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25 fact-filled articles
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Tips for Recruiters
Table of Contents
Strategy & Tactics
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Make Placements --
FAST!
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Voice Mail &
E-mail: Eight Simple Rules
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Job Orders --
Better, Faster, Smarter
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How to Switch Desk Specialties
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Who Makes the Most
Money?
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Retainers: Look
Before You Leap
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How to Add Value, Not Redundancy
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Intelligent Online
Recruiting
Skill Building
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Counteroffers: Can You Spot the
Signs?
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Resume Makeovers: Quick Tips
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Is There a MAGIC to Closing?
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Finding the Right Recruiting Script
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Storyboarding for Maximum Impact
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How to Stimulate Candidate Referrals
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Expand the Supply of Candidates
Candidate Management
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Playing Softball
with Your Candidates?
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The Power of Interview Preparation
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Control: The Key to Recruiter Success
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How to Fight the Counteroffer Bug
Employer Relationships
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You’re Worth the Money You Charge!
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Negotiate for Higher Recruiting Fees
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Anti-Discount Tactics for Recruiters
For Candidates &
Employers
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Graceful Exits for Job-Changers
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Advice for Engineering Candidates
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What’s Your Capture Strategy?
Q & A
for Recruiters
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Answers
to Your E-mail Questions
Bill Radin answers letters from recruiters around the world.
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How to Switch Desk Specialties
By Bill Radin
If you’re
recruiting in an industry that’s at death’s door and nothing you do
seems to revive it, a change in desk specialties may be in order.
You don’t necessarily have to drop your existing specialty altogether;
you can keep your “core” constituency active while mining for gold in
other areas. However, to get the most out of your efforts, the more
concentrated time you spend on your prospective market, the better.
As you begin the exploration process, look for a niche that draws on
your existing assets, such as your database of candidates and companies,
plus your industry knowledge and technical expertise. For example, if
software developers are no longer in demand, there may be a market for
software sales managers. If no linkage to your assets can be found, then
you may be forced to rebuild your desk from scratch.
To increase the odds of a successful transition, consider the following
tips:
1. Find a niche that’s in demand, not only now, but promises to be in the
future. The last thing you want to do is reinvent yourself all over
again in two or three years.
2. Make sure you have some degree of affinity for the population you’ll
be mingling with, and at least a modicum of interest in the new field’s
technology, skill set or culture. It’s hard to be an advocate on behalf
of an industry—or a candidate population—that leaves you cold or makes
you feel uncomfortable.
3. Don’t expect instant success. It takes time to learn the nuances of a
new desk specialty and reach the point when the pieces begin to fit
together. It’s been said that a prospect needs to be contacted six or
seven times before any sort of name recognition or rapport can be built.
4. Remember the basics. Your primary objective is to arrange sendouts,
either by candidate marketing or by writing job orders. The more
interviews you set up, the faster you’ll get your production on track.
5. Stay focused. If you wander in too many directions, you’ll end up
with a Balkanized desk, comprised of disparate candidate and company
populations that have no common language. The trick to desk specialty
management is to keep your nose to the scent of new business, without
taking too many forks in the road.
Bear in mind that the fundamentals of the business will remain constant,
even if you switch your desk specialty. If your technique is sound,
you’ll make progress quickly, provided there’s business to be found in
your new area of interest. However, you might want to brush up on (or
rehearse) your marketing presentations and recruiting calls before you
start making calls to new prospects. Your seniority in the old specialty
may have masked weaknesses in technique, and if you’re starting fresh,
you’ll want to make a good first impression, even if you have many years
of recruiting under your belt.
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