As a recruiter you have an important responsibility, one that should be understood and upheld at all times. You are the voice, the face, and the main point of contact for your company. More often than we care to admit we forget that our candidates are not a means to an end, that they are our clients as well. Regardless of wither a situation results in a hire or not, a positive candidate experience is a must every single time. I approach every conversation as an information gatherer and find the correct situations to inject my opinion, knowledge, and recommendations. Each conversation I consider the "5 Rules of Recruiting" I learned a while back.
1. Developing the relationship
Developing the relationship in the first few minutes of the conversation will establish the tone for all future discussions. It will also be your opportunity to let the candidate know they can trust you, cheesy sales talk works on no one. For a candidate unfamiliar with your company an immediate judgment is made from this initial few minutes. This is an opportunity to generate a working relationship style that suits the need of your candidate and you need to make the necessary adjustment to fill that need. For example you will learn your candidates preference of communication methods; email, calling at home or cell, text message and time of day preference. You will get an insight into their own communication style, are they laid back and friendly or hard nosed and down to business. Be adaptive.
2. Creating and identifying the need
A mistake often made by recruiters is focusing on just their need and their companies need, not the candidates. Keep the messy details behind closed doors and always present a polished view of your company. If you scrambled to put together their information packets and booked a conference room 5 minutes prior to their arrival, keep it to yourself. One must be very considerate of the candidates impressions when discussing future career options in such a highly competitive market. Be tactful and act as a career guide, someone there to help them achieve a more fulfilling life through the possibility of a new opportunity.
3. Preventing and overcoming objections
Everyone has things they just hate about the work place. These can include management style, inability to telecommute, lack of personal growth options to name a few. Red flags such as these should be identified and addressed. Dismissing the issues will set a candidates mind at ease and offer them hope that the new opportunity you are presenting them with will be a welcome improvement. Of course not all issues can be dismissed; some offices do not offer telecommuting for example. Address this problem head on and be upfront, perhaps you can talk your candidate through the roadblock and leave them realizing they can indeed change their lifestyle a bit for the right opportunity. Other times the right move is none at all, part ways as friends and plan on doing business again in the future when the situation lines up more properly.
4. filling the need
Filling the need is an excellent section to focus on candidate experience. Rather than selling the position as something your company desperately needs to fill. Focus on selling the candidate that this is the position they have been looking for. You will know exactly what they are looking for if you handle steps 1-3 correctly. This section should be a marriage of your companies need and the candidates search criteria and fit together for a perfect partnership.
5. Closing the sale
Now is the time to earn your money. Lay your cards on the table and win the game. You should have all the information you need to lock down your candidate through a series of buying questions. Questions designed to get the candidate used to saying yes; "If I could do x, y and z for you, then would you accept this position"? "Do you see this as the next logical step in your career growth"? A few questions like these are a great way to start the final compensation discussion. Get the thought in the candidates mind that this opportunity is too great to pass up and you will make them take your offer and feel great about it in the process.
It is no wonder that great recruiters come from such diverse backgrounds. There are a lot of hats to wear in this job and a lot of people to consider and make happy. Hopefully these suggestions can offer you a guide to presenting excellent candidate experiences every time.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
How to Create a Career Page on Facebook and MySpace:
In a previous blog I discussed the importance of social networking. Utilizing web 2.0 services gives recruiters the tools to source deeper than ever before, and the ability to find specialized passive candidates. This is only 50% of the equation. To fully implement the effectiveness of Facebook and Myspace it is essential to set up a "Careers Page". Creating the Careers Page offers you as a Recruiter the ability to maintain your own company job site; one that is easily adaptable and very targeted. I will give two examples of how my Social Networking Career Pages have come in handy and then explain how to set them up.
1. I was working to fill a remote project with a candidate living on the East Coast, I am on the West Coast at our Companies' headquarters. This candidate and I had spoken on the phone several times and had met a representative of our company back east for a few hours during the interview process. Offer stage was rapidly approaching and I needed to lock the candidate down. I received a phone call, "Can you tell me about your companies culture before I accept this offer, I have never been to your headquarters and only met one person in real life" said the candidate. How do you explain culture to someone when they can never see, hear or touch it? I immediately coached my candidate how to sign up for Facebook and directed them to my Career Page. Once on the Career Page my candidate could see pictures of post work events such as bar-b-q's, bowling parties, and golf tournaments featuring members of our company. There were white papers written by our consultants detailing some of the cutting edge projects they were working on asking for feedback. An open form discussions of ideas and suggestions through out the company. Through that easy step my candidate was able to put a face to a voice, a feeling to a company and a place to call home. The candidate quickly accepted the offer a few days later and is still happily employed with us.
