|
Recruiting
News,
Training &
Commentary
by Bill Radin
Subscribe to
Newsletter
More Tips for Recruiters
Return to
Table of Contents
|
|
The
Recruiter's Digest
Recruiting
News, Training & Commentary by Bill Radin |
|
July, 2007 |
Are You Indispensable?
As a
brand-new recruiter, Sally was fairly worthless.
She didn't have any candidates for her employers, and she didn't have any
jobs for her candidates. All she had was the intuitive ability to listen,
take notes and create reasonable expectations.
Later, when Sally began to get results, she became useful. She wrote a ton
of job orders with lots of companies, and she networked with hundreds of
different candidates. And every now and then, Sally made a placement.
As her understanding of recruiting grew, Sally found that she could not only
match jobs with candidates, she could put difficult deals together, despite
obstacles that threatened to keep people apart. Her clients began to
appreciate her skills, and they grew confident that whenever Sally was given
a search, their job would be filled.
Natural Selection at Work
Meanwhile, a funny thing happened: Sally's client list began to shrink. And
the smaller it got, the more successful she became. It seems she didn't need
to work with lots of different companies after all.
Was Sally's situation special? No. She simply evolved the way a recruiter
should, from being worthless to useful to outright indispensable.
Rather than trying to be all-things-to-all-people, Sally learned the value
of being all-things-to-just-a-few-people.
Like Sally, all high-performing recruiters give their customers service
that's off the charts. In so doing, they not only reinforce their
reputations; they make their clients utterly dependent on them.
They'll Only Have Eyes for You
Employers have lots of recruiting choicesunless
they want the very best. And in a competitive market, it pays to be number
one. Otherwise, you'll be seen as either worthless or intermittently useful.
Once you become indispensableto
just a few clientsthings
begin to change. Your competitors fade away. Your terms and conditions are
accepted. Your candidates are interviewed. Your placements multiply. And
sooner or later, your services are recommended to others, bringing even more
business to your door.
There are lots of ways to improve the quality of your work. Here are just a
few of the "extras" that will help make you indispensable:
|
1.
|
Set
expectations in the beginning. Explain exactly what you'll doand
exactly when you'll do it. If there are problems, obstacles or
disagreements, discuss them early. If you feel you can't be successful,
just say so. |
|
2.
|
Follow
up. I'm a big fan of scheduled progress reports. They'll keep your
feet to the fire and reassure those to whom you've made commitments that
your work is being done. |
|
3.
|
Think
like a concierge. Do the little things that make life easy for your
clients, such as providing market information, travel itineraries,
cost-of-living differentials, fact-checking, and so forth. |
|
4.
|
Leave
your comfort zone so others won't have to. Occasionally, a good
client will ask you to fill a position outside your specialty. By
putting in the extra effort, you'll build a healthy reserve of trust,
loyalty and appreciation. |
|
5.
|
Solve
peripheral problems. Tackle thorny issues that may arise during the
placement process, such as relocation, spousal employment, insurance or
pension rollovers, and buyer's remorse. |
By providing
great service to a select few clients, you'll work your way to the top of
the list. So when your clients' jobs need to be filled, they'll think of youand
nobody else.
Additional study: Robert Greene, The 48 Laws of Power; Seth
Godin, The Dip.
|
|
