recruitment pages, read the business news and talk to your candidates to find out more. Candidates are a great source of prime knowledge. Speak to your colleagues too, especially more experienced colleagues with a great array of tricks up their sleeve.

'We have a preferred supplier list in place'

Honestly, no you don't. But although both you and the gatekeeper know this, it's a tricky one, and designed to keep recruiters away. Ultimately – You are not speaking to the right person here! Bottom line… A hiring manager looking for a niche skill will not care about whether you are an approved supplier! They care about delivering. Never mention preferred supplier lists or you'll give gatekeepers ideas. To get around this, work on your long game. Only ever send through the highest quality candidates and targets will soon be taking your calls. If you know that this potential client is looking for someone in particular, and you have that perfect CV, then essentially you are calling them to help. Hold this high ground in mind and use it to fuel your mission.

Final good tips

A good recruiter can handle rejection. Not just once, but constantly, and repeatedly throughout his or her career. I may be a million pound biller, but I still face rejection. Does it bother me? Not in the slightest. Learning to separate the personal feeling and the business is imperative. A business 'no' is not a judgement against you as a person, so simply brush it off and plan a fresh approach.

Know from the start that your career will be a mix of yes's and no's. By making as many sales calls as you can, you will increase both. Persevere. You create your own 'luck' by working hard. A thick skin is a perfect shield in this business, as is the work ethic and planned approach that sees you constantly refining and perfecting your approach.

Also learn to be positive even when the going gets tough. Any individual can be chirpy and positive when the odds are in their favour. A true professional, and someone marked for great things, will display similar optimism, great attitude and energy, even when they are facing a seemingly constant stream of rejections. Mark yourself out as that rare individual who perseveres, regardless of circumstance.

Remember:

Research is essential to success. Never make a sales call unless you are clear about your objective and know who you are calling. Make notes to refer to during the call if necessary. Write up outcomes and keep clear contact records. If contact a fails, plan your contact B carefully, and make it work.

Never ring a potential customer simply for the sake of it. Call because you can offer them value - a service that they need - and be prepared to demonstrate this. Remember, they aren't interested in doing you a favour. They need you to solve their recruitment problems and do so better and more persuasively than the competition.

And finally, knowledge is power. Be the person who reads more, networks more, and generally knows more than your peers. It will all pay off in time - when you become the big biller!