2. Working for a "boutique" company allows me to be creative in how I spread the word regarding my open positions. I post (for free) all of our open positions on Facebook and MySpace. The opportunity to post a position for free should never be turned down. The more traction you have the greater chance you have of hitting your target. I am currently working to fill an extremely Sr. Level Sales role. It is not my forte and requires me to post the position on sales niche sites I am not necessarily frequenting often. I also posted the position on my Social Networking Career Pages and with in a few days I got an email from an interested candidate who exceeded my requirements. The person told me they were passively looking for a new position, did not want to post their resume online for fear their current employer would see it and thus is not on Monster, Dice, etc so would not have seen my job posting had it not been for Social Networking. We are currently still in the process of speaking with this candidate and hope to develop a mutually beneficial relationship, all formed from the Career Page.
Here is how to set up a Career Page:
Facebook:
1. From the main page click on "groups" in the upper left hand corner
2. Click on "create a new group"
3. Generate information for "group info" for category I recommend leaving the group open
4. Generate information for "customize" I recommend taking sole responsibility in terms of who can post and add things to the page
5. Generate information for "members"
6. Put the final touches and polish up your page, source for potential members and send them invitations
Myspace:
1. From the main page click on "more" drop down on the upper bar, select "groups"
2. Click "create a group"
3. Fill in appropriate information and click "create group"
4. Put the final touches and polish up your page, source for potential members and send them invitations
It is important to monitor your Career Pages daily, update immediately as jobs open and close and answer any questions members might have. The advantage of these pages are to add a personal touch and increase your scope. I hope these tips help others open up to a new audience and find them as useful as I do.
1. I was working to fill a remote project with a candidate living on the East Coast, I am on the West Coast at our Companies' headquarters. This candidate and I had spoken on the phone several times and had met a representative of our company back east for a few hours during the interview process. Offer stage was rapidly approaching and I needed to lock the candidate down. I received a phone call, "Can you tell me about your companies culture before I accept this offer, I have never been to your headquarters and only met one person in real life" said the candidate. How do you explain culture to someone when they can never see, hear or touch it? I immediately coached my candidate how to sign up for Facebook and directed them to my Career Page. Once on the Career Page my candidate could see pictures of post work events such as bar-b-q's, bowling parties, and golf tournaments featuring members of our company. There were white papers written by our consultants detailing some of the cutting edge projects they were working on asking for feedback. An open form discussions of ideas and suggestions through out the company. Through that easy step my candidate was able to put a face to a voice, a feeling to a company and a place to call home. The candidate quickly accepted the offer a few days later and is still happily employed with us.
2. Working for a "boutique" company allows me to be creative in how I spread the word regarding my open positions. I post (for free) all of our open positions on Facebook and MySpace. The opportunity to post a position for free should never be turned down. The more traction you have the greater chance you have of hitting your target. I am currently working to fill an extremely Sr. Level Sales role. It is not my forte and requires me to post the position on sales niche sites I am not necessarily frequenting often. I also posted the position on my Social Networking Career Pages and with in a few days I got an email from an interested candidate who exceeded my requirements. The person told me they were passively looking for a new position, did not want to post their resume online for fear their current employer would see it and thus is not on Monster, Dice, etc so would not have seen my job posting had it not been for Social Networking. We are currently still in the process of speaking with this candidate and hope to develop a mutually beneficial relationship, all formed from the Career Page.
Here is how to set up a Career Page:
Facebook:
1. From the main page click on "groups" in the upper left hand corner
2. Click on "create a new group"
3. Generate information for "group info" for category I recommend leaving the group open
4. Generate information for "customize" I recommend taking sole responsibility in terms of who can post and add things to the page
5. Generate information for "members"
6. Put the final touches and polish up your page, source for potential members and send them invitations
Myspace:
1. From the main page click on "more" drop down on the upper bar, select "groups"
2. Click "create a group"
3. Fill in appropriate information and click "create group"
4. Put the final touches and polish up your page, source for potential members and send them invitations
It is important to monitor your Career Pages daily, update immediately as jobs open and close and answer any questions members might have. The advantage of these pages are to add a personal touch and increase your scope. I hope these tips help others open up to a new audience and find them as useful as I do.
Monday, July 7, 2008
10 Tips for a Jr. Recruiter
1. Understand your place on the totem pole (ears open, mouth shut)
2. Study your craft, do your homework, learn all aspects of your companies business. The bigger the picture you understand the better
3. Pick traits both positive and negative from those above you and either emulate or shy away from
4. Own your work in all situations
5. No question is too stupid the first time you ask it, the second time you have to ask something you are not learning
6. Pay your dues, work harder than those above you and don't complain
7. Don't email when you can pick up the phone
8. Be persistent and confident but not pushy and salesy
9. Follow things from A-Z, do not drop the ball under any circumstance. Do not allow anyone else to drop the ball either
10. Client and Candidate experience is always most important
2. Study your craft, do your homework, learn all aspects of your companies business. The bigger the picture you understand the better
3. Pick traits both positive and negative from those above you and either emulate or shy away from
4. Own your work in all situations
5. No question is too stupid the first time you ask it, the second time you have to ask something you are not learning
6. Pay your dues, work harder than those above you and don't complain
7. Don't email when you can pick up the phone
8. Be persistent and confident but not pushy and salesy
9. Follow things from A-Z, do not drop the ball under any circumstance. Do not allow anyone else to drop the ball either
10. Client and Candidate experience is always most important
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
How to beat the Summer Recruiter doldrums….? Web 2.0 networking
How to beat the Summer Recruiter doldrums….? Web 2.0 networking
You show up to the office Monday after a great weekend and are ready to source, the instinct of hunting takes over. You sign onto your favorite job sites, write you Boolean and search. Thinking to yourself, what interesting talented people will you get to talk to this week. There is a problem, why are there only 3 new candidates, and none are a fit for your role? The answer is that you are experiencing the summer doldrums! It is well known that Mondays and Tuesdays see a significant drop in the amount of job seekers posting new resumes online. it is also well known that once the sun comes out people are more content to vacation than search for jobs. That is particularly true in places such as our lovely state of Washington where each day of sunshine enjoyment needs to be capitalized on. How are you to stay busy and proactively beat this drought? You still have jobs to fill and there are still people looking to fill them. The answer is social networking web 2.0.
If you haven't accepted the fact that MySpace and Facebook can be used for Recruiting then you are probably too old and need to start filling out your social security forms. Passive candidates offer up a plethora of unsolicited information regarding their job title, company, dates worked for, duties and most times their direct contact information. Facebook is my personal favorite for candidate searching. From the main home page in the upper left hand corner is a 'search' button, click on it. Then on the right hand side of the page in bold it says 'profile', click on that next. Now you can fill out the search template any way you see fit i.e.: search by companies you wish to headhunt passive candidates; search by positions of people in your local who you may have skipped over on other job boards. Once I have identified a candidate I find of interest I always write a personalized message that is short, sweet and too the point. Social networking sites receive just as much, if not more junk mail that your box at home, don’t waste people's time.
This action can be repeated on MySpace, Talent Bar, and LinkedIn. It serves as a way to network on a more personal scale while digging a little deeper than the person at company X who is reviewing the same 3 resumes you looked at hours ago. Another great feature to check out are group pages on MySpace and Facebook. The group pages can be used to create an adaptable company profile where job openings can be posted, company information shared and news discussed. Group pages are something I will have to discuss in a future blog.
Happy Hunting,
You show up to the office Monday after a great weekend and are ready to source, the instinct of hunting takes over. You sign onto your favorite job sites, write you Boolean and search. Thinking to yourself, what interesting talented people will you get to talk to this week. There is a problem, why are there only 3 new candidates, and none are a fit for your role? The answer is that you are experiencing the summer doldrums! It is well known that Mondays and Tuesdays see a significant drop in the amount of job seekers posting new resumes online. it is also well known that once the sun comes out people are more content to vacation than search for jobs. That is particularly true in places such as our lovely state of Washington where each day of sunshine enjoyment needs to be capitalized on. How are you to stay busy and proactively beat this drought? You still have jobs to fill and there are still people looking to fill them. The answer is social networking web 2.0.
If you haven't accepted the fact that MySpace and Facebook can be used for Recruiting then you are probably too old and need to start filling out your social security forms. Passive candidates offer up a plethora of unsolicited information regarding their job title, company, dates worked for, duties and most times their direct contact information. Facebook is my personal favorite for candidate searching. From the main home page in the upper left hand corner is a 'search' button, click on it. Then on the right hand side of the page in bold it says 'profile', click on that next. Now you can fill out the search template any way you see fit i.e.: search by companies you wish to headhunt passive candidates; search by positions of people in your local who you may have skipped over on other job boards. Once I have identified a candidate I find of interest I always write a personalized message that is short, sweet and too the point. Social networking sites receive just as much, if not more junk mail that your box at home, don’t waste people's time.
This action can be repeated on MySpace, Talent Bar, and LinkedIn. It serves as a way to network on a more personal scale while digging a little deeper than the person at company X who is reviewing the same 3 resumes you looked at hours ago. Another great feature to check out are group pages on MySpace and Facebook. The group pages can be used to create an adaptable company profile where job openings can be posted, company information shared and news discussed. Group pages are something I will have to discuss in a future blog.
Happy Hunting,
